The Swallowtail
jig
Key signature: Adorian
Submitted on May 25th 2001 by Jeremy.
This tune has been added to 692 tunebooks.
Also known as The Dancing Master, The Dancingmaster, Drioball Na Fáinleoige, From The New Country, From The New World, From The Next Country, Swallow Tail, The Swallow Tail, Swallow's Nest, The Swallow's Nest, Swallow's Tail, The Swallow's Tail, Swallow-tail, Swallows Tail, Swallowtail.
Recordings of a tune by this name:
- 1891-1945 Disc 1 by Michael Coleman
- 40 Years Reunion by The Dubliners
- 40th Anniversary Album by Armagh Pipers Club
- A Controversy Of Pipers by Various Artists
- A Fathomless Sea by Mooncoin
- A Flick Of The Wrist by Brendan Larrissey
- A' Sireadh Spòrs by Dr. Angus MacDonald
- Archives #2 by Jean Carignan
- Archives #3 by Jean Carignan
- Barde by Barde
- Barghest Sampler by Barghest
- Basil And Thyme by Breda Smyth
- Bean Chairdin by Dympna O'Sullivan
- Beauty An Oileáin: Music And Song Of The Blasket Islands by Various Artists
- Behind The Mist by Various Artists
- Both Ears And The Tail by Martin Carthy And Dave Swarbrick
- Caise Ceoil by Various Artists
- Captain Hopper's Mutiny by Bowi
- Celtic Breeze by Celtic Breeze
- Celtic Reels And Jigs - The Blackberry Blossom by Various Artists
- Ceol Tigh Neachtain - Music From Galway by Various Artists
- Close To The White Bear by Dave Swarbrick And Simon Nicol
- Culann's Hounds by Culann's Hounds
- Dance Of The Celts: A Narada Collection by Various Artists
- Drioball Na Fáinleoige by Johnny Connolly
- Early Recordings Of Irish Traditional Dance Music by John Kimmel
- Elftones by The Elftones
- Empty Pockets by Skip Healy
- Epiphany by Silver Spire
- Finnegan's AWake by Finnegan's AWake
- Foinn Seisiun 2 by Ceoltóirí Cultúrlainne
- Gleanntan by Sliabh Notes
- Gracenotes by Buttons And Bows
- Hawthorn by Carlos Plumley And Mike Herr
- Inishkeeragh by Brenda McCann
- Ireland's Best Session Tunes CD 2 by Waltons Recording
- Ireland's Best Session Tunes CD 1 by Waltons Recording
- Irish Cream by Irish Cream
- Irish Dance Music by Various Artists
- Irish Madness by Kierah
- Jack In The Box Irish Session by Tionol
- Josephine Marsh by Josephine Marsh
- Just Me And A Fiddle by The Flyin' Fiddler Wayne Cantwell
- Kerry Fiddles - Fiddle Music From Sliabh Luachra by Padraig O'Keeffe, Denis Murphy, Julia Clifford
- Kids In A Candy Store by Rick May And Gil Yslas
- Kilkenny Road by Kilkenny Road
- Late... In The Night by Christy Barry, Conor McCarthy, Cyril O'Donoghue
- Live At The White Bear by Dave Swarbrick And Simon Nicol
- London Lasses And Pete Quinn by London Lasses And Pete Quinn
- Looking For A Rock by Juniper
- Milestone At The Garden by Irish Fiddle Masters From The 78 RPM Era
- Music In The Glen by Kennedy's Kitchen
- Old Time Irish Music In America by Terry Teahan And Gene Kelly
- Oldtime Records Vol 2 (U.S. Recordings) by Various Artists
- On Fire! by The Cottars
- On TSean - Am Anall by Danny O'Donnell
- Out Of The Blue by Anna Murray
- Paddy Keenan by Paddy Keenan
- Party Acadien by Eddy Arsenault Et Famille, Anastasia DesRoches, Louise Arsenault
- Rags, Reels And Airs by Dave Swarbrick
- Raise The Rafters by Molly's Revenge
- Relative Minors by Qristina And Quinn Bachand
- Set Dances Of Ireland, Volume IV by Various Artists
- Set The Sails by Bantry Bay
- Seven Years Of Listening by Mick O'Brien And Caoimhin O'Raghallaigh
- Sligo Fiddle (Disk 2) by John Vesey
- Sons Of Liberty by Amadan
- Southwind by Glenn Morgan
- Spirit by Dervish
- Spirit Of The Isles: A Concert For Beltane by Various Artists
- Stay Another While by Paul O'Shaughnessy And Frankie Lane
- Swarbrick 2 by Dave Swarbrick
- The Bear River Band by Bear River Band
- The Border Minstrel by Billy Pigg
- The Ceilidh Album by Dave Swarbrick
- The Celtic Ray by Marcille Wallis
- The Clan MacColl by Angus MacColl
- The Clare Shout by Bobby Gardiner
- The Enduring Magic by Michael Coleman
- The Fiddle Music Of Donegal - Volume Three by Various Artists
- The Gravel Walks: The Fiddle Music Of Mickey Doherty by Mickey Doherty
