The Peacock’s Feather #1

Hornpipe, D Dorian, Traditional Irish
TrailJams Tune of the Week for: June 17, 2021; November 5, 2023

This traditional Irish hornpipe is the first of two companion tunes named The Peacock’s Feather. This one, in its minor key, sets the stage so that the second tune can dazzle and strut in its major key.

Recordings

• Video – Katherine Liley and Martin Macdonald: The Peacock’s Feathers – played on fiddle with rhythm guitar
• Video – The Tulla Ceili Band: The Peacock’s Feather (Hornpipe) – from the album A Celebration of 50 Years
• Video – Tergal14 Mandolin: The Peacock’s Feather – played on mandolin

Dots (Music Notation)

The Traditional tune is transcribed here in D Dorian. (D Dorian: same key signature as C Major, resolves to Dm chord and D note. Sometimes called “modal minor.”) This version is transcribed (and simplified) from the playing of Katherine Liley and Martin MacDonald; Frankie Gavin and Alec Finn. The tune changes from D Dorian to D Major in the first 2 measures of the B part. 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.

• Peacock’s Feather Hornpipe Set: The Peacock’s Feather #1 (D Dorian) / The Peacock’s Feather #2 (D)

References and Resources

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

• More Recordings
  • Video – Caitlin Golding: Dance Solo – The Peacock’s Feather: Caitlin Golding and Warbelow Range @ FSAF 2018 – solo dance at Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival, Fairbanks, Alaska, 2018.
  • Video – concertinette: “The Peacock’s Feather” hornpipe – played on Anglo concertina
  • 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. The recording includes The Peacock’s Feather #1 and #2.
• Lessons
  • Lesson – Marla Fibish (Peghead Nation): The Peacock’s Feather (#1) – mandolin lesson; part of the Irish Mandolin with Marla Fibish course. (Requires a subscription to Peghead Nation.)
• Additional Resources
  • Article: Jonathan Lay (TrailJams): Dorian, Mixolydian, Oh My: Modes in a Nutshell – a friendly and brief explanation of musical modes.
  • Sheet Music – The Traditional Tune Archive: The Peacock’s Feather (1) – the page includes two settings of the tune in D Dorian. Includes ABC notation.
  • Sheet Music – Henrik Norbeck’s ABC Tunes: The Peacock’s Feather – Includes ABC notation