Convenience Reel (The)

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 Theme code Index    1H61H6 4324
 Also known as    Boys of Sligo (The), Knock on the Door (The), McDonagh's Reel (5)
 Composer/Core Source    Biography:Olcan Masterson
 Region    Ireland
 Genre/Style    Irish
 Meter/Rhythm    Reel (single/double)
 Key/Tonic of    D
 Accidental    2 sharps
 Mode    Ionian (Major)
 Time signature    4/4
 History    
 Structure    AABBCC
 Editor/Compiler    Biography:David Taylor
 Book/Manuscript title    Book:Where's the Crack?
 Tune and/or Page number    p. 9
 Year of publication/Date of MS    1989
 Artist    
 Title of recording    
 Record label/Catalogue nr.    
 Year recorded    
 Media    
 Score   ()   


CONVENIENCE, THE. AKA and see "Knock on the Door (The)," "McDonagh's Reel (5)." Irish, Reel. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). ABCC (Songer): ABB'C (Mallinson): AABBCC (Taylor): AA'BB'CC (Taylor/Tweed). The title refers to a 'convenience', a throne, crapper, toilet, loo, etc., from which derives the alternate title "Knock on the Door." It was composed by whistle player Olcan Masterson of Dundalk, who was competing at a 1977 Fleadh in Ennis in 1977. With the pubs and other session venues bursting to the seams in the town, a spontaneous session started up in the only place available, a public toilet, where Olcan played this tune. It was picked up by another session player, box player John Skelton (later of The House Band), who recorded it with his band Shegui with the title "The Convenience Reel." Different versions start on different strains of the melody. Susan Songer (who gives the tune's provenance as Scottish) remarks that this tune was for many years the signature tune of the Seattle Irish traditional band The Suffering Gaels. Karen Tweed remarks the tune was "extremely popular in sessions in the early '80's."

Sources for notated versions: Uncle Gizmo (Massachusetts) [Songer]; French fiddler Vincent Blin [Taylor/Tweed].

Printed sources: Mallinson (Essential), 1995; No. 30, p. 14. Songer (Portland Collection), 1997; p. 53. Taylor (Where's the Crack), 1989; p. 9. Taylor (Traditional Irish Music: Karen Tweed's Irish Choice), 1994; p. 16.

Recorded source: DMPCD 9401, Karen Tweed - "Drops of Springwater" (1994).


X:1
T:The Convenience Reel
R:Reel
M:4/4
L:1/8
K:D
dABA dABA|GAFA EFGA|dA ~A2 dABA|FAEA D3 A:|
|:df ~f2 dfed|cdef gece|df ~f2 dfed|1cABc d3 c :|2 cABc defg|
a3 g f2 ed|ce ~e2 ce ~e2|a3 g f2 ed|Addc defg|
aA ~A2 aAaA|gA ~A2 gAgA|fgaf gfed|cABc d4 ||