Favorite Hornpipe?

[Sandy Beckler]

What is your favorite Hornpipe?

I'm liking Galway Hornpipe right now....
Sandy

[neil argonaut]

Was gonna say the Galway when I saw the thread title but you've beaten me to it;
Also fond of Staten Island, Harvest Home, and a couple that have come up the last two weeks in the Song-A-Week group, the Tailor's twist and the Golden Eagle.

[Bertram Henze]

my favourite hornpipe is always the one I play after the one before...

[AlanN]

Edsel's Tailpipe.

[mritter]

Fisher's

[Denny Gies]

I like Sailor's Hornpipe, probably 'cause it's the only one I can play.

[neil argonaut]

I like Sailor's Hornpipe, probably 'cause it's the only one I can play.

Can you play it as fast as this guy?

[chriss]

Weeellllll - this is turning out to be a really difficult thread.
I was gonna say +1 to Galway. Then to Staten Island and definitely Harvest Home too. And then Sailor's as well (tho I play that more sorta like a reel with no good reason. And Fishers is a winner too.

But then I'd have to add Kitty's Wedding, St Clairs, Off to California. Boys of Bluehill, Derry. And King of the Faeries has gotta be on any "great hornpipes" list. There are GREAT words to King of the Faeries too if you don't know em, worth looking them up.

Let's face it guys (non-gender-specific "guys") you gotta look for a while to find a really BAD hornpipe. I don't think I've found one. It just makes you grin.

For my money I think Bertram found the only answer that has a chance of standing the Test of Time

my favourite hornpipe is always the one I play after the one before...

haha! get that axe out and get er goin' !

[John Flynn]

I know the the following is not a high-bound reason for chosing a tune, but when I was taking lessons with Curtis Buckhannon, on a whim I asked if he could teach me a tune that really sounds impressive, but is not that hard to play. He taught me Lamplighter's Hornpipe in A. The tune is traditionally in G, but he taught it in A. In A you can take advantage of some open strings and sound like you're SMOKIN' even though it is only moderately difficult.

One of my favorite hornpipes to listen to is "The Jim Crack" which is reportedly a tune that was a favorite of George Washington. Curtis does a great job with it on the B. Bros. CD "Little River Stomp." He taught it to me, but try as I might, I was never able to master it at anything like performance speed.

[Jim Garber]

Can you play it as fast as this guy?

Yeah, he sounds like he wants to get it over with. Frankly he might sound much better on a typewriter.

Speaking of hornpipes do any of you play these with hornpipe rhythms a little dotted. Some have become more like reels with the rhythms sort of smoothed out and speeded up. I love the Scottish and Cape Breton way of playing those, prob more old style.

[Eddie Sheehy]

Round The Horn, Chief O'Neill's

[foldedpath]

I like Chief O'Neill's Favourite; the way it shifts back and forth between C an C#. It also has that quirky F natural in the B part, which is fun for throwing off a guitar player backing the tune. They never hear it coming, and it's fun to watch their faces as they try to figure out what chord should be there.

[Jill McAuley]

The Ebb Tide and The Plains of Boyle top my list.

Cheers,
Jill

[Paul Kotapish]

Some favorites:
An tSean Bhean Bhocht
Home Ruler/Kitty's Wedding (commonly played together as a set)
Byrne's
Am Comhra Donn
Bantry Bay
Stack of Barley
Stack of Wheat
Peacock's Feather (Dm)
Peacock's Feater (D)

[Gerry Cassidy]

Hornpipes are always fun. I'd have to say my list of favorites are the last 10, or so that I've played... then again, there are always those 10 more to come that are on the list as well...

Especially when accompanying on the OM, or 'Zouk. It's always fun to throw in a twist or hitch of syncopation. These little ditties are custom made for them.

[Avi Ziv]

Eleanor Neary's has a beautiful melody. I like it in particular.

[doc holiday]

Huckleberry Hornpipe!!

[Loretta Callahan]

Right now, The Home Ruler Hornpipe. Here's a lovely young lad doing Cathal Hayden's fiddle version.

[dslaboone]

How about Patrick's Hornpipe (on the Gaudreau Mandolin album)?

[Bertram Henze]

Right now, The Home Ruler Hornpipe.

How could I forget that one? So long ago.

[Bertram Henze]

Can you play it as fast as this guy?

Yeah, he sounds like he wants to get it over with. Frankly he might sound much better on a typewriter.

Playing fast can be a handicap - this guy frequents our sessions, and 3 weeks ago he had to stop in a set because the others played slower than he could.

[Randi Gormley]

There have been times I've gone through every book I own just playing the hornpipes. Our "after 10 p.m." group plays Honeysuckle/Cronin's/Galway as a set; I like Johnson's and (I think it's) Charlie Mulvihill's (in A) and a couple three others whose names escape me this sec -- I've played Kitty's Wedding/Plains of Boyle, which is another good set. My go-to warm up is Alexander's, usually, if I'm not playing scales or arpeggios.

[Nigel Gatherer]

I have soft spot for "The Showman's Fancy":

http://www.nigelgatherer.com/tunes/tab/tab13/showm.html

[Martin Jonas]

For me, Dermot Grogan's, hands down:

http://www.nigelgatherer.com/tunes/tab/tab1/derm.html

I see that since I last looked, Nigel has changed the tune name on his site to "The Echoing Strings", and the writing credit from Dermot Grogan to Owen Hackett. Whoever wrote it, it's a great tune!

Martin

[Jill McAuley]

Johnny Cope is a good 'un as well.

Cheers,
Jill