Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

The Wheels Of The World

reel

Key signature: Dmixolydian

Submitted on October 4th 2002 by Will Harmon.

This tune has been added to 121 tunebooks.

Also known as Wheels Of The World.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

All Ireland Champion Musicians Singers And Dancers On Tour Of Australia by Na Ridiri
At Complete Ease by John Carty And Brian Rooney
Best Of Finbarr Dwyer by Finbarr Dwyer
Bridgetown by Johnny B. Connolly
Bruscar Bán by The Culchies
Celtic Celebration by Dirk Freymuth
Ceol Agus Foinn : Music And Songs From The Willie Clancy Summer School by Various Artists
Ceol An Clair by Various Artists
Crossroads by Joe Ryan, Eddie Clark
Dig With It by Randal Bays, Dave Marshall And Willie Bays
Draw The Bow by Malachy Bourke
Drimalost And Beyond CD2 by Danny Meehan
Evening Comes Early by John Doyle
Feadoga Stain by Mary Bergin
Fierce Traditional by Frankie Gavin
Finnegan's AWake by Finnegan's AWake
Flagstone Memories by Andrew Mac Namara, Orla Harrington And Jim Higgins
For The Love Of Tara by Denis Lanctot
From The Archives by Sean McGuire And Josephine Keegan
Gusty's Frolicks by Sean Keane
If The Cap Fits by Kevin Burke
Lifescapes Celtic Fiddle by Various Artists
Live At Johnny Fox's by Dervish
Man Of Achievement by Sean Maguire
Milestone At The Garden by Irish Fiddle Masters From The 78 RPM Era
Out West by Mick Doherty And Robert Zielinski
P.J. Hernon by P.J. And Marcus Hernon
Playing With Fire by Dervish
Raven by John Williams
Seán Ryan CD1 by Sean Ryan
Show The Lady: Music For The Sets Volume 5 by Various Artists
Sligo Fiddle (Disk 2) by John Vesey
Slipstream by Frank Simon
Sweeter As The Years Roll By by James Keane
Tasty Touches CD 2 by Martin Donohoe
The Art Of Traditional Fiddle Playing by Matt Cranitch
The Blue CD by Irish Session Tunes
The Donegal Fiddler by Danny O'Donnell
The Ewe With The Crooked Horn by Colm Gannon, Jesse Smith And John Blake
The Factory Turn by Damian O'Brien And Oliver Loughlin With Arty McGlynn And Kevin Brehony
The Fire Aflame by Keane, Molloy, O'Flynn
The High Part Of The Road by Tommy Peoples And Paul Brady
The Leg Of The Duck by Joe Burke, Michael Cooney And Noreen Donoghue
The Little Country by Charles De Lint
The Morning Mist by Joe Burke
The Poison Glen (Gleann Nimhe) by Altan
The Reel Years 1973 - 1983 by The Fureys And Davey Arthur
The Sailor's Cravat by Paddy O'Brien
The Sligo Indians by Tony DeMarco
The Wheels Of The World, Early Irish American Music, Vol. 1 by Various Artists
The Wheels Of The World: Classics Of Irish Traditional Music by Various Artists
Three Mile Stone by Three Mile Stone
Traditional Irish Music On Flute And Pipes by Brian Holleran And Brian Bigley
Traditional Music Of Ireland, Vol. 1 by Sean Ryan
Trip Over The Mountain by Watkin Lees
Uilleann Piping, Another Generation by A New Dawn
Under The Diamond by Liz And Yvonne Kane
Unheard by Eddie Clarke

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

Wheels of the World

I learned this setting from Breathnach's Volume 1, and I've kept the notes basically the same here, I like this reel played at a slower tempo, "stately" as the old boys liked to say, and it follows nicely after one of the Paddy Fahy's reels posted here by Zina recently. Sounds great on banjo, too.

# Posted on October 4th 2002 by Will Harmon

The Wheels of the World

This tune is also on a recording called The Wheels of the World: Early Irish American Music, Volume One. It is a various artists cd of old recordings. The Wheels of the World is played after Rakish Paddy in a set done by James Morrison.

