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Andyrhydycreuau - Posted - 03/21/2024: 23:51:39
Clawhammer TOTW 22nd March
The Swallow Tail Jig.
A few days late for St. Patrick's Day, so I hope your hangover has eased, if that's your thing.
And there are still no snakes in Ireland. No swallows at this moment either, but they won't be long... (Edit - swallows have just arrived in UK, so I assume probably in Ireland too. I wrote this a few days ago now .....)
The tune is, according to "The Session" website, also known as The Custom House, The Dancing Master, The Dancing Master, Drioball Na Fáinleoige, From The New Country, From The New World, Gigue De Barnabé, and The Swallow’s Nest.
It's usually played in either E Dorian or B Dorian, I've seen it in equal numbers in both keys. The Dorian mode is like a straight minor key, but with the 6th note of the scale a semitone / half step higher. In the Swallowtail Jig, that's most easily explained as the second note of the B part. (It's in the A part too, but harder to explain where - 4th fret first string in double C or equivalent tunings.)
My tab includes standard notation as well, so wherever you see the # note is the raised 6th.
There are very few clawhammer versions that I can find out there. Lots of 3 finger style, and lots of fiddle versions of course.
Here is a version from Corey Trevor on YouTube:
youtu.be/-2OBjc90qW4?si=IuKg04CmBcKZaIRq
Corey mentions a version by Clarke Buehling, but I can't find that. Does anyone know that version and where to find it?
I find it very helpful for my banjo playing if I play along with solo fiddle versions of tunes - Liz Faiella's version here is great for playing along to: youtu.be/CNui23PUOao?si=xjgi2M-5LuPWi1Zn
There is also a "start slowly, get quicker" fiddle practise track on YouTube here:
youtu.be/zfIAI41m8Uw?si=gjclxBoF5tCM0Gv2
My version, and a walkthrough of the tune are attached here.
I find jigs difficult, so I'm not sure why I opted for my long neck banjo for this!
I'm playing in a low version of double C tuning, dGDGA, to enable me to play in E Dorian.
You could play in B Dorian if you tune to double C and have a capo on the second fret. That would be easier!
Jigs (for me anyway) require sharp hammer ons, and some judicious use of the 5th string in melody notes. I couldn't do the B part without those 5th string notes!
I will also say that once you have the "galloping" rhythm in your head and fingers, once you have got the feel of what a jig does, they are all a wee bit easier.
I hope you have a good go at this, and I hope the walkthrough helps.
And I've done a tab attached here too.
Please share your versions if you play this, or if you learn it now.
Sliante!
Edited by - Andyrhydycreuau on 03/22/2024 00:46:34
JanetB - Posted - 03/23/2024: 09:02:17
Thanks for a special choice, Andy, and for your video tutorial, video and tab. I played along with a couple of your video links and found the key was Em, so here's an arrangement in open G tuning. When I checked The Session link, there were 20 notated versions to see and hear, some with chords, some with one sharp, some with two, some with no sharps or flats in the key signature. My version stays in two chords -- Em and D and utilized the two-sharp key signature, normally the key of G, but here in Em.
It's interesting how one uses the middle (or index) and thumb to perform a jig. Some of the thumb notes are marked in my tab. Others are left blank because you may find yourself doing something differently than I would, like a hammer-on, pull-off, or the use of two middle fingers in a row. The B part has hardly any thumb use.
Can't wait for your next turn, and it's time to make a Spring schedule!
Edited by - JanetB on 03/23/2024 09:03:53
