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Molly Put The Kettle On reel

Also known as Jenny’s Bawbee, Molly’s Highland Fling, Polly Put The Kettle On, Polly, Put The Kettle On, The Watchmaker.

There are 13 recordings of this tune.

This tune has been recorded together with The Ballina Lasses (a few times) and Greig’s Pipes (a few times).

Molly Put The Kettle On appears in 1 other tune collection.

Molly Put The Kettle On has been added to 5 tune sets.

Molly Put The Kettle On has been added to 82 tunebooks.

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Six settings

1
X: 1
T: Molly Put The Kettle On
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Amin
cded cAAc|Bcdc BG G2|ceed cBAG|EDE^G A2 A2|
cded cAAc|Bcdc BG G2|cBcA B2 AG|EDE^G A2 A2||
cde^f g2 fg|aged cA A2|cde^f g2 fg|age^g a2 a2|
cde^f g2 fg|aged cA A2|cded cAAG|EDE^G A2 A2||
2
X: 2
T: Molly Put The Kettle On
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Ador
c>de>d c>A (3AAA | B>Gd>c B>G (3GGG | c>de>d c>AE>A | B>G (3EF^G A2 :|
|: (3Bcd e>f g>ed>g | a>ge*d c>A (3AAA |1 c>de>f g2 e*^g | a>ge*d c2 :|
2 B>dg*d c>A (3AAA | B>GE*^G A2 ||
3
X: 3
T: Molly Put The Kettle On
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:egdc BG G2|ADAG FD D2|egdc BG G2|ADAG FG G2|
egdc BG G2|ADAG FD D2|egdc BG G2|AD D2 FG G2||
|:BGcA BG G2|ADAG FD D2|BGcA BG G2|ADAG FG G2|
BGcA BG G2| AD D2 ADBD|BGcA BG G2|AD D2 FG G2||
|:egdc BG G2|ADBD cDBD|(3efg dc BG G2|AD D2 FG G2|
egdc BcAB|ADBD cDBD|egdc BD D2|AD D2 FG G2||
|:BDcD BD D2|ADAG FD D2|BDcD BD D2|AD D2 FG G2|
BGcA BG G2|ADAG FD D2|BGcA BG G2|AD D2 FG G2||
|:egdc BG G2|BGcA Bdeg|egdc BG G2|AGBG FG G2|
egdc Bdeg|fgag fd d2|egdc BG G2|ADAG FG G2||
|BGcA Bdeg|fgaf gb b2|abga faeg|ad d2 fg g2|
BGcA Bdeg|a3g fd d2|egdc BG G2|ADAG FG G2||
# Added by JACKB .
4
X: 4
T: Molly Put The Kettle On
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:egdc BG G2|ADAG FD D2|egdc BG G2|ADAG FG G2|
egdc BG G2|DAAG FD D2|egdc BG G2|AD D2 FG G2||
|:BGcA BG G2|ADAG FD D2|BGcA BG G2|ADAG FG G2|
BGcA BG G2|AD D2 ADBD|BGcA BG G2|AD D2 FG G2||
|:egdc BG G2|ADBD cDBD|(3efg dc BG G2|AD D2 FG G2|
egdc BcAB|ADBD cDBD|egdc BD D2|AD D2 FG G2||
|:BDcD BD D2|ADAG FD D2|BDcD BD D2|AD D2 FG G2|
BGcA BG G2|ADAG FD D2|BGcA BG G2|AD D2 FG G2||
|:egdc BG G2|BGcA Bdeg|egdc BG G2|AGBA G3d|
egdc Bdeg|fgag fd d2|egdc BG G2|ADAG FG G2||
|BGcA Bdeg|fgaf gb b2|abga faeg|ad d2 fg g2|
BGcA Bdeg|a3g bg g2|egdc Bdeg|agba g4||
# Added by JACKB .
5
X: 5
T: Molly Put The Kettle On
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Ador
||B| (3cec ed cAAc|Bcdc BGAB|(3cec ed cAAG|ED (3EFG A3 B|
(3cec ed cAAc|Bcdc BGAB|(3cec BA (3BdB AG|ED (3EFG A3 ||
|| B| cdef g2 (3efg|aged cAAB|cdef g2 (3efg|ag (3efg a2 AB|
cdef g2 (3efg|aged cAAB|(3cec ed cAAG|ED (3EFG A3 ||
6
X: 6
T: Molly Put The Kettle On
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Ador
||:cded cAAc|~B3d BGGB|cded cAAG|EDEG ~A3B|
cded cAAc|~B3d BGGB|BAAG AGED|EDEG ~A3B:||
||:cdef ~g4|aged cAAB|cdef g2 fd|eaag a3g|
B/c/def ~g4|aged cAAB|cded cAAG|EDEG A3B:||

Twelve comments

Also from O’Neill’s "Dance Music of Ireland"

This is often played as a Highland, or a Scottish. Dot the down beat, and cut the up beat in half throughout, like a hornpipe, but with harder syncopation.

This is also played in American old-time circles. I have heard it most often played in G major.

Bluegrass enthusiasts here in Kansas have been playing this tune in D (major). A group called "The Wilders" recorded a version recently, they play it up-tempo syncopated and then drift into straight meter, returning to the syncopation for the final go ‘round.

"Molly Put the Kettle On" ~ highland fling

K: A Dorian
|: AB |
c>de>d c>A (3AAA | B>Gd>c B>G (3GGG | c>de>d c>AE>A | B>G (3EF^G A2 :|
|: A2 |
|: (3Bcd e>f g>ed>g | a>ge*d c>A (3AAA |1 c>de>f g2 e*^g | a>ge*d c2 :|
2 B>dg*d c>A (3AAA | B>GE*^G A2 ||

astetrisk = ‘snap’
~ the less than sign not working in this area of the site except as an HTML tag…

David Power notes: ,the words ‘Polly put the Kettle on’ reflect the notes of the first three phrases of the tune, the 4th going; ‘we’ll have a cup of tea’,>
A well known English nursery rhyme in a barely more elaborate guise.

that is: the first three bars and the last one.

This tune can be played in the mixolydian mode, though it’s not quite the same tune then.

Polly Put The Kettle On

My version with some variations of the old children’s song Polly Put The Kettle. This is a good piping version as lots of crans.

Posted by .

Molly Put The Kettle On, X:5

This nice old tune came to my mind today, so I thought I would check the versions here.
None of them seemed quite the way I had always played it. I don’t remember who’s version I learned.
Maybe it was Martin Connolly? Anyway this version is a straightforward reel with lots of triplets to drive it along.
It was one of the first reels I learned on B/C accordion. I have switched to C#/D now, so I prefer this reel on concertina.
The (3cec triplet —which is what concertina players use— can be replaced with whatever short roll or cran you can make on a c-natural.