- The High Hills Of Largy: Compositions Of Sean Nugent by Various Artists
- The Irish Music Anthology (40 Classic Songs, Jigs And Reels) by Various Artists
- The Judique Flyer by Buddy MacMaster
- The Lakes Of Sligo by Carmel Gunning
- The Man Behind The Box by Joe Derrane
- The Northumbrian Small Pipes by Various Artists
- The Piping Of Patsy Touhey by Patsy Touhey
- The Raineys by The Raineys
- The Road Out Of Town by The Itinerant Band
- The Rushy Mountain: Classic Music From Sliabh Luachra 1952-77 by Various Artists
- The Square Triangle by The Four Star Trio
- The Wild Hills O'Wannie: The Small Pipes Of Northumbria by Various Artists
- The Wind Among The Reeds by Tommy Keane And Jaqueline McCarthy
- The Wynd You Know by Ronan Browne
- Three Around The Table by Poljez Trio
- Toss The Feathers by Ted Furey And Brendan Byrne
- Touch Me If You Dare by Ronan Browne And Peter O'Loughlin
- Traditional Irish Music by William Sullivan
- Traditional Irish Sessions by Various Artists
- Tuned Up by Brendan Mulholland, Brendan Hendry, Paul McSherry
- Turn To Me by Bill Jones
- Uilleann Pipes And Whistles - Traditional Music From Co. Monaghan by Martin McCormack
- Velvet In The Wind by Gerry Strong
- Volume 3: The Rhythm Chapter by Fiddlers 3
X: 1
T: Swallowtail, The
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Ador
|:cBA eAA|cBA edc|BGG dGG|gfe dcB|
cBA eAA|cBA e2f|gfe dcB|cBA A2d:|
efg a2b|a2b age|efg a2b|age g2d|
efg a2b|a2b age|gfe dcB|cBA A2d:|
This tune has a lot of similarities with the reel of the same name. I wonder which came first.
The tune is fairly straightforward to play, except for the jig equivalent of that tricky G phrase we saw in the reel. Once again, hopping between D and G might cause some problems at first but it's worth practicing because it'll come in handy later. It's all in the wrist.
# Posted on June 2nd 2001 by Jeremy
I play this in Edor, a fourth lower, staring on G rather than c. Also, I play the first phrase of measures 1, 2 and 5 as GEE (here it would be cAA) rather than GFE (cBA) in order to get that ya-da-da, ya-da-da jig feel (we whistlers go slur-tongue-tongue).
I am curious what variations do people use in the second part for the constant e2f, e2f (here it is a2b, a2b)? I don't think rolls work so well and haven't found the perfect notes for turning. Any thoughts?
# Posted on October 25th 2001 by Bloomfield
Here is a slightly different version of the tune from an old New England source. It is in E dorian.
K:Edor
GEE BEE|GEE BAG|FDD ADD|dcd AGF|
GEE BEE|GEG B2c|dcd AGF|GEE E3:|
|:Bcd e2f|e2f edB|Bcd e2f|edB d3|
Bcd e2f|e2f edB|dcd AGF|GEE E3:||
# Posted on November 30th 2002 by lazyhound
T:Dancing Master, The
M:6/8
L:1/8
S:Josephine Marsh
R:jig
Z:g.m.p
K:ADor
B|cAA eAA|cAA e2A|BGG dGG|gfe dcB|
ccA eAA|cAA e2f|gfe dcB|1cAA A2:|2cAA A3|:
efg a2b|a2b age-|efg a2b|age g3|
efg a2b|a2b agf|gfe dcB|Bce A3:|
# Posted on August 23rd 2003 by gian marco
Swallowtail in Edorian
You need to add the "x" and "t" line for it to
translate correctly to a pdf. from the abc file. also I changed one note in the 5th measure. this is a perfect teaching tune. Bobbi
X:1
T: Swallowtail, The
K:Edor
GEE BEE|GEE BAG|FDD ADD|dcd AGF|
GEE BEE|GEE B2c|dcd AGF|GEE E3:|
|:Bcd e2f|e2f edB|Bcd e2f|edB d3|
Bcd e2f|e2f edB|dcd AGF|GEE E3:||
# Posted on April 19th 2007 by bobbi
"From the New Country" jig
Would anyone know an alternative title for this jig? I have found in a set with The Blackthorn Stick and the Irish Washerwoman and would like to listen to midi. Can't find it here or on abacci.com.
# Posted on July 2nd 2007 by P-K
Re: "From the New Country" jig
Is it this one, P-K?
http://thesession.org/tunes/display/106
# Posted on July 2nd 2007 by joesmith
Re: "From the New Country" jig
Hi Chris,
I think this tune also goes by the name of the 'Swallowtail Jig'.
Jon
# Posted on July 2nd 2007 by Jon_bailey
Re: "From the New Country" jig
Exactly the one, guys- many thanks. How do you get to know that extra-curricular kind of stuff?
