The Butterfly slip jig

Subject: RE: The Butterfly slip jig
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 02 Aug 15 - 05:09 AM

Is this any use:
X: 1
T:134. The Butterfly - Attributed to Tommy Potts et al.
M:9/8
L:1/8
R: Slip Jig
K:Em
|:"Em"B2EG2E"D"F3|"Em"B2EG2E"Bm7" FED|"Em"B2EG2E "D"F2A|"Bm7"B2c d2B AFD:|/
|:"Em"B2de2f"Bm7"g3|"Em"B2dg2e "Bm7"dBA|"Em"B2de2f"Bm7"g2a|"Bm7"b2ag2e dBA:|/
|:"G"B3B2A"Am7"G2A|"G"B3 BAB "D"dBA|"G"B3B2A"Am7"G2A|"Bm7"B2dg2e dBA:|/

Subject: RE: The Butterfly slip jig
From: CupOfTea
Date: 02 Aug 15 - 07:56 AM

Fascinating bit of ancestry for this tune I love playing. I also learned it with c rather than d in the b part. Having just recently acquired a device to translate ABC tunes to dots and inserting tune files by the bucketload into it, I've had to do some comparison shopping to see which version is closest to the paper versions I learned from.

I know tunes passed around by aural tradition can have wee bits of variation, and when put to paper, sometimes ornaments look like part of the melody. This was a key to trying to sort out a tune name for a friend who fell in love with a piece used in the movie "The Secret of Roan Innish." My best guess was that it was a variation on "The Butterfly" which I'd only recently started to learn. That what was played might be an ancestor, or relative tune to that makes considerable sense. Thanks!

Joanne in Cleveland

Subject: RE: The Butterfly slip jig
From: michaelr
Date: 02 Aug 15 - 03:07 PM

PHJim - try this:

A part - Em Em D Em Em D Em Em D   Bm..   (2x)

B part - Am..    Am Am G   Am..   C..   (2x)

C part - Em..   Em Em G   Em.. Em Em Bm   (2x)

Subject: RE: The Butterfly slip jig
From: Jack Campin
Date: 02 Aug 15 - 04:34 PM

It's worth trying to find Tommy Potts's own version (it's on YouTube but keeps moving around). FAR faster than the usual session speed.

Subject: RE: The Butterfly slip jig
From: GUEST,Peter Laban
Date: 03 Aug 15 - 06:12 AM

While on the subject of Tommy Potts, recently I heard Liam O Connor play another of Potts' compositions. A slip jig (as far as I remember) called 'The Loom' said to recall the sound and movement of the weavers in the Coombe area of Dublin where Potts grew up. A strangely beautiful piece that I hadn't come across before (although I don't have the RTE Tommy Potts compilation CD so it may be on that).

Subject: RE: The Butterfly slip jig
From: FreddyHeadey
Date: 03 Aug 15 - 04:37 PM

The Butterfly...
There are Spotify and YouTube links here Tommy+Potts/_/the+butterfly

Subject: RE: The Butterfly slip jig
From: Noreen
Date: 03 Aug 15 - 05:32 PM

Thanks Freddy for the links- very interesting to hear the original, which then led me to the Bothy Band version which was the first I ever came across.
Fascinating tune.

Subject: RE: The Butterfly slip jig
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Aug 15 - 07:43 PM

The version used on the Manx Radio programme is by Paddy Glckin and Jolyon Jackson from their 1980 LP "Hidden Ground" on the Tara label

Subject: RE: The Butterfly slip jig
From: Peter K (Fionn)
Date: 04 Aug 15 - 04:44 PM

Peter Knight (ex Steeleye, latterly Gigspanner) has given it some serious workings over down the years. HERE for instance, where he takes nearly eight minutes to get round to the tune proper....