Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

The Barren Rocks Of Aden

polka

Key signature: Dmajor

Submitted on October 4th 2004 by Aidan Crossey.

This tune has been added to 31 tunebooks.

Also known as Barren Rocks Of Aden.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

Beauty An Oileáin: Music And Song Of The Blasket Islands by Various Artists
Blackthorn Ceilidh Band by Blackthorn Ceilidh Band
Dance Music Of Ireland: Volume 2 by Matt Cunningham
Dance Music Of Ireland: Volume 9 by Matt Cunningham
Oilean by Siamsa Tire
Out Of Their Shell by Céide
Rolling Home by The Foundry Bar Band
Round The House And Mind The Dresser: Irish Country House Dance Music by Various Artists
Take To The Floor by Haste To The Wedding
Temple House 2 by Temple House Ceili Band
The Little Cascade by Ben The Hoose
We'll Seek No More Engagements by Aidan Crossey

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

X: 1
T: Barren Rocks Of Aden, The
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
R: polka
K: Dmaj
|:f2 f>e|df Ad|ce AB/c/|de fd|
f2 f>e|df Ad|ce AB/c/|1 d2 de:|2 d2 df||
|:af df|ef Af|ge ce|d/e/f/g/ a>f|
af df|ef Af|ge ce|1 d2 df:|2 d2 d2||

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

This tune has become one of my signature tunes. If, like myself, you're called Aidan, you might also wish to consider adopting this fine Scottish polka as your signature tune. (Unless, of course, you don't wish people to believe that your rocks are barren ... I quite understand!)

# Posted on October 4th 2004 by Aidan Crossey

I have always thought of this tune as a march. There are 4 parts to the version I know. The version here is similar to the first two parts but still different to that which is normally played in Scotland.
I'll add the ABC for the whole tune shortly.

# Posted on October 4th 2004 by Johannes J

It's interesting how tunes change when they pass from one tradition into the other. All the Irish players that I play with who know this tune, know it as a two-parter.

As for whether a tune is a 2/4 march or a polka - that's a bit of a moot point. No doubt some 2/4 marches become "polka-fied" when they cross out of the piping tradition where 2/4 marches are a standard type. (Jeremy doesn't list march as an option in any event since marches come in all time signatures ...)

# Posted on October 4th 2004 by Aidan Crossey

Highland Dance tune

This is the tune (as far as I know) that pipers play for highland dancers when they do the Highland Laddie. I think it's more of a strathspey in that case but I can't remember... It's been a while! Can anyone help me out on this?

# Posted on October 4th 2004 by twin fiddler

It's a march.

# Posted on March 1st 2003 by dafydd

Always thought of this tune as a march.

# Posted on October 4th 2004 by Bannerman

I learned this tune about 20 years ago from a Scottish piper. He always played it as a march, two parts and pretty much as is written here.

# Posted on October 5th 2004 by bristlehound

A signature tune

I learnt this tune from the playing of a hammer dulcimar player at the first Winchester Folk Festival about 27 years ago. I play it as the first tune in a set of four, followed by 'Tie your bonnets'(which I wrote down as Reg Hall of the Rakes was playing at a Ceilidh)
then an english polka from Scan tester (unnamed) finishing with another English Polka from yet another hammer dulcimer player from the north of England entitled 'Old joe the Boat is going over'
I play 'Barren Rocks' a little differently from the version here. If anyone is interested I will submit the set bearing in mind that the rest are English with the exception of 'Tie Your Bonnets' which I believe to be an Irish Polka.

# Posted on October 5th 2004 by hetty

Forgotv to add that this set has become a bit of a signature tune-set for my band. We nearly always play it for the final dance of the ceilidh's we play for.

# Posted on October 5th 2004 by hetty

I play this differently to the posted version too, as a march. Aidan where did this version come from?

# Posted on October 5th 2004 by Dow

Jack ... this is the version I grew up listening to various ceili outfits playing in and around the Montiaghs in North Armagh. There was a big Scottish influence on the tunes in my part of the world since many of the players in the ceili bands would also have done their time in various marching bands, including the (pretty famous) St Mary's Pipe Band from Derytrasna. But - as I say - when I've kicked this off in a set of polkas in London a lot of the heads were straight in there, playing the tune as a two]part polka.

Incidentally a few weeks back at my ill-starred 40th birthday party, Alasdair who makes the occasional contribution to this site and who comes from the GHB tradition - played The Barren Rocks as a solo pipe piece. I'll ask him how he plays it.

# Posted on October 5th 2004 by Aidan Crossey

Happy 40th Birthday Aidan...

# Posted on October 5th 2004 by ceolachan

Go raibh míle, ceolachan. Mind you after Messrs Jameson and Power turned up at the party uninvited, the next few days were less than happy!!

# Posted on October 5th 2004 by Aidan Crossey

Now that I think of it, it is played for dancers as a march, and it's quite different then the version posted here.

# Posted on October 6th 2004 by twin fiddler

Barren Rocks Of Aden

It's a lot of years since I last played this but my version goes something like this:

Some people have a 4th part also, but my settings only 3 parts. I can never remember whether or not you're supposed to repeat the 2nd & 3rd parts.

# Posted on October 6th 2004 by Dow

4th part

Maybe this is one of those abc transcriptions where it's best to make the L: header 1/16...

# Posted on October 6th 2004 by Dow

Thanks DOW. I was going to this but you saved me the trouble.
That's similar to the way I play it too. I like to play all four parts too but I don't always meet people who can. :-)
Quite often, it's only parts one and two, sometimes part three.

# Posted on October 6th 2004 by Johannes J

The Barren Rocks of Aden

...is one of the first tunes I learned on the pipes, out of the Scots Guards collection of pipe music... Here is a comment from a web site concerned with Scottish regimental tradition.
"The Barren Rocks of Aden was an unnamed composition composed by Piper James Mauchline when a detachment of the 78th was stationed in Aden (during the Aden conflict 1964-67). Pipe Major Alexander Mackellar re-arranged and named the tune."

# Posted on October 7th 2004 by marten

I bought a 2nd hand tunebook yesterday for a few shillings- Kerr's Caledonian Collection - and The Barren Rocks is the first tune set out, as a quickstep.

Here's the setting:

T:The Barren Rocks Of Aden
M:2/4
L:1/8
R:Quickstep
K:D
|:d/e/|f>g fe|df Ad|ce A/A/e|fA de|
f>g fe|df Ad|ce A/A/e|d2 d:||
||f/g/|a>f df|ef Ae/f/|ge ce|df Af/g/|
a>f df|ef Ae/f/|ge ce|d2 df/g/|
a/f/d/f/ a/f/d/f/|ef Ae/f/|g/e/c/e/ g/e/c/e/|df Af/g/|
a/f/d/f/ a/f/d/f/|ef Ae/f/|ge ce|d2 d||

# Posted on October 7th 2004 by Aidan Crossey