The Wind That Shakes The Barley reel

This is a rousing, upbeat tune that’s great fun to play at a fairly fast speed.

Try turning the opening A note into a triplet like ABA. The corresponding B in the next bar could be turned into a BAB triplet.

Drones and double stops on the fiddle can be used to good effect in this tune. In the first part, try playing an open D string where possible and in the second part, an open A string.

Piece seems to end on a B note, which does not fit the Key Signature. Are there parts missing?

Doc

The last note of the sheetmusic may be a “B”, but that’s not where the tune finishes.

The last note leads back to the first (or into another tune).

Obviously, if you want to, you can just play a D at the end, but then it would be as a coda, not as the last note of the 16th bar.

I love the tune “Wind that shakes the barley” but it is somewhat of a stretch for me to play on my B/C box. The problem is with the “B” notes in the A part. If I play them on the inner row with button 7 as a pull, the tune sounds smoother, but my bellows end up stretched out from too many pull notes in a row. I then have to use the air valve to get the bellows back in shape while playing one of the few push notes. If I play the “Bs” on the outer row as a push on 7, the tune sounds a little more jerky but I have better control of the bellows. And I am not playing the tune very fast at all now. I am pretty sure playing faster would be too difficult with the latter method.

Anyone have any advice? Thanks, Jim.

T:Wind That Shakes the Cannabis, The
M:4/4
L:1/8
C:Gian Marco Pietrasanta
R:reel
K:EMin
|B2Gc BGFE|c2cB cdec|B2Gc BGFE|agfe cdec|
~B3c BGFG|EccB cdec|B2Gc BGFE|agfe cdef||
~g3e ~a3f|~g3e cdef|~g3e a2ga|bgfe cdef|
~g3e ~a3f|~g3e cdef|efga bgc’g|bgfe cdec|]

% ABC2Win Version 2.1 19/12/2004

Here’s a slightly different version:

K: Dmaj
A2AB AFED|B2BA BcdB|A2AB ABde|1 fedc BcdB:|2 fedc Bcde||
f2fd g2ge|f2fd Bcde|f2fd g2fg|afed Bcde|
f2fd g2ge|f2fd Bcde|defg a2ab|afed BcdB||

There’s a recording of this on “Champions of Ireland: Flute” CD under the name “Dogs Among the Bushes” but I believe that’s a different tune.

Elisabeth Cronin and appears as ‘The Pack of Tailors’ on:
http://www.irishsong.com/recordings_when.html
where it is sung by Len Graham:
Oro they rattle me, oro they chased me, oro they rattled me the little pack of tailors…
I went down to Cork, I found a little tailor, I put him in me pocket and threw him in the Liffey…
It’s a great rhyme that goes on listing everypossible town and river in Ireland! 🙂

Caoimhin plays this with that unassumingly old-time brilliance of his in an incredibly simple but powerfully haunting way. he drops to the low strings and drones his whole way through, cutting notes out for what amounts to the silhouette of the tune: D. BAG D. BAG E. E DEGG D. BAG D. G. BA GE GG…

aha! i return with a moderate dexterity of ABC notation.

X: 1
T: Wind That Shakes The Barley, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Gmaj
|D2 (3B,A,G, D2 (3B,A,G,|E2 ED EG G2|B,D DB, D2|GG B2 AG|EGGE|
|D2 (3B,A,G, D2 (3B,A,G,|E2 ED EG G2|B,D DB, D2|GG B2 AG|EGG2|
|B4 c4 B3|/2GE GG2|B4 c4 dBA|GE GG2|B4 c4 B3|
|GE GG2|DEGA B2|de dB AG EG|GE D2|

--DtM

There is another song called the Wind That Shakes the Barley recorded on Irish Rebel Songs by the Battering Ram, and on the Unicorn by the Irish Rovers. It sounds nothing like this song and is a slow ballad. I was wondering if anybody knew how to play it?

