The Butterfly (slip jig)

One more of my 14 fiddle tunes in 14 days to honor St. Patrick. Check out my online fiddle lessons at www.reddesertviolin.com
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[@crisrose521]

In a way , while being played slower this song has hints of “ King of the Fairies “ in it . Great playing and excellent no nonsense, easy to understand tutorials, thank you 🙏

[@user-pq3zf8uk6b]

Just discovered your playing of lovely Irish tunes and helping me so much thanks René

[@RedDesertFiddle]

I'm SO glad! I have big plans to add TONS more.....stay tuned!

[@bigoldgrizzly]

I love this tune at all speeds. Played slowly. it has the same kind of haunting quality as King of the Fairies. Your faster version is about the speed I play it for English Country dancing, with a a floor full of 'grey haired' dancers, but would wind it up a bit if we have a younger more energetic crowd. A lovely tune and one of my favorites, thank you ;

[@berenicesaxon6136]

Lovely tune, beautifully played - thanks for sharing it. It's true that it starts and ends on E, but with no accidentals, it's not in the standard minor mode. It fits the Phrygian mode perfectly.

[@loralynstaples5483]

Phrygian. That is great info. I love the sound of modal music. But my brain doesnt compute it! Phrygian is way less common than like Dorian or Myxolydian. Thanks for that!

[@berenicesaxon6136]

​@@loralynstaples5483 Yes, I find Phryigian tunes haunting. I know only a few. The Dobby O is one from Ireland. I understand that the mode is better represented in the Spanish and Sephardic traditions. But my favorite is Bach's chorale Oh Sacred Head Now Wounded.

[@missKC19]

You are so clear with your instructions! Thank you!

[@RedDesertFiddle]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for commenting, and good luck!

[@edmorris5007]

Thank you, Lora...for this awesome lesson! I figured it out, in one day, thanks to your excellent teaching and demonstration...

[@KayKudos]

I always wondered the name of this song! As soon as it got to B I recognized it. One of my favorites from this Irish group that would come to my favorite tavern to play. Thanks!

[@RedDesertFiddle]

+KayKudos I wish I could join you in the tavern for a session! Sounds SO FUN!

[@robgoodson5872]

The butterfly was written by tommie Potts in Dublin Ireland in the 1940s. Tommie was just a little crazy and thought this song up as he watched a butterfly in his back garden and he often play it pretty fast. You can see him play it on KZbin.

[@DADGAD4life]

What a perfect lesson! ☺️ I can’t believe how much playing along with you and learning your finger positions helped. I managed to learn all three parts in a couple of hours thanks to your wonderful teaching style! I stuck to verison one and built it up to the tempo of version two. Slow and steady wins the race, haha. Looking forward to learning the trills and flourishes too. ☺️ Many thanks and I’ll definitely be checking out some more of your videos in the future! 👍🏻☺️

[@RedDesertFiddle]

I know it's been 8 months since you wrote, but I very much appreciated your kind comment. Thank you. I'm glad you learned this AWESOME tune! See you around...

[@marybrunart]

I love this tune, thank you for sharing this really clear explanation including the beats :)

[@RedDesertViolin]

Hi Mary! I'm very glad it helped you! Have fun!

[@wadefite]

tx for this my new tune for my whistle class. Very helpful.

[@RedDesertFiddle]

It sounds lovely on whistle! Good luck!

[@BrassicaRappa]

It's funny, I actually had a hard time following when you played it slow, but once you played it at tempo it immediately clicked!

[@RedDesertViolin]

Yes!! It's like looking at something with super magnification......it is not recognizable unless you zoom out to the right level! Glad it clicked for you! Have fun!

[@smollbean1892]

how old is your violin? I makes the butterfly sound beautiful , I personally think the butterfly sounds better depending on the mood you want to associate with it e.g. excitement - fast and jumpy

[@RedDesertFiddle]

ack, sorry to be so slow. My violin is from a yard sale, and it's 150 years old!!! It's not the greatest, but man, it sounds GREAT on recordings!!!!

[@TheFlyingGreekman]

I would say it’s 3/4 because it’s really deferent from the Greek 9/8

[@RedDesertFiddle]

You could totally think of it as 3/4. But it really literally is in 9/8. (3 groups of 3 eighth notes)

[@katiecss2383]

What type of ornamentation are you using when you use full speed? It looks like some kind of roll.

[@RedDesertFiddle]

You are exactly right. I re-watched, and it is a ROLL about 90% of the time. Other times, it's a double grace note (what I call an "Upper Neighbor Triplet" in my fiddle course). But also, CUTS would be totally cool in this tune. Good ear that you heard the rolls.

[@andyrenshaw9148]

Hiya, The Butterfly isnt an old tune, it was written by Tommy Potts. All th best.

[@RedDesertFiddle]

Seriously? Thank you for that. I will check my resources.

[@bigoldgrizzly]

Just a general point I would make about 'new' tunes. It is quite a task for trad players, particularly those who play by ear, to pen a new tune without subconsciously incorporating snatches of older tunes. I think there are elements of that at play here, though the 'sources' or 'influences' remain to me, tantalizingly just out of reach. It does not bother me in the slightest if the result is a good tune.... and boy oh boy, this is one of them

[@reidsusan4]

Just play it.. 🙄