Back in January @LBro commented that I should consider an ‘Irish’ song. When I enquired what kind, he responded: “Something by which you get to stomping the feet and doing a hoe-down!”
I delved into the depths of my depraved darkness and remembered this song.
I believe it’s in a quick 6/8 and it took me a long time to try figure out how to strum something. I settled on accenting the 1 & 4, (but that’s an upstroke which took me a while to get used to).
My more dedicated followers will have noted the resurrection of my dumpster Fender as well as the introduction of a pick!
The guitar with pick was a bit loud on first attempt so I cobbled a contraption to raise the mic above my head.
It’s only 3-chord song but the changes are quicker than what I’m used to and a number of different sequences. The Trio just did not work for me here, although some bass and drums- not to mention tin whistle- would have been nice.
The original is faster (~144 bpm) but even at this slower tempo, I’m starting to flub chords and strumming.
Oh yeah, Sally McLenane is a sweet stout (beer), not a ‘comely Colleen’
Even deeper background if anyone is interested
I moved to Dublin to study back in ’84, pleased with my decision to become properly Irish. In my first year in college, an up-and-coming band, The Pogues were playing a gig in a small club, McGonagles. My favourite local band the Golden Horde were supporting them. Queueing up outside with my younger brother, my heart sank, as I could see the bouncers frisking everyone entering the dingy dive. I had a 1½ liter bottle of still-fermenting homebrew wine in the inside pocket of my deceased Dad’s old Crombie and confiscation seemed inevitable. A perfunctionary pat-down and we’re in!
We alternated between supping in a dark corner and sweaty pogoing for one of my favourite gigs ever. They played the whole of Rum, Sodomy and the Lash, which was released later that summer.
Hard to believe, but the Golden Horde were even better than the Poques.
… and all for £3!
Brilliant Brian. I was so excited for this one as this and “a rainy night in soho” are my 2 favorite pogues songs. Fantastic rendition and you had me singing and dancing along here. Love your shout out to the Golden Horde too. That was a great time for music in Ireland with so many up and coming bands and I remember “friends in time” by the GH as if it were yesterday. Great start to the weekend!!!
That was really great Brian definitely a challenge to change those chords quickly so nice workout for your left hand you had there going! I’ll be honest Irish and Scottish traditional/folk songs are definitely something I adore, although I am guilty of not getting into this genre at all, usually just enjoy it whenever I am and a similar sounding tune is playing through speakers. Need to change that at some point!
What ever you did with the mic worked a treat but what is not to like ? A good stout and the Pogues, nothing could go wrong. Lovely work Brian and cheered my day as I just cracked a Grimbergen. Glad I caught it early before it disappeared into another monthly maelstrom thread. (that came up half way through a search for gwance, gwince gwonce “a usual”) but tis black n white like the good stuff. Pint of Penguin please and hold the ice. Feel like I need a dose of Irish Rover right now.
Rollicking good fun to be sure to be sure Brian and entertaining stuff as always. Well done on using a pick too. You’d never have managed that pattern with your thumb/fingertip strum. I thought the sound balance was great.
As for the quick chord changes, you managed them well but the fingers 2,3,4 G would make the changes from G-C-G easier.
I’m going to Dublin for a week in April so I’ll look out for somewhere that sells your Sally sweet stout!
I must admit @Eddie_09, I was wondering whether this would push your Celtic nostalgia buttons It’s always hard to know, whether a music scene was particularly vibrant at a particular time or whether it’s a stage of development we’re at just then. I must say moving from Switzerland, I wallowed in what I experienced as a flood of creative genius pouring out of Dublin pubs and clubs into the gutters.
