Help: The Gravel Walks

Subject: The Gravel Walks
From: GUEST,Sean MacRuaraidh
Date: 24 Nov 00 - 11:23 AM

Hi,

Does anyone have the chords for this fabulous Irish jig.

I have checked a few links but can only find the sheet music.

I saw a chorded version last week - it may have been in one of the Malley's books.

At the moment I have a very simple chord arrangement for it using Am, G and C but want the more complex version,

Cheers,

Sean

Subject: RE: Help: The Gravel Walks
From: GUEST,chanteyranger
Date: 24 Nov 00 - 04:45 PM

Are you sure it's a jig you're looking for? There's a well-known reel of that name. Sorry, can't help you on chords, though.

-chanteyranger

Subject: RE: Help: The Gravel Walks
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 24 Nov 00 - 04:56 PM

I see Mally does list (the reel) the Gravel Walks in his "100 Essential Irish Session Tunes". His website is http://www.mally.com.

Jon

Subject: RE: Help: The Gravel Walks
From: GUEST,Mike Ireland
Date: 24 Nov 00 - 05:05 PM

Hi Sean

If you go to the following web page you will be able to type in the name and get back the abc file and mide etc.

Its JC tune finder page a good link.

http://trillian.mit.edu/~jc/music/abc/FindTune.html

Mike

Subject: RE: Help: The Gravel Walks
From: GUEST,Mike Cahill
Date: 25 Nov 00 - 05:10 PM

there is a saying round here, "Gravel walks, rubble doesn't". it is a really good tune, I think i've got a midi of it that has a base line, I'll look for you

Subject: RE: Help: The Gravel Walks
From: GUEST,Mike Cahill
Date: 25 Nov 00 - 05:15 PM

No I've just checked, it's just a midi of the melody line, if you want it post your E-mail, and I'll send it to you as an attachment

Subject: RE: Help: The Gravel Walks
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Nov 00 - 12:35 PM

Thanks,

reel, jig - jig, reel (not important right now)

No chords, oh well,

Not often that Mudcat lets me down.

Thanks for having a go.

Cheers,

Sean

Subject: RE: Help: The Gravel Walks
From: Jeri
Date: 27 Nov 00 - 01:12 PM

If it helps, I followed Mike Ireland's suggestion. YES, there is a jig! I found this midi of the Gravel Walks jig Written by Cathal McConnell, and this gif of the sheet music. Unfortunately, as Sean said - no chords. (And I play fiddle, so I'm not much help.)

I also learned that Cathal transformed 2 of the 4 parts of the reel into a jig. So if anyone has chords to the reel...

Subject: RE: Help: The Gravel Walks
From: RichM
Date: 27 Nov 00 - 01:14 PM

It's in 4/4 time, 2 beats per chord shown:
"/" means repeat the previous chord

Gravel Walk 4/4 Adorian
|: Am / | / G | Am Em | C G :|
|: Am D | Am G |1. Am D | C Em :|
|2. Am C | C Em ||
|: / Am | / G | Am D | C G :|
|: C Am | C G | C Am | C Em |
| C Am | C G |1. Am C | C Em :|
2. Am / | C G ||

Subject: RE: Help: The Gravel Walks
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 27 Nov 00 - 01:16 PM

I don't generally do chords, but I do have the Fakebook and Mallinson versions (reel in both cases): the former uses A, G, and Am, the latter Am, G, A, D, F, Em, and C.  If that's complex enough for you, PM me with your email and I'll send you the notation.

Malcolm

Subject: RE: Help: The Gravel Walks
From: Noreen
Date: 27 Nov 00 - 01:34 PM

So this is the magic formula: just write

Not often that Mudcat lets me down.

Thanks for having a go.

with a sad expression, and people jump...! I was going to go to the piano and work something out for you too...

I like it!

Noreen

Subject: RE: Help: The Gravel Walks
From: GUEST,Sean MacRuaraidh
Date: 28 Nov 00 - 12:36 PM

Thanks for the help.

Malcom:

I am particularly interested in the second version of the chords i.e. Am, G, A, D, F, Em, and C

I would like to get hold of this so I'll send you a PM !

Rich :

I will have a go with these chords too.

Sean

Subject: RE: Help: The Gravel Walks
From: Seany
Date: 29 Nov 00 - 01:37 PM

Malcom,

how do I PM you ?

