Tam Lin reel

This is often played first in Dm a few times, then in Am a few times (many sessions feature a lot of whooping at the change, don’t ask me why).

Changing from Dminor to Aminor is a bit of a cheap trick, isn’t it? 🙂 On the fiddle at least, all you have to do is move everything up a string.

Still, it does sound very impressive and I can see how you could elicit some whooping noises by "lifting" the tune up like that.

By the way, lest anyone think I’m disparaging the tune with my "cheap trick" comment… I’m not. This tunes kicks rear end! I’ve added this one to my tunebook.

How cool!
It sounds very powerful on the flute if you transpose it to Bm, and it’s a good tune to practice rolls. 🙂

Actually, I agree with you, Jeremy — I think it IS a bit of a cheap trick. I generally don’t do the stair-stepping thing, and only play it in one or the other key. But it’s a pretty simple tune to learn and sounds impressive, so it’s great for a session when you’re trying to keep everyone together — changing the key up makes it sound a little more impressive, so it’s great to motivate a beginner with.

But the tune itself is great. I prefer it in Aminor, actually, but that’s probably because I hate my current set of strings on the low end, plus my fiddle has bad lower end response. It’s also a great tune to dance to…it’s one of our consistent favorites in dance class.

You’ll probably not find anyone playing it in a session in Bm, glauber, although it’d be fun for a performance!

Zina

Hey, it’s not my fault that whoever composed the tune didn’t use the right number of sharps! 🙂

I’m doing the macho thing now and using a keyless flute. I hope to graduate to a keyed one after i learn to play rolls (in 10 or 15 years, i hope).

There’s a reel that works very well when you run Tam Lin into it. I don’t know the title, but I’ve posted it as "Reel to Follow Tamlin" until someone can come up with the name…

…actually, it’s posted as "Gan Ainm", reel in d minor.

I don’t mean to play one-upmanship here, so please don’t ban me from the site, but I’d like to share the version we play here in Helena. It has a slightly more developed melody line in the B part that I like.
Also, we usually go into Julia Delaney after Tam Lin, another great D minor tune.
Will

So in Montana, that B part goes something like:
|d^cdA FA D2|d^cdA FA D2|cE (3EEE cEdE|cE (3EEE cBc^c| etc.
There are lots of other variations to throw in, and we also play Tam Lin three tines through, starting at slow air pace, and then speeding it up a notch each time round.
Will

I love the way this tune drives. With two fiddles you can get some great harmony on the "B" part. One fiddle going high while the other runs the melody.

I have had great success putting this tune in a medley with:

Cooley’s / Glasgow / The Banshee

The dancers generaly get to whooping it up when you hit Banshee.

In the liner notes to the "Walking Stones" CD, Ken Kolodner credits Tam Lin as "written by Davey Arthur." Does anyone know who Davey Arthur is/was? Kolodner describes the set (The Green Gates/ Tam Lin/ The Silver Spire) as "three well-known Irish session reels." (It’s a great set, by the way. I love the way the fiddle soars on the B part of The Silver Spire.)

I was trying to hit a few notes as the tune whizzed past on the CD(gotta get that slow-down software sometime!), and I think they were playing Tam Lin up a whole step from how it is transcribed here. That would make it E minor, switching to B minor. (So Glauber, you aren’t the only one who plays it in B minor.)

Sarah

Hello HD Sarah

I have only just caught your question. Davey Arthur was, for a long time, with the Furey Brothers but is now following a solo career. He is a singer/songwriter from Donegal, but now lives in Scotland I believe, and has written loads of tunes. Check out www.daveyarthur.com.