I just received fb notification to buy Hothouse Flowers tickets in Liverpool for £40. A far cry from the fifty pence lunchtime gigs they used to play in the Junior Commons Room, TCD whilst I was shooting pool
I was pleased to see the Horde’s Simon Carmody getting a shout in Bono’s book I read at Christmas
@adi_mrok Cheers mate. I guess every genre has its brilliant bits and a load of ‘dross’ to work through if you don’t know it well. Folk, country, jazz & classical fall into that category for me. I just don’t know them well enough to mine the rich seams. I stick largely to Christy Moore and the Dubliners for my Celtic fix
Ah yes @TheMadman_tobyjenner, I’ve experienced your love of Celtic bar music/mahem before. Glad you enjoyed and indulged. I find I always have an urge to share a song if there’s an upcoming OM I’m not indulging in
Break a leg
@sairfingers Cheers Gordon
You see, I have been putting my time to good use trying to push myself
You make a good point about that ‘country G’ and it is on my ‘to do’ list. I thought I could build it in a day, but I ran into planning permission problems…
Enjoy your trip to D, but avoid the tourist trap/hen/stag-strip that goes by the name of Temple Bar. Check out who’s playing in Wheelan’s
Well, that’s what Justin’s lesson told me when I looked it up. However @ 144 bpm you’d want to be Johnny Ramone to emulate that The simplest thing would just be to play the 1 and 4, but that slows everything down and you loose the diddly-idly ‘thirds’ feeling.
Whilst it’s great to be able to look up/ask how something should be done, we learn more trying to figure out how to do it ourselves, even if it doesn’t end up ‘right’
(I’ve had to modify Justin’s motto if it sounds good it is good to a more appropriate if it doesn’t sound terrible, it’s not terrible)
As I type, I’m just remembering a strumming pattern Justin teaches (perhaps in context of foot-tapping?), where you play four bars of 3/4 beats whilst tapping three bars of 4/4 with your foot, followed by a bar of four 4/4 guitar and foot ‘in sync’. In this exercise I’m pretty sure he plays alternate upstroke accentuation. In fact I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s that’s where I subconsciously got it from, as I recall thinking it was impossible to to at first
Alternative suggestions on strumming patterns for this will be greatly appreciated, although I’m afraid I had a minor wobble and drank your beer
Delightful, Brian, rocked along at quite a lick (excuse the pun) and enjoyed the lyrical content.
So that’s what it is called. I recognise it, I want it, have no idea how to play it.
The whole deal took me back into nostalgia mode, my evenings in the basement bar Jamesons, with the finest local bands of the late 80s. Would love to share some links with video but of course back in those days there were no mobile phones that had evolved into video cameras, no mobile phones at all.
What a gooooood exaggeration… it is of course directly below the surface as we really know here …
That’s certainly half the fun…But (After a BUT usually comes something not so nice right? )
, but in this case I really have to say that more than half of the fun came from your performance …I have watched with admiration how well the rhythm guitar goes with a pick in such a short time,and I’m sure you will achieve a lot of fun and musical variety with this… super… I still love/hate the pick with strumming.
A wonderful start to this musical day for me and my wife also enjoyed listening and laughing when I told that story about your guitar … which was not very smart of me for my next search for a new guitar … .stupid stupid stupid
Again, a little late to comment, as lots of favourable comments are already made. Nice choice of song and I liked the additional behind the scenes information, as always. Seems as if strumming with a pick isn’t any issue, as your strumming is, apart from very few strums, quite relaxed and fluent. Singing and performing great as always. The Brian smile is combined to a shout at the end, you are enhancing your effort even close to the end .
Seems, as if you have the same guitar as me, should have looked into a dumpster before ordering! What happened to the Hagstrom? Haven’t seen it for a long time. Didn’t you have a Viking?
I ended more deeply in nostalgia’s warren. YT presented me with this documentary Voëlvry - The Movie (540p) - YouTube It is political so shan’t say much. Suffice to say I was at the first big show and saw the tour event. A lot of the talk is Afrikaans without subtitles, but knowing you I’d not be surprised if you know enough Dutch/Flemish to follow along.
Well there Mr. Larsen,
It could be your have hit your stride and found your nitch. Could it be Tosh is Cash and you re Money when it comes to Irish lore? I can hear the boots a stomping and the hands a clapping for this one!
Suds a plenty and a few slid your way for a job very well done. It seems your all mixed up now, exploring the depths and nuances of production.
Maybe the only thing missing from this one was good old fashioned Irish shots of the folks wearing out the floor and enjoying the suds…
All the best and do hit us with a bit of the Irish lore now and then as I enjoyed it!
LB
with so many up and coming bands and I remember “friends in time” by the GH as if it were yesterday. Great start to the weekend!!! 
(that came up half way through a search for gwance, gwince gwonce “a usual”) but tis black n white like the good stuff. Pint of Penguin please and hold the ice. Feel like I need a dose of Irish Rover right now.
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