Galway Bay Hornpipe

Irish Hornpipe in G Aeolian

Here’s an intermediate lesson on how to play this haunting Irish hornpipe. I learned it from a Martin Hayes recording called “Under The Moon”.

This tune is recommended for students in Module 2.6 or higher. It’s a good way to practice the G Aeolian scale, Low Fourth Finger and the swing feel.

[convertkit form=2850494]

Unlock all the content on this page for free!

Full content for this lesson (all learning chunks, video loops, sheet music, audio and supplemental video) is available with a paid subscription. But you can use it NOW with a Free Two-week Trial Subscription.

Sign up here 🎻

Learning chunks 

I’ve made some “Learning Chunks” to help you learn more easily. These focused exercises contain sheet music, tabs and mp3 snippets to guide you on your fiddle journey.

Preparation

Review and practice these lessons:

Low Fourth Finger

B Flat Major Scale (Upper Octave) Exercises

Play D3 with a G drone. Allow your breath, body, and mind to relax. Listen to the blend of your fiddle with the drone, and enjoy the sound.

G drone

Then practice the G aeolian scale:

G Aeolian: D3-A0-L1-L2-3-L4-EL1-L2 | E3-L4

 

A part, first quarter

(D3-A0)-L1-0-L1-L2-3-L2-3-EL1 | L2-L1-L2-3-L2-3-L4-L2

 

A part, second quarter

This Learning Chunk™ (tab, sheet music and mp3 snippets) is available to All-access users. Subscribe here. And thanks for your support. 🙏

A part, third quarter

This Learning Chunk™ (tab, sheet music and mp3 snippets) is available to All-access users. Subscribe here. And thanks for your support. 🙏

A part, fourth quarter

This Learning Chunk™ (tab, sheet music and mp3 snippets) is available to All-access users. Subscribe here. And thanks for your support. 🙏

B part, first quarter

This Learning Chunk™ (tab, sheet music and mp3 snippets) is available to All-access users. Subscribe here. And thanks for your support. 🙏

B part, second quarter

This Learning Chunk™ (tab, sheet music and mp3 snippets) is available to All-access users. Subscribe here. And thanks for your support. 🙏

B part, third quarter

This Learning Chunk™ (tab, sheet music and mp3 snippets) is available to All-access users. Subscribe here. And thanks for your support. 🙏

B part, fourth quarter

This Learning Chunk™ (tab, sheet music and mp3 snippets) is available to All-access users. Subscribe here. And thanks for your support. 🙏

Other Versions

Martin Hayes versions

Here’s the recording that I based this lesson on.

Here’s a lesson from Martin on the tune…

Full Tabs, Audio & Sheet Music

A part

first quarter: (D3-A0)-L1-0-L1-L2-3-L2-3-EL1 | L2-L1-L2-3-L2-3-L4-L2

second quarter: EL1-A3-EL4-L2-1-A3-L2-3 | L1-0-D3-L2-3-L2-0-L2

third quarter: D3-A0-L1-D3 | L2-3-A0-D3-L2-0

fourth quarter: D3-A0-L1-L2-3-L2-0-L2-L1-D3-3

B part

first quarter: EL2-L1-A3-EL1-L2-3-L4-3-L2-L1-A3-L4-3-L1-D3-A0

second quarter: AL1-L2-3-E0-L1-AL2-3-L1-0-D3-L2-A0

third quarter: AL1-DL2-A3-L1-0-DL2-AL2-0-AL1-DL2-A3-L1-0-DL2-AL4-L2

fourth quarter: A3-EL1-L2-3-L4-3-L2-L1-A3-EL2-L2

Galway Bay Hornpipe_learning

After you’ve learned and memorized the melody, use the “performance version” to figure out bowing and practice note-reading (there are no fingerings notated in this version).

Galway Bay Hornpipe_performance

 

Sheet music video

Those of you who are learning to read sheet music can follow long with this video. It’s a way to intuitively learn this. Learn more here: Intuitive Note-Reading.

Return to top of Irish Fiddle Journeys >>

[favorite_button]

Leave a Reply

2 responses to “Galway Bay Hornpipe”

  1. Whoah! This is a hard tune to learn! But it’s “Desirable Difficulty” – and (for me anyway) is a great example of how repeating each tricky phrase over and over and over again before stitching them together REALLY works.
    The next challenge is to try and remember it . . .