Scanbran - Posted - 01/28/2011:  04:34:35

This is my first attempt at introducing a Tune of the Week, so I hope everything is in order

I've chosen the Scottish pipe march tune, The Barren Rocks of Aden, which was shown to me my my banjo teacher at the time, Rob Mairs, and which I think works extremely well as a clawhammer banjo tune.

From Nigel Gatherer's website:
Scottish 2/4 pipe march. The Barren Rocks of Aden was being published in fiddle collections by the 1870s, but has been around longer in the bagpipe repertoire. Aden, near the entrance to the Red Sea, was noted for its barren and desolate volcanic rocks, and was annexed to British India in 1839. In 1967, after violence between nationalists and British forces, it became what is now the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen.

nigelgatherer.com/tunes/tab/tab1/aden.html


I couldn't find any decent recordings of this tune played on banjo, so I made one myself:

box.net/shared/o5hblqh88v

or

soundclick.com/bands/page_song...=10198739

I played this in double C tuning, capo'd at the second fret (double D).

I've posted the tablature for it here:

box.net/shared/qfdjn9qkx5

The tablature is the arrangement of this traditional tune created by Rob Mairs.


Here is a fiddle version of the tune to listen to:

youtube.com/watch?v=hZBK1xfkH6...e=related


Here's another version, this time sung by Andy Stewart!

youtube.com/watch?v=ex4J6X8kIt...e=related


I hope you like the tune and maybe get a chance to learn it - I think it's a great old timey sounding piece, with a real Scottish flavour that's very well suited to clawhammer style.

Edited by - Scanbran on 01/28/2011 06:13:14

neillconnor - Posted - 01/28/2011:  06:02:30

great tune, i`ll have a go at that, thanks for posting

gradelyduck - Posted - 01/28/2011:  06:08:59

I enjoyed that. The Goodtime sounds spot on. For a moment I was standing atop Elephant Bay looking inland towards Crater.
Cheers.

hendrid - Posted - 01/28/2011:  08:43:34

A notey baby Martin. Interesting. Don

ibiblio.org Fiddlers Companion

BARREN ROCKS OF ADEN. AKA and see “Dan O’Leary’s [1],” “The Sailor’s.” Scottish; “Pipe Quickstep,” March (2/4 time). D Major (most versions): D Mixolydian (Bayard). Standard tuning. AB (Bayard): AAB (Hunter, Martin): AABB (Miller & Perron, Sannella, Skinner, Taylor): AABBCCDD (Sweet). Bayard (1981) says the tune is well known among bagpipers and fifers in modern times, but that the piece is not particularly old; he traces it to a possible source from a Highland regiment, which version was published in McDonald's Gesto Collection in 1895. Skinner (1904) and Hunter (1988) attribute the tune to one A. MacKellar of the 78th Seaforth Highlanders Regiment of the British army. David Murray, writing in his excellent volume Music of the Scottish Regiments (Edinburgh, 1994), dates the tune to the mid 19th century when the 78th was stationed in Bombay. A detachment was provided from the regiment to garrison Aden, and it was there that Piper James Mauchline composed the march, which has become one of the most familiar of Scottish martial airs. “The first two measures [Ed.—i.e. first two parts] went well on the flute,” writes Murray, “so the march was taken up by many corps of drums, eventually becoming a standby, played frequently by the drums of English regiments which had no idea of its provenance and who would accuse the pipers of stealing their tune. ‘The Barren Rocks’ has been played and whistled wherever Scots soldiers have been stationed. A former generation used to sing to the air of the first measure [ed.—i.e. first part]:

***

See the laddie ower there

Si; the tartan kilt and the twa legs bare,

And a’ the ladies they declare

‘She’s a fine braw chiel is her nainsel’

***

This is an example of the kind of fun which used to be poked at Gaelic speaking soldiers, always in the minority. The las line mocks the difficulty which native Gaelic speakers had with the English language. ‘She’s a fine braw chiel’ means a handsome sturdy lad; ‘her nainsel’, her own self, i.e. the speaker” (pg. 120).

hendrid - Posted - 01/28/2011:  08:47:42

Not so Notey thesession.org A Polka?
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||

Couple more versions and thoughts under the comments tab.

Maybe the way it should be played?? youtube.com/watch?v=skhdqkO1eSU

Edited by - hendrid on 01/28/2011 08:52:37

derwood400 - Posted - 01/28/2011:  14:54:04

Nice! I really like it. I'm going to try and learn it this weekend. Interesting bit of history too.

ramjo - Posted - 01/28/2011:  15:13:02

Thank you Scanbran. I never would have run across this engaging tune otherwise. Very nice playing on your part.

PS I love Andy Stewart's (and also Andy M. Stewart's) singing, so I definitely clicked on the link you provided. Was not disappointed.

vrteach - Posted - 01/29/2011:  07:36:33

I had not know of this tune before, but I expect I've heard it. Thanks for bringing it to the TOTW, I like it and the history behind it. Yemen! Now I have to find a history book on that.

Matt Buckley - Posted - 01/29/2011:  15:27:51

In addition to clawhammer, I play Highland pipes as well as bellows-blown Border pipes and Scottish smallpipes. I first became familiar with the tune through the not-always-perfect-but nevertheless-pretty-reliable Scots Guards collection, the Bible, if you will, of classic pipe tunes. Pipe Major A. Mackellar is identified as the composer. The classic pipe version has four parts, not two, although you frequently hear pipe bands playing just and A and B parts. Lovely tune.

Matt

Scanbran - Posted - 01/31/2011:  01:07:12

I'm pleased you all seem to like this one, and thanks for all the extra information too.

I'd like to hear some of your pipe playing too, Matt

BANJOJUDY - Posted - 01/31/2011:  08:35:56

I am now totally addicted to this tune and cannot get it out of my head.

It is a GREAT banjo tune, and if someone would kindly phonetically post the words, I might attempt to sing it while playing.

Judy

Paul S - Posted - 01/31/2011:  09:48:42

Scanbran, thanks for introducing this tune too us, I'll be learning this one.

Paul

Scanbran - Posted - 02/01/2011:  02:32:46

quote:

---

Originally posted by BANJOJUDY

I am now totally addicted to this tune and cannot get it out of my head.

It is a GREAT banjo tune, and if someone would kindly phonetically post the words, I might attempt to sing it while playing.

Judy

---

Edited by - Scanbran on 02/01/2011 02:33:53