Seany

Subject: RE: Help: The Gravel Walks
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 29 Nov 00 - 07:32 PM

Ah, sorry about that; I didn't notice that you hadn't registered as a member, which you have to do in order to send personal messages.  You can email me at [e-mail]

Malcolm

Subject: RE: Help: The Gravel Walks
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 30 Nov 00 - 07:12 AM

And then I didn't notice that you have joined up now; I really must get more sleep!  If you click on "Personal Pages" right at the top of the main Forum Page, that will take you to your own page, where you can send personal messages, store thread traces and bookmarks, etc.

Malcolm

Subject: RE: Help: The Gravel Walks
From: alanabit
Date: 13 Oct 19 - 03:43 PM

I have been learning to play this very dramatic reel on the mandolin.
I wonder if the tune might have a dramatic story associated with it as it is very evocative of high tension?

Subject: RE: Help: The Gravel Walks
From: GUEST,Starship
Date: 13 Oct 19 - 03:49 PM

https://fawbie.info/the-spirit-level/the-gravel-walks/

alanabit, see if this is any use to you.

Subject: RE: Help: The Gravel Walks
From: alanabit
Date: 13 Oct 19 - 04:01 PM

Thanks. It is certainly one way of looking at it!

Subject: RE: Help: The Gravel Walks
From: Jack Campin
Date: 13 Oct 19 - 04:45 PM

With tunes like this, simpler is better. Complicating the harmony with unnecessary chords diminishes the effect of the tune.

Subject: RE: Help: The Gravel Walks
From: GUEST,Jerry
Date: 14 Oct 19 - 02:25 PM

Well said. This strident tune is surely more dramatic with just Am and G chords, with the C major providing some relief in the fourth part.

Subject: RE: Help: The Gravel Walks
From: GUEST,Kenny
Date: 15 Oct 19 - 05:05 AM

https://youtu.be/t3G_zrZw9Ik

Subject: RE: Help: The Gravel Walks
From: Gordon Jackson
Date: 15 Oct 19 - 05:08 AM

I also agree completely with Jack.

Actually, using A5 and G5 is much, much more powerful than Amin and Gmaj.

Subject: RE: Help: The Gravel Walks
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 15 Oct 19 - 05:11 AM

One of the best sessions I ever went to, in Hughes' Bar in Dublin, just had all the musicians playing the tunes without harmony at all. Well, there might have been occasional drone notes from Gabriel McKeon's pipes, I can't quite remember. If tunes are well played in unison the harmony happens inside your head. I've never heard anyone strumming along to Bach's solo cello suites. ;-) Most of the time in those there's a single melody line only, with just a bit of double stopping here and there, but the harmony is all there in your imagination. Strummed or plucked instruments "doing the backing" were what finally stopped me from playing in public a few years ago as my hearing went down and I struggled to pick out and latch on to the lads playing the actual tunes, so I suppose I'm biased.

Subject: RE: Help: The Gravel Walks
From: GUEST,Kenny
Date: 15 Oct 19 - 05:46 AM

It might not be classed as "harmony", but there is a common occurrence in Donegal fiddle music where some players will play the same tune a whole octave lower than "normal". Especially common where a group are playing "The Gravel Walk[s]".
And I'll also agree with what Jack said.

Subject: RE: Help: The Gravel Walks
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 15 Oct 19 - 05:52 AM

When I said unison I meant playing the same notes of the scale at the same time but not necessarily at the same pitch.

Subject: RE: Help: The Gravel Walks
From: Stanron
Date: 15 Oct 19 - 05:56 AM

The Bach cello suites, along with lots of folk tunes, do have chords but they are played one note after the other rather than all the notes at the same time. Sometimes chords are implied but quite often they are actually there, just sort of spread out. I had a big long argument with someone on the Session once who insisted that tunes did not have harmonies inside them. I could understand the objection to guitars knocking out chords all the time. I too prefer to hear just the melody, but those internal chords are there.

Subject: RE: Help: The Gravel Walks
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 15 Oct 19 - 07:42 AM

Well most tunes contain snatches of scales* and little note sequences that could be regarded as arpeggios, or at least scraps of them. It's virtually unavoidable. I'm saying that individual notes within the context of the tune can suggest harmony. That's your personal reaction, not necessarily a deliberate ploy of the composer. Great art always leaves a lot up to you. You don't have to wait for the end of a note sequence before you have a lightbulb moment. And that's as philosophical as I'm likely to get today.

*Which is a good argument for not bothering to practise scales. As that mighty guru on TheSession often said, tunes ARE scales, so just play tunes.