Tune Req: King of the Fairies (from The Dubliners)

Subject: Tune Req: Tag/Final 'King of The Fairies'
From: Wrinkles
Date: 30 Jan 05 - 07:02 AM

There's a tag/final "ending" added to quite a few trad tunes, the most famous eample of which I can think of is The Dubliners fiddle solo version of the Set Dance "King of The Fairies".

Rather than ending on the root of the scale (in the above case E (minor)) I think it ends on the associated major (G in this case).

Try as I might I just can not figure this little run out, nor can I find it on any "official/authorised" notation or midi file of any tune.

Can anyone help?

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Tag/Final 'King of The Fairies'
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Jan 05 - 06:10 PM

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Tag/Final 'King of The Fairies'
From: GUEST,Paddymac
Date: 30 Jan 05 - 08:55 PM

This is one of the names by for a tune also known as "King Billy" and as "Dunmore Lasses." There may be more than one tune which shraes the confusion of those three titles. We do "Dunmore Lasses" and close it on an enresolved E. It's a nice effect.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Tag/Final 'King of The Fairies'
From: Wrinkles
Date: 31 Jan 05 - 06:35 AM

I've heard it called "King William of Orange" and first heard it in a set of "Orange" tunes. Much later I heard the Horslips, Harpsong, Dubliners, and both Alan Stivel versions, under the title "King of The Fairies" which seemed a better title for the tune given its errie qualities.

I'm only gotten around to learning it myself recently and personally I pick out the tune with the fingers and use the thumb to give a bass E drone to the beat.

Wrinkles

Subject: Tune Add: KING OF THE FAIRIES
From: John in Brisbane
Date: 31 Jan 05 - 08:41 AM

This doesn't answer your original question but you can 'enhance' the trad ending by playing a G# note in your harmony, ie an E major chord.

OR

You could change a coupla notes at the end of the tune to finish on G Major, viz:

X: 1
T: King Of The Fairies
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: hornpipe
K: Edor
|:B,2|EDEF GFGA|B2B2 G2GA|B2E2 EFGE|FGFE D2B,2|
|EDEF GFGA|BAGB d3c|B2E2 GFE_E|E6 :|
|d2|e2e2 Bdef|gagf e3f|e2B2 BABc|dedc BcdB|
|e2B2 Bdef|gagf efed|Bdeg fedf|e6 ef|
|g3e f3d|edBc d3e|dBAF GABc|dBAF GFED|
|B,2E2 EFGA|B2e2 edef|e2B2 BAGF|E6|
|d2|e2e2 Bdef|gagf e3f|e2B2 BABc|dedc BcdB|
|e2B2 Bdef|gagf efed|Bdeg fedf|e6 ef|
|g3e f3d|edBc d3e|dBAF GABc|dBAF GFED|
|B,2E2 EFGA|B2e2 edef|e2B2 BAGD|G6|

A fairly unsophisticated finish, but this could be used as a seguee to a song in G Major.

The alternative ending note is B Natural which gives the ambiguous possibilities of resolving to E Major or G Major.

Regards, John

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Tag/Final 'King of The Fairies'
From: mandotim
Date: 31 Jan 05 - 12:18 PM

'Bit on the Side' do this tune with a mandolin lead, and we finish on an Em chord, tremeloed as a double stop with a higher B natural. The E then drops to a D, still tremelo, and kicks off 'Sally Gardens, a fast reel in G major. Works for us!
Tim from 'Bit on the Side'.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Tag/Final 'King of The Fairies'
From: Wrinkles
Date: 01 Feb 05 - 07:41 AM

My thanks John, I've converted that to midi/sheet and added it to my collection of KoTF variants ;-)

What I'm really after though is that Tag/Final which can be used with so many tunes and seems to be the folk music equivalent of "shave and a haircut: two cents". It's most frequently used by keyboard and accordian players although the fiddle solo quoted shows that it can be used on other instruments.

I'm not specifically after a way to end KoTF on the major root, it was just that the Dubliners use of that Tag/Finial on their version of KoTF is the most easily and internationally accessable example I can think of for other mudcatters ;-)

Wrinkles

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Tag/Final 'King of The Fairies'
From: Wrinkles
Date: 01 Feb 05 - 08:07 PM

refresh