Master Crowley’s is a reel I learned from Hugh Healy, a great concertina player from Corofin in Co. Clare. It is sometimes played with a third part which is actually the first part of “The Roscommon Reel” (also known as Master Crowley’s!), and I’ve even heard the two tunes play together as a 5-part reel.
I remember hearing Cormac Begley playing these two reels together at the concertina recital during Willie Clancy week in Miltown Malbay, and there’s actually a video of his performace on Youtube, have a look below!
X:1
T:Master Crowley’s
R:reel
M:4/4
L:1/8
K:Edor
|:B,~E3 B,EGE|EDB,D A,DFD|B,EE2 B,EGE|FAdA FEED|
B,2EE B,EGE|EDB,D A,DFD|B,~E3 B,EGE|1 FAdA FEED:|2 FAdA FEEA||
|:Bbab g2eg|fdad bdad|Bbab g2eg|dBAF FEEA|
Bbab g2eg|fdad bdad|EFGA BAGB|1 AFDE FEEA:|2 AFDE FEED||
T:Master Crowley’s
R:reel
M:4/4
L:1/8
K:Edor
|:B,~E3 B,EGE|EDB,D A,DFD|B,EE2 B,EGE|FAdA FEED|
B,2EE B,EGE|EDB,D A,DFD|B,~E3 B,EGE|1 FAdA FEED:|2 FAdA FEEA||
|:Bbab g2eg|fdad bdad|Bbab g2eg|dBAF FEEA|
Bbab g2eg|fdad bdad|EFGA BAGB|1 AFDE FEEA:|2 AFDE FEED||
1 thought on “Master Crowley’s”
Okay, so when I saw Mr. Begley’s performance on Youtube I knew I had to learn this song. I have part A down well enough, but I just can’t for the life of me figure out part B. I can play the first three bars, but I don’t understand the transfer to the 4th bar. I’m not sure what exactly the problem is, but perhaps it has to do with switching between those lower notes / left hand to the higher ones / right hand. that bdad|Bbab g2eg|dBAF FEEA phrase, and again on the last part of part B: BAGB|1 AFDE FEEA:|2 AFDE FEED|| I’m playing on a Jeffries layout 30-button Anglo.
Mr. Begley’s performance is one of the coolest things I have ever heard, but he’s playing so fast and I think he’s playing both parts at the same time, lots of ornamentation, and so on. I love it, but it’s not the best training video for this song. I’m keeping an eye on your Youtube channel for a more manageable example of this song on an Anglo. Just providing a clean, clear example would be awesome, but any thoughts you have on this song would help too. If you have the time, I would greatly appreciate it! Your website and videos have already helped me tremendously, so thank you very much.