It’s Friday and that means that it’s time for the accompaniment for the Irish Pub Song Of The Day.

Once again on the mp3 you can change the balance to cut out most of the frailing banjo on the right. Remember that the simple melody is on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th strings.

MacPherson’s Lament

[G]Farewell ye dungeons [D7]dark and strong

Fare[G]well, farewell to [C]thee

Mc[G]Pherson’s life will [D7]no be long

On [G]yonder [C]gallows [D7]tree

Chorus:

Sae [G]rantingly, sae [D7]wantingly and sae [G]dauntingly gaed [C]he

He [G]played a tune and he [D7]danced around [G]below the [C]gallows [D7]tree

Take off these bands from off my hands
And give to me a sword
For there’s not a man in all Scotland
But I’d brave him at his word

There’s some come here for to see me hung
And some to buy my fiddle
But before that I do part with her
I’ll break her through the middle

He took his fiddle in both of his hands
And he broke it o’er a stone
Saying ‘There’s nae ither hand shall play on thee
When I am dead and gone’

The reprieve was coming o’er the Brigg of Banff
For to set McPherson free
But they put the clock a quarter before
And they hanged him from a tree

It’s Wednesday and it’s time for the simple melody for MacPherson’s Lament for the Irish Pub Song Of The Day.

This time the melody is found on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th strings so there are only 6 notes in the simple melody line.

MacPherson’s Lament

[G]Farewell ye dungeons [D7]dark and strong

Fare[G]well, farewell to [C]thee

Mc[G]Pherson’s life will [D7]no be long

On [G]yonder [C]gallows [D7]tree

Chorus:

Sae [G]rantingly, sae [D7]wantingly and sae [G]dauntingly gaed [C]he

He [G]played a tune and he [D7]danced around [G]below the [C]gallows [D7]tree

Take off these bands from off my hands
And give to me a sword
For there’s not a man in all Scotland
But I’d brave him at his word

There’s some come here for to see me hung
And some to buy my fiddle
But before that I do part with her
I’ll break her through the middle

He took his fiddle in both of his hands
And he broke it o’er a stone
Saying ‘There’s nae ither hand shall play on thee
When I am dead and gone’

The reprieve was coming o’er the Brigg of Banff
For to set McPherson free
But they put the clock a quarter before
And they hanged him from a tree

Today’s Irish Pub Song Of The Day is MacPherson’s Lament, also known as MacPherson’s Rant. It’s a great song and I wanted to give you a song to work on that doesn’t end on the G chord. Don’t think of it has difficult or hard, it’s just different. Try it out and have fun. I will have the simple melody up on Wednesday, but see if you can figure it out on your own.

MacPherson’s Lament(PDF)

MacPherson’s Lament

[G]Farewell ye dungeons [D7]dark and strong

Fare[G]well, farewell to [C]thee

Mc[G]Pherson’s life will [D7]no be long

On [G]yonder [C]gallows [D7]tree

Chorus:

Sae [G]rantingly, sae [D7]wantingly and sae [G]dauntingly gaed [C]he

He [G]played a tune and he [D7]danced around [G]below the [C]gallows [D7]tree

Take off these bands from off my hands
And give to me a sword
For there’s not a man in all Scotland
But I’d brave him at his word

There’s some come here for to see me hung
And some to buy my fiddle
But before that I do part with her
I’ll break her through the middle

He took his fiddle in both of his hands
And he broke it o’er a stone
Saying ‘There’s nae ither hand shall play on thee
When I am dead and gone’

The reprieve was coming o’er the Brigg of Banff
For to set McPherson free
But they put the clock a quarter before
And they hanged him from a tree

v

Now that we’ve gone over the song, showed where to get the simple melody notes, it’s time to put it all together. Once again, I’ve panned the banjo accompaniment to the right so you can change the balance on your speakers to either hear more or hear less of the banjo.

The most important thing is to have fun and to TRY! I’ll see you with another video again on Monday!

