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[Mutt]

Sometimes, for a lark, I'll take a tune I'm familiar with and mess with the rhythm, or add a new "B" part, change major to minor key, whatever, just to see what comes out.  I usually do this with tunes I learned as a child.  Most often the results are horrifying, but occasionally I'm pleasantly surprised, and I keep it.

Recently, I couldn't get "Ach Du Lieber Augustin" out of my ear, so I decided to try it as a polka.  It worked!  I kept it and played it for a while, and suddenly I realized why it seemed so "right":  It was "Polly Put the Kettle On," no mistake about it, albeit as a polka.

I wonder how many other folk tunes are just transmogrifications of each other?  I have a singer friend who says there are no "new" tunes.  Maybe she's right

[Clive Williams]

I hornpiped Planxty Irwin a while back. It bears a startling resemblance to English Country Gardens...

[Tone Dumb Greg]

I hornpiped Planxty Irwin a while back. It bears a startling resemblance to English Country Gardens...

and the B part of Not For Joe has a terrible habit of morphing into the Keel Row. That is not a problem unless you get carried away and start playing the B part of the Keel Row when you should be going back to the A part of Not For Joe.

[Stiamh]

The Irish reel "The Little Bag of Spuds" has always struck me as a supercharged version of "Shepherd's Hey" - first couple of bars, anyway

https://youtu.be/DX9WfdP11JU?t=1m50s

M:C|
L:1/8
K:G
BcdB cdec|BddB ABGA|BddB cdef|[1 gabg a2 g2:|[2gabg a4 |
|:gabg eaaf|gabg (3efe de|1 gabg eaaf|gedB A4:|2 gabg efga|gedB A2 GA|

[Malcolm Clapp]

Clive, I remember hearing your Planxty Irwin Hornpipe posted a while back, which I learned and now regularly play on concertina. Other players have approached me at festivals saying they know that tune, but just can't pick what it is. When I tell them and the penny drops, several have said that they'll have a go at it themselves, so it has now gained some currency "Down Under".

Thanks for the inspiration.

[TomB]

The one that always cracks me up is when I hear the Beethoven 'Ode to Joy' played in jig time    . I'm sure there must be some Morris team somewhere who dance to it   

[Steve_freereeder]

The one that always cracks me up is when I hear the Beethoven 'Ode to Joy' played in jig time    . I'm sure there must be some Morris team somewhere who dance to it   

You've just reminded me of a bit of fun I had a few years ago. I discovered that the jig 'Moon and Seven Stars' could also be played in march tempo, and the two versions also fitted together, as did the jig version with 'Ode to Joy'.

Cue a hour or so playing around with multi-tracking on GarageBand and here is the result. All played on a one-row four-stop melodeon in D, the one I made on Emmanuel Pariselle's 2008 course in Stowmarket.

https://soundcloud.com/steve_freereeder/seven-stars-fantasia

[Chris Rayner]

If you’ve got the right accidentals then I reckon Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend would make a good march or polka.  Possibly even a hornpipe.💎💃🏻💎

[Phil Howard]

and the B part of Not For Joe has a terrible habit of morphing into the Keel Row. That is not a problem unless you get carried away and start playing the B part of the Keel Row when you should be going back to the A part of Not For Joe.

Having not played it for a while, I’ve found recently the B part of the Louth Quickstep consistently turning into Not For Joe second time through.

[Steve Coombes]

The one that always cracks me up is when I hear the Beethoven 'Ode to Joy' played in jig time    . I'm sure there must be some Morris team somewhere who dance to it   

Bath City Morris did a dance to it we called Ludwigs' Pleasure. Can't remember what time signature, tradition or even if the apostrophe is in the right place.

[squeezy]

Playing the melody of Phil Collins' "Another Day In Paradise" in 6/8 gives you a tune that sounds like it could come straight from Playford!  It pairs well with Half Hannikin

[Stiamh]

Sometimes at dances we will morph from Star of Munster into Van Morrison's Moondance - I'm sure he must have based the melody on the traditional tune.

[MandoC]

The first time I heard the word "transmogrified" was on television when Leonard Bernstein was talking about Charles Ives' Symphony Number Two. I used to play Tommy's Tarbukas on the mandolin as a Tango, which then morphed into Herndano's Hideaway (words by Robert Frost). Also a friend of mine changed Arkansas Traveler iino the Peking Traveler by flatting notes and adding a "shave and a haircut, two bits"' ending. I thought I had written it out but I guess I didn't. Charlie

[Ebor_fiddler]

Steamchicken are good at this sort of thing.

[Mike Carney]

The one that always cracks me up is when I hear the Beethoven 'Ode to Joy' played in jig time    . I'm sure there must be some Morris team somewhere who dance to it   

You've just reminded me of a bit of fun I had a few years ago. I discovered that the jig 'Moon and Seven Stars' could also be played in march tempo, and the two versions also fitted together, as did the jig version with 'Ode to Joy'.

Cue a hour or so playing around with multi-tracking on GarageBand and here is the result. All played on a one-row four-stop melodeon in D, the one I made on Emmanuel Pariselle's 2008 course in Stowmarket.

https://soundcloud.com/steve_freereeder/seven-stars-fantasia

Very nice, Steve. 

[boxcall]

Among others
 goodbye mick, goodbye pat song sounds a lot like Polly Wolly doodle.

[MandoC]

Here is a totally inappropriate version of The Peking Traveler as I mentioned in a previous post.