Full Rigged Ship

Jig, A Minor, traditional Shetland
Also known as Da Full Rigged Ship; The Full Rigged Ship.
TrailJams Tune of the Week: November 30, 2025.

"Full Rigged Ship" - image of a nineteenth century three-masted ship sailing from harbor on a bright day.
Full Rigged Ship, TrailJams Tune of the Week November 30, 2025

Da Full Rigged Ship is a graceful Shetland tune that rings out with a fanfare.  The tune is instilled with the Norse, Celtic, and seafaring essence of the Shetland Islands.

In a sailing ship, “rigging” refers to the system of ropes (lines), cables, and chains used to support and control the masts, yards, and sails. A ship described as “rigged” means it is fully equipped with its masts, spars, and rigging — ready to set sail.

Tom learned this descriptive piece from the late Peter Fraser. It describes the motion of a full rigged ship with a nice sailing wind. The changes in tempo try to describe where the ship and sea play a little game.

— Tom Anderson, Ringing Strings: Traditional Shetland Music and Dance

Is it a jig? Not exactly. Though the tune is in jig time (6/8), it is not treated as a jig in Shetland dance traditions. Rather it is simply “a tune in 6/8 time” or “a tune in jig time” and used just as a reel for the purpose of dancing. This tune is usually played with free timing, rather than with the steady meter of a dance tune.

Is it in A Minor or A Dorian? Both. The first part of the tune (Part A) is in A Dorian, with its distinctive F-sharp notes. The rest of the tune (Parts B and C) are in A minor, and the F notes are F-natural. If you are a bit hazy on the Dorian and Mixolydian modes, see the article “Dorian, Mixolydian, Oh My: Modes in a Nutshell” for a brief and friendly explanation.

Shetland Jig Swing: Shetland players often infuse the tune with a distinctive Shetland jig swing — different from both Irish jig swing and Scottish snap ornamentation. Each group of three eighth notes is played with long–short–medium pattern: note 1 is slightly long; note 2 is noticeably short (almost a “tuck” or lift); note 3 is medium, landing assertively. Listen to the recordings listed below (especially of Aly Bain and Tom Anderson), and Fiona Cuthill’s fiddle lessons, for good examples of the tune’s swing.

Recordings

Playlist – TrailJams Listening Series

Listen to a curated playlist (virtual album) of recordings of Full Rigged Ship and New Rigged Ship. Absorb the tunes by hearing them in multiple settings and arrangements.
Listen, loop, and learn. YouTube "Play" Icon (2024)

Full Rigged Ship, New Rigged Ship: TrailJams Listening Series (Image of two sailing ships moving at speed on the open ocean.)
Full Rigged Ship, New Rigged Ship: Listen or watch on YouTube

Sheet Music

As always for traditional tunes, the musical notation and chords do not indicate the “right” way to play the tune, but are a useful reference. Watch out for the F-notes: They are F-sharp in Part A of the tune (which is in A Dorian) and F-natural in Parts B and C of the tune (which is in A Minor).

Sheet music with chords for Full Rigged Ship, traditional Shetland jig in A major / A Dorian. Arrangement by Jonathan Lay. trailjams.org

Swing it: The play-along tracks don’t capture the Shetland-style swing that the tune should be played with. To hear that, listen to the recordings listed above (especially of Aly Bain and Tom Anderson), and Fiona Cuthill’s fiddle lessons (below).

Play-along Tracks

Very slow tempo 50bpm
Slow tempo 70bpm
Moderate tempo 90bpm
TrailJams Tune Camp (image: sketch of fiddle)

Learn it with Soundslice in TrailJams Tune Camp. Info Unlock Learn

Sets

Examples of sets that include this tune.

References and Resources

For those who want to dig deeper, here are some other resources.