Mrs Jamieson’s Favourite jig

By Charles Grant

Also known as Miss Jamieson’s Favourite, Mrs Ann Jamieson’s Favourite, Mrs Jameson’s Favourite, Mrs Jamieson’s Favorite, Mrs Jamieson’s Favourite, Mrs. Ann Jamieson’s Favourite, Mrs. Jamieson’s Favourite.

There are 25 recordings of this tune.

Mrs Jamieson’s Favourite has been added to 6 tune sets.

Mrs Jamieson’s Favourite has been added to 153 tunebooks.

Download ABC

Two settings

1
Sheet Music
Sheet Music
Sheet Music
Sheet Music
2
Sheet MusicAF♯mAAE
Sheet MusicAF♯mAAA12
Sheet MusicAF♯mAAF♯mBm
Sheet MusicAF♯mAEA12

Thirteen comments

Mrs Jamieson’s Favorite

Aly Bain does a nice version of this tune on his album Lonely Bird.

Mrs Jamieson’s Favourite

There’s also a version of this jig in the album Legacy of the Scottish fiddle, by Alasdair Fraser & Paul Machlis, but played as a slow air, absolutely breathtaking. Can’t miss it.

Nice Aire

I would call this a slow air, have never heard it played at jig tempo. But since this site has no aire category, this is as good a place as any to put it. I learned it in G for some reason, maybe it was listed in a book that way, or maybe I changed the key so I could use the bass notes and chords on my accordion better as I played it.

Yeah, i think its an aire. I also heard it on John Taylors After the Dance CD as a slow aire.

Slow Air in G

A beautiful air, but as a whistler this works best for me in G (so that the top note isn’t shrill and can be held with confidence!).

Another version

X: 1
T: Shetland Swamps, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Amaj
|:“A”E2AB c3E|“F#m”F2EF “A”A3E|“A”E2Ac -c2ef|e2c=c “E”B2zE|
“A”E2AB c3E|“F#m”F2EF “A”A3E|EABc -c2ef|1“A”c2B2 A2zE:|2 “A”c2B2 A2zB|
|:“A”ee2A “F#m”ff2A|“A”eE[F2A2]-[F2A2]zA|“A”ee2A “F#m”ff2A|a2cB -“Bm”B2 cd|
“A”eAAA ABcA|“F#m”F2EF “A”A3E|“E”EABc “A”-c2ef|1c2B2 A3B:|2 c2B2 A3E|

A new arrangement

This tune popped into my head when teaching at a feis, i quickly arranged it for a pupil to play at the Mod, couldn’t for the life of me remember what it was called but thanks to a few friends and whistling out the tune to many people the mystery was solved! I play it as a slow air and i now have the dots written out arranged in Gmaj for Harp so if anyone would like it, contact me ;) You gotta love the slow airs!!

Re: Mrs Jamieson’s Favourite

Somehow this is a very satisfying tune and I think playing it can calm you down if feeling anxious. Therapeutic? Well known in Shetland and Orkney and over Scotland.

Re: Mrs Jamieson’s Favourite

It is indeed a beautiful tune, but sadly both of those transcriptions are in odd timings. X1 is in 6/8 format although given a 3/4 time signature, and X2 has been scored as 4/4 although given a 3/4 time sig too.
The version I play is in 3/4.
As for being therapeutic, the late Sarah Morgan of the singing trio Craig, Morgan and Robson used the tune to make a setting of the Celtic Blessing called “Keep You in Peace” - she took out a couple of the highest notes in the original tune to make it more singable, but it is a lovely and oft-sung end of session song. My friends in Scots Music Group and I did both at a recent gig - played the original tune, then sang the song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8BL9YbVG6o

Re: Mrs Jamieson’s Favourite

I think the original (like Hector the Hero) was scored in 6/8. The time signature 6/8 is not, as I understand it, the exclusive preserve of jigs.
[M:6/8] at the start of the first line of setting X:1 above would sort the time signature (and [M:4/4] likewise for the second setting).

Re: Mrs Jamieson’s Favourite

TIME SIGNATURES ARE OFF! Number 1 seems playable in 3 but not Number 2. Neither one is in 3/4 - Both are DUPLE. Number 1 is in 2/4 but the individual triplet figures can be understood and played in THREE (Waltz). Not so for Number 2. That one is in 4/4 BUT the feel is 2/4 - If 2/4, the measures probably should be changed to reflect that.

Re: Mrs Jamieson’s Favourite

JUDY, the original was written as a slow 6/8, so I’ve changed the tune type to “JIG” to get the 6/8 time signature at the beginning. Hope that makes you happier. I can’t do anything about the second setting though.

Frankly, I wouldn’t get too hung up on this. This site was not really set up for slow airs, but for dance tunes, and when posting tunes here you don’t have a time signature option,but a tune type option.