Slip jig, D Mixolydian, traditional Irish
Also known as: Hardy Man the Fiddler; Hardyman the Fiddler
“Hardiman the Fiddler” is a joyful tune with the driving stride of a runner and the nimble turns of a dancer. This Irish slip jig was already traditional a century ago, and continues to be a popular tune for session playing and dance.
Recordings
- Video – Dulahan Ireland: Hardiman The Fiddler Slip Jig – played on tenor banjo with rhythm backing.
- Video – The Chieftains: The Humors Of Whiskey; Hardiman The Fiddler (Slip Jigs) – from the album The Chieftains 2. (Hardiman the Fiddler starts at time 1:14 in this recording.)
- Video – Chris Smith: Na Ceannabhain Bhana/Hardiman the Fiddler/Drops of Brandy – from the album Coyote Banjo. (Hardiman the Fiddler starts at time 0:47 in this recording.)
Dots (Music Notation)
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.
Play from the Dots
Sets
Examples of sets that include this tune.
- Humours of Derrykrosane / Hardiman the Fiddler
- Hardiman the Fiddler / Humours of Whiskey
- Humours of Whiskey / Hardiman the Fiddler / Drops of Brandy
- I Buried my Wife and Danced on Her Grave (jig) / Hardiman the Fiddler
- Hardiman the Fiddler / Give us a Drink of Water
References and Resources
For those who want to dig deeper, here are some other resources.
- More Recordings
- Video – Enda Scahill: Hardiman the Fiddler on my Clareen Setanta Irish Tenor Banjo
- Video – Jean Banwarth: Hardiman the fiddler – Irish Guitar – DADGAD Fingerstyle Slip Jig – guitar tab available from Jean Banwarth.
- Audio – Stephen Ducke: Hardiman the Fiddler (Slip Jig) – played on tin whistle. From the book Irish Music – 400 Traditional Tunes.
- Audio – Kenn Gordon: Hardiman The Fiddler – played on fiddle with rhythm backing.
- Audio – Stuart Mason & John Weed: Hardiman The Fiddler – played slowly on fiddle with guitar backing. From the album Slow & Easy Volume 1.
- Books
- Lessons
- Lessons – Online Academy of Irish Music – instruction for playing the tune on concertina; session play-along videos; play-along tracks. (Requires subscription to OAIM.)
- Lessons – Marla Fibish (Peghead Nation): Hardiman the Fiddler – Mandolin instruction. part of Irish Mandolin with Marla Fibish. (Requires subscription to Peghead Nation.)
- Lesson – John Whelan: “Hunting the Hare” / “The Swaggering Jig” / “Hardiman the Fiddler” (slip jigs) – One-hour tune class – button accordion: approximately one-hour audio recording of phrase-by-phrase teaching of the three tunes plus a PDF file of the notation. (Purchase.)
- Other Resources
- Article: Dorian, Mixolydian, Oh My: Modes in a Nutshell, by Jonathan Lay, TrailJams
- Webpage – The Session: Hardiman The Fiddler (Slip Jig) – crowdsourced sheet music, comments, and other information.
- Webpage – The Irish Traditional Music Tune Index: Hardiman the Fiddler – curated information about the tune, including sheet music, recordings and more.