The Miller’s Maggot jig

The third and last tune in the set with The White Petticoat and Stan Chapman’s, from Solas.

In the B Part, play those "extra" fs and gs in measures 1, 3, and 5 more like grace notes leading up to the next note: |e2 f f/g2e| and |e2 f f/g2g/|aga etc…| to get the swing that Solas puts into it.

You can also go to town on nearly all of these quarter notes, cutting them or using triplets on ‘em.

Does anyone have the guitar chords for this tune? If so please post them or send me an email. Thanks a lot! 🙂

Well, I managed to find some myself:

X:58
T:The Miller’s Maggot
M:6/8
L:1/8
R:Jig
K:G
"G"G2A B2A|B2A "Em"BGE|"G"G2A "G/F#m"B2A|"Em"B2e "C"e3|
"G"G2A B2A|B2A "Em"BGE|"C"gfe "G"dBA|"Em"B2e e3:|
|:"C"e2f g2e|"G"d2B BAB|"C"e2f g3|"D"aga "Em"b3|
"C"e2f g2e|"G"d2B BAG|"Am"A2B cBA|"Em"Bee edB:|"Em"Bee "A7"e2z|]

They’re not very good chords. Especially that A7 at the end.

Hey there, I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for a jig or two that would work well with the miller’s maggot. Maybe sets your group or local session plays. I have put together a couple of sets but haven’t really found any that work nicely. Any offerings much appreciated….

Solas do a set with it:
https://thesession.org/recordings/46

i know the solas set…i like it alot…that was white petticoat and stan chapman’s, eh?

I’m still trying to get up to speed on the set. the White Petticoat is the tricky one for me (banjo), especially the second part. Stan Chapman’s and Miller’s Maggot seem to go more easily. Our whistle player plays them all very nicely.

i am play them on the tenor banjo, you too? I agree with you on the white petticoat thing… something about that is tricky…can’t put my finger on exactly why…

or what

I have heard the Lark on the Strand played before it which goes very well

I’ve heard it following Sliabh Russell

What’s the history on The Miller’s Maggot?

According to The Portland Collection notes on tunes this is an English country dance tune dating back to when there was a type of dance called a maggot. Where the Miller comes into it I can’t say but millers were quite wealthy back then and might have sponsored the dance, supplied the beer?

From the playing of David Munnelly, Helen Flaherty & Philip Masure.

From the playing of Hanz Araki & Kathryn Claire.

From the playing of The Toyota Ceili Band.

Err, isn’t this a slide rather than a jig?

I’d say this is much more a single jig rather than a slide, especially since it came from the English country dance tradition. Single jigs and hop jigs aplenty over there.

Also, "maggot" doesn’t refer to a particular kind of dance, rather it’s an archaic way of saying "whim" or "fancy" — mostly in the world of English trad music. I’ve also heard people say it was a way to describe a tune that just gets stuck in your head, just like an, err, maggot would. In German, they’d call them "ear-worms." I always find "maggot" tunes to be especially catchy myself.