Trim The Velvet reel

Also known as Maisigh An Veilbhit.

There are 106 recordings of this tune.

This tune has been recorded together with

Trim The Velvet appears in 5 other tune collections.

Trim The Velvet has been added to 40 tune sets.

Trim The Velvet has been added to 396 tunebooks.

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Seven settings

1
X: 1
T: Trim The Velvet
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
~G3B AGFD|GBdB BAFA|~G3B AGFA|defd cAFA|
~G3B ~A3c|BcdB BAFA|~G3B AGFA|defd cAFA||
dgeg dg~g2|dedB cAFA|dgeg dg~g2|defd cAFA|
d3e dBGB|dGBd cAFA|dgeg dg~g2|defd cAFA||
~g3a bgaf|g2ab c'baf|g2af g2af|defd cAFA|
~g3a bgaf|g2ab c'ba2|bg~g2 af~f2|defd cAFA||
BGdG BG~G2|(3BAG dB cAFA|BGdG BG~G2|defd cAFA|
BGdG BG~G2|DGBd cAFA|~B3G c2ce|defd cAFA||
# Added by SPeak .
2
X: 2
T: Trim The Velvet
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Fmaj
F3 A GFEC|FAcA BGEG|~F3 A GFEG|cdec BGEG|
FEFA G^FGB|ABcA BGEG|~F3 A GFEG|cdec BGEG||
cfdf cf ~f2|cdcA BGEG|cfdf cf ~f2|cdec BGEG|
c3 =B cAFA|cdcA BGEG|cfdf cf ~f2|cdec BGEc||
|:~f3 g afge|f2 ga bgaf|af ~f2 efge|1 cdec BGEc:|2 cdec BGEG||
AFcF AFFG|AFcA BGGB|AFcF AFFA|cdec BGEG|
AFcF AFFG|AFcA BGGB|A3 F ~B3 G|cdec BGEC||
3
X: 3
T: Trim The Velvet
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmix
FDAG FD3|FDAF GE3|FDAG FADB|=cB=cA GEAG|
FDAG FD3|FDAF GE3|FDAG FADB|=cB=cA GEAG|
D3G EFGE|AB=cA GE=cG|D3G EFGE|AB=cA GE=cG|
D3G EFGE|AB=cA GE=cG|D3G EFGE|AB=cA GE=cG|
Add=c A3G|AA=cA GE=cG|Add=c A3G|AA=cA GE=cG|
A3G AD3|AA=cA GE=cG|Add=c A3G|AA=cA GE=cG|
dcde fded|Adef ge3|3(Bcd) ed cedc|dBAF GE3|
dcde fded|Adef fgfe|dged cedc|dBAF GEAG|
# Added by boydp .
4
X: 4
T: Trim The Velvet
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
G3B AGFA|G2 (3Bcd cAFA|G3B AGFA|defd cAFA|
G3B A3c|BcdB cAFA|DG G2 AGFA|defd cAFA||
dgeg dg g2|dedB cAFA|dgeg dg g2|defd cAFA|
d3e dBGB|dGBG cAFA|dg (3efg dg g2|defd cAFA||
g3a bgaf|g2 ab c'baf|g2 (3bag agbg|defd cAFA|
g3a bgaf|g2ab c'b a2|bg g2 agbg|defd cAFA||
(3BAG dG BG G2|(3BAG dB cAFA|(3BAG dG BG G2|defd cAFA|
(3BAG dG BG G2|DG G2 cAFA|B3G A2 (3ABc|d2 (3fed cAFA||
# Added by JACKB .
5
X: 5
T: Trim The Velvet
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
D3F ED D2|D2 (3FGA GE E2|D3F ED D2|ABcA GE E2|
D3F E3G|FGAF GE E2|AD D2 ED D2|ABcA GE E2||
AdBd Ad d2|ABAF GE E2|AdBd Ad d2|ABcA GE E2|
A3B AFDF|ADFD GE E2|Ad (3Bcd Ad d2|ABcA GE E2||
d3e fdec|d2 ef gfec|d2 (3fed edfd|ABcA GE E2|
d3e fdec|d2ef gf e2|fd d2 edfd|ABcA GE E2||
(3FED AD FD D2|(3FED AF GE E2|(3FED AD FD D2|ABcA GE E2|
(3FED AD FD D2|AD D2 GE E2|F3D E2 (3EFG|A2 (3cBA GE E2||
# Added by JACKB .
6
X: 6
T: Trim The Velvet
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
~G2GB AGFD|GBdB cAFA|~G2GB AGFA|d2fd cAFA|
G2GB A2 Ac|B2Bdc AFA|G2GB AGFA|defd cAFA||
dgeg dg~g2|dedB cAFA|d2eg dg~g2|defd cAFA|
d2de dBGB|dedB cAFA|dgeg dg~g2|defd cAFA||
g2ga (3bagaf|g2ab c'baf|g2bg fgaf|de(3fed cAFA|
g2ga (3bagaf|g2ab c'baf|g2bg fgaf|de(3fed cAFA||
BGdG BGGA|(3BAG dB cAFA|BGdG BGGA|d2fd cAFA|
BGdG BGGA|BGdG cAFA|BGG2 cAFA|d2fd cAFA||
7
X: 7
T: Trim The Velvet
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
~G3B AGFA|G2Bd cAFA|~G3B AGFA|defd cAFA|
~G3B ~A3c|BcdB cAFA|~G3B AGFA|defd cAFA||
dgeg dg~g2|defd cAFA|dgeg dg~g2|defd cAFA|
d3e dBGB|dedB cAFA|dgeg dg~g2|defd cAFA||
~g3a bgaf|g2ab c'baf|g2bg faaf|defd cAFA|
~g3a bgaf|g2ab c'bag|bg~g2 af~f2|defd cAFA||
~B2BA AG~G2|~B2dB cAFA|BGdG BG~G2|defd cAFA|
B2Bc BAGE|DGBd cAFA|~B3G c2Ac|defd cAFA||