My former band did Tam Lin at the end of a three tune Scottish set:-
Floating to Skerry/Islay Rant/Tam Lin (Glasgow Reel …whatever you want to call it) and by the end was travelling at a fair lick and always went down well.

half a year ago I had the great and unbelievable honor to sit next to John McSherry—lord of musical perfection—during an evening session at Molly Bloom’s, our local (and only) Irish Pub. You see, I live in Israel, and John McSherry was a guest artist in our annual Irish Festival, and one evening he joined us to a session. I feared to touch my tin whistle, for I was paralysed with awe. At some point I asked one of the Israeli musicians to play The Glasgow reel, as it was my favourite. But John refused, for some reason, which we couldn’t understand (utterance issues, I suppose…). After some time I asked him myself to play it. I could hardly pronounce the syllables, as English is not my mother tounge, but mostly because I feared to talk to His Lordship, and was amazed by his loveliness. You know, the regular stuff. He refused again (I was not too charming then, I believe). Why? Well, He played it thousands of times with his first band, the late Tamalin, and he has a trauma! Even the tune’s title- "Tam Lin"- brings back dark memories… So, if one day one of you joins this sweet mind-twisted lad, don’t menbtion this tune. Though, I must say, it is a great one. 🙂

Netallica

I learned this tune with, and have heard most players play, this on the A part:

A,D D/2D/2D A,DFD| B,2DB, FB,DB,|CE ~E2 CEGE| FcAF ~E2DC|…

Sounds much less repetitive that way (which helps it considerably, I think).

GPaddy O’Brian (Accordeon) gives himself credit for renaming the "Tam Lin" to The "Howling Wind" because of the sound of it…..
Just having reread "great treads of the past" the Glasgow reel is mentioned as an example of a non-irish tune (Scottish). Is this tune within the established "irish repertoire" or would this tune be considered an outsider?

could anyone possibly direct me to Tam Lin reel in the key of Bm. I really like the sound and pace of Tam Lin, but am worthless with transcribing.


Cheers
Simon Pratt

Can anyone suggest guitar chords to go with this reel? I’m referring to the Dm version posted by Zina. Is this not just the grooviest reel in the world?

Paul was asking for some chords. I’m not an accompanyist but these might do.
Transposed into Am start works better, especially if barre chords take the F to G to Am moving up the neck (but it depends on what instrument you are playing of course).

|:Dm/// | Bb/// | C/// | Dm/C/ | Dm/// | Bb/// | C/// | C/Dm/ :|
|:Dm/// | Dm/// | C/// | C/// | Dm/// | Bb/// | C/Dm/ :|

I have put some chords on the comments section of the first Tamlin tune that comes up on the search. I’m sure you will get better advice but at least it’s a start.

Halldor, sorry, only just caught that question of yours — yes, the Glasgow is firmly within that mythical "Irish repertoire" — in most places. 🙂 I *have* met some players who really dislike it because they think it’s repititious and a cheap trick tune, but I quite like it myself, even if I don’t play it that often.

Len - As a confirmed pedant, I take it as my responsibility to point out a minor error in your chord sequence: you appear to have missed out one bar of Dm in the B-part. I presume, what you meant was:

||:Dm/// | Bb/// | C/// | Dm/C/ | Dm/// | Bb/// | C/// | C/Dm/ :||
||:Dm/// | Dm/// | C/// | C/// | Dm/// | Dm/// | Bb/// | C/Dm/ :||

Since much of this tune is based on arpeggios, the chords are pretty much laid out for the backer. But this also makes it more difficult to find alternative chords to prevent monotony. Without getting too ‘experimental’, this might work as a slight variation:

||:Dm/// | Bb/// | C/// | Dm/C/ | Dm/// | Bb/// | C/// | Am/Dm/ :||
||:Dm/// | Dm/// | C/// | C/// | Dm/// | Dm/C/ | Bb/Gm/ | Am/Dm/ :||

I don’t know any guitar chords for it…but yes, this is one of the most rockin’ reels out there. It’s at the top of my favourite tunes list…followed closely by Catharsis.

I’ve just caught up with this tune after sitting it out at sessions for a while. That’s a sure sign it’s about to go out of fashion 🙂. The Scottish fiddlers kind of dirl the bow on the low string for the ascending bit - do you "ITM" crowd do that also?

BTW Davey Arthur is a cracking banjo player as well as singer-songwriter. I saw him live once (in Abu Dhabi!) and he fairly ripped up the Mason’s Apron.

Using relative majors and minors as alternative chords will give you a more interesting bassline. You can also drop in optional 7ths if you want a more jazzy feel. For example you could do something like this for the A-part:
||:Dm/// | Gm7/// | C/Am7/ | Bb/C/
And start the B-part like this:
||:Dm/// | F/// | C/// | Am7/// ….

cud someone please send me the tin whistle notes for the glasgow reel???

