There’s quite the history that goes into November 2018’s Tune of the Month. I first heard this tune on Fred Morrison’s “Broken Chanter” album (first tune on track 4 which is just labeled “Hornpipes”). I thought I found the title of the tune some time ago: Kitty O’Shea. However, this isn’t the correct title of the tune. It seems the famed Irish musician Tommy Peoples mixed up the name and it stuck. The actual title is Kitty O’Neil’s Champion Jig. Considering Fred listed it as a hornpipe, more about its “jig” nature is printed on the actual sheet music provided below and even further details can be found about the tune and its famed fiddler namesake who played a 7 part version of it can be found on this website: www.blarneystar.com/articles.html.

The version here is only, and very roughly, the first two parts. This tune was likely my first introduction to accidentals: C natural and F natural. Since recently rediscovering the tune with a now working set of border pipes and a Shepherd Orchestral chanter which plays better accidentals than even my border pipe chanter as evidenced in the October 2018 Tune of the Month post, I have arranged the tune myself beyond Fred’s version incorporating more bits of the original, inspiration from Irish sources, and my own preferences.

Kitty O’Neil’s Champion Jig < Sheet Music

Kitty O’Neil’s Champion Jig < MP3 file

Kitty O’Neil’s Champion Jig Simple Version < Sheet Music of a simpler version

There is currently no audio of the simpler version.

I’ll conclude with my distaste for the practice chanter. Pipers learn on a 9-note instrument and then graduate to a pipe chanter that can play accidentals with cross fingering giving 11+ notes. Cross fingering is a technique that does not work on practice chanters due to their cylindrical bore. I feel pipe chanter design and our common highland repertoire is adversely affected by the lack of accidentals in our music perpetuated by the use of practice chanters as a learning and practice instrument. The only reason practice chanters are in continual use is the high degree of technique our instrument has developed, though even uilleann pipers start on the actual, conically bored, instrument/chanter. Thus, it must only be the ridiculous strength of highland pipe reeds that ultimately demands one learn the fingering on a practice chanter before wrestling the big nasty octopus that is a highland bagpipe. What a shame. As you can tell, I’m still in the process of incorporating crossfingered notes into my scale, as such the tempo is a little slow. Join me in the challenge and let’s see where we are by the end of the month!

Recall that most chanters attain a C natural by playing with your bottom hand ring finger down *instead* of your pinkie and the F natural with your top hand ring finger down, all else being the same as the usual C# and F# notes. Take note that what pipers usually call “C” and “F” are actually C# and F# on the chromatic scale. C (natural) and F (natural) are the accidentals, being not contained within the D major (A mixolydian) highland pipe scale. If you would like to learn more about these things, go to this page on my blog.