King Of The Pipers

jig

Key signature: Adorian

Submitted on May 25th 2001 by Jeremy.

This tune has been added to 172 tunebooks.

Also known as Franc A�Phoill, The King Of Pipers, The King Of The Pipers, King Of The Pipes, The King Of The Pipes, Ri Na Bpiobairi, Turlough McSweeney.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

Aislinn (A Vision) by The Celtic Jazz Collective
ALive by Kúla
An Bodhran: The Irish Drum by Colm Murphy
An Fhidil by Various Artists
An Ph�b by Dicky Deegan
Best Of 1987-1993 by Altan
Blackwater by Altan
Brighid's Kiss by Lá Lugh
Castle Ceili Band by Castle Ceili Band
Ceol More by Tony McManus
Ceol Na DTéad by Francie And Mickey Byrne
Ceolmhar by Holly Geraghty And Jonathan Roche
Dance Music Of Ireland: Volume 11 by Matt Cunningham
Fiddle Sticks, Irish Traditional Music From Donegal by Various Artists
Folktrax-075: Johnny Doherty, The Star Of Donegal by John Doherty
Fort Of The Jewels by Brian McNamara
Give Us A Penny And Let Us Be Gone by Teada
Glackin by Paddy Glackin
Gusty's Frolicks by Sean Keane
Happy Days by Trad Lads
Happy Hour by Donal Murphy
Harvest Storm by Altan
Hives Of Honeyed Sound by Padraic Mac Mathuna
In Full Spate by Paddy Glackin
Johnny Doherty by John Doherty
Memories From The Holla by Peter Carberry, Angelina Carberry And John Blake
Moidart To Mabou by Daimh
Music On The Wind by Sean Moloney
My Joy by Hanneke Cassel
Northern Lights by Kevin And Seamus Glackin
Once Again (1987-1993) by Altan
Out Of Their Shell by Céide
Rattlin' Banjos (part 1) by Gerry O'Connor
Rossinver Braes by Ben Lennon And Tony O'Connell
Sean Keane by Sean Keane
Sheridan's Guesthouse by Dave Sheridan
Show The Lady: Music For The Sets Volume 5 by Various Artists
Stormy Weather by Beginish
Streetlife by Patrick Street
The Bee's Wing by The Turloughmore Ceili Band
The Best Of Altan by Altan
The Border Minstrel by Billy Pigg
The Celebrated Recordings by John Doherty
The Donegal Fiddle by Various Artists
The Humours Of Lewisham, Volume Three by Aidan Crossey
The King Of The Pipers by Leo Rowsome
The Pipes Are Calling by Peter And Noel Carberry
The Salmon's Leap by Randal Bays
Tiomnacht / Handed On by Eoin O Riabhaigh
Traditional Dance Music From County Clare by Ennis Ceili Band
Traditional Irish Music Played On The Fiddle by Tommy Peoples
Trip To Fanore by Eugene Lambe
Tropical Trad by Declan Masterson
Tunes by Sharon Shannon, Frankie Gavin, Michael McGoldrick And Jim Murray
Unleashed by The Border Collies
Up In The Air by Danu
Waiting For A Call by Tommy Peoples
Water From The Well by The Chieftains
Whistleworks by Phil Hardy
With Eugene O'Donnell by Mick Moloney

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

This tune changes key, not just between parts, but also, in the last part, from phrase to phrase. This last part finishes with a melodic flourish in D, even though the rest of this part is in G.

The first part, which strikes me as being like a minor key version of The Gold Ring, can be played with more notes to give it a jumpier sound.

The second part is quite straightforward, but confusingly similar to the second part of The Rambling Pitchfork and The Frieze Breeches. If you're not careful, you may find yourself playing King of the Rambling Breeches.

There are quite a few tunes that go by the name of "King Of The Pipers" as Zina Lee investigated:

"I wrote Kevin Glackin of Scoiltrad (www.scoiltrad.com) about this, as he teaches a class on Scoiltrad on King of the Pipers, asking him about the mystery of the names and asking which version was the one he teaches. His reply:

'I have just put the phone down to my friend Tom Sherlock (Altan's manager) where we played the two versions on the different albums over the phone.
The answer to your question is neither.
The version I am teaching was recorded indeed by Altan on an earlier album called the Red Crow and the title they gave the tune was Hudai Gallaghers jig.
This is not unusual for a tune to have several titles, it happens all the time. However the title King of the Pipers refers to about five different jigs all from the Donegal area.
The one on the Blackwater album is a three part jig that I will be teaching at Scoiltrad, I have recorded it on an album with my brother (Seamus) called Northern Lights on the Gael Linn label. The tune that is up on the site at the moment is one I got from James Byrne from Glenclomcille, Co Donegal.'

So there, that's likely the most definitive answer we're ever going to get, if one can call anything about Irish music definitive. I've often heard of a tune with lots of names, but I'd never realized that there was a title with so many tunes! (Sounds like Kipling's Cat. Or Pooh!)"

# Posted on June 2nd 2001 by Jeremy

Transcription error?

I believe the figure here transcribed as GED in the 6th bar should be AGE.

# Posted on April 23rd 2004 by gadamson

The King of the Pipers

Not sure, but I've been thinking this is the nortern version of The Battering Ram.

# Posted on January 26th 2005 by slainte

Battering Ram

There's a definite connection, isn't there? That last part especially.

I think they're two distinct tunes but I wouldn't be surprised if they turned out to be related somehow.

# Posted on January 27th 2005 by Jeremy

Recorded by...

This tune is on one of Sean Keane's solo albums, tho as usual, can't remember which one. Tommy Peoples also plays it somewhere, but I can't remember if it's on a bootleg live tape or a studio recording. I guess this isn't much help, but it is definitely this tune they're playing.

I don't really see much resemblance to Battering Ram myself. This last part is a little similar, but, hmm, nothing very decisive in that...

# Posted on April 22nd 2005 by pchaffee

Key?

Oh, and by the way, it's in Dmix, not Ador--at least the first part...

# Posted on April 22nd 2005 by pchaffee

here is a link to Ceolta and Damien Mullane playing the tune beautifully

http://comhaltas.ie/music/detail/comhaltaslive_259_5_damien_mullane

# Posted on July 11th 2008 by Brown Creeper

Tune that Damien plays isn't the tune that is reflected in the ABC. Anyone have the ABC file??

# Posted on July 12th 2008 by I_Fel

Damien's version

Hi l_Fel,

The version Damien is playing on the Comhaltas site is listed at the link below. Enjoy!

http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/31

# Posted on July 14th 2008 by celtic marine