Tripping Up The Stairs

jig

Key signature: Dmajor

Submitted on May 25th 2001 by Jeremy.

This tune has been added to 450 tunebooks.

Also known as The Evesdropper, Plains Of Kilkorkery, The Plains Of Kilkorkery, The Pride Of Kildare, Sackos, Sackow's, Sackows, The Syracuse, Tripping Up Stairs, Tripping Up The Stairs.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

• A Compilation by Natalie MacMaster
• Bring Yer Wellies by Gaelic Storm
• Cuig by Blackbeers
• De Danann by De Danann
• Doublin' by Paddy Glackin And Paddy Keenan
• Draw The Bow by Malachy Bourke
• Fibb'nacci Sequence by Knot Fibb'n
• Fiddle Sticks, Irish Traditional Music From Donegal by Various Artists
• Foinn Seisiun 1 by Ceoltóirí Cultúrlainne
• Four On The Floor by Natalie MacMaster
• Gallain2 by Barry Mcgandy
• Grianan by Grianan MTC
• Ireland's Best Session Tunes CD 2 by Waltons Recording
• Irish Jigs by Paul Hutchinson, John Hymas And Tony Harris
• Judique On The Floor by Buddy MacMaster
• Live And Kicking by Swarb's Lazarus
• Musiques Traditionnelles D'Irlande by The Crickard Brothers
• Ná Keen Affair by Paddy Keenan
• Riding Towards Life by Evergreen
• Step This Way by David Lindquist
• Take A Bow by Matt Cranitch
• The Bridge Céilí Band by The Bridge Céilí Band
• The Bucks Of Oranmore by Joe Burke
• The Curlew by Cliff Moses
• The Gallowglass Ceili Band by The Gallowglass Ceili Band
• The Orkney Sessions From The Ayre Hotel by Various Artists
• With Complements by Patsy Reid

X: 1
T: Tripping Up The Stairs
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Dmaj
|:FAA GBB|FAd fed|cBc ABc|dfe dAG|
FAA GBB|FAd fed|c2c ABc|dfe d2A:|
dBB fBB|dBB fed|cAA eAA|efe edc|
dBB fBB|fgf fed|cBc ABc|dfe d3:|

This an almost universally popular jig that has stood the test of time.

There's a lot of room for variation on the melody. I sometimes play the opening bar with the F and G notes long and the A and B notes short: F2A G2B instead of FAA GBB.

The change into B minor for the second part sounds great if you can turn those Bs into triplets.

Try varying the way you play the C note. It can be played as CBC or as one long C, perhaps rolled.

I find this tune sounds good after Donnybrook fair.

# Posted on June 2nd 2001 by Jeremy

Someone has this listed as The Eavesdropper but that's a different tune.

# Posted on March 5th 2006 by PaddyCmusic

Doublin'

A few moments ago, someone posted this as its own tune, he claimed it was the version found on Glackin/Keenan's Doublin'. I haven't yet dug out my copy to check it, but since I thought it'd be quickly deleted I grabbed the ABC before it disappeared.

M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
FAA GBB|FAd fed|cBc ABc|dfe dAG|
FAA GBB|FAd fed|cBc ABc|dfe dAG|
FAA GBB|FAd fed|cBc ABc|dfe dAG|
FAA GBB|FAd fed|cBc ABc|dfe dec|
dBB fBB|fgf fed|cAe cAc|efe edc|
dBB fBB|fgf fed|cBc ABc|dfe dec|
dBB fBB|fgf fed|cAA ecA|a2a ecB|
dBB fBB|fgf fed|cBc ABc|dfe d3|

# Posted on October 19th 2006 by gravelwalks

I play this one with the gravel walk and some other tunes on the GHB...but in the session band we have with some othe garry owen and some other tunes

# Posted on April 11th 2007 by PittsburghPiper

Angularity

I play a more angular form on later repeats:

X: 1
T: Tripping Up The Stairs
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Dmaj
|:FAF GBG|FAd fed|cBc ABc|dfe dAG|
FAF GBG|FAd fed|cBc ABc|dfe d2A:|
dBB fBB|fgf fed|cAA eAA|efe edc|
dBB fBB|fgf fed|cBc ABc|dfe dag:|

And sometimes toss in this on the "B" part:

dBB fBB|f/2g/2ag fed|cAA eAA|f/2g/2ag fec|
dBB fBB|f/2g/2ag fed|cBc ABc|dfe dag:|

I think I got that from "Gillian's Apples" in O'Neil;s but put it in a different spot in the tune.

# Posted on March 18th 2008 by justjim