The song of the same name with lyric by Robert Dwyer Joyce is sung to various tunes, different from this reel. The Battering Ram setting is roughly (omitting fermatas):

T:TWTSTB
M:4/4
L:1/4
K:Em
F|GFEF|GFEF|GGGB|AFDF|
GFGA|BcBA|GEFD|EE2F|
GFGA|BcBA|GFGA|BEEF|
GFGA|BcBA|GEFD|EE2|]

Yes, I know how to play it. 🙂

Some variations I came up with as a homework assignment.

X: 1
T: Wind That Shakes The Barley, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Dmaj
|A2AB AFED|B2BA BcdB|A2AB AFED|gfed BcdB|
A2AB AFED|B2BA BcdB|A2AB AFED|gfed Bcde|
|f2fd g2ge|f2fd Bcde|fafd gbge|afed Bcde|
f3d g3e|f2fd Bcde|f4 g4|a2f2 e2d2
|A2 A A2 FED|B2 B B2 cdB|A2AB AFED|gfe2 BcdB|
(A4 A) FED|(B4 B) cdB|A2AB AFED|B2 c2 d2 e2|
|f2fd g2ge|f4 Bcde|f2fd g2fg|afe2 Bcde|
f2fd g2ge|f2fd Bcde|f2ae g2be|afed BcdB
|(A4 A) FE2|(B4B) cd2|A2 A A2 FE2|g2 e2 BcdB|
A2AB AFED|B2BA BcdB|A2A2 AFED|g2 f2 d2 e2|
|f2fd g2ge|f2fd Bcde|fef2 g4|afed Bcde|
f2fd g2ge|f2fd Bcde|fafd gbge|afed Bcdc|d8|

Are you sure this is Dmaj? I hear an A as the tonic here, which would make it Amix.

No it is in D major - get your guitar out and try to play A mix along with it - ouch!

Listening to Solas’ “Showers” CD and checked the link to this tune. On their album, it’s totally different--played as an arranged song in D minor in a “crooked” tempo akin to 3/8, 3/8, 3/4 (or rather 6/8, 3/4) 3 (or 2) bar phrases, e.g. tah-tah-tah tah-tah-tah ONE-TWO-THREE. Lyrics are about the 1798 United Irish movement. Cool song…maybe I’m missing something and their song is a very liberal setting of this tune.

The song and tune have nothing in common apart from their title.

Does anyone have the music for the Chieftains version of this?

They play a fantastic set with this first and then the reel with the Beryle. When you have had too much to drink to play along with it on the whistle or the box its great fun with the Bodrahn

It’s uncanny that I have been playing a cassette, containing the Cheiftains version of this tune, over and over again during tha last two weeks so here are the abc’s;
T: The Wind that Shakes the Barley
S: The Chieftains 8
Z: transcribed by Hetty 28/02/08
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: D
A2FA A2FA | B2GB BGdB | A2FA A2de | fded B2dB |
A2FA ADFA | BEGE B2dB | A2FA ABde | fded BAde ||
f2ef g2eg | fedf e2de | fdfd a3b | afed Bcde |
f2ef g2eg | fedf e2dA | defg a2ab | afed BcdB ||

alternatives; bar 6 ‘B’ music ~ | fedf edBA | ~
on the last time before changing to “The Reel with the Beryle”
https://thesession.org/tunes/189
play ~ | afed Bcd2 ||

hmm is there any significance to the fact that this tune shares a title with the song written by r.d joyce?

None at all, as far as I know, ( and said so , above ).The reel is probably Scottish, but who knows? It is certainly in the Neil Gow “Atholl Collection”, so has been in Scotland since the 18th century, which I would think would make ithe reel older than the song. In any case, if you’re referring to the song I think you are, there’s no way on earth you’re going to sing it to the reel.

Mixed up 2 books. It’s in the “Athole” collection - 1884.

Have you also been losing sleep Kenny ~ Neil Gow “Athole Collection”??? 😏 Don’t you mean James Stewart Robertson?

