About The Swallowtail
The Swallowtail is a two-part Irish jig in A dorian (it uses the notes of G major) — beginner-friendly, running from G to b and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.
- Type
- Jig, two parts, each usually played twice
- Key
- A dorian (the notes of G major) · 6/8
- Range
- G to b · first position
- Notes used
- C D E F♯ G A B
- Level
- Beginner-friendly
The Swallowtail — sheet music
A dorian (the notes of G major) · 6/8
The notes
Letter names, bar by bar · capitals up to C in the third space, lower case from the D on the 4th line
C B A e A A | C B A e d C | B G G d G G | g f♯ e d C B C B A e A A | C B A e f♯ | g f♯ e d C B | C B A A d e f♯ g a b | a b a g e | e f♯ g a b | a g e g d e f♯ g a b | a b a g e | g f♯ e d C B | C B A A d
The Swallowtail — tab
Tenor banjo · mandolin · fiddle · guitar · ukulele — tap one to open it
The Swallowtail — Tenor banjo tab
G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position
E|-------0-----|-------0-----|-------------|-3-2-0-------| A|-3-2-0---0-0-|-3-2-0---5-3-|-2-----5-----|-------5-3-2-| D|-------------|-------------|---5-5---5-5-|-------------| G|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
E|-------0-----|-------0-2-|-3-2-0-------|-----------| A|-3-2-0---0-0-|-3-2-0-----|-------5-3-2-|-3-2-0-0-5-| D|-------------|-----------|-------------|-----------| G|-------------|-----------|-------------|-----------|
E|-0-2-3-5-7-|-5-7-5-3-0-|-0-2-3-5-7-|-5-3-0-3---| A|-----------|-----------|-----------|---------5-| D|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------| G|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
E|-0-2-3-5-7-|-5-7-5-3-0-|-3-2-0-------|-----------| A|-----------|-----------|-------5-3-2-|-3-2-0-0-5-| D|-----------|-----------|-------------|-----------| G|-----------|-----------|-------------|-----------|
Numbers are frets. Tenor banjo sounds an octave below the written notes.
The Swallowtail — Mandolin tab
G D A E · open position
E|-------0-----|-------0-----|-------------|-3-2-0-------| A|-3-2-0---0-0-|-3-2-0---5-3-|-2-----5-----|-------5-3-2-| D|-------------|-------------|---5-5---5-5-|-------------| G|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
E|-------0-----|-------0-2-|-3-2-0-------|-----------| A|-3-2-0---0-0-|-3-2-0-----|-------5-3-2-|-3-2-0-0-5-| D|-------------|-----------|-------------|-----------| G|-------------|-----------|-------------|-----------|
E|-0-2-3-5-7-|-5-7-5-3-0-|-0-2-3-5-7-|-5-3-0-3---| A|-----------|-----------|-----------|---------5-| D|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------| G|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
E|-0-2-3-5-7-|-5-7-5-3-0-|-3-2-0-------|-----------| A|-----------|-----------|-------5-3-2-|-3-2-0-0-5-| D|-----------|-----------|-------------|-----------| G|-----------|-----------|-------------|-----------|
Numbers are frets. Same strings as the fiddle, so the same notes fall in the same places.
The Swallowtail — fiddle fingering
G D A E · first position — finger numbers
E|--------0-----|--------0------|-------------|-L2-1-0--------| A|-L2-1-0---0-0-|-L2-1-0---3-L2-|-1-----3-----|--------3-L2-1-| D|--------------|---------------|---3-3---3-3-|---------------| G|--------------|---------------|-------------|---------------|
E|--------0-----|--------0-1-|-L2-1-0--------|------------| A|-L2-1-0---0-0-|-L2-1-0-----|--------3-L2-1-|-L2-1-0-0-3-| D|--------------|------------|---------------|------------| G|--------------|------------|---------------|------------|
E|-0-1-L2-3-4-|-3-4-3-L2-0-|-0-1-L2-3-4-|-3-L2-0-L2---| A|------------|------------|------------|-----------3-| D|------------|------------|------------|-------------| G|------------|------------|------------|-------------|
E|-0-1-L2-3-4-|-3-4-3-L2-0-|-L2-1-0--------|------------| A|------------|------------|--------3-L2-1-|-L2-1-0-0-3-| D|------------|------------|---------------|------------| G|------------|------------|---------------|------------|
0 = open string · 1–4 = finger · L = low (half step back), H = high.
The Swallowtail — Guitar tab
E A D G B E · open position
e|-------0-----|-------0-----|-------------|-3-2-0-------| B|-1-0---------|-1-0-----3-1-|-0-----3-----|-------3-1-0-| G|-----2---2-2-|-----2-------|---0-0---0-0-|-------------| D|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------| A|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------| E|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
e|-------0-----|-------0-2-|-3-2-0-------|-----------| B|-1-0---------|-1-0-------|-------3-1-0-|-1-0-----3-| G|-----2---2-2-|-----2-----|-------------|-----2-2---| D|-------------|-----------|-------------|-----------| A|-------------|-----------|-------------|-----------| E|-------------|-----------|-------------|-----------|
e|-0-2-3-5-7-|-5-7-5-3-0-|-0-2-3-5-7-|-5-3-0-3---| B|-----------|-----------|-----------|---------3-| G|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------| D|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------| A|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------| E|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
e|-0-2-3-5-7-|-5-7-5-3-0-|-3-2-0-------|-----------| B|-----------|-----------|-------3-1-0-|-1-0-----3-| G|-----------|-----------|-------------|-----2-2---| D|-----------|-----------|-------------|-----------| A|-----------|-----------|-------------|-----------| E|-----------|-----------|-------------|-----------|
Numbers are frets; the bottom line is the low E string.
The Swallowtail — Ukulele tab
G C E A (high G) · open position
A|-3-2-0-7-0-0-|-3-2-0-7-5-3-|-2-----5-----|-10-9-7-5-3-2-| E|-------------|-------------|-------------|--------------| C|-------------|-------------|-------------|--------------| G|-------------|-------------|---0-0---0-0-|--------------|
A|-3-2-0-7-0-0-|-3-2-0-7-9-|-10-9-7-5-3-2-|-3-2-0-0-5-| E|-------------|-----------|--------------|-----------| C|-------------|-----------|--------------|-----------| G|-------------|-----------|--------------|-----------|
A|-7-9-10-12-14-|-12-14-12-10-7-|-7-9-10-12-14-|-12-10-7-10-5-| E|--------------|---------------|--------------|--------------| C|--------------|---------------|--------------|--------------| G|--------------|---------------|--------------|--------------|
A|-7-9-10-12-14-|-12-14-12-10-7-|-10-9-7-5-3-2-|-3-2-0-0-5-| E|--------------|---------------|--------------|-----------| C|--------------|---------------|--------------|-----------| G|--------------|---------------|--------------|-----------|
Numbers are frets; the top line is the A string, the bottom line the high G.
More jigs and tunes like it
This setting is a community transcription from thesession.org. The tune itself is traditional. Tabs and letter names worked out by The Music Arcade.