Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

The Tenpenny Bit

jig

Key signature: Gmajor

Submitted on January 31st 2005 by Dow.

This tune has been added to 42 tunebooks.

Also known as The Ducks And The Oats.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

An Tris Is A Rian by Claire Keville, John Weir And Eithne Ni Dhonaile
Bad Turns And Horse-Shoe Bends by Harry Bradley
Come To Dance: A Celtic Tradition by John Whelan
From Galway To Dublin: Early Recordings Of Traditional Irish Music by Various Artists
Hidden Fermanagh Vol.2 by Various Artists
In Season by Wild Asparagus
Ireland's Best Session Tunes CD 2 by Waltons Recording
Jefferson And Liberty by The Itinerant Band
Music At Matt Molloy's by Matt Molloy
Music From Sliabh Luachra by Denis Murphy
Music Of Sligo by Peter Horan And Fred Finn
Ranting And Reeling: Dance Music Of The North Of England by Various Artists
Rogha Órdha by Various Artists
Sligo Fiddle (Disk 1) by John Vesey
The Apple In Winter by Brian Conway And Tony DeMarco
The Final Fling Part One by NE66
The Galway Rambler by John G. Walsh
The Humours Of Lisheen by John And Julia Clifford
The Ladies From Hell by The Black Watch
The Mountain Road by Various Artists
The Natural Bridge by Ben Lennon And Friends
The Story So Far by John Creavan
Traditional Music On The Hammer Dulcimer by John Rea
Twenty by Boys Of The Lough
Within A Mile Of Kilty by Various Artists

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

Tenpenny Bit

Played at a session I went to the other day. Transcribed from Dervish's Midsummer Night.

# Posted on January 31st 2005 by Dow

Tenpenny Bit

Lovely tune! I happened to record the group "London Lasses" playing this tune on a radio programme. It's still in the archive of The Late Session: http://www.rte.ie/radio1/story/1034196.html (Sunday, 23 Jan.) The Lasses' playing comes very first in the show. It's definitely worth a listen.

# Posted on January 31st 2005 by slainte

Not to be confused with the well known jig which has the same name, of course. Does this tune have another title?

# Posted on February 1st 2005 by Johannes J

Tenpenny Bit

I found this is the one recorded on "Music at Matt Molloy." Sligo tune?

# Posted on February 1st 2005 by slainte

Looks like it's in A Dorian, not G Major. The tonic is the A on the last strong beat of each part, just before the Bd that serves as a pickup for the repeat or the next part.

# Posted on February 2nd 2005 by GaryAMartin

Nah, A-part = Gmaj, B-part Ador.

# Posted on February 3rd 2005 by Dow

I beg to differ - A-part Gmaj, B-part Emin

What does it matter anyway. If you're a backer, you call it whatever mode makes the most sense to you and play whatever chords sound right. If you're a tune player, you just play the tune.

# Posted on February 4th 2005 by ragaman

I'm a backer and I play the 2nd part in Ador. You could also use Emin but it doesn't sound as good. It's up to the individual, and, yes, you're right, it doesn't matter. I also agree with the "tunes players should stick to their thing and play the tunes" comment. Tunes players think they know how modes work but they don't, sorry. Let the backers do their job.

# Posted on February 4th 2005 by Dow

Just to clarify before anyone enters into a pointless argument with me, I'm saying "I play in...Ador. You could also use Emin...", as in, you can use both, neither is "wrong", unless you play chords that don't fit with the tune. Sorry David I shouldn't have said "it doesn't sound as good" - of course you could make both sound good depending on what you do with it.

# Posted on February 4th 2005 by Dow

Oh and by "sound good", of course I mean "in my opinion", so pls don't jump down my throat. Ta.

# Posted on February 4th 2005 by Dow

BTW that wasn't directed at you personally, David, etc etc. God what I'd give to be able to small print at the bottom of all my posts on this website so I don't have to tread on eggshells...

# Posted on February 4th 2005 by Dow

Okay talking about this stuff is stupid you have to play it. Off the top of my head:

G into Ador:

|:C G |G / |C G|G Em |
D C|G / |Em / |D / :|
|:Am / |Bm / |C / |D / |
Em D |C / |G / |D / :|

G into Em:

|:C G |G / |C G|G Am |
Bm C|Em / |C / |D / :|
|:Em / |D / |C / |D / |
Am / |Em Bm |C / |D / :|

What I'm saying is that an Ador progression is nice for the B-part because it takes you smoothly up the chord scale and then back down again. You can bring in the cliched Em-D-C thing later on instead of killing the beginning of the B-part with it.

# Posted on February 4th 2005 by Dow

Sligo Tune

I don't know if it is of Sligo origin, but certainly all the recordings I have of it are by Sligo musicians ... Paddy Killoran (From Galway to Dublin), Peter Horan & Fred Finn (Music of Sligo), Peter Horan, Jimmy Murray, Jimmy Murphy (Music at Matt Molloy's), Jim Murphy & James Murray (Mountain Road), and Devish (Midsummer's Night). The Dervish recording is the only one I have where the tune doesn't follow "Scotsman Across the Border".

# Posted on March 12th 2005 by Sol Foster

"Scotsman across the Border" precedes this one on "Music at Matt Molloy" as well. Jim Murray, Jim Murphy and Peter Horan are leading the gang on the track.

# Posted on March 12th 2005 by slainte

Oops, sorry. I didn't read your comment carefully.

# Posted on March 12th 2005 by slainte

Inspired by Peter Horan, I play the first part like this:

# Posted on January 17th 2006 by slainte

Yup, that's how I play it as well. (Cept maybe the last three notes of the fourth measure.)

# Posted on January 18th 2006 by Sol Foster

"Scotsman over the Border" into "The Tenpenny Bit"

I tried playing this Sligo set in several places while travelling in GB & NI recently. Well, almost all the local musicians knew the first one. But when I went on to the second one, they always stopped playing, leaving me alone. The gang who took several sets of tunes from "Music at Matt Molloy" didn't recognise it. And even a gorgeous flute player who worships Peter Horan didn't play along with me. I don't understand why they still play the New & Old Copperplates, but not this classic set.

# Posted on April 9th 2006 by slainte

This is called "The Ducks and the Oats" on the John and Julia Clifford recording "The Humours of Lisheen".

# Posted on January 19th 2008 by fidkid

Tenpenny Bit version

Here's a version of this tune taught by Edel Fox at the Catskills Irish Arts Week 2007. She got it from Liz Kane, who got it from Dennis Murphy.

X:2
T:Ten Penny Bit
N:Version from Edel Fox via Liz Kane & Dennis Murphy
R:Jig
L:1/8
M:6/8
K:ADor
g|edB G2A|Bed Bcd|edB G2A|BAB gfg|
edB G2A|Bed Bcd|eag edB|[1 BAG A2:|[2 BAG A||
Bd|e2f gfg|eaa ged|e2 f gfg|efg a2 a|
aba age|ged Bcd|eag edB|[1 BAG A:|[2 BAG A2|]

# Posted on January 25th 2008 by GaryAMartin

The Ducks and the Oats

http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/8185/

# Posted on January 25th 2008 by fidkid