X: 8
T: Wind That Shakes The Barley, The
S: “The Athole Collection”, James Stewart Robertson, 1884, page 35
S: “The Skye Collection”, Keith Norman MacDonald, 1887, page 89
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Dmaj
|: A |\
FAAB AFED | B2BA B2 d2 | FAAB AFED | gfed B2 d :|
|: e |\
f2 fd g2 ge | f2 fd Bcde | f2 fd g2 gb | afed B2 d>e |
f2 fd g2 ge | f2 fd Bcde | fafd gbge | afed B2 d |]

Damn, I got the page numbers reversed ~
S: “The Athole Collection”, James Stewart Robertson, 1884, page 89
S: “The Skye Collection”, Keith Norman MacDonald, 1887, page 35

I have been losing sleep… 😏

Well, if that was all I got wrong, the B-part doesn’t repeat… It should have read ~

e |\
f2 fd g2 ge | f2 fd Bcde | f2 fd g2 gb | afed B2 d>e |
f2 fd g2 ge | f2 fd Bcde | fafd gbge | afed B2 d |]

“The Roche Collection of Traditional Irish Music, Volume I”, 1911
“Reels” ~ pages 54 – 75

Some reels in the Roche collection are notated in 2/4, like this one, which I’ve changed to the usual 4/4, and given a 1st and 2nd ending for the A-part…

X: 9
T: Wind That Shakes The Barley, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Dmaj
|: A2 AB AFED | B2 BA BcdB | A2 AB AFED |[1 gfed BcdB :|[2 gfed B2 d2 ||
f2 fd g2 ge | f2 fd Bcde | f2 fd g2 ge | afed Bcde |
f2 fd g2 ge | f2 fd edBA | defg afba | gfed B2 d2 |]

I learned the tune from “The Atholl Collection” book and as usual in Scottish tunes the B part is not repeated. The name of the tune certainly sounds Irish but the feel of the it is Scottish, for me at least.

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=MWosPa3SuNM&feature=rec-HM-fresh+div

play video

I happen to enjoy this bog standard and can play it fairly well. Rolling in the Ryegrass seems to be a pretty common pairing, but other than that, I have no tunes that I know that pair up well with this tune. Is that a common problem with this tune? Maybe I just don’t know the right tunes, which is not surprisingly as my repertoire is pretty low. Any suggestions on good pairings?

https://thesession.org/tunes/116
Have a look at the number of recordings the tune turns up on. “Click” on the recording and look at what it’s paired up with. A common pairing was with “The Reel With The Beryl” - as played by the late Mrs.Crotty.

https://thesession.org/tunes/189

https://thesession.org/recordings/724
1st track

I like to play it with this: https://thesession.org/tunes/1175

The version on the Kittie Lie Over CD (2nd tune in track #11) is great.

A Tune that drop’s down to ‘’ G ‘’ - sometimes work’s well

Like - MISS Mc LOUD’S / SALLY GARDENS / RED HAIRED LASS -- etc ,,,

jim,,

I play The Boyne Hunt/Wind the Shakes the Barley/Merry Blacksmith.

Local fav here is:

Far From Home / The Flowers of Edinburgh / The Wind That Shakes the Barley

It follows Silver Spear pretty nicely. No dramatic key change, but not bad.

I always liked an E minor tune after a tune in D. I usually stay away from tunes in the same key with the same motifs in them, it either leads to a session train wreck when everyone goofs up at the same time, or it sounds like one long tune.

Thanks everyone. I should have used my resources to see the vast number of recordings, but I appreciate the suggestions. Most of them I have yet to learn.

Planxty recorded The Old Torn Petticoat / The Dublin Reel / The Wind That Shakes The Barley as a set, on their Seventies album “Cold Blow And The Rainy Night”. These will all be on the Tunes database here.

We play Barrowburn with Wind that Shakes the Barley.

Goes great after Jessica. Somebody - poss. Máirtín Alcock - paired them on an album in the 90s IIRC.

µ

That Planxty set is a blinder. It’s one of the very few tracks in history, bar the ones that Ringo McDonagh played on, with entirely appropriate bodhran-playing.

I can’t plan a set to save my life and throw myself into whatever jumps into my head as I’m getting around to thinking I maybe need to switch tunes. BUT I try to not pair tunes which sound a lot alike, mostly because it can confuse me (ask ramblingpitchfork what happens when I’ve tried to go from Rose in the Heather to the Wandering Minstrel), confuses everyone else, and I don’t think it sounds as cool as tunes with marked differences. So I wouldn’t play Wind that Shakes the Barley with the Barrowburn or Rolling in the Ryegrass. That’s just me though.

