Swinging On The Gate reel

Also known as Charlie Harris’s, Swinging On A Gate.

There are 46 recordings of this tune.
This tune has been recorded together with

Swinging On The Gate appears in 3 other tune collections.

Swinging On The Gate has been added to 147 tune sets.

Swinging On The Gate has been added to 810 tunebooks.

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Twelve settings

1
X: 1
T: Swinging On The Gate
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
gedB G2AB|cABG AGEG|DGBd g2fg|eaag fdef|
gedB G2AB|cABG AGEG|cABG AGEG|DGGF GABd:|
|:~g3a bgaf|gfed cBAG|EAAB cBAG|(3EFG AB cdef|
~g3a bgaf|gfed cBAB|cABG AGEG|DGGF GABd:|
2
X: 2
T: Swinging On The Gate
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
d2 AF D2 EF|G2 FG FDB,D|A,DFA d2 cA|(3Bcd ed cABc|
dBAF D2 EF|GEFD EDB,D|GE (3FED EDB,G,|A,B,DE D2:|
d2 de faef|dcBA F2 ED|B,E E2 GFED|B,DEF GABc|
dcde (3fga ef|dcBA F2 EF|(3GFE FD EDB,G,|A,B,DE D2:|
3
X: 3
T: Swinging On The Gate
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Amaj
afec A/A/A Bc|dB c/B/A BA F2|EAce a2 ba|gaba gefg|
afec A2 Bc|d2 cA BAFA|dBcA BA F/G/A|EAAG A2:|
a2 ab c'/b/a bg|agfe c2 BA|FBBc dcBA|FBBc defg|
agab c'2 bg|agfe c2 Bc|dB c/B/A BAFA|EAAG A2:|
4
X: 4
T: Swinging On The Gate
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
gedB G2 AB|cABG AGEG|DGBd g2 g/f/e|fgag fdef|
gedB G/G/G AB|c2 B/A/G AGEG|cABG AGEG|DGGF G2:|
gfga bagf|gfed B2 AG|E2 AB cBAG|E2 G/A/B cdef|
g2 ga bagf|g2 f/e/d ed B/c/d|c2 BG AG E/F/G|DGGF G2:|
5
X: 5
T: Swinging On The Gate
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
gedB [D2G2] AB|cABG AGEG|DGBd g2fg|eaag fdef|
gedB G2AB|ceBc AGEG|(3cBA BG AGEC|DEGA ~G3f:|
|:~g3a bd'ab|gfed BdAG|EA/A/AB cBAG|EAAB cdef|
gdga bd'ab|gfed B2AB|ceBG AGEC|DEGA G2Bd:|
6
X: 6
T: Swinging On The Gate
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|e2f2|:"G"gedB G2AB|"Am"cABG AGEG|"G"DGBd g2ge|"D"fgag fdef|
"G"gedB G2AB|"Am"cABG AGEG|cABG AGEG|"D"DGGF "G"GABd:|
|:"G"~gfga bagf|"Em"gfed cBAG|"Am"EAAB cBAG|(3EFG AB "D"cdef|
"G"~gfga bagf|"Em"gfed cBAG|"C"cABG "Am"AGEG|1 "D"DGGF "G"GABd:|2 "D"DGGF "G"G4||
7
X: 7
T: Swinging On The Gate
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:Bd|gedB G2AB|cABG AGEG|DGBd g2fg|eaag fdef|
gedB G2AB|cABG AGEG|cABG AGEG|DGGF GABd:|
|:g3a bgaf|gfed B2 AG|EAAB cBAG|(3EFG AB cdef|
g3a bgaf|gfed B2 AB|cABG AGEG|DGGF GABd:|
8
X: 8
T: Swinging On The Gate
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:gedB G2AB|cABG AGEG|(3DEG Bd g2fe|fgag fdef|
gedB G2AB|cABG AGE2|cABG AGEG|DEGA G4:|
|:gfga bagf|gfed B2AG|EGAB cBAG|EGAB cdef|
gfga bagf|gfed B2AG|cABG AGEG|(3DEF GA G4:|
9
X: 9
T: Swinging On The Gate
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
a^a|:bage d2 d^d|ecdB cBGA|GBdg b2 ag|ac'c'b afga|
bage d2 d^d|ecdB cBGA|ecdB cBGA|GBBA B4:|
|:B3 c dBcA|BdcB G2 cB|Accd edcB|ABcd FFGA|
B3 c dBcA|BdcB G2 cd|ecdB cBGA|GBBA B3 z:|
10
X: 10
T: Swinging On The Gate
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:"G"gedB G2AB|"Am"cABG AGEG|"G"DGBd g2fg|"Am"eaag "D7"fdef|
"G"gedB G2AB|"Am"cABG AGEG|"Am"cABG AGEG|1 "G"DGGF G2ef:|2 "G"DGGF G2Bd||
|:"G"gfga bagf|"Em"gfed B2AG|"C"EGAB cBAG|"Am"EGAB "D7"cdef|
"G"gfga bagf|"Em"gfed B2AB|"C"cABG "Am"AGEG|1 "G"DGGF G2Bd:|2 "G"DGGF G3z||
11
X: 11
T: Swinging On The Gate
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:gedB G2AB|cABG AGEG|DGBd g2fg|eaag fdef|
gedB G2AB|cABG AGEG|cABG AGEG|DGGF G2Bd:|
|:g3a bgaf|gfed B2 AG|FGAB cBAG|(3EFG AB cdef|
g3a bgaf|gfed B2 AB|cABG AGEG|DGGF G2Bd:|
12
X: 12
T: Swinging On The Gate
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:"G"gedB G2AB|"Am"cABG AGEG|"G"DGBd g2fg|"D"eaag fdef|
"G"gedB G2AB|"Am"cABG AGEG|"Am"cABG AGEG|"D"DGGF "G"G2Bd:|
|:"G"gfga bgaf|"Em"gfed B2 AG|"Am"EGAB cBAG|"Am"FGAB "D"cdef|
"G"gfga bgaf|"Em"gfed B2 AB|"C"cABG "Am"AGEG|"D"DGGF "G"G2Bd:|

