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Píobaire, An, Volume 4, Issue 46, Page 19

Píobaire, An, Volume 4, Issue 46, Page 19
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periodical Publisher
Na Píobairí Uilleann
periodical Editor
Chairman, NPU
periodical Title
Píobaire, An
volume Number
4
issue Content
20“Paddy’s Rambles Through the Park” ap-pealed to me so much that I had always want-ed to play it on the pipes, but I was frustratedby what I felt to be an unpleasant clash of theA-major section of the melody with thedrones. So, it remained for many years a tuneI was content to listen to and enjoy in others’playing. Happily, however, I recently wasattempting to play a jig in G-minor, and, as isoften the way with favourite tunes, “Paddy’sRambles Through the Park” came back intomy head. As I was thinking G at the time, Itried it out in this key, and, with some minortweaking to suit the chanter, the melody laysout nicely. The added benefit in this key is thecomplement provided by the drones, as wellas the scope for regulator accompanimentunavailable in the original, higher key of A.The transcription offered here is renderedwith free, open bars, rather than in a meterednotation. Hopefully this gives a sense of thephrasing, without the confinement that thesuperimposition of time signature(s) wouldimply.Kieran O’Hare– continued from page 18There is a tale that John is fond of tellingthat concerns one of his most beautifulpieces of music, a lament he calls ‘PaddyRambles Through the Parl’. The tale serveshim well as a metaphor for a life devoted tothe search for musical experience.Paddy was a great musical man and a greatsinger. And he would stroll away at nightand go away to rake - to places where theywould be dance parties. Well, he wasstrolling home at a very late hour one nightand he was coming past that big demesneabout three o’clock at night. But thereinside the fence he heard this lovely singer,and he stopped for a moment to listen tothe song. “Well”, he says, “that’s a lovelysinger that’s singing just now,” and whatwas the singer only a banshee. So Paddywanted to get in near to it so he could hearthe song. But at that time they wouldn’ttake stones away from the park - anystones they would get they put them in apile. They used to call them a cairn.“Well”, says he, I’ll see if I can get in touchwith that singer,” says he. He went into thefirst cairn and the singer was at the secondcairn and when he went there the singerwas at the third cairn. That is how he waskept rambling through the park till it wasclear daylight. But he made good and surehe would have the air of the song with himin great style indeed - and you would knowby its playing it is something unearthly.From: Allen Feldman & Eamonn O’Doherty, TheNorthern Fiddler, Blackstaff Press, Belfast 1979
issue Number
46
page Number
19
periodical Author
[Periodical]
issue Publication Date
2008-07-03T10:43:35.583
allowedRoles
anonymous,guest,friend,member

Píobaire, An, Volume 4, Issue 46

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