The Hay-Makers jig

Also known as Haymakers, The Haymakers, The Hey Makers.

There are 5 recordings of this tune.

The Hay-Makers has been added to 3 tune sets.

The Hay-Makers has been added to 25 tunebooks.

Download ABC

Two settings

1
X: 1
T: The Hay-Makers
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
D|G2 B A2 c|B2 G AFD|G2 B A2 c|BdB G2:|
D|B2 d g2 d|e2 e dBG|B2 d g2 d|ede d2:|
B|c2 e dBG|AGA B2 G|c2 e dBG|AGA G2:|
2
X: 2
T: The Hay-Makers
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:D|G3 AA/B/c|BGB A2 D|G2 B A2 c|BAF G2:|
|:A|B2 d g2 d|ece d2 G|BB/c/d g2 d|ege c2:|
|:d|c2 e dBG|AGA B2 d|c2 e dBG|AGF G2:|

Five comments

Skye Collection!!!!!!!!

It’s not a jig, but a country dance. page 169, middle tune.

The first part’s ending kind of reminds me of “Pop goes the Weasel”.. Yep.

Cheers,
Armand

“The Skye Collection” ~ Keith Norman MacDonald

1887
ISBN: 0786665106
Mel Bay #B-041

Page 169: “The Hay-makers” ~ Country Dance

As this transcription is a direct take from the book, with one mistake, the full credit needs to be given. The one note slip made is in the B-Part of the melody, bar 4, which in the book reads:

| ege d2 :|

http://www.cranfordpub.com/books/skye.htm

Actually, not really a ‘mistake’ as much as a ‘slip’, as there are any number of ways one could take that beat, up or down, but as the rest of the transcript is obviously taken from and true to the book, it might as well be given here in complete agreement with the book. Maybe someone else, maybe even yours truly, can give a personal take on this dance tune… I might be back with that, and maybe with a transcript for the dance as well…

“The Haymakers’ Jig”

K: keeping it G Major, but it works in A nicely too…

|: D | G3 AA/B/c | BGB A2 D | G2 B A2 c | BAF G2 :|
|: A | B2 d g2 d | ece d2 G | BB/c/d g2 d | ege c2 :|
|: d | c2 e dBG | AGA B2 d | c2 e dBG | AGF G2 :|

“The Haymakers”

This is just one take on the dance, Scottish, related to the English and Irish versions of it, this one is 48 bars in length, twice through the tune given, and repeats until all couples have had their go ~ 8 X through the given melody…

Formation: longways proper for four to five couples, major progressive

1st Woman & bottom Man turn right hands
1st Man & bottom Woman turn R-hands
1st-W & bottom-M turn L-hands
1st-M & bottom-W turn L-hands
1st-W & bottom-M turn two-hands
1st-M & bottom-W turn two-hands
1st-W & bottom-M advance, bow and courtesy, retire
1st-M & bottom-W advance, bow and courtesy, retire
ALL face up toward the top ~
1st Couple at the top cast off ~
the Women follow round to the right and clockwise / t
he men follow round to the left and anti-clockwise
1st Couple meet at the bottom/foot of the set and join hands to form an arch ~
the other couples lead up under that arch ~
The dance is repeated for each couple to have their turn leading it from the Top/Head of the set…

Of course, that’s not necessarily the way I’d do it… 😉