Here’s a variation that I really like:
A,DFD A,DFD
|B,DFD B,DFD|CEGE CEGE|FAGE FEDC|
A,DFD A,DFD|B,DFD B,DFD|CEGE CEGE|FDEC D3A:|
|:d^cdA FDD2|d^cdA FDD2|cEEE cEdE|cEEE A=BcA|
d^cdA FDD2|d^cdA FDD2|B,DFD CEGE|FDEC D3:|

While flicking through a nice new tunebook I found this tune whith a completely different B- Part -quite nice actually - in A minor. Since it was difficult to play all the F natural on the tin whistle I changed it into B minor. Others had this idea earlier on, obviously… When I wanted to play that tune in A and B minor during the last session I was told, it’s in D minor!
I checked the seesion.org and see this ‘awful’ notes for tin whistle. But it’s a real challenge to transfrom and play it in three different keys. Great tune!

Is there a particular story to this tune? ; when it was written and why and what about.

PJA,
I found this about TamLin’s history
http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/TA.htm#TAM_LIN_REEL

Miki

Here is a version in Bm, for all of us Flute and Whistle players. If you play it using Bm fingerings on an F Flute or Whistle it sounds in the usual key of Dm.

X: 1
T: Tamlin
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: Reel
K: Bm
F2GF dFBF|G2BG dGBG|A2cA eAcA|dcBA FBBA|
F2GF dFBF|G2BG dGBG|A2cA eAcA|dcBA FBB2:|
|:bf~f2 dfBf|bf~f2 dfBf|ae~e2 ce~e2|ae~e2 abc’a|
bf~f2 dfBf|bf~f2 dfBF|~G3F GABc|dBcA FBB2:|

this is mt fav tune of all time along with Les Chicaneaux

I love this tune. I play it on a swing-tuned B/C buttonbox — it sounds great with alto banjo! Usually segue into "Julia Delaney’s."

🙂 like the tune but if anyone has a chord sequence then could they email it to me ~
mairijo@hotmail.com
thanks very much 🙂🙂 X

Bother to read the comments and you might find what you require.

Johnny Murphy plays a version of the glasgow reel which doesn’t appear to be the same as the one on this site. Does anyone know the one which he plays?
Thanks!

Have heard this played by a scottish fiddler at a folk festrecently, with 3 separate parts.. the 2 shown in tune posting being thefirst 2.
Just wondering if the there is an "official" 3rd part, and if anyone could point me in it’s general direction.

btw, have looked thru’ JC’s abc, tho’ I may have missed it, there is only 2 parters with lifted variations.

There are lyrics that are sung along with his tune that I am looking for (different from the ballad Tam Lin). I heard them on Scythian’s CD Aidan’s orbit. They sounded neat, but I am not able to find them anywhere. Does anyone know what I’m talking about?

I came looking for Tamlinn after I heard it on Gaelic Storm’s self-titled album. I’m trying for the driving rhythm of GS’s fiddle on my whistle but can’t seem to get it right. Any tips or hints?

If you need to come looking for the sheetmusic then it means you’re not listening closely enough. You’ll find the driving rhythm on the recording, not on this webpage.

You’re so hard ‘Dow’, ease up, just because you’re suffering shock having returned to Oz is no reason to be a grumpy wizard… 😎

‘walrus’ your quest for ‘ways’ with your instrument would be better met as a ‘discussion’, I would guess?

Out of curiosity, I’ve been playing around with some tunes to put in a set with Tam Lynn’s, does anyone have any suggestions?

At my session we play Tamlin with Catharsis, and it’s the highlight of the evening.

Thanks for the idea, I like it. I never thought of that, and I even know Catharsis. 🙂

Above was suggested the key of Bm for flute & whistle, but I like to play it in Am, using a low G whistle to make it come out in the original Dm.
The version I learned (by ear at sessions) is somewhat different from the version given here, with more leaps.

Yes to play it in Am on the whistle you have to half-hole a few F naturals but this is not difficult to do.

Hey just woundering if anyone could tell me what key the tamlin is in???

