SimplyMandolin

tabs & music for the mandolin player

reel

Spotted Pony

by

picture of a spotted pony.

A young spotted Appaloosa.

The Spotted Pony is a simple little tune with a catchy melody. It’s an old classic, but I’m not sure of the origin. I was surprised that it wasn’t in the Fiddler’s Fake Book.

I did find information on a small horse breed called “the British Spotted Pony”. The breed originated in England and has been around for a couple hundred years.

Characterized by its spots (of course), and a smaller stature, they can range in size from miniature, to 14.2 hands. According to wikipedia, anything larger would belong to the Appaloosa breed, which is what I originally considered to be the possible inspiration for the tune.

Newsletter

The Tune

The following is a fairly easy version of a nice, simple tune. The A-part is usually played twice, followed by the B-part twice. However, I have heard the melody played with the B-part first.

It’s in the Key of D major.

Listen to “The Spotted Pony” for mandolin

The Spotted Pony
image of tablature for the tune "spotted pony".
Mandolin tablature for the popular fiddle tune “Spotted Pony”.

Downloads:

*Tab & Music
*Just the Tab
*Just the Music
Make a donation to SimplyMandolin at https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=6T4RDDANKE8PN

If you feel you can help support this site with the donation of a dollar or two, It would be very much appreciated…

If you don’t wish to donate at this time, I totally understand – Enjoy!

More Stuff

I always do a little research on a tune when I’m putting up an arrangement. In this instance, I ended up learning more about the pony breed than the melody. If you’re at all interested and would like more info, you can check out The British Spotted Pony Society online.

Thanks for your interest in SimplyMandolin.

Don’t Miss a Beat!

Join our mailing list for new tabs, practice ideas and study material.
Keep informed of new projects. Its free!
No spam, ever. That’s a promise!

Top of Page

St. Anne’s Reel

by

image of mandolin for St. Anne's Reel.
Old Gibson with Handel tuners

St. Anne’s Reel is sometimes mistakenly considered to have originated in Ireland. Although it is popular in Ireland (and many other countries), its a traditional French Canadian fiddle tune that gained popularity in the 1930s.

Maybe I’ve heard some say that its been over-played, as is sometimes common with many popular tunes. However, it still doesn’t seem to have lost any of it’s appeal after all these years. Also, its definitely a favorite of students, and it appears on this website by request (thank you Brenda!). As a result, its not uncommon to hear it played at Irish or Scottish sessions, and the tune is probably in the repertoire of most old time fiddlers.

Newsletter

The Tune

St. Anne’s is a nice, easy-to-play tune with notes that just seem to flow together.  Yet, there’s lots of room for embellishment and variation. There’s a ton of different versions out there.

It has a simple, but catchy melody that will stick in your head all day. I think that St. Anne’s Reel will be one of the more popular tunes on these pages.

Listen to “St. Anne’s Reel” for mandolin:

Saint Anne’s Reel
Image of music and tab for "St. Anne's Reel".
Music & Tab for the popular tune “St. Anne’s Reel”

Downloads:

*Tab & Music
*Just the Tab
*Just the Music
Make a donation to SimplyMandolin at https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=6T4RDDANKE8PN

If you feel you can help support this site with the donation of a dollar or two, It would be very much appreciated…

If you don’t wish to donate at this time, I totally understand – Enjoy!

St. Anne’s Inspiration

There are hundreds of churches and shrines throughout North America dedicated to St. Anne. Considered to be one of the more popular saints, devotion to St. Anne is widespread among French Canadians. She is the official patroness of the province of Quebec.

In St. Anne de Beaupré, just east of Quebec city, there is a famous shrine Basilica dedicated to St. Anne. There are many miracles attributed to the shrine and it is the oldest pilgrimage site in Canada. Each year, people visit the Basilica from all over to pray for family and friends, or to seek help from St. Anne.

Thanks for taking a look at St. Anne’s Reel. I hope you enjoy the tune.

Don’t Miss a Beat!

Join our mailing list for new tabs, practice ideas and study material.
Keep informed of new projects. Its free!
No spam, ever. That’s a promise!

Top of Page

The Bay of Fundy

by

Image showing boats on the sea floor at low tide in bay of fundy.
Boats stranded on the ocean floor.

The Bay of Fundy is located on the east coast of Canada. Bordered by the two provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, the bay’s tides are almost 4 times higher than those on the west coast. In fact, The Bay of Fundy is recognized for having the highest tides in the world.

A Natural Wonder – Bay of Fundy

Burntcoat Head, Nova Scotia has a tidal range of 56 feet. That is about the height of a 5-story building. There are 2 high tides and 2 low tides each day. In many areas, low tide can leave fishing boats stranded on the ocean floor. They float again when the tides change.

