Reel, D Mixolydian, traditional Irish
Also known as: An tSeansceach; Captain Rock
The Old Bush, a traditional Irish reel, carries a subtle sense of mystery as it moves between major and modal colors. That shifting character suits the tune’s title, which reflects a traditional respect for the otherworldly “fairy folk.”
C-Natural or C-Sharp? Although The Old Bush is generally regarded as a D Mixolydian tune, it makes selective use of C-sharp notes. Most of the tune uses C natural, giving it a distinctly modal sound. The C-sharp appears mainly in ascending phrases that approach D, functioning as a temporary leading tone rather than a permanent change of mode. As a result, the tune retains its Mixolydian character while occasionally borrowing a touch of D major for melodic lift and resolution.
If you’d like a quick refresher on Mixolydian mode, see the article “Dorian, Mixolydian, Oh My: Modes in a Nutshell” for a brief and friendly explanation.
The Lore — In the Irish landscape, a lone thorn bush standing in a field is rarely just a tree. The “old bush” (An tSeansceach) is traditionally associated with the “people of the mounds,” or fairy folk (Aos Sí), and such trees are often left untouched out of respect. These solitary bushes are most often hawthorn, or whitethorn, long associated with the unseen world. (Pronunciation: An tSeansceach ≈ “on tyan-SHYAKH”. Aos Sí ≈ “ees SHEE”. You can hear both spoken at Abair.ie.)
Recordings
- Video – Floating Crowbar: Reels: Sporting Paddy / The Crooked Road / The Old Bush – from the album (The Old Bush starts at time 2:08 in this recording.)
- Video – Jarlath Henderson: The Old Bush Set (The Long Hills of Mourne) – from the album Sound Neighbours: Contemporary Music from Northern Ireland. Jarlath Henderson on uilleann pipes is joined by Ross Ainslie on Scottish border pipes. (The second tune in the set seems to be a distinctly different tune, given the title here as “The Long Hills of Mourne”.)
- Video – Matt Molloy and Sean Keane: The Sword In The Hand / The Providence Reel / The Old Bush – from the album Contentment is Wealth. (The Old Bush starts at time 1:54 in this recording.)
- Video – Dulahan Ireland: The Old Bush, Man of the House and Mrs Mc Leod’s reels
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.
- Barley & Bramble Reel Set: The Trip to Durrow (D) / The Old Bush (D Mixolydian) / The Wind that Shakes the Barley (D)
- The Old Bush (D Mixolydian) / The Crooked Road to Dublin (G) / The Foxhunter’s Reel (A)
- The Old Bush / The Ravelled Hank of Yarn
- Sporting Paddy / The Crooked Road / The Old Bush
- The Old Bush / My Love is in America / Trim the Velvet
- The Old Bush / The Man of the House / Miss McLeod’s Reel
References and Resources
For those who want to dig deeper, here are some other resources.
- More Recordings
- Video – Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill: The Old Bush/The Reel With The Burl – from the album The Lonesome Touch
- Video – Na Connerys: The Old Bush, Crooked Road to Dublin, Man of the House, Dublin Reel – from the album The Session
- Video – Shane Farrell: The Old Bush Reel. Irish Tenor Banjo Music – solo tenor banjo
- Books
- Book & Audio – Grey Larsen: 150 Gems of Irish Music for Tin Whistle – with audio tracks of the tunes played on tin whistle
- Book & audio – Grey Larsen: 300 Gems of Irish Music for All Instruments
- Book & Audio – Dave Mallinson: 100 Essential Irish Session Tunes
- Lessons
- Lesson – Benoît Volant: The Old Bush – Reel – video lesson on fiddle, demonstrating the tune played slowly and simply, and then with increasing tempo.
- Lesson – Hatao (hatao’s Irish tune of the day): The Old Bush (Double Reel, D Mixolydian) – video lesson. Tune played on flute with on-screen sheet music.
- Lesson – Folk Friend Celtic Guitar Tutorials: Dennis Cahill Guitar Tricks – Accompanying The Old Bush Reel with “vague” and contrapuntal chords
- Lesson – Sean Cunningham (Whistletutor): Flute Lesson – The Old Bush (Reel) – video lesson with tune taught phrase-by-phrase, by ear
- Lesson – Mossie Martin: The Old Bush (Reel) – video demonstration of the tune played on D tin whistle
- Lesson – Aidan Crossey (The Irish Mandolin): The Old Bush REVISITED – a reel in D Mixolydian tabbed for mandolin and played by Aidan Crossey – video demonstration of the tunes played on mandolin and tenor guitar. On-screen sheet music and tablature.
- Additional Resources