Any quay you want.
I like the band Tamalin from Belfast though!

https://thesession.org/tunes/248

You can start off with a Dmin version of the tune in jig time, then over to reel time in the same key, then over to Amin (one string up), then to Bmin (one tone up). Would that do?

Henk - I’m not so sure about that 🙂

https://thesession.org/discussions/13417/comments

This is probably one of those questions where everyone will have a different answer, but I’ll ask anyway. I’m a beginning fiddler and I’m trying to learn Tam Lin (The Glasgow, Howling Wind, whatever). I am wondering if there is a "standard" way to bow the first couple of bars.

The first three bars have one quarter note and then six eighth notes each. If I bow each note separately, then the second bar is bowed the reverse of the first and third. Is this usual? Or is there a standard way to ensure that I start each of the first three bars on a downbow (i.e. which two notes do I slur together)?

Thanks in advance!

I slur the first two notes (down bow), then slur the next three (up bow), then the last two notes down - up.

insomniac
I’ll put Tam lin on my u-tube vidios next the way I play it
anyway ,hope it good enough - it dose me for sessions in Ireland,,It will be put on Slow then Fast Then Fancy,,
jim,,,

FIDDLE4’s version is very nice. And it sidesteps the technical
problem of bar three (in the Session’s version)

See http://www.mediamax.com/fiddle4/

An Irish fiddler who’s actually from Ireland - accept no substitutes

I’m amazed you all like this tune so much. I think its to jazzy but I suppose everyone has an opinion.

what key is it best 2 play the tam lim / glasgow reel in on the piano accordian accordian.

D min, and then change to A min after lots of shouting. It’s equally easy to play in both keys.

thanks 4 that I no it in the key of d min so ill start transposing

I didn’t know that e.e. cummings was a member of this site.

Here’s what The Fiddler’s Companion has to say::

"Tamlyn.” AKA and see “The Glasgow Reel,” “The Howling Wind.” Irish, Reel. D Minor (Black): A Minor (Taylor). Standard tuning. AABB. The tune has been set in D Minor, E Minor and A Minor (for flute). Paddy O’Brien played it in D Minor. It is often heard in sessions played first in D Minor, then in A Minor for a variation. Composition credited to Dublin musician Davey Arthur (originally from Edinburgh, Scotland), "

whether or not e.e
cummings is a member of this site. or
not
is a matter that can discussed be
by anyone who chooses
to do so

tamalin, written by davey aurthur i believe??! who would have thought it!

Please, for the love of all that is sacred, don’t play it in any key…

Yeah, I hate the tune as well, and I’m *from* Glasgow.

This tune is in Fmajor. F major has one flat aswell

jesusman said, "This tune is in Fmajor…"

It looks like it’s firmly in D minor to me, JM. Why are you saying F major?

X:1
T:Tam Lin (3 Part)
M:4/4
R:Reel
K:Dmin
DE|:FEDC DEFD|B,2 DB, FB,DB,|C2 EC GCEC|FAFE FDDE|
|FEDC DEFD|B,2 DB, FB,DB,|C2 EC GCEC|FAFE FD D2:|
|:dA A/A/A FADA|dA A/A/A FADA|cG G/G/G cGcd|edeg fed^c|
|dA A/A/A FADA|dA A/A/A FADA,|B,A,B,C DCDE|FDEC D4:|
|:fd d/d/d AGFE|DEFG A=Bcd|ec c/c/c ecge|ec c/c/c agfe|
|fd d/d/d Adfa|fdAG FEDA,|B,A,B,C DCDE|FDEC D4:|

This version is played at our local sessions. Still not sure where it originated… looking into it. 🙂

Dm is the reletive minor of F major, thats why it only has one flat

Hi everyone,

I have trawled through Tam lin posts today as I am trying to find out what key whistle to play it in if it is in D minor and what the appropriate guitar chords would be? I haven’t got very far, just confused, so, if anyone can help!

Thanks, Lou.

I think an F whistle would be the easiest to play it on in D Minor. Next best option might be a C whistle, but that could be a lot harder.

Trying to answer your question provoked my first ever attempt to play this grisly tune!

thanks for that, i’ll give it a shot!

Is there any reason that you wouldn’t use the relative major whistle when playing in a minor key?

Because half-holing is a pain in the.