By confusion, I mean it’s not unrealistic that I’d end up playing the The Barley Rolling in the Barrowburn.

I always get twisted up when I try to put tunes that are too similar back to back. I like parallels, or contrasts, much better.
I have a reflexive set on guitar that runs Sporting Paddy/Wind that Shakes the Barley/the Drunken Landlady. Those work pretty well together, I think.

I always put Wind That Shakes the Barley next to Stairway to Heaven - and the crowd loves it!

Really, it doesn’t matter what you put with it. Try Killavil Fancy or some such tune - stop worrying.

I follow it with Jenny’s Welcome to Charlie.

Also one of my favourite tunes, I never tire of it.

I’ve taken to playing it after the musical priest. Odd key change maybe but it works for me, quite like the abruptness. I don’t care to much about making things overly smooth.

Joe Burke plays it after the Bucks on one of his recordings of that latter tune, and I always miss the Barley not being there when I hear alternative takes by JB. I like this combination, but some freinds don’t like fact they are in the same key.

But it is possible to worry way too much about making up sets. Play the tunes you like together.

I agree with emily though, too similar to Rolling in the Ryegrass in feel for me.

- chris

I usually follow it with an apology

Heheh..We have a bloke round here whose nickname is “Sorry” owing to the fact that he often apologises for what he’s just played, or even more frequently for his false starts.

What a buncha whimps. “Waa, I never play anything that sounds similar, I may confuse myself!” 😛

Tripping Upstairs into Off She Goes.

Out On the Ocean into The Eavesdropper.

The Mountain Road into The Merry Blacksmith.

That’ll sort ya out real quick! o__0

“The Mountain Road into The Merry Blacksmith.”

…which I never thought terribly similar until you pointed that out, SWFL Fiddler. Thanks a lot; now I have another pair of tunes I can’t play within half an hour of one another. 🙂

I’m going to duck out of this thread before I mangle any more neural pathways. Nothing good has ever come of these “Tune X sure is similar to tune Y, innit?” discussions, as far as I’m concerned.

For sure TD&M. If those two B parts aren’t sharing most of their DNA then I’m a monkey’s uncle. Those tunes are obviously siblings, no question about it.

I like genetically related tunes, and I’ve noticed the ‘auld wuns’ like that as well. In fact, the Mountain Road / Blacksmith thing I picked up from a little old man from Galway who plays them like that and always has.

“Feh. Meh. What is it with these kids today? Every tune has to be in a different key, or mode. Every change has some big, dramatic sweeping nonsense going on. In my day, we played 20 tunes in a row in D major and we liked it. No shoes. In the snow. Uphill, both ways. Who the [bleep] d’ye think ye are? Are ye too special to play tunes together that are in the same key and mode? Are ye some prima donna? Trying out fur Lunasa are ye? Feh. Meh. Kids today…”

…and so on. 😉

Thanks for all the input. It may seem a silly request to some. I learn primarily with recordings because I am unable to attend sessions regularly. Some sessions have an established group that plays a pretty standard group of sets, while others are more dynamic. The set groups are great and all, and it means that the sets are more congealed, but they music is more than just about being comfortable, and the local standard is Rolling in the Ryegrass/Wind that Shakes the Barley, which can get a bit tired done too many times. Liked the Merry Blacksmith suggestion, as I do know that tune but I was trying it as a leadin to Barley and it wasn’t working as well as the other way around. All of your suggestions give me some items to look into.

As for the Planxty set, I love that recording. My problem is it is a very pipe-heavy arrangement, and for some reason, I’ve yet to be able to learn from pipers. I love them, and love to play with them when I know the tune, but I just can’t seem to wrap my brain around learning from them. Maybe I’ll get it eventually.

Anyway, thanks for all the input.

Being taught to whistle players in Aberdeen at the moment. We may be sticking it after Charlie McKerron’s “Islay Rant”, but that’s not final.