Seventeen comments

I almost fell over when I didn’t find this tune on The Session!
One of my all-time favorites.

Posted by .

The High C in Trim the Velvet - HELP!!!

I just started learning Trim the Velvet off that Paul Smyth CD. He’s not playing a D flute so with a computer program, I was able to change the pitch to match my D flute. It’s a lovely setting and the tune is going well for me, except for that high C in the third part. It’s the only tune that I play which has that high C so I’m not used to it. (I’m not classically trained on the silver flute so everything is a challenge for me)

Anyone have any tips for getting the high C to sound decent? Does anyone just play the third part in the lower octave? Here’s my fingering for this note:

oxo xxo

Maybe there’s a way around the high C. Maybe there’s a setting out there that avoids the high C totally?? I’m open to any suggestions.

Any help will be greatly appreciated 🙂

Joyce

Posted by .

Hi Joyce, if all else fails you could vary it and just play a high A instead of a C.

🙂

Trim The Velvet- “bringing it down a notch”

This doesn’t help our fluting friends, but may interest any fiddlers out there. I have been immensely enjoying one of my favorite new fiddle/flute CD’s, John Blake, Lamond Gillespie &
Mick Leahy’s “Humours of Highgate”. On it is a lovely set of reels, “The Flax In Bloom” & “Trim The Velvet” . John Blake plays the set on a “C” pitched flute, and upon closer listening,
Lamond has his fiddle tuned down 2 semitones. With the instruments pitched lower, the tunes sound in “C” and “F” respectively (instead of the usual “D” and “G”). I didn’t feel like tuning my instrument down, though, so I decided to "have a go
at it“ (Trim The Velvet) in actual ”F" fingering. The result is very
pleasing to the ear, and while the fingering takes some getting
used to, it’s totally worth it. The big bonus here for fiddlers is that the need to either shift position, or “stretch” the 4th finger & separate the bow is eliminated, because your highest note is now a B flat! I had to do a little “tweak” in one spot, however;
the transposition makes the connection between the 2nd and 3rd parts of the tune a little awkward. In the “G” version, the last note of the 2nd part is an “A”, jumping up to a “g” to start the third part (no big deal, the strings are right next to each other). In the “F” version however, this becomes a rather clumsy jump from a “G” on the D string up to an “f” natural on the E string. The solution I came up with was to “split the difference” so to speak, by substituting a “c” instead of the “G”.
Sounds just fine to me, but I’m not a fiddle player, so I would welcome any comments or suggestions on this. Thanks, and enjoy!

