The Mist Covered Mountain

Jig, A Dorian, Irish, by Martin “Junior” Crehan (1908 – 1998)
Also known as: Mist on the Mountain

This jig, composed by Junior Crehan of County Clare, Ireland, is a favorite among session players.

The tune is most commonly played in A Dorian, but also in G Dorian. (If you are a bit hazy on the Dorian mode, see the article “Dorian, Mixolydian, Oh My: Modes in a Nutshell” for a brief and friendly explanation.)

Recordings

• Video – Comhaltas: Mist Covered Mountain – session recording from the album Foinn Seisiún 3
• Video – Dulahan Ireland: Mist Covered Mountain Jig – played on fiddle with rhythm guitar. (Dulahan is the duo of Joe and Adele Green, County Mayo, Ireland.)
• Video – Brian McGrath: The Mist Covered Mountain / Scatter the Mud – played on tenor banjo, from the album Pure Banjo

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.

Sets

Examples of sets that include this tune.

• Leitrim Mountain Jig Set: The Humours of Ballyloughlin (D Mixolydian) / The Leitrim Fancy (E Dorian) / Mist Covered Mountain, The (A Dorian)
• The Mist Covered Mountain / Scatter the Mud
• The Mist Covered Mountain / Out on the Ocean / The Lilting Banshee

References and Resources

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

• More Recordings
  • Video – Pat Barton Accordion: The Mist-Covered Mountain – Irish traditional jig on button accordion – button accordion solo, played on b/c/c# diatonic button accordion
  • Video – Shane Farrell: The Mist on the mountain Jig – played on solo tenor banjo
  • Audio – Stephen Ducke: The Mist-Covered Mountain (Jig) – played on tin whistle. From the book Irish Music – 400 Traditional Tunes
• Reference Books & Sheet Music
  • Book – Comhaltas: Foinn Seisiún, Volume 3
  • Book & Audio – Stephen Ducke: Irish Music – 400 Traditional Tunes
  • Sheet Music – Martin Junior Crehan: The Mist Covered Mountain / Scully Casey’s – (The sheet music transcription, signed by Junior Crehan, is in A Dorian. In the the audio recording provided with it, Junior Crehan plays the tune in G Dorian, but with the fiddle tuned about 80 cents below standard tuning.) Sheet music and audio recording provided by Clare County Library, Ennis, County Clare, Ireland.
  • Book – Angela Crotty: Martin Junior Crehan – Musical Compositions and Memories
• Lessons
  • Lesson – Niall Murphy (Fiddlevideo): The Mist Covered Mountain (jig) – fiddle lesson with video, sheet music, and audio recording download. Excerpt video lesson is free. (Full lesson requires subscription to Fiddlevideo.)
  • Lesson – Sean Cunningham (whistletutor): Tin Whistle Lesson – Jig: Mist Covered Mountain – video lesson with part-by-part breakdown and suggestions for ornamentation.
  • Lesson – James Finnegan (TheBanjoBuddy): The Mist Covered Mountain – Trad Tutorial – video tutorial for tenor banjo with on-screen sheet music and tab, and phrase-by-phrase instruction. Printed sheet music is available in The Banjo Buddy Tune Book.
• Additional Resources
  • Article – Jonathan Lay (TrailJams): Dorian, Mixolydian, Oh My: Modes in a Nutshell
  • Article – Barry Taylor (Music Traditions): Junior Crehan of Balymackea Beg, Profile of a West Clare Fiddle Player
  • Article – Wikipedia: Junior Crehan – a brief biography

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Recordings and Transcriptions in G Dorian or G Minor

• Recordings
  • Audio – Martin Junior Crehan: The Mist Covered Mountain / Scully Casey’s – fiddle solo by Junior Crehan, playing his own composition. From the album The Last House in Ballymackea. Displayed with sheet music signed by Junior Crehan. Sheet music and audio recording provided by Clare County Library, Ennis, County Clare, Ireland. (In the audio recording, the tune is played in G Dorian, though the fiddle is tuned about 80 cents below standard tuning, making the tune sound close to F# Dorian. The sheet music shows the tune in A Dorian.)
  • Video – Kevin Burke: The Orphan/The Mist On The Mountain/The Stolen Purse – solo fiddle, from the album Up Close. (The Mist on the Mountain starts at time 1:05 in this recording.)
• Books & Sheet Music
  • Book – Susan Songer with Clyde Curley: The Portland Collection, Volume 2 – Contra Dance Music in the Pacific Northwest (The tune is in G minor in this setting)