I’ve heard it on an F whistle. Caught me entirely off guard when said whistle player led it - it’s so ingrained in my consciousness as a fiddle tune that I didn’t recognize it on the whistle at first.

yep the F whistle. iIt’s a bit tricky but not as tricky as all the half-hole stuff trying to do it on a C (which is usually great for Dm tunes)

No kidding T,D, and M!

I play it in A and D minor with one whistle player that really gets the feel out of it, and it still surprises me every time.

Worst is, he doesn’t pull the recorder on the A minor, and I don’t think he owns an F whistle for the D minor.

JTC111: " Is there any reason that you wouldn’t use the relative major whistle when playing in a minor key?"

Whiddler: "Because half-holing is a pain in the."

JTC111 - I assume you meant relative major in the proper sense, as F major is to D minor, for example (G major to E minor etc.)
Whiddler - You might be thinking of the major starting on the same note as the minor, i.e. playing in D minor on a D whistle - that would involve a lot of half-holing.

In the case of this tune, an F whistle is the easiest option, and doesn’t involve any half-holing at all (unless you play some C-sharps in the B-part - but they’re not too challenging), since it is in the Aeolian mode. But it depends on the compass of the tune. The A-part of Tam Lin fits very comfortably on a C whistle, without any half-holes (if you cross finger the B-flat), but the B-part takes you up to D in the 3rd octave, which, if you .can get there at all, is very shrill.

Pipewatcher:" it’s a bit tricky but not as tricky as all the half-hole stuff trying to do it on a C"

Where’s all the half-holing? There are only the optional C-sharps in the B-part. The only problem on the C-whistle is the range.

Yes, Ragaman, that’s what I meant. I’m not a whistle player, at least not yet, but since a minor scale would have the same notes as its relative major scale (albeit the starting point would be different), it would make sense to use that whistle.
So I’d grab a C to play in Am, a G to play in Em, a D to play in Bm, etc.

Most tunes that are supposedly in Am are not really. They are more likely to be in A dorian (with an F#). As such you would probably be better with a D whistle than a C whistle in that case.

In terms of which whistle to pick for particular keys the range is going to matter a lot. For example there are plenty of tunes in G that you would not play on a G whistle because they go below the range. On the other hand they are a piece of cake on the D whistle.

Really the simple D whistle is flexible enough to play a vast range of tunes in all the standard keys and a few non-standard keys - all I need to do now is learn to play it!!

Which version of ‘Tam Lin’ are you playing?
The 1 posted here is 2 parts & is playable on an F whistle.
There are different versions & variations. So depending on which one you are playing will effect your choice of whistle.
I learned the tune from a 4 - parter which modulates in the last 2 parts. On that version I play a C whistle (bringing some of the low notes up an octave). I tried the version posted as "The Galway" & it seems fine on my F whistle.
I’ll listen to the recording I learned it from since I have not played the tune in many years.

another surprise ~ I just clicked on "The Galway" & see it’s posted as a hornpipe. I play ‘Tam Lin’ as a reel.

I was looking to play the reel version from the tunes section on this site…..I don’t have an f whistle (maybe an excuse for another whistle mmmmm…….!) i saw a guy playing on you tube on a b flat and wondered how this would work…..

Thanks for all the advice, i’ll see how I go with C, D and maybe order an f?!

Lou.

Here’s your easiest options…

F whistle is best..you can play it like this..

X: 1
T: Tam Lin
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Bmin
F2 BF dFBF|G2 BG dGBG|A2 cA eAcA|dcBA FBBA|
F2 BF dFBF|G2 BG dGBG|A2 cA eAcA|dcBA FB B2:||
bf ~f2 dfBf|Bf ~f2 dfBf|ae ~e2 ce ~e2|ae ~e2 abc’a|
bf ~f2 dfBf|Bf ~f2 dfBF|~G3 F GABc|dBcA FB B2:||

or for a c whistle

X: 1
T: Tam Lin
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Emin
B2 eB gBeB|c2 ec gcec|d2 fd adfd|gfed Beed|
B2 eB gBeB|c2 ec gcec|d2 fd adfd| gfed Be e2:||
eB ~B2 GBEB|eB ~B2 GBEB|dA ~A2 FA ~A2|dA ~A2 defd|
eB ~B2 GBEB|eB ~B2 GBEB|~c3 B cdef|gefd Be e2:||