T:Trim The Velvet
M:4/4
L:1/8
R:reel
K:F
F3 A GFEC | FAcA BGEG | ~F3 A GFEG | cdec BGEG |
FEFA G^FGB | ABcA BGEG | ~F3 A GFEG | cdec BGEG ||
cfdf cf ~f2 | cdcA BGEG | cfdf cf ~f2 | cdec BGEG | c3 =B cAFA |
cdcA BGEG | cfdf cf ~f2 | cdec BGEc ||: ~f3 g afge | f2 ga bgaf |
af ~f2 efge |1 cdec BGEc :|2 cdec BGEG || AFcF AFFG |
AFcA BGGB | AFcF AFFA | cdec BGEG | AFcF AFFG |
AFcA BGGB | A3 F ~B3 G | cdec BGEC ||

Donegal version, played by “Danu”

There doesn’t seem to be any discussion above about the Donegal version of this tune, which was recorded by “Danu” a few years back. Apologies for the poor quality of the recording in the link below, but I think it worth posting here because it’s a very unusual take on a great reel. RonP and myself were in a group with Peter Cunningham, a very fine Donegal fiddler, and he was the first person I heard playing this setting.

http://youtu.be/pt9V6L-nedg

Posted by .

Donegal Version of Trim the Velvet

I first heard the Donegal version on An Seidean Si (The Whirlwind) recorded by Paddy Glackin and Robbie Hannan (1995)
Its not the same as what is posted above.
Below is a version I play based on a couple of sources, not exactly the same as on Seidean Si but quite close.

X:1
T:Trim the Velvet (Donegal version)
M:4/4
L:1/8
R:reel
K:D
N:based on the Donegal version
FDAG FD3 | FDAF GE3 | FDAG FADB | =cB=cA GEAG|
FDAG FD3 | FDAF GE3 | FDAG FADB | =cB=cA GEAG|
D3G EFGE | AB=cA GE=cG | D3G EFGE | AB=cA GE=cG|
D3G EFGE | AB=cA GE=cG | D3G EFGE | AB=cA GE=cG|
Add=c A3G | AA=cA GE=cG | Add=c A3G | AA=cA GE=cG |
A3G AD3 | AA=cA GE=cG | Add=c A3G | AA=cA GE=cG |
Adde fded | Adef ge3 | 3(Bcd) ed cedc | dBAF GE3 |
Adde fded | Adef fgfe | dged cedc | dBAF GEGA|

Posted by .

Trim The Velvet, X:6

Taken pretty much from Rubenzer’s Red book, it is the way my band played Slipjig it in Madison, WI.

Re: Trim The Velvet

The version I have always played - on my own and with players like Charlie Lennon of Leitrim - is a more ornamented version of the first example above. It is probably based on the recording made around 1930 by Michael Coleman. However, it is different in that it starts with the final section in all the examples above. So far as I know this is the usual Sligo version. Notation and bowing can be found in David Lyth’s transcription of tunes played by Coleman, Morrison and Killoran in 1930s recordings made in USA. I was aware of no other version until I discovered The Session website a few years ago. I strongly recommend David Lyth’s 3 volumes of tunes as played by great Irish fiddlers of the past. Some wonderful bowings, superb for improving Irish fiddle technique. They can be downloaded free from David Lyth’s website: davidhlyth.co.uk/irish-fiddle-music/