Crane's Leg (The)

 CRANE'S LEG, THE. AKA and see "The Crane Skin Bag," "The Glen of Aherlow [2]," "Lafferty's," "The Woman I Never Forgot." Irish, Reel. E Dorian. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. The tune was named "The Crane's Leg" in Flaherty's volume, although it was originally a Sean Ryan composition called "The Glen of Aherlow." The "Lafferty's" title comes from Kevin Burke (recorded on "Promenade"), also used by Martin Byrnes on his album "Paddy in the Smoke." Fiddle player Vincent Campbell, of Meenahalla near Glenties, Donegal, maintained that older fiddlers would place a portion of crane or heron leg inside the fiddle to act as an extra soundpost (!?). Supposedly Campbell's brother Jimmy (also a fiddler) claims to have a collection of crane legs still in his possession. The veracity of the practice may be in doubt, but it's a good story and a parallel perhaps to the American custom of inserting rattlesnake rattles inside fiddles. Source for notated version: fiddler Jimmy Murphy (b. 1938, Meelick, near Swinford, Co. Sligo) [Flaherty]. Printed source: Flaherty (Trip to Sligo), 1990; p. 40.

X:1 T:Crane's Leg M:C| L:1/8 R:Reel K:Edor B2AF BFAF | ~E3 F EDB,D | B2AF BFAF | DFAF FE E2 | ...

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