There are hiking trails that are only available during low tide. You’re literally walking on the bottom of the ocean. There are locations where you can walk and explore for miles on the sea floor. However, you might want to keep an eye on the tides…

Google ‘bay of fundy images‘ and see some spectacular pics.

Newsletter

The Tune

“The Bay of Fundy” is a reel written by Canadian fiddler and composer Bill Guest.

Bill was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He’s a multi-instrumentalist, known mostly for his piano and fiddle playing. Mr. Guest has composed over three hundred fiddle tunes and country songs. He’s played his way across Canada and the U.S.A. with various bands, working with some of the best.

As an author, Bill has published several instructional fiddle guides and fiddle tune compilations. His books are available on Amazon.

Bill Guest was inducted into the Nova Scotia Country Music Hall of Fame in 2018.

I learned this tune from one of Bill’s recordings.

The arrangement below is in the Key of D Major. Each part is usually played through twice ( A-A-B-B).

Listen to “The Bay of Fundy” for mandolin:

Bay of Fundy
Mandolin tab for the Canadian fiddle tune “Bay of Fundy”.

Downloads:

Tab & Music
Just the Tab
Just the Music
Make a donation to SimplyMandolin at https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=6T4RDDANKE8PN

If you feel you can help support this site with the donation of a dollar or two, It would be very much appreciated…

If you don’t wish to donate at this time, I totally understand – Enjoy!

Try it in G…

I”ve also heard “The Bay of Fundy” played in the Key of G. To play it in “G”, just move everything over 1 course of strings. Use the exact same fingering, but start on the A-string instead of the E-string. You can use the open E-string for the high note instead of the pinky at the 7th fret.

I hope you enjoy “The Bay of Fundy” reel. Please feel free to leave comments below.

Cy…

Don’t Miss a Beat!

Join our mailing list for new tabs, practice ideas and study material.
Keep informed of new projects. Its free!
No spam, ever. That’s a promise!

Top of Page

Caribou Reel

by

A picture of Andy Dejarlis.
Andy Dejarlis

Andy Dejarlis

“Caribou Reel” is a fiddle tune written by Andy Dejarlis. Dejarlis was a Canadian Metis fiddle player and composer born in Woodridge, Manitoba in 1914.

The original Metis were mixed race children born to a First Nations mother and European father. Today’s Metis are descendants of those children and recognized as one of Canada’s indigenous peoples . Over generations, the Metis have developed a distinct culture. They’ve also developed their own unique fiddle style, just like Cape Breton fiddlers and French Canadian fiddlers have.

Newsletter

Although Andy has had a huge influence on the Metis fiddle style, his compositions and music remain an inspiration to all musicians. He’s credited with over 200 compositions including reels, jigs, waltzes and polkas. Some of my favourites include tunes like “Whiskey Before Breakfast“, “Caribou Reel“, “Sitting Bull”, “Buckskin Reel“, “Louis Riel”  and  “Rooster on a Fence”.

Andy Dejarlis died in 1975.

The Tune “Caribou Reel”

Although this tune is in the Key of Em, you’ll find a few “C-sharps” in the A section.

The recording I have (by Dejarlis) is played A-A-B-B, and the tune ends with the A-section. Although, I’ve heard other recordings that end with the B-section. Also, I should mention that I’ve seen the A-section and B-section switched around.

Of course, you can play it any way you like.

Listen to “Caribou Reel” for mandolin:

Caribou Reel
Mandolin tab for the tune "Caribou Reel by Andy Dejarlis".
Mandolin tab for the tune “Caribou Reel by Andy Dejarlis”.

Downloads:

Tab & MusicTab & Music
Just the TabJust the Tab
Just the MusicJust the Music
Make a donation to SimplyMandolin at https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=6T4RDDANKE8PN

If you feel you can help support this site with the donation of a dollar or two, It would be very much appreciated…

If you don’t wish to donate at this time, I totally understand – Enjoy!

More of Andy

I would like to put a few more of Andy Dejarlis’ compositions on the website. So, if you’re interested, keep an eye out!

I hope you enjoy learning the tune “Caribou Reel”.

Cy…

Don’t Miss a Beat!

Join our mailing list for new tabs, practice ideas and study material.
Keep informed of new projects. Its free!
No spam, ever. That’s a promise!

Top of Page
illustration of a fiddle.

Miss Mcleod’s Reel

by

Loch Shiel, Scotland.