Just in case you don’t know, copy and paste the abc’s here http://www.concertina.net/tunes_convert.html and click submit to get the notes

I had the b in the wrong octave there. Here it is for F whistle to sound in Dmin

X: 1
T: Tam Lin
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Bmin
F2 BF dFBF|G2 BG dGBG|A2 cA eAcA|dcBA FBBA|
F2 BF dFBF|G2 BG dGBG|A2 cA eAcA|dcBA FB B2:||
bf ~f2 dfBf|bf ~f2 dfBf|ae ~e2 ce ~e2|ae ~e2 abc’a|
bf ~f2 dfBf|bf ~f2 dfBF|~G3 F GABc|dBcA FB B2:||

Love this tune since ive heard it years ago life by the fureys and Davey Arthur….

http://www.daveyarthurmusic.com/The%20Fureys%20And%20Davey%20Arthur%20-%20Tamlin.mp3

I second the request for Tam Lin sheet music as played by Gaelic Storm. Yeah I should be able to pick it up from the CD. Unfortunately, I’m a professional classical violinist only recently come to fiddle jam sessions, and Iam utterly pathetic when it comes to playing anything that isn’t written down in black and white with all sorts of nice little Italian guidelines.
In other words, HALP! How do I stop it from sounding dry?

Listen to Liz Carroll till your ears bleed and start by playing along with her slow tunes. The only way forward is to make your ear skills catch up with your reading. No amount of sight reading skills prevent your listening skills from developing, you’re as capable as anyone else.

This very appropriate discussion just popped up……..

https://thesession.org/discussions/22010/comments#comment457272

X: 1
T: Tamlin
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Amin
EA~A2 EAcA|F2AF cFAF|G2BG dGBG|cBAG AGED|
EA~A2 EAcA|F2AF cFAF|G2BG dGBG|cBAG A3:||
ae~e2 ceAE|ae~e2 ceAE|gd~d2 gd~d2|gd~d2 gabg|
ae~e2 ceAe|ae~e2 cBAG|F3G ~A3B|cABG A3:||

I’d like to share the way I’ve been playing it. I don’t know where that B part came from but it’s a lot of fun. Play it ABAB so that the A doesn’t get too repetitive.

T:Tam Lin
T:Glasgow
M:4/4
L:1/8
N:B part a variation from usual.
K:Amin
|:EA (3~AGA cA~AE|FA (3~AGA cA~AF|GB (3~BAB cBAB|1cBAG AGED:|2cBAG AGEA||
||A2 a^g ~aecA|~Aa ~a^g aecA|g2 (^fg) (^cd) (_B=B)|(^FG) (_B=B) (^cd) (^fg)|
|~a2. ^g ~aecA|~Aa ~a^g aecA|~FEFG Acde|~gedc BGAG||

a little collaboration i organized.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLs6BoX7S9w 😉

play video

That was fun, a pleasant surprise. Thanks! 🙂

I’m trying to learn this tune in Dm on tenor banjo and I’m having a bit of trouble. When I listen to it, it sounds like I should be starting on the A string. But that leads to playing the B part high on the neck of the E string.
And if I’m already that high, how can I move up a string?
The only thing that makes sense to me is to start on the G string, second fret, and go from there. But can that still be Dm???
Help!

I found this on YouTube. It was very helpful.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QuVHGn37dc

play video

I Transposed int to Bminor and it sound terrific on flute and tin whistle. Very Haunting and when playing fiddle its a very good chance to do the the bowing technique like in Drowsy Maggie etc.

N00b question here, but can someone tell me what is up with the ‘angry eyebrow’ symbol in the B part of the notation? I suspect it has something to do with the missing notes in the tablature. If you don’t have the time to spell it out for me that’s fine, I don’t blame you, maybe you could just give me the proper term to search for, as ‘angry eyebrow’ isn’t doing me much good in google.

Here you go, Newborn Elf.
http://www.lesession.co.uk/abc/abc_notation_part2.htm#grace

Ah, thanks. It appears I have wondered off of the paved road and am now in the hinterland. As I feared, the eyebrow in question belongs to our man llig who has raised it at my gall to think I could learn The Music from the dots in the first place.