Twenty comments

“The Bridge Céilí Band” ~ track 6, #2 of 4 reels
Submitted & this missed on March 2nd 2007 by ceolachan.
https://thesession.org/recordings/2440

Damn, that’s sad, nobody has made any comment or contribution on this tune until now… ;-/

“Swinging on the Gate” ~ D Major

“Music from Ireland, Volume One”
Dave Bulmer & Neil Sharpley, 1974
ISBN: 0-9503784-02

Page 20, tune #53: “Swinging on the Gate”

K: D Major
|: FA |
d2 AF D2 EF | G2 FG FDB,D | A,DFA d2 cA | (3Bcd ed cABc |
dBAF D2 EF | GEFD EDB,D | GE (3FED EDB,G, | A,B,DE D2 :|
|: FA |
d2 de faef | dcBA F2 ED | B,E E2 GFED | B,DEF GABc |
dcde (3fga ef | dcBA F2 EF | (3GFE FD EDB,G, | A,B,DE D2 :|

Depending on the instrument or your mood this old standard has been and can be played in the keys of C, D, G & A Major…or whatever you fancy…

I’ve heard that D setting played at our session before. It’s got some nice twists in it.

Hi Mark, yeah, I love it down low like that… There are great transcriptions in the Bulmer & Sharpley collections…

“Swinging on a / the Gate” ~ A Major

K: A Major
|: e/f/g |
afec A/A/A Bc | dB c/B/A BA F2 | EAce a2 ba | gaba gefg |
afec A2 Bc | d2 cA BAFA | dBcA BA F/G/A | EAAG A2 :|
|: ce |
a2 ab c’/b/a bg | agfe c2 BA | FBBc dcBA | FB-Bc defg |
agab c’2 bg | agfe c2 Bc | dB c/B/A BAFA | EAAG A2 :|

It’s probably more commonly played in G as this is the key shown in O’Neill’s which is where I got it. Have to agree about the great settings in Bulmers & Sharpley which is where I found the great Kilfenora jigs some 20 years ago when they were definitely not to be found anywhere else.

“Swinging on a / the Gate” ~ G Major, an ‘American’ conglomeration

K: G Major
|: d/e/f |
gedB G2 AB | cABG AGEG | DGBd g2 g/f/e | fgag fdef |
gedB G/G/G AB | c2 B/A/G AGEG | cABG AGEG | DGGF G2 :|
|: d2 |
gfga bagf | gfed B2 AG | E2 AB cBAG | E2 G/A/B cdef |
g2 ga bagf | g2 f/e/d ed B/c/d | c2 BG AG E/F/G | DGGF G2 :|

I’m making up for the neglect this old standard has suffered in its comments. I’m hoping some other transcriptions will appear. It has been around so long ~ Eire, Scotland, Cymru, England, France, Denmark, North America, Australia, etc… ~ there’s no way it will have been set in aspic or concrete, and I don’t just mean the half dozen or so keys it has been played in… 😉

The G setting is definitely the most popular in sessions, but that D setting is so nice. I took to transposing the D setting into G just so I could keep those twists, since top D is no problem on the concertina. Unfortunately I found that the 2 versions aren’t really compatible so I reverted to the standard setting which appears in the original submission. It’s a very common tune at our session - maybe gets played once every other session. Anyway, here’s the setting I like to play:

X: 1
T: Swinging On The Gate
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Gmaj
gedB [D2G2] AB|cABG AGEG|DGBd g2fg|eaag fdef|
gedB G2AB|ceBc AGEG|(3cBA BG AGEC|DEGA ~G3f:|
|:~g3a bd’ab|gfed BdAG|EA/A/AB cBAG|EAAB cdef|
gdga bd’ab|gfed B2AB|ceBG AGEC|DEGA G2Bd:|

Swinging on the Gate/Mossy Banks

These two reels have almost identical starts and it’s often difficult to get the session to join you on the one you want! I suppose it’s one of those cases where a bit of verbal communication is required with the rest of the group before launching into it (or the other one as the case may be).

Re: Swinging On The Gate

Might want to delete that spam link 2 comments up from 7 years ago!

Swinging On The Gate, X:8

As played by Celticity, about the only one I could find on Spotify… what a fun tune. Most Irish tune names don’t seem to bear much relation to the tunes themselves, but this one is definitely an exception.

Swinging On The Gate, X:9

This is not another setting of the melody of Swinging on the Gate. It’s a harmony that I came up with a couple of years ago. I’ve been using it in jam sessions and it seems to work pretty well - especially in a small group when both melody and harmony can be clearly heard.