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The Golden Keyboard reel

By Martin Mulhaire

Also known as An Méarchlár Órga, The Golden Headboard.

There are 59 recordings of this tune.

This tune has been recorded together with

The Golden Keyboard appears in 2 other tune collections.

The Golden Keyboard has been added to 73 tune sets.

The Golden Keyboard has been added to 800 tunebooks.

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Seven settings

1
X: 1
T: The Golden Keyboard
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Edor
BGEF GFGA|BBgB fBeB|BGEF GBAG|FDAD BDAF|
EDEF GFGA|B2gB fBec|dcde dBAF|DFAF FEE2:|
Bee2 Bee2|Beef edBc|dAA2 fAA2|dcde dBAF|
E2EF G2GA|B2gB fBec|d2de dBAF|DFAF FEE2:|
2
X: 2
T: The Golden Keyboard
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Edor
BGEF GFGA|B2gB fBeA|BGEF GBAG|(3FED AD BDAF|
E^DEF GFGA|B2gB fBeB|d2dc dBAF|DFAF GEE2:|
Bee2 Beed|Beec dBAc|dAA2 fAA2|dfec dBAF|
E^DEF GFGA|B2gB fBeB|d2dc dBAF|DFAF GEE2:|
3
X: 3
T: The Golden Keyboard
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Edor
F|~G2EF GFGA|B2gB fBed|BEEF GBAG|FDDF ADFA|
~G2EF GFGA|B2gB fBec|d2ce dBAF|FEED E3:|
e|e2 (3gfe be (3gfe|e^def e=dBc|dA~A2 eAce|dcAG FDEF|
~G2EF GFGA|B2gB fBec|d2ce dBAF|FEED E3:|
4
X: 4
T: The Golden Keyboard
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Edor
BGEF GFGA|B2gB fBeB|BGEF GBAG|(3FED AD BDAF|
E3 F GFGA|B2 gB fBeB|(3ded ce dBAF|DFAF GE E2:|
|:Be~e2 Beed|Beef edBc|dA~A2 eAce|d2ce dBAF|
~E3 F GFGA|B2 gB fBeB|(3ded ce dBAF|DEFD GE E3 A:|
5
X: 5
T: The Golden Keyboard
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Fmaj
AG|:FADE FEFG|A2fA eAdc|ADDE FAGF|ECGC ACGC|
FADE FEFG|A2fA eAdA|(3cec =Bd cAGE|1 CDEG FDDE:|2 CDEG FDD2||
|:Add2 Add2|Adde dcAd|cGG2 EGed|ced=B cAGE|
(3FDC DE FEFG|A2fA eAdA|(3cec =Bd cAGE|1 CDEG FDD2:|2 CDEG FDDE||
6
X: 6
T: The Golden Keyboard
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Edor
E2EF G2GA|B2gB fBed|BGEF GBAG|FE/D/AD BDAD|
E2EF G2GA|B2gB fBed|d2dc dBAF|GF/E/AF GEE2:|
Beed/e/ Beed/e/|Beef edBc|dAAA/A/ fAAA/A/|
dcde dBAF|E2EF GFGA|B2gB fBeB|d2de dBAF|GBAF GEE2:|
# Added by Larke .
7
X: 7
T: The Golden Keyboard
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Edor
|:"Em"G3F EFGA|B2gB fBe2|"Em"G3F EFGE|"D"(3FED AD BDAF|
"Em"G3F EFGA|B2gB fBe2|"Am"BABc "B7"BAGF|"Em"G2E2 E4:|
|:"Em"Beee Beee|Beee f2e2|"D"d2A2e2A2|f3e defd|
"Em (C)" G3F EFGA|B2gB fBe2|"Am"BABc "B7"BAGF|"Em"G2E2 E4:|

Thirteen comments

This is a great reel by Martin Mulhaire.

On the fiddle, there’s a lot of jumping between strings but with a bit of practice, it can be mastered fairly quickly.

I like to ornament this one with triplets. For instance, in the second part, I play the high E’s as a triplet instead of two seperate notes.

The New York Sligo fiddlers frequently play this followed by the Hunters House.

A Jig?

I know "The Golden Keyboard" as a jig. I think the jig version is the one recorded by Andrea Beaton and Beolach. Buddy MacMaster has also recorded it.

What other tunes?

I love this tune, but what is a good tune to go before and/or after it? Thanks.

What other tunes?

Matt Molloy & Sean Keane play Mayor Harrison’s Fedora after it on "Contentment Is Wealth", you could try that.

I’ve heard this tune played at sessions with more ‘swing’ and at a slower tempo as a hornpipe, and it works very well -
I’m sure I’ve seen
it listed as a hornpipe in some fiddle tune collections?

The Golden Keyboard, X:5

Composed by boxplayer Martin Mulhaire. I believe this is the original key. Very nice on the B/C, and feels lighter in F.

Re: The Golden Keyboard

Nice version, Thady. Thanks for sharing it! It’s not in F, though, but in D dorian (all Bs are natural).
Interesting that this version sounds lighter in this key on your instrument; on my DADGAD-tuned guitar, it comes off a good deal darker than the E dorian versions. I wonder how it sounds on other instruments?

Posted by .

The Golden Keyboard, X:6

A variation from the playing of fiddler Seamus Creagh on his album, “Tunes for Practice.”

Posted by .

The Golden Keyboard, X:7

So good to see so many versions of Golden Keyboard. The version we play of this great tune is similar to others here but I’ve written it out in G as we play a C natural in the third measure of the 2nd & 4th line here where when written in Edorian, the note is played as a C#.

Also, when I write out music to share I include the composer whenever I can but there doesn’t seem to be a way to credit the composers here except in the comments. My music includes; by Martin Mulhaire, Eyrecourt, East Galway. If anyone has any different information I’d be glad to hear about it.

I learned this tune from a wonderful fiddler and all around musician, Joel Mabus, when we were playing for a dance at our Michigan Dance Heritage Fall Camp in the early years. We’ve since recorded it on "Michigan Summer" (Ruffwater Stringband). We medleyed it with "Far From Home" (G)/Golden Keyboard (Em)/Hobart’s Transformation (Am)". It really goes with many tunes and is especially nice following a jig in a dance. The dancers love it.