Jig (and march), A Mixolydian, Scottish
Set in A Mixolydian, this tune rings out boldly as a strong finale to a set of tunes. Originally a Scottish march, the tune is popular in Irish sessions played as a jig. Because the tune has many repeated phrases, it is not as daunting to learn as you might expect a four-part jig (or march) to be.
Being in A Mixolydian, the tune is essentially in A major, except that the G notes are played as G natural. If you are a bit hazy on the Mixolydian mode, see the article “Dorian, Mixolydian, Oh My: Modes in a Nutshell” for a brief and friendly explanation.
Originally raised in 1777, The Atholl Highlanders is now a ceremonial infantry regiment. It is under the command of the Duke of Atholl, and based at Blair Castle, Blair Atholl, in Perthshire, Scotland. Blair Atholl is included in Scotland’s Cairngorms National Park, which was established in 2003.
Recordings
- Video – Dulahan Ireland: Jig of Slurs and The Atholl Highlanders Jig – played on fiddle and tenor banjo with rhythm guitar. (The Atholl Highlanders starts at time 1:58 in this recording. Dulahan is the duo of Joe and Adele Green, County Mayo, Ireland.)
- Audio – Hanneke Cassel: Paddy’s Leather Britches/ Jig of Slurs/ Atholl Highlanders from the album Over the Sea to Skye. (Athol Highlanders starts at time 4:05 in this recording.)
- Video – The Tannahill Weavers: Johnnie Cope / The Atholl Highlanders – from the album Best Of The Tannahill Weavers. (The recording begins and ends with The Atholl Highlanders, with the son Johnnie Cope in the middle.)
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.
Play-along Tracks
Sets
Examples of sets that include this tune.
- Highlander Jig Set: Jig of Slurs (D) / The Atholl Highlanders (A Mixolydian)
- Johnnie Cope / The Atholl Highlanders
References and Resources
For those who want to dig deeper, here are some other resources.
- More Recordings
- Video – Shane Farrell: The Atholl Highlanders Jig – solo tenor banjo, tune with variations
- Video – Paul Young: Atholl Highlanders (jig) D/G melodeon, diatonic accordion
- Video – Paul Anderson: The Atholl Highlanders performed by Paul Anderson for Dave Westall (organist at Crathie Kirk) – solo fiddle, played as a Scottish march
- Books
- Book – The Portland Collection, Volume 1 – Contra Dance Music in the Pacific Northwest. By Susan Songer with Clyde Curley.
- Book – David Brody: The Fiddler’s Fakebook
- Lessons
- Lesson – Mike Giverin (Mando Mike) – Atholl Highlanders – as a jig and a march – Mandolin Lesson (Advanced) – video lesson with downloadable sheet music and lesson notes.
- Lesson – Chris Haigh (The Fiddle Channel) Atholl Highlanders jig (fiddle tutorial) – video lesson with sheet music shown in video. Taught as a jig with and without ornamentation, and as a march.
- Lesson – Gianfranco Rongo: The Atholl Highlanders – Tutorial for diatonic accordion – tutorial for a two-row G-C diatonic accordion
- Additional Resources
- Article – Wikipedia: Atholl Highlanders
- Webpage – The Session: The Atholl Highlanders (Jig) – crowdsourced sheet music, comments, and more
- Webpage – irishtune.info: The Atholl Highlanders – archival information about the tune, curated by Alan Ng