Here’s a Shetland spin-off of the same Wind:
Willafjord (reel)
https://thesession.org/tunes/292

this tune is not the origanal one as it has different notes in iyt

For those who haven’t heard it, here is the Solas recording:
http://listen.grooveshark.com/s/The+Wind+That+Shakes+The+Barley/C7oLe

Interestingly enough, this is in three, even though it is a reel. They seem to be playing it as a waltz.

See my comment above - Oct 17th 2007.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAzIhSU2tYE (1978, Ireland)

play video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSXtNggRXzs (1980, Galicia under influence…)

play video

X: 1
T: The Wind that Shakes the Barley
S: The Chieftains 8 & Milladoiro’s O Berro Seco
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: D
d B || A2FA ADFD | BEGE B2dB | A2FA A2de | fded BAdB |
A2FA ADF/E/D | BEGE BEdB | A2FA A2de | fded BAde ||
f2ed g2eg | fedf e2de | fdfd a3b | afed BAde |
f2ed g2eg | fedf edBA | defg a2ab | afed BAdB ||

Listen at http://youtu.be/ypSOISBjlEQ

play video

I this is a greaT variation played at out sessions in Cardiff.

X: 1
T: Wind That Shakes The Barley, The
S: Seán Keane
Z: transcribed by Martin Palmer-Smith
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Dmaj
|A2AB ADED|BDGA B2dB|FAAB ABde|f2ed BedB|
A2AB ADED|BDGA B2dB|FAAB ABde|f2ed Bcde|
|f3a g3e|f2ed Bcde|fefa g2fg|afed Bcde|
f3a g3e|f2ed BcdA|defg a3b|afed BedB|

This is trying to make sense from a discovered transcription from the playing of Mrs. Crotty on concertina ~ found at the bottom of the page here:

http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/people/crotty.htm

Unfortunately the origin and the transcriber, is unknown… Here’s hoping I was able to make reasonable sense of it. It illustrates her use of octave playing. I’ll give it first without that full octave treatment, first high and then low…

X: 12
T: Wind That Shakes The Barley, The
S: Mrs. Crotty, concertina
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: GMaj
ge |\
d2 Bd dG B/A/G | eGcG e2 ge | dG B/A/G dG B/A/G | afgf ecge |
d2 Bd dG B/A/G | e2 ee e2 ge | d2 Bd d2 ga | B/d’/b ag edga ||
b2 ab c‘2 ac’ | b2 gb a/c‘/a ga | bgbg d’2 d‘e’ | d’bag edga |
b2 ab c‘2 ac’ | b2 gb agfd | gabc‘ d’2 d‘e’ | d’bag ecge |]

X: 13
T: Wind That Shakes The Barley, The
S: Mrs. Crotty, concertina
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: GMaj
ge |\
D2 B,D DG B/A/G | eGcG E2 GE | dG B/A/G dG B/A/G | afgf ec[Gg][Ee] |
D2 B,D DG B/A/G | E2 EE E2 GE | D2 B,D D2 GA | [B/b/][d/d’/][Bb] [Aa][Gg] ed[Gg][Aa] ||
B2 AB c2 Ac | B2 GB A/c/A GA | BGBG d2 de | dBAG edGA |
B2 AB c2 Ac | B2 GB AGFD | GABc d2 de | dBAG ecGE |]

X: 14
T: Wind That Shakes The Barley, The
S: Mrs. Crotty, concertina
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: GMaj
ge |\
[D2d2] [B,B][Dd] [Dd]G B/A/G | eGcG [E2e2] [Gg][Ee] | dG B/A/G dG B/A/G | afgf ec[Gg][Ee] |
[D2d2] [B,B][Dd] [Dd]G B/A/G | [E2e2] [Ee[[Ee] [E2e2] [Gg][Ee] | [D2d2] [B,B][Dd] [D2d2] [Gg][Aa] | [B/b/][d/d’/][Bb] [Aa][Gg] ed[Gg][Aa] ||
[B2b2] [Aa][Bb] [c2c‘2] [Aa][cc’] | [B2b2] [Gg][Bb] [A/a/][c/c‘/][Aa] [Gg][Aa] | [Bb][Gg][Bb][Gg] [d2d’2] [dd‘][ee’] | [dd’][Bb][Aa][Gg] ed[Gg][Aa] |
[B2b2] [Aa][Bb] [c2c‘2] [Aa][cc’] | [B2b2] [Gg][Bb] [Aa][Gg][Ff][Dd] | [Gg][Aa][Bb][cc‘] [d2d’2] [dd‘][ee’] | [dd’][Bb][Aa][Gg] ec[Gg][Ee] |]

