The Humours of Whiskey

Slip jig, Bm, Traditional Irish
Also known as: The Humours Of Whisky; The Humors Of Whiskey

A nicely aged tune with sparkle, warmth, and perhaps a bit of peat smoke. This traditional Irish slip jig is best enjoyed in good company.

The tune alternates between a minor key in its first half and a major key in its second half. It starts in B minor. Then for the second half of the tune it shifts to D major (the relative major of Bm). Finally it either ends unresolved, or it comes “home” to resolve with a B minor chord.

Recordings

• Video – Dulahan Ireland: The Humours Of Whiskey Slip Jig – played on tenor banjo
• Audio – Pennybrook Project (Jude Pelley): Humours Of Whiskey ​/ ​Kid On The Mountain / The Butterfly from the album Two Sharps
• Audio – The Humours of Whiskey (Slip Jig) – played on tin whistle. From the book Irish Music – 400 Traditional Tunes.

Dots (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.

• Derrycrossane Slip Jig Set: Fig for a Kiss / Humours of Derrycrossane / Humours of Whiskey
• Whiskey Mountain Slip Jig Set: Humours of Whiskey / The Kid on the Mountain
• Humours of Whiskey / The Kid on the Mountain / The Foxhunter (slip jig)
• Humours of Whiskey / The Kid on the Mountain / The Butterfly
• Fig for a Kiss / Humours Of Derrycrossane / Humours of Whiskey (Bm)

References and Resources

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

• More Recordings
  • Audio – Stuart Mason & John Weed: The Humours Of Whiskey – played slowly on fiddle with guitar backing. From the album Slow & Easy Volume 1.
• Books
  • Book & Audio – Matt & Shannon Heaton: In Harmony 
  • Book – Stephen Ducke: Irish Music 400 Traditional Tunes
  • Book – Grey Larsen: 150 Gems of Irish Music for Tin Whistle – with audio tracks of the tunes played on tin whistle
  • Book – John Weed and Stuart Mason: Slow & Easy Volumes 1 and 2
• Lessons
  • Lesson – Shannon Heaton: Humours of Whiskey (Slip Jig) – #NameYerTune – taught phrase-by-phrase on flute.
  • Lesson – Online Academy of Irish Music: Humours of Whiskey – lessons with phrase by phrase instruction for flute, tenor banjo, and rhythm guitar; ornamentation, sheet music, and play-along tracks. Requires subscription to OAIM.
• Other Resources
  • Webpage The Session: The Humours Of Whiskey (slip jig) – crowdsourced sheet music, comments and more