# Posted on July 2nd 2007 by P-K
"The Dancing Master" ~ a different take on it
Key signature: A Dorian
Submitted on November 20th 2008 by JACKB
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/9103
# Posted on November 20th 2008 by ceolachan
"The Swallowtail" / "The Swallow's Tail" ~ Nest" / "The Dancing Master" ~
X: 5
T: Swallowtail, The
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: A Dorian
|: A/B/ |\
cAA EAA | cAc edc | BGG DGG | BG/A/B d2 B |
cAA E2 A | cA/B/c e2 f | gfg dcB | cA^G A2 :|
|: e |\
ef^g a2 b | a2 b age | efg a2 b | age g3 |
ee/f/^g a2 b | a2 b age | gfg d2 B | cA^G A2 :|
# Posted on November 20th 2008 by ceolachan
O'Neill's 1001 Gems
This is 100% the same #183, called there "The Dancingmaster"
# Posted on November 21st 2008 by swisspiper
"From The New World" / "The Swallowtail" ~ rescued duplication & notes
Key signature: E Dorian (originally posted as e minor, see the following notes.)
Submitted on January 10th 2009 by thelightisahead
~ /tunes/display/9249
X: 8
T: From The New World
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Edor
|: E/F/ |\
GEE BEE | GEE BAG | FDD ADD | dcd AGF |
GEE BEE | GEE B2 c | dcd AGF | GEE E2 :|
|: B |\
Bc^d e2 f | e2 f edB | Bc^d e2 f | edB d3 |
Bc^d e2 f | e2 f edB | dcd AGF | GEE E2 :|
Excellent Jig
This is an excellent all round jig for bashing out on the fiddle, with or without much ornamentation! It appears in this form in a fiddling book I have, and is similar to 'From the New Country' on this website (possibilities for juxtaposition in performance?), but some elements of structure and key are different, so I decided to submit it.
# Posted on January 10th 2009 by thelightisahead
Swallowtail
I copied this out from a book and not this website however. True, this tune is basically identical to The Swallowtail (a few notes and rhythmic elements differ), but a difference in key can give something a very different feel. Also, some differences make this version easier for the less experienced violinist - no jump from the G on the D string to the G on the E string, for example (unless playing in the 3rd position) and less need for the fourth finger to be thrown out (problems of intonation, speed etc.) Perhaps most so is that in my version, you don't have to move your fingers across a fifth (fiendish!) because you can use the open A and D.
Nevertheless I had noted the existence of such pieces as The Swallowtail here already! But I'd say it's good to have a few versions for players to choose their favourite from (without cluttering the site ofc)
# Posted on January 11th 2009 by thelightisahead
Note
I wouldn't say it's in E dorian though. Although I've only just started learning about the modes, as opposed to the keys, this has F sharp in the key signature and uses the accidentals C sharp and D sharp, all indicative of E minor.
# Posted on January 11th 2009 by thelightisahead
Another note!
I'll try to stop filling this with comments! But I made a mistake - there is a fingered interval of a fifth, but it is the first finger in the first position, so it's not hard.
# Posted on January 11th 2009 by thelightisahead
It's definitely in E dorian. A couple of people have already transcribed the tune in the key:
# Posted on January 11th 2009 by slainte
E dorian it is.
All the Cs are sharp, so the key sig should really be two sharps. You could argue that the b part is in E melodic minor, but I'd still want to hear a C nat to establish that. A raised leading tone as an accidental is not really that telling.
# Posted on January 11th 2009 by muspc
O'Neill's Dancing Master with some changes in the second part!
# Posted on January 11th 2009 by swisspiper
"I copied this out from a book ~"
Duplication and mistakes aside, it would show some respect to fully credit your sources ~ the book and its author(s)...
# Posted on January 12th 2009 by ceolachan
From the New World (jig) ~ more rescued notes ~ courtesy of Lazyhound
"you don't have to move your fingers across a fifth (fiendish!)"
This isn't really the right place to comment on technical difficulties (try Discussions) but I can't let that remark pass without saying that it is not "fiendish" - just a bit strange for the beginner and nothing that can't be sorted out by a few minutes instruction from a teacher or a more advanced player and followed up by regular practice until the technique is there.
# Posted on January 12th 2009 by lazyhound
"some differences make this version easier for the less experienced violinist"
I'm not in favour of tunes on this forum being simplified for the benefit of beginners - it detracts from the tune and can confuse other players as to whether it really is an authentic version. Simplifying a tune does not do the beginner any favours because it does not encourage them to advance their technique so as to be able to play the original version. After all, Irish fiddle music is technically remarkably straightforward compared with other genres.
If someone posting a tune believes a simpler version should be provided then that should be done in the Comments and clearly indicated for what it is, and the original version posted as the main posting.
That is obviously no longer possible in this instance so it might be a good idea to post the ABC of the original source here in the Comments.
# Posted on January 12th 2009 by lazyhound
# Posted on January 12th 2009 by ceolachan