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Squirrel Up A Tree jig

Also known as Squirrel In A Tree, Squirrel In The Tree, The Squirrel In The Tree, The Squirrel Up A Tree, The Squirrel Up The Tree.

There are 7 recordings of this tune.

Squirrel Up A Tree has been added to 29 tunebooks.

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Three settings

1
X: 1
T: Squirrel Up A Tree
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|: d edc |\
BBB BBB | B2 A GAB | ccc ccc | c2 d efg |
fff fff | fed cBA |[1 GBd e2 d | B2 :|[2 GB/c/d b2 a | g2 ||
|: B dga |\
bbb bbb | b2 a gfe | ddd ddd | d2 c Bdg |
fff fff | fed cBA | GBd e2 d |[1 B2- :|[2 G2 |]
2
X: 2
T: Squirrel Up A Tree
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|: dc |\
BBB BBB | B2 A GAB | ccc ccc | c2 d efg |
fff fff | fed cBA |[1 GB/c/d e2 d | B3- B :|[2 GBd b2 a | g3- g ||
|: dg |\
bbb bbb | b2 a gfe | ddd ddd | d2 c Bdg |
fff fff | fed cBA |[1 GB/c/d e2 d | B3- B :|[2 GBd b2 a | g3- g |]
3
X: 3
T: Squirrel Up A Tree
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|: d2 c |\
B2 B B2 B B2 A GAB | c2 c c2 B c2 d e2 g |
f2 f fff | fed c2 A |[1 GBd e2 d | B3 :|[2 G2 d b2 a | g3 ||
|: d2 g |\
b2 b b2 c’ b2 a gg/f/e | d3 dd/d/d d2 c B2 g |
f2 f f2 g | f2 d cc/B/A |[1 G2 d e2 ^c | d3 :|[2 G2 d cc/B/A | G3 |]

Seven comments

"Traditional Violin Music of Cape Breton"

Compiled and edited by Kate Dunlay & David Greenberg
DunGreen Music, Toronto, 1996
ISBN: 0-9680802-0-0

page 117 ~ a transcription of this tune from the playing of Buddy MacMaster
"Squirrel in the Tree"

Cape Breton Jigs ~

I’m back with another Cape Breton Jig. I love them, enjoy dancing and stepping to them and playing them… They make me smile, they make me laugh, they make me joyous…

The version I’ve given here, keeping it simple, has a lot of repeating 3s in it, for example, bar 1:

| BBB BBB |

But don’t take such things as gospel, as if you would. Here are some other ways with such bars, using ‘N’ for ‘note’, where the variations shown can be used with any similar groupings, I’m also using ‘O’ for the next note up the scale, and ‘M’ for down the scale. These are just hinting at other ways I have with this tune, starting with it unchanged:

NNN ~ NNO ~ NNM ~
N2 N ~ N2 O ~ N2 M ~
N N2 ~
N3 ~
NN/N/N ~ …

"Squirrel Up a Tree" ~ another group of possible endings,

~ the ‘lead-in notes’ (A1-c/A2-g/B1-g/B2-c) included :

A-part:
|1 GB/c/d e2 d | B3 Bdc :|2 GBd b2 a | g3 d2 g ||

B-part:
|1 GB/c/d e2 d | B3 Bdg :|2 GBd b2 a | g3 d2 c ||

"Squirrel Up a Tree" & the Canadian Maritimes

This tune was / is also played elswhere in the Maritimes, in the provinces of New Brunswick, Newfoundland and across Nova Scotia…

& another way with the 3s ~ NNN ~ N>NN

"Squirrel Up a Tree" ~ the nature of the little furry beast ~

Oops!, I forgot to mention the ‘single jig’ / ‘slide’ nature of this tune. There are a number of these in the Cape Breton tradition. Just so that comment makes sense, here’s just a sample of it in that way to emphasize the phrasing and swing in it:

A-Part:
| B2 B B2 B B2 A GAB | c2 c c2 B c2 d efg | ~
B-Part:
| b2 b b2 c’ b2 a gfe | d3 d2 d d2 c Bdg | ~

Re: Squirrel Up A Tree

I prefer the squirrel not quite so far up the tree.-played in D. It allows for the "B" part to move up in the first full bar without a stretch or position shift on a fiddle.