South from Isle of Skye

Miss Mcleod‘s comes to us from the Isles of Skye and Raasay in Northern Scotland. It was apparently written for a young lady named Miss MacLeod, from Raasay. Therefore, you might be wondering how it got from ‘Mac’ to ‘Mc’. Well, I haven’t a clue. I’ve seen it spelled both ways. As a result, I’ll spell it both ways throughout this page, (just for search purposes).

Another famous MacLeod from Raasay is Calum MacLeod. He spent many years of his life building a road (by hand) on the Isle of Raasay. His endeavors were inspiration for the strathspey by Capercaillie, called Calum’s Road.

The image you see above is from the top of a hill in Glenfinnan, Scotland, overlooking Loch Shiel. After spending some time on the Isle of Skye, we were headed for Oban (going to visit the whiskey distillery). I wanted to watch the Jacobite Express (steam engine) as it crossed the Glenfinnan Viaduct. While it was a little out of our way, we still decided to take it in. And I’m glad we did. Another beautiful drive, and some great photo opportunities.

However, we missed the train by about 10  minutes!

Newsletter

The Tune

Originally from Scotland, the tune seems to have gained huge popularity in Ireland and North America. Therefore, many different versions, in several different keys can be found throughout the folk music scene.

In addition, it goes by many different names. Often called “MacLeod’s Reel” or “MacLeod of Raasay“, in Scotland. Elsewhere, it’s usually referred to as “Miss Mcleod“, or “Miss Mcleod’s Reel”. Many North American fiddlers may know it as “Hop High Ladies” or “Did You Ever Meet the Devil, Uncle Joe”.

Probably the most common key for this tune in North America is the Key of G major.

Listen to “Miss Macleod” for mandolin:

Miss Mcleod’s Reel

Image of mandolin tab for the Celtic tune "Miss Mcleod".
Mandolin Tab for the Celtic tune “Miss Mcleod”.

Downloads:

Tab & MusicDownload
Just the TabDownload
Just the MusicDownload
Make a donation to SimplyMandolin at https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=6T4RDDANKE8PN

If you feel you can help support this site with the donation of a dollar or two, It would be very much appreciated…

If you don’t wish to donate at this time, I totally understand – Enjoy!

I hope you enjoy this version of Miss Mcleod’s Reel.
Please feel free to leave comments below.

Cy…

Don’t Miss a Beat!

Join our mailing list for new tabs, practice ideas and study material.
Keep informed of new projects. Its free!
No spam, ever. That’s a promise!

The Banshee

by

Image of a banshee by a castle.

Could this be a lost soul?

Lost Soul

The banshee is a well known entity in Irish folklore. The legends and myths tell of a screaming young female spectre with auburn hair and blood-red eyes.

If you should see the creature, or hear her shrill screams, it means that someone in your family, or household, is going to die. The banshee doesn’t cause death, or take a life. She screams, or wails for those that are about to die.

Newsletter

Sightings

In Ireland, stories and sightings go back as far as the early 800’s. Also known as “Bean Sidhe”, the banshee has often been depicted as a beautiful young female apparition with scary, witch-like facial features. There have been many sightings throughout history, with the spectre disappearing in a cloud of mist once she’s seen. Of course as a result, a family member dies.

Shape Shifter

Scotland is also home to the shrieking creature . It appears as an ugly, gnarled, old woman or hag with broken teeth, instead of a beautiful young female. The Scots sometimes refer to the apparition as “Ban Sithe”. Yet, the stories are the same – she wails for the souls that are about to be lost.

The Tune

The ghostly creature is the inspiration, or subject, of more than one Irish melody. This week’s tune is simply titled “The Banshee”,  and it’s in the key of G.

Typical A-A B-B format.

Listen to “The Banshee” for mandolin:

The Banshee


Here it is again, at 100bpm:

Slower
Mandolin tab for the tune “The Banshee”.

Downloads:

Tab & MusicDownload
Just the TabDownload
Just the MusicDownload
Make a donation to SimplyMandolin at https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=6T4RDDANKE8PN

If you feel you can help support this site with the donation of a dollar or two, It would be very much appreciated…

If you don’t wish to donate at this time, I totally understand – Enjoy!

They’re Everywhere!

Although most commonly associated with Irish folklore, there are myths and stories of the same type of creature from  many different countries. The screaming spectre appears in the myths and legends of a number of different cultures throughout the world.

Always an omen of impending doom, she can appear in various forms and goes by many different names.

Spooky, huh? Hope you enjoy the tune.

Cy…

Don’t Miss a Beat!

Join our mailing list for new tabs, practice ideas and study material.
Keep informed of new projects. Its free!
No spam, ever. That’s a promise!

Top of Page