Fairy Dance — Mandolin Tab

Mandolin tab and sheet music with synced audio · Nathaniel Gow · Key of D · 120 BPM · 4/4 time · Scottish Reel · Beginner

Chords used in this arrangement: D, A, G, B.

The "Fairy Dance" you're learning was actually only half of something bigger. Nathaniel Gow originally published it in 1802 as part of a two-tune suite called "Largo's Fairy Dance," where "Largo" refers to a small parish in Fife, Scotland, and the whole piece was written specifically for the Fife Hunt Ball. The companion tune, "The Fairies Advance," has basically faded into obscurity, but this one took off on its own and spread everywhere. It has been collected under aliases as far apart as Donegal, Shetland, and even New England, where it turned up as an old-time breakdown called "Old Molly Hare."

This page includes mandolin tablature, standard music notation, and a chord chart — printable as PDF and playable in sync with the original recording. Change the key, slow the tempo down, and loop the bars you want to practise.