Hornpipe, D Major, Irish Traditional
TrailJams Tune of the Week for July 22, 2021
There are two traditional tunes that go by the name of “The Peacock’s Feather.” One is in a minor key (Dorian mode), the other is in a major key. This tune, The Peacock’s Feather #2, is in D Major. It is called #2 (apparently) because the two tunes have been recorded together several times, with this one being second.
Recordings
- Video: The Peacock’s Feathers, played by Katherine Liley from Skye and Martin Macdonald
- Audio: Hornpipes: the Peacock’s Feather / the Fairies’ Hornpipe, Seamus Begley & Sisin Mac Diarmada, An Irish Christmas Soundscape (Caution: the pitch in this recording is ½ step off of standard tuning.)
Sheet Music (Dots)
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
Suggested Sets
Companion tunes and sequences that work well for this tune.
- The Peacock’s Feather #1 (D Dorian) / The Peacock’s Feather #2 (D)
Other Resources
For those who want to dig deeper, here are some other resources.
- More Recordings
- Video – The Peacock’s Feathers, played by Katherine Liley and Martin Macdonald This is a very clear video of fiddle and guitar, played at a moderate tempo for the sake of learning the tune.
- Video – Frankie Gavin and Alec Finn: Peacock’s Feather (Hornpipe) – from the album Frankie Gavin and Alec Finn (Masters of Irish Music). The pitch of this recording puts the tonic at D#/Eb, which makes it a bit awkward to work with. The recording includes The Peacock’s Feather #1 and #2.
- Additional Resources
- Webpage – The Peacock’s Feather (Hornpipe) in D Major – sheet music provided by McDermott’s Handy
- Webpage – The Traditional Tune Archive, Peacock’s Feather (2) D Major – sheet music
- Webpage – Henrik Norbeck’s ABC Tunes, The Peacock’s Feather, D Major – sheet music and ABC