Maggots in the Sheep's Hide on the Mandola

This is a new tune for me that I recently learned off a great CD, "Of Wind and Water" from the late 1980's by the multi-instrumentalist, Harvey Reid.
Harvey in turn claims to have learned it from a street fiddler. It is apparently an old tune of Scottish/Irish origin. I can only imagine how the unusual name came about --people often name tunes after something that happens in their life.
But if care was not taken I expect that flies egg and maggots (fly larvae) could have been a problem in fresh sheeps hides in days before chemicals for curing and rapid drying procedures were available.

Anyway I like the song and I have gotten used to the title!

It is played here on a 1911 Gibson H1 mandola in standard tuning (CGDA) and D'Addario mandola strings.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Scottish
• Irish
• Celtic
• mandola

[FrancisMandola]

Great old mandola. Love it!!

[Mandolin1944]

@FrancisMandola Thank you! And thanks for the invitation!

[fireflyxl5]

Great tune, funny name!

[Mandolin1944]

@fireflyxl5 Yes what an "unpleasant" name for a great tune! You have to wonder how it got named!

Thanks for listening.

[DLynch2010]

Great tune!!!

What tuning are you using?

[Mandolin1944]

@DLynch2010 Thanks! Its in standard tuning -- that it is played on a mandola not mandolin makes it seem altered? In the USA the mandola is tuned like a viola CGDA (or a fifh down from the mandolin (GDAE like a violin). The scale length is closer to 17" on the mandola as contrasted to 14" for the mandolin. In Europe I think a mandola is tuned down an octave instead of a fifth? -- not sure. Yes, its a great tune! Deserves a better name?

[Mandolin1944]

@leapinlueschen Thanks! Who knows how the tune got its name --but I think you are right it deserves a better name!! (<:

[leapinlueschen]

Your playing reminds me nothing of finding maggots in sheep's hide

Excellent playing

[Mandolin1944]

@IBG67 Smile! Fine man -- not much of a candidate though. Thanks for stopping by my channel!!

[IBG67]

nice shirt.