O'Keefe's Slide Am or Em?

**Narayan Kersak** · May-30-2012, 10:14am

Anyone play O'keefe's slide? What's the most common key? Em or Am?

I've had two different inputs about this, and need a tie breaker.

**Bertram Henze** · May-30-2012, 10:33am

There is a whole thread full of Cafe goers who apparently vote for Am (it is A dorian, really). Also in our local sessions, this has always been played in A dorian.

That does not guarantee, however, that you're safe from surprises if you enter foreign session circles - local versions do exist.
Example 1: Planxty Fanny Power (O'Carolan) is everywhere written in A, but played in G in our sessions because the fiddlers say it's easier that way.
Example 2: I am still searching for a way to make it absolutely clear which is the A and which is the B part of Calliope House when I am starting a set with that jig, because there is always someone utterly surprised when I change to the second tune.

**foldedpath** · May-30-2012, 11:26am

In my corner of the PNW it's usually played in A Dorian in sessions, but I've heard it in E Dorian also... usually from whistle players, and probably because there are fewer notes above the octave jump that way. It's one of those tunes that's easy to shift between those two modes, but I think A Dorian is more common.

**Jim Bevan** · May-30-2012, 12:00pm

Well, I won't be much of a tie-breaker -- the musicians in Santiago Chile that I regularly play with (they have a great trad scene there, believe it or not) play it both ways: in Am when it's in a set of slides, and in Em as the instrumental part of the song Shaking of the Sheets.

**zoukboy** · May-31-2012, 1:20am

Example 2: I am still searching for a way to make it absolutely clear which is the A and which is the B part of Calliope House when I am starting a set with that jig, because there is always someone utterly surprised when I change to the second tune.

**Ravenwood** · May-31-2012, 6:48am

Originally Posted by Narayan Kersak

Em or Am? I've had two different inputs about this, and need a tie breaker.

Why do you need a tie breaker? At my local session we play it most often in A dorian, sometimes in E dorian, and occasionally in D depending on who is sitting in. When we are really feeling a bit creative we've been known to make a key shift between repetitions, but everyone needs to be on board for that. Why not learn it and play it in several different keys? One of the greatest things about traditional music is that you can play with it and have a lot of fun because you aren't necessarily locked into particular keys or modes.

**Steve L** · May-31-2012, 6:50am

I've only heard it played in A Dorian around Boston. It's in A Dorian in the Comhaltas Foinn Session materials for what it's worth.

**Bertram Henze** · May-31-2012, 9:38am

Originally Posted by zoukboy

...although in some areas the parts are reversed and the tuned is played in D rather than the original key of E.

I live in one of those areas.

**zoukboy** · May-31-2012, 11:28am

Originally Posted by Bertram Henze

I live in one of those areas.

It's worth learning in the key that Dave Richardson wrote it in. Besides, there aren't that many Celtoid tunes in E major - of course playing it in that key in a session will win you no friends but as a sign of respect to the composer I think it's at least worth knowing even if practically speaking we have to bow to the "folk process" and play it in E with the parts reversed.

**Niall Anderson** · Jun-01-2012, 6:37am

I've always heard Calliope House played with the parts in the original order, but usually in D, here in Scotland. It's always struck me as one of those tunes that has a definite A part and a definite B part - I feel bemused it could have become reversed in some places, but that's the wonder of the folk process I guess!

The key change seems quite defensible in the interests of facilitating playing the tune in sessions, but quite right to acknowledge Mr Richardson - he gets left out (in favour of Trad) far too often!

**Bertram Henze** · Jun-01-2012, 6:55am

Originally Posted by Niall Anderson

I've always heard Calliope House played with the parts in the original order, but usually in D, here in Scotland. It's always struck me as one of those tunes that has a definite A part and a definite B part - I feel bemused it could have become reversed in some places, but that's the wonder of the folk process I guess!

That's how I learned it originally - in D, the high part being the B part as it is with so many tunes. But I have been forced to reverse to avoid collisions in our sessions. In tradition, every tune is felt like being attached to the person you learn it from. Thereby, everybody contributes to the chaos of names and versions.

I guess when you write a tune you have to let go at some point and allow it to travel down the river of tradition to the ocean of everlasting musical fame (fame of the tune, not of the composer, that is). Feels natural to me.