RAMBLES OF SPRING

There’s a [G]piercing wintry breeze

blowin’ [C]through the buddin’ [G]trees

as I button up my coat to keep me [D7]warm

and the [G]days are on the mend, and I’m [C]on the road [G]again

with me fiddle snuggled [D7]close beneath me [G]arm.

Chorus

I’ve a [G]fine felt hat, and a [C]strong pair of [G]brogues

I’ve got rosin in my pocket for my [D7]bow

and my [G]fiddle strings are new, and I’ve [C]learned a tune or [G]two

so I’m well prepared to [D7]ramble and must [G]go

I’m as happy as a king, when I catch a breath of Spring
and the grass is turning green as winter ends
And the geese are on the wing and the thrushes start to sing
and I’m heading down the road to meet my friends

I have friends in every town as I ramble up and down
Making music at the markets and the fairs
To the dumphy’s and the creels and the farmers making deals
And the yellow headed tinkers selling wares.

Here’s a health to one and all, to you big and to you small
to rich and poor alike and foe and friend
until we return again may your foe be turned to friend
and may peace and joy be with you until then

Alright folks, this time let’s try to get the melody to Rambles of Spring down. Remember that you only need to look for the simple melody on the first two frets.  This time instead of me giving you the string numbers, try to work it out for yourself. Take your time and have fun!!!

RAMBLES OF SPRING

There’s a [G]piercing wintry breeze

blowin’ [C]through the buddin’ [G]trees

as I button up my coat to keep me [D7]warm

and the [G]days are on the mend, and I’m [C]on the road [G]again

with me fiddle snuggled [D7]close beneath me [G]arm.

Chorus

I’ve a [G]fine felt hat, and a [C]strong pair of [G]brogues

I’ve got rosin in my pocket for my [D7]bow

and my [G]fiddle strings are new, and I’ve [C]learned a tune or [G]two

so I’m well prepared to [D7]ramble and must [G]go

I’m as happy as a king, when I catch a breath of Spring
and the grass is turning green as winter ends
And the geese are on the wing and the thrushes start to sing
and I’m heading down the road to meet my friends

I have friends in every town as I ramble up and down
Making music at the markets and the fairs
To the dumphy’s and the creels and the farmers making deals
And the yellow headed tinkers selling wares.

Here’s a health to one and all, to you big and to you small
to rich and poor alike and foe and friend
until we return again may your foe be turned to friend
and may peace and joy be with you until then

St. Patrick’s Day is gone but not forgotten and I’m still sore!!! Today’s Irish Pub Song Of The Day is Tommy Makem’s Rambles of Spring.

Remember to take your time and find the notes in the first two frets. You don’t have to play every note, the human mind will link it all together when you start to give the melody. Listen closely to what I’m playing and you’ll see that I am not playing every single melody note.

Rambles of Spring(PDF)

RAMBLES OF SPRING

There’s a [G]piercing wintry breeze

blowin’ [C]through the buddin’ [G]trees

as I button up my coat to keep me [D7]warm

and the [G]days are on the mend, and I’m [C]on the road [G]again

with me fiddle snuggled [D7]close beneath me [G]arm.

Chorus

I’ve a [G]fine felt hat, and a [C]strong pair of [G]brogues

I’ve got rosin in my pocket for my [D7]bow

and my [G]fiddle strings are new, and I’ve [C]learned a tune or [G]two

so I’m well prepared to [D7]ramble and must [G]go

I’m as happy as a king, when I catch a breath of Spring
and the grass is turning green as winter ends
And the geese are on the wing and the thrushes start to sing
and I’m heading down the road to meet my friends

I have friends in every town as I ramble up and down
Making music at the markets and the fairs
To the dumphy’s and the creels and the farmers making deals
And the yellow headed tinkers selling wares.

Here’s a health to one and all, to you big and to you small
to rich and poor alike and foe and friend
until we return again may your foe be turned to friend
and may peace and joy be with you until then