The Tarbolton reel (Irish fiddle lesson)

The Tarbolton reel is one of the most widely played Irish fiddle tunes. In this fiddle lesson I demonstrate three versions of the tune. Firstly, a slightly simplified melody; secondly a standard melody, and thirdly an ornamented version of the Tarbolton, based on the recording by Michael Coleman. Ornaments include the treble (bowed triplet), the cut and the drone. I use on-screen sheet music throughout, and a free pdf of the sheet music for all three versions of The Tarbolton Reel is available to subscribers. There are plenty more Irish fiddle lessons elsewhere on The Fiddle Channel, and my book "Exploring Folk Fiddle" examines in detail many of the techniques and concepts involved in Irish fiddle playing.
Below are details of further fiddle resources from Chris Haigh
1. Patreon
2. Books
3. Subscription video courses
4. Website
5. Email to request pdf’s.
1. PATREON
This is a platform where anyone can help support creative artists and get closer access to their work. You can join me on Patreon at three levels, for £4, £10 or £40 per month.

At the lowest level you get access to all my pdf’s and tune collections, plus many exclusive tuition videos not available to the public.
At level 2 you can join also me once a month for a group Zoom chat, and can request a backing rack once a month.
Level 3 gives you all the above plus a free lesson once a month, and access to all my backing tracks.
You can find me on Patreon at
/ thefiddlechannel
2. BOOKS
I have seven fiddle tuition books published by Schott, all widely available from the publisher, from Amazon, and many other outlets. All come with audio tracks illustrating the tunes and exercises.
Exploring Jazz Violin
Beginning Jazz Violin
Discovering Rock Violin
Exploring Folk Fiddle
Exploring Klezmer Fiddle
Hungarian Fiddle Tunes
French Fiddle Tunes
Exploring Country and Bluegrass Fiddle (due out October 2021)
You can order from
bit.ly/31ZWmgm
3. VIDEO SUBSCRIPTION COURSES
I have three video subscription courses
MUSIC GURUS- Exploring Jazz Violin. Based on my Schott book
Parts 1 and 2 are each £26 for 26 lessons, covering the first and second halves of the book
Part 1; tinyurl.com/49tfk5ef
Part 2 tinyurl.com/23atebfc
-MUSIC GURUS Discovering Rock Violin. . Based on my Schott book
£35 for 46 lessons
tinyurl.com/2ua2kuxh
ACADEMY OF FOLK
Includes a folk fiddle primer course, with introductions to basic techniques and concepts plus an Irish Fiddle Course and Scottish fiddle course. A monthly sub of $9.99 gives access to all lessons
academyoffolk.com/
4. WEBSITE
My website is probably the most extensive and detailed summary of fiddle styles on the web, as evidenced by the range of top hits on Google for many fiddle styles.
www.fiddlingaround.co.uk
________________________________________________________________________
TO REQUEST PDF’S, or ask any questions, CONTACT ME AT
[e-mail]

[@johntait491]

Great tune Chris. Very nicely demonstrated and explained. The Michael Coleman and then the Bothy Band recordings are classics. 👍

[@480vmotor]

I am trying to emulate what you did in your opening version but on the ukulele or mandolin. Often this music is played by some very frantically but your version just makes me want to dance. Thanks

[@user-ph9pl9rp5u]

I love that you don' waste my time by dragging this lesson out....I can slow it down and do my own home work on it. Thanks for that. I would like the written music for this tune. Can you send it to me?

[@TheFiddleChannel]

Glad you enjoyed this. Send me an email to [e-mail].

[@maaismak8915]

Thank you, Chris! I would very much like to have the sheet music for this tune so I can try to play along with your tutorial.

[@TheFiddleChannel]

Hi Maa. No problem. Send me an email to [e-mail]

[@richardhackett3737]

At 2.08, Chris asked if 'swing' was introduced to Irish music by Coleman in the 1920s recordings. There is a simple proof this was not so in earlier recordings from several players on wax cylinders. As well any person knowledgable in how music has been sung or played in Ireland could assure you that 'swing' as a propulsive feel imparted to music (like a groove or shuffle) in USA and perhaps in England is a feature long inherent to Irish, Scottish and Manx music known as 'streancán' and in English as 'lilt'. You can do a search for - The Francis O'Neill Cylinders: Thirty-two Recordings of Irish Traditional Music in America circa 1904 - to hear older examples.

[@TheFiddleChannel]

Hi Richard. Great to hear from someone so knowledgeable! Might I ask if 'streancán', unlike vague terms such as lift, drive or groove, unequivocally refers to dotted quavers?

[@richardhackett3737]

no, streancán is more akin to the translated term 'lilt' applied to an Irish accent. It means stress or emphasis. Irish is spoken with less separation of words than English or German, I think it is correct to say (you need a phonologist here) it uses aspiration and lenition to run consonantal aspects of speech together, so a lilt is naturally helpful along with several other features to convey basic extra emphasis and this is used naturally in the technique of 'portaireacht' (or Scottish Gaelic 'port bhuel' and dialect variants). You can tell by listening to some lilting this is a big feature of such music, although the only words are dee dum di and so on. The varying emphases on them in phrases is 'streancán', fewer tones are used in the voice as well as gapped scales and the modulations by which the song resolves are rapid. I agree 'streancán' here in portaireacht seems to be entirely about duration not tone or loudness, but I dont think that is implied in the word itself. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oIKyd3yPps-FnpI and with a fiddle accompanying, two mighty performers - kzbin.info/www/bejne/o5vOhneVrtx4oKc the portaireacht was often to accompany sean-nós dancing long before musicians were called on. In 'Irish music', dance steps were formed then portaireacht to fit the steps then ditties and songs to remember more bits and then tunes, which were scored as needed. Reels, polkas slides etc were like this. Writing or borrowing scores like Tarbolton was a later way to get tunes around. The Riverdance-style step-dancing (unlike sean-nós) did have music first as it was and remains dependent on travelling teachers who are still very often musicians, but those Feis musicians can all play to match the dance that child can manage that day. sean-nós - facebook.com/watch/?v=1256225187807147 Here is some in harmony, I don't know if this is modern composition or not but some kind of harmony was certainly very common in decades past too whatever musical theory they used kzbin.info/www/bejne/pHOrf4OLr7VgnMU

[@SaiWai372]

👯👯👯👯👯👯

[@michabiaowas-fiddlerskrzyp5240]

🎶🎻😮🎻👍😊

[@grahamhall2662]

Strange, I thought a reel had equal quavers in the bar and a Hornpipe is played with a dotted rhythm like you play here?

[@TheFiddleChannel]

A reel can be played either swung or straight. A hornpipe is usually played dotted, and the uneven rhythm is more emphasized.

[@brucecollins4729]

it,s actually a scottish fiddle tune

[@TheFiddleChannel]

And Saint Patrick was actually English!🤣

[@brucecollins4729]

@@TheFiddleChannel funny you should say that ,he probably was....that,s if he actually existed.onyhoo, you will find many "irish" fiddle tunes are scottish.