Two 19C versions:-

Joshua Gibbons, Papermaker, 1823, Tealby,Lincs (T: Wind That Blows the Barley Down, The)
http://www.village-music-project.org.uk/abc/gibbon.abc

Browne family, c1825, Lake District.
http://www.village-music-project.org.uk/abc/browne13.abc

(and can Mrs Crotty’s version be heard here http://www.tradschool.com/en/music-and-musicians/mrs-crotty or is it a related tune ?)

I really think that this is the greatest ever title for a tune. I wonder if that opinion is influenced by the fact that I was called up bright and early one morning to hear an old piper play it. I hadn’t even combed my flaxen hair, and even Pinch was still asleep… Still I appreciated, nay, relished every note of this fine old tune. Ah God be with those good old days. ..Hey I’m outa here!

It is well known, through the notes in O‘Neil’s, that many Irish reels had their origin in Scotland. This very probably includes this tune. It even turns up in the Browne ms C.1820 from Cumbria. The first comprehensive collection of Irish music was published C.1804-1810 by O’Farrell and nearly all the reels in it all called “Scotch”. George Petrie (1840’s) was the first to note down Irish reels (in Clare), don’t forget this was a remote region. Because there are very many Irish reels, some sounding very old and have not been ascribed to Scotch orginals, I think that probable that nobody was around to record the music in the areas where they were played before Petrie. If you want to continue this correspondence directly, contact me john@muso.eclipse.co.uk We have found an amazing amount of music and references.

Does anyone know which is the basic version that Gerry O’Connor bases his Wind That Shakes the Barley (Time to Time album)?

It’s sort of an odd setting- I got it from Kevin Burke [accompanied by Cal Scott].

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYsRNqB_2D0

play video

I read in a Treior Magazine about 11 years ago that this tune was learned from the fairies. I can’t remember names and places exactly, but the basic story is that two mean were sitting in a barley field one summer’s day when they saw several fairies flying a large circuit in the sky singing this song. One of them had his fiddle with him, and everyone they got close enough for him to hear it clearly he would pick up a little more of the tune until he had the entire thing.
It sounds to me like the fellows were probably more influenced by drinking barley juice than by the fairies themselves, but we’ll never know.

https://youtu.be/Ra0msmz-QYs

play video

Kevin Burke, from 1:45

This feels like the version I’m most familiar with, perhaps a hybrid of the way it’s often played at sessions in the Twin Cities and a version or two I’m most familiar with from recordings.

I earlier commented on who wrote the tune. Here is the setting from the Athole Collection.

Where is your proof that Joseph Lowe composed this tune, please ?

Connor has just made a mistake, misunderstanding the way an edition of the Athole Collection attributes the source of the tune rather than he composer. In Lowe’s Collection of tunes no composer is mentioned for “Wind That Shakes the Barley” - in a book where composers are scrupulously given where known. I think that Lowe’s (1844) is the earliest publishing of the tune in Scotland.

just 2 small variations of X:1 in bars 2 line 1 and two. Sounds good on banjo or mandolin, I think.
This tune always reminds me of some great sessions in Drumsna Co. Leitrim in the early 1980s. I don’t remember the name of the pub, but it was on Monday nights I’m sure. The musician were placed in a room in the back of the pub and there was a mike above the table in the middle. So the music could be heard in the bar, but didn’t hear the shouting guests - what an idea! Whatever we played, the sessions always ended the same way. Last reels: The Bucks of Oranmore/The Wind That Shakes The Barley, then the National Anthem, and then the landlord declared the bar closed and thanked ‘all singers, musicians and bodhrán players’. True story!

second time inspired by Liam O’Flynn Planxty