Old Blackbird, The

Story

Looking back in time, one of my special memories of working on this project was the visit I made to Finbarr Dwyer. As I was setting up my recording machine he was playing this, his very own version of 'The Old Blackbird'. I have always loved this tune, but hearing it played by Finbarr that day made it even more special. I captured most of his remarkable playing of this tune, and here it is now. Finbarr's playing is a perfect lesson on the difference between the 'bones' of a tune that can be found in a transcription and what that tune can become in the mind and hands of a true master. The transcription included with this collection is taken from a book entitled Forget Me Not, which Laurel Martin and I compiled for Mel Bay.

Publisher

Séamus Connolly
Boston College Libraries

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10-27_The_Old_Blackbird-Hornpipe.pdf
Some transcriptions are based on historical source recordings. More info.

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Citation

Dwyer, Finbarr (accordion), “The Old Blackbird,” The Séamus Connolly Collection of Irish Music, accessed April 16, 2024, https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/452.