I found the following on the net years ago but I don’t know where I got it and can’t find it anymore even with multiple searches. Anyway, it seems to be more or less the setting given by davydd 4 years ago.

X: 1
T: Tamlin
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Dmin
DE|:FDEC DFED|(3B,B,B, DB, FB,DB,|(3CCC EC GCEC|FEDA, CDDE|
(3FED EC DFED|(3B,B,B, DB, FB,DB,|(3CCC EC GCEC|1 FAGE FDDE:|2 FAGE FDD^c||
|:dA (3AAA FDED|dA (3AAA FDED|cG (3GGG cGcd|edeg fed^c|
dA (3AAA FDED|dA (3AAA FDEA,|B,A,B,C DCDE|1 (3FED GE FDD^c:|2 (3FED GE FDDe||
|:fd (3ddd AGFE|DEFG A=Bcd|ec (3ccc ecgc|ec (3ccc agfe|
fd (3ddd Adfa|fdAG FEDA,|B,A,B,C DCDE|1 (3FED GE FDDe:|2 (3FED GE FDDE||

I got this lovely version from a recording of a local fiddler in a session in 2003:

X: 1
T: Tamlin
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Edor
EF|:GEED EG (3FED|B,=CEC GCEC|D2 (3FED ADFD|GEED ~E3F|
G2FG EG (3FED|B,=CEC GCEC|DEED ADFA|1 GBAF GE~E2:|2 GBAF GA (3Bcd||
|:eB~B2 GBFB|EBFB GABc|dABA ~d3e|fd (3fga gfed|
eB~B2 GBFB|EBFB GFEB,|=CB,CE EDEF|GBAF GA (3Bcd:|
|:ge~e2 BAGF|EFGA Bcde|fd~d2 fdad|fd (3fga bagf|
ge~e2 g2ba|gfed BGDB,|=CB,CE EDEF|1 GBAF GA (3Bcd:|2 GBAF GEEF||

If you wanted to tidy up the part endings a bit you could play something like the following variant of the same version:

X: 1
T: Tamlin
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Edor
EF|:G2FG EG (3FED|B,=CEC GCEC|D2FD ADFA|GEED ~E3F|
G2FG EG (3FED|B,=CEC GCEC|D2FD ADFD|1 GBAF GEEF:|2 GBAF GEGB||
|:eB~B2 GBFB|EBFB GABc|dA~A2 ~d3e|fd (3fga gfed|
eB~B2 GBFB|EBFB GFEB,|=CB,CD EDEF|1 GBAF GEGB:|2 GB (3AGF GBef||
|:ge~e2 BAGF|EFGA Bcde|fd~d2 fdad|fdfa bagf|
~g3a bagf|gfed BGEB,|=CB,CD EDEF|1 GB (3AGF GBef:|2 GBAF GEEF||

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajVr0zScZNk

play video

T:Tam Lin (Bm)
M:C|
L:1/8
Q:140
C:Davey Arthur
R:Reel
K:Bm
FB~B2 ABcA|~G2BG dGBG|~A2cA eAcA|FABd cBAG|!
FB~B2 ABcA|~G2BG dGBG|~A2cA eAcA||1 dBAG FB~B2:|2 dBAG FAdf||!
bafe dB~B2|bafe def^g|aA~A2 ceAc|eAce acea|!
bafe dB~B2|bafe dBEF|GFGA BABc|1 dBAG FAdf:|2 dBAG FB~B2:|!

The only problem with playing this on the flute (not my first instrument) is finding somewhere to breathe. But enjoying it all the same.

Just been playing through #7 -me on flute, husband on Banjo and have realised there’s a bar missing a the start. It’s the same as the first bar on the second line. Have changed a couple of chords around to make it sound even better. Just need some stout and a few more friends and we’ll have our own session happening right here!

The name given on the Furey and Davey Arthur CD seems to be "Tamlyn". Davey Arthur composed the tune.