# Posted on October 8th 2002 by aliceflynn

The fiddler I accompany uses a third part to this tune that drops from D mix. to C. Does anyone know it who can transcribe to ABC?

# Posted on October 10th 2002 by vonnieestes

Even before I posted this version, I knew a variant that I now prefer playing as the "basic melody" line, as follows.

X: 1
T: Wheels Of The World, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Dmix
dc|:AD (DDD FAGF|EC (3CCC G,CEG|AD (3DDD FAde|=fedc Addc|
|AD (3DDD FAGF|EDCD EFGc|AddB cBAG|1 ECGE D2 dc:|2 ECGE D2 AB||
|:dAdf afdf|ecgc acgc|dAdf afdf|edce d2 A(3BBc|
|dAdf afdf|ecgc acge|abag efge|1 fage d2 AB:|2 fage d2 dc||

# Posted on September 9th 2004 by Will Harmon

Kevin Burke's version

Here's generally what I play, based on Kevin Burke's version from 'If the Cap Fits':

X:1
T: The Wheels Of The World
S:Based on Kevin Burke's version from 'If The Cap Fits'. Transcribed by Mark MacDiarmid.
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Dmix
B|ADED FAGF|E ~C3 G,CEG|A ~D3 FAde|=fedc Addc|
ADED FAGF|E~C3 G,CEG|A2dB cBAG|1 EDD E{G}ED d:|2 EDD E{G}ED AB||
c3 egecA|d2 adbdad|~c3 ded^cd|e~a3edAB|
c3 egecA|d2 adbdad|abag efge|1 (3fgage d2 AB:|2 ~f3e d3 ||

# Posted on August 17th 2006 by Ger the Rigger

Frankie Gavin

On "Fierce Traditional", Frankie Gavin plays this tune and the B part is a nice hybrid between the version given here and the Kevin Burke version. Each time Franki goes to the B section of the song, he plays the first repeat the normal way, and the second repeat the "Kevin" way (more or less, given that he has all of his own stylistic stuff jammed in there too). It is a nice variation. For some reason I find it very satisfying when the B part starts with a D -> C chord progression, and then when it repeats it flips to C -> D.

# Posted on January 7th 2007 by timmy!

Im 3 years late...

Nice take on that Will.

# Posted on February 21st 2007 by The Merry Highlander

Wheels of the World

Does anyone know the version of this tune Frankie Gavin does on " Fierce Traditional", ie. seen a transcript. It
is a cracker. Its fairly different from the standard version you see (or hear) about the place. Its also got a extra part I expect.
Does anyone know anything about the history of the tune?

# Posted on August 23rd 2007 by chuneboi slim

Re: Wheels of the World

I don't recall Frankie Gavin playing anything other than the standard version of this tune on "Fierce", although I'll go back and have a listen again. He also recorded it on viola on an obscure Irish Tour of Germany CD, which I had to take back to the shop because that particular track "stuck" on the CD. Shame, cause he was playing with Liam O'Flynn and Desi Wilkinson, and I've never come across the recording again.

# Posted on August 23rd 2007 by Kenny

CD

This tune is on a brand new cd by Colm Gannon, Jesse Smith and John Blake called 'The Ewe With the Crooked Horn They play the Dunboyne Straw Plaiters before The Wheels of the World. Lovely CD.

# Posted on April 17th 2010 by anita broderick

K: D Major

C# throughout make the 2d part sound new and intresting

# Posted on May 14th 2010 by birlibirdie

check out joe burkes version on his CD, the morning mist. no doubt that this is one hell of a box tune. the low notes incorporated into the tune give it a haunting sound if you ask me.

# Posted on November 1st 2010 by boxplayer2

Mick Doherty and Rob Zielinski - Wheels of the World

Here's a really niice version of this tune!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=yJN-s0MSqaU

# Posted on April 11th 2012 by The Lobstaman