[From the collection “First Easy Tunes for Beginning Trumpet Players on TrumpetHeroes.com]
This old Newfoundland folk song is probably the best known music from “The Rock”. That’s a bit like saying that french fries are the best know food from France. Anyway, it’s here because it’s fun and it’s in 6/8 time. In 6/8 time there are usually 2 beats in a bar* (even though there are six 1/8th notes). It has a swingy, dance-like quality. You already know some songs or nursery rhymes with the same rhythmic feel: The Farmer in the Dell, Hickory Hickory Dock, Humpty Dumpty, and even “We are the Champions”.
“I’s the B’y” is “I is the Boy” and the song goes on with its odd words and local Newfoundland references. Newfoundland has its own special version of the English language and an accent that varies from quaint to unintelligible. Some of the rhymes in the lyrics only work if the words are pronounced properly (their way).
This tune appears in three keys. In the second key (G) there’s a lot of low D’s. Get that 3rd valve slide out!
The third key is deliberately really low. Those low G’s could and should sound just as good as any other note. If yours don’t, spend a little time playing low notes. They often require more air moving slowly to sound their best. Relax the jaw and strive for warm air and a warm sound.
* It’s possible that a music teacher or two has told you a “white lie” about time signatures. You might have heard that “the top number tells you how many beats there are in a bar and the bottom number tells you what kind of note gets a beat”. That was true when the bottom number was always 4, and the simple math seems to add up. That “white lie” got you going and made sense for a while. 6/8 time is in a group of time signatures called compound meters in which a dotted quarter usually gets a beat. There are more complex time signatures as well but let’s avoid them for now.
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