If ya find yourself bored with the Glasgow, you might give this a turn:
X: 1
T: Phantom of Glasgow
R: reel
M: 4/4
Q: 1/4 =120
L: 1/8
K: Dm
z2"Dm" A,2D2A,2|"C"C3B,"Bb"(B,4|B,2) G,2"C"C3A,|"Dm"A,8|
z2"Dm" A,2D2A,2|"C"C3B,"Bb"(B,4|B,)2G,2"C"C3G,2|"Dm"A,8|
z2A,2DF| A3"C"G(G4|G2)G2c3G|"Dm"(A8|A4)z2A|"Dm"d8|dcBA GFED|
("Bbo"^C8|^C2)"Bb"B,2,B,3A,|"Dm"A,8|
|:"Dm"A,2 DA, FA,DA,|"Bb"B,2 DB, FB,DB,|"C"C2 FC GCEC|
"Dm"FEDC "C"A,DDC|"Dm"A,2 DA, FA,DA,|"Bb"B,2 DB, FB,DB,|
"C"C2 FC GCEC|FEDC "Dm"A,DD2 :|
|:"Dm"d/c/dAA FADA| d/c/dAA FADA| "C"c/A/cGG EGCE|
c/A/cEG cdec| "Dm"d/c/dAA FADA| d/c/dAA FADA,|
"Bb"B,/A,/B,B,A, B,CDE|"C"FDEC A,D D2 :|

Start slowly and work it up! Follow with "Julia Delaney" or A minor version of TamLin if you like.

Sometimes played in Dminor.

I think something went terribly wrong in your notation of the second B part? Sounds like you involuntarily pasted in the first part of the A piece and skipped the ending or something. Nice tune anyhow. Thanks.

This tune is also known as Tam Lin https://thesession.org/tunes/248
Otherwise nothing wrong with the setting

The composition of "Tamlin…The Glasgow Reel" is listed as one of Davey Arthur’s accomplishments on LinkedIn:

http://ie.linkedin.com/pub/davey-arthur/18/811/614/en

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

play video

New setting as a result of this youtube video
https://youtu.be/nBPrmUIypqU

play video

and this discussion:
https://thesession.org/discussions/39050

Very late into this one. I used to play this tune with Ian Lowthian about 20 years ago. I knew it was by Davey Arthur and know it as "Tam Lin" which (rightly or wrongly) was said to be a corruption of Tamberlaine. Not sure about the "Glasgow Reel" but think it was given this title by someone who didn’t know what it is called, which of course could be the case with any of the different names (although I believe "Tam Lin" was the original title.
Someone asked about a tune to lead into "Tam Lin" and much further up the page and before the question was asked "The Islay Reel" was mentioned. Don’t know if it’s the same tune but I remember we used to play "The Islay Ranters’ Reel" before "Tam Lin". Don’t ask me about keys - I’m a drummer.

Learnt this version from John Squire in session at Warwick Folk festival in 80’s. I asked him where the third part came from, but I don’t remember his answer!

I have been asked to play this tune on the highland bagpipe at a wedding. It is well outside the bagpipe’s scale in the settings which appear in the Session, but I hope this arrangement has not strayed too far. I have omitted bagpipe embellishments, leaving these to the personal choice of other pipers, though I have written my own version in two settings, one complicated, the other simple.

Here is my version of Tam Lin (available for free download):
https://musescore.com/user/28002232/scores/4992804

In my opinion the Drowsy Maggie tune sounds good right before the Tam Lynn’s!

a transcription from the playing of Davey Arthur the composer of the tune

Here’s a setting that I think works well on the flute. If you have an Fnat key (either long or short works), it’s not too bad, and it gives good (rare) practice on the Bb. For the whistle… ok, break out the C whistle.

Setting as played by Peter Miln and Daniel James from the album Celtic Dance. I did the transcription.
ABC for 1st bar part 2 second time:
d3e fedc

https://youtu.be/8DRA_eaDxeA

play video

Chords added

If i hear this tune starting at a session, I leave.

Why ?

Tam Lin into Masons Apron in A goes great.

I sometimes think it is good to "just go for it" when trying a tune for the first time. Get the feel and work on the accuracy later? Works for me!
https://youtu.be/76moLd7qXD4?t=197

play video

Good playing, Alan, and it doesn’t sound bad at all.
However, it sounds quite different from the tune as I know it in terms of rhythm especially.