Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

The Ivy Leaf

reel

Key signature: Dmajor

Submitted on November 6th 2002 by Trinil.

This tune has been added to 95 tunebooks.

Also known as The Extremity, Ivy Leaf.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

A Treasury Of Irish Music 2 by Various Artists
A Wind Of Change by Brendan O'Regan
Accordion Music From The Soul by Finbarr Dwyer
An Ceoltoir Fanach by Cathy Custy
Augusta: 20 Years Of Irish Music Recorded Live At The Augusta Heritage Center by Various Artists
Blue by Colman Connolly, Tobias Kurig, Franziska Urton
Boxed by Anders Trabjerg
Erne by Jim McGrath, Cathal Hayden, Gerry O'Donnell, Tommy O'Sullivan
Farewell To Ireland CD 2 (Of A Box Set Of 4) by Various Artists
Feadoga Stain 2 by Mary Bergin
Feenish Legacy by Marcus Hernon And Padraic Coyne
Fiddle And Concertina Player by John Kelly
From Galway To Dublin: Early Recordings Of Traditional Irish Music by Various Artists
Galway's Own by Joe Burke
Happy To Meet Sorry To Part by Various Artists
Inside Out by Mícheál O' Raghallaigh
Instrumental by Franz Sanger And Susan Frances
Many Happy Returns by Arcady
N� Keen Affair by Paddy Keenan
Osna by Osna
Pay The Piper: Music For The Sets Volume 3 by Various Artists
Riverdance And Other Famous Irish Songs And Dances by Various Artists
Seven Evenings, Seven Mornings by Shantalla
Snug In The Blanket by Paddy O'Brien
Soh It Is by Craobh Rua
The Best Of Joe And Antoinette Mckenna by Joe And Antoinette McKenna
The Crooked Stair by Cran
The First Measure by Pipedown
The Kells by The Kells
The Kitchen Recordings by Se�n O'Driscoll And Larry Egan
The Last Of The Travelling Pipers by Felix Doran
The Singing Kettle by Chulrua
The Stool Of Repentance by Donnybrook
The Thing Itself by Maeve Donnelly And Peadar O'Loughlin
The Uneven Bridge by Glen Ayre
The Wheels Of The World, Early Irish American Music, Vol 2 by Various Artists
Traditional Music Of Ireland by Joe And Antoinette McKenna
Up To Here by Afterhours
When The Party's Over by Brian Finnegan

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

Ivy Leaf

Trad, I think. There're several tunes going by this name but this is the version I learned, note for note. I wonder if it has a different name, or if the others are imposters.... I think it's got a good interesting sound to it without pushing the 'different' factor. We play it with Glass of Beer and Silver Spear, or at least we will be soon.

# Posted on November 6th 2002 by Trinil

Ivy Leaf

I've alway's liked how this tune goes after a G major reel, "Crooked Rd to Dublin" & the G version of "Maude Millar" come to mind....

# Posted on November 7th 2002 by Mad Baloney

Ivy leaf

I have a double LP of one of the "Irish Folk Tours" of Germany in the 1980s (late 70s?) when Miko Russell played this tune. He also introduced it before playing it, and because of his strong Clare accent, it ended up on the sleeve notes as "I Will Leave"
( Ivy Leaf = I Vill Leave) ! So don't be surprised if it 's known by that name on the continent.
First heard it by Desi Wilkinson, who recorded it with "Cran".

# Posted on November 8th 2002 by Kenny

Ivy Leaf

A little note for backers: this tune is in key of A mixolydian (also 2 sharps). So don't try any D major chord progressions on this one.

# Posted on November 10th 2002 by Jani

Amix

Thanks, Jani. I'm afraid I never quite learned my modes so I wouldn't have caught that. Guess I'll have to start studying... ;)

# Posted on November 11th 2002 by Trinil

Ivy Leaf Reel

Here's a setting based on the playing of Kevin Burke (fiddle):

X: 1
T: Ivy Leaf, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
S: From the playing of Kevin Burke.
K: Amix
A2 ed cdec|Acec dBGB|A2 ed cdec|B~E3 GABd|
A2 ed cdec|Acec dBGB|A2 ed cdec|B~E3 GABd||
e~a3 edBd|e~g3 dBGB|e~a3 edBA|B~E3 GABd|
e~a3 edBd|e~g3 dBGB|A2 AB =cBcd|e/f/g fa gedB||

# Posted on November 14th 2007 by Will CPT

I had a rough time finding this tune since it's A myx rather than D major. Can someone fix it?

# Posted on March 6th 2008 by ElaineT

"The Ivy Leaf" ~ composer?!

I could swear I'd met the composer of this one, and learned it from them, and guess what, not in A Mixolydian, but A Dorian, or that is how I'm remembering it. Now I'll have to find my old ABCs for it...

But, then again, it could be the 'lurgy' affecting my reason... 8-)

# Posted on March 6th 2008 by ceolachan

Only 'Trinil', the original contributor, can correct it to A Mix. I've sent here a scramble of emails to that effect, from my current state of 'lurgydom', the poor soul... :-/

# Posted on March 6th 2008 by ceolachan

Another version

i learnt another version of this tune:

i play it with off beats emphasis on the Es. a really great tune indeed.

# Posted on April 25th 2008 by Othannen

Primitive instrument, and 19th-century play

In Ireland long ago, rural folk knew how to make music with an ivy leaf. You hold it between your thumbs and blow over it, making the leaf into a "reed" which can vary in pitch according to the shape of your mouth. This seems to be a lost art in Ireland now, but I met a Chinese fellow from Yunnan province last summer who was in Washington, D.C. at the Smithsonian Folklife Festivel. He could make the most amazing music this way using any ivy-like leaf that came to hand. He traded tunes one night with piper and low whistle player Jarlath Henderson of Armagh to the delight of all present.

Another possible source for the name of the reel is the play "The Ivy Leaf," which was produced throughout Ireland and America in the late 19th century and featured an uilleann piper in the cast.

# Posted on June 25th 2008 by blarneystar