The Virginia Reel

Reel, D
Also known as The Virginian, The Virginia
Tune of the Week: February 23, 2025

The Virginia - Traditional Irish - Reel (Background photo of the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, USA)

This traditional Irish tune has the name of an American state. But don’t confuse it with the American old-time tune of the same name.

The image above is of the Shenandoah Valley in the state of Virginia, USA.

Recordings

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.

Sheet music with chords for The Virginia Reel, traditional Irish reel in D major. Arrangement by Jonathan Lay. trailjams.org

Play-along Tracks

Very slow tempo 45bpm
Slow tempo 65bpm
Moderate tempo 85bpm
TrailJams Tune Camp (image: sketch of fiddle)

Learn it with Soundslice in TrailJams Tune Camp. Info Unlock Learn

Sets

Examples of sets that include this tune.

TrailJams Jacket Reel Set: The Peeler's Jacket (image of 1800's British police jacket); The Torn Jacket (image of a torn jacket); The Virginia Reel (Image of Shenandoah Valley).
Jacket Reel Set
TrailJams - Edinburgh Reel Set: The Flowers of Edinburgh, The Torn Jacket, The Virginia Reel
Edinburgh Reel Set

References and Resources

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