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Music notation:
Guitar tablature:
Arrangement Ideas:
Scollay's Reel is similar to the more widely known "King of the fairies." It works well as a stately march or with a little swing and increased tempo as a sprightly hornpipe.
I love Em tunes for the opportunity to let that fat low E bass ring throughout. (Even at beats 1 and 3 of the nominally Bm chord bars 7 and 15.)
I've added a little harmonic movement with the non obvious C chord at bar 10
This setting is simple, using first position chords and open strings where possible. It's appropriate to the tune I think, and satisfying to play. Work through it with a view to finding another Em march or hornpipe in the Irish tradition and applying similar treatment.
Tips for playing:
With one exception, (see next paragraph), I hold down the Em chord with my middle finger on the 5th string 2nd fret B and ring finger on the 4th string 2nd fret E. This allows my index and little fingers freedom to pick up the melody notes on the 1st and 4th frets.
The exceptional Em fingering occurs at bar 13. You need to have your ring finger free and ready to plonk down on the 6th string 3rd fret G bass in bar 14, so use your index and middle finger for the Em.
Except for the move to the D chord (bar 4), I keep my middle finger planted on the B bass throughout the first section of the tune. By the way, shifting your little and ring fingers up to frets 5 and 4 for the D and the F# respectively (in bars 4 and 12), is probably the only move in the arrangement which may require special attention. Once you get that going smoothly, be careful to hold them down for the whole bar.
Try sliding your ring finger as you move from the 4th fret F# in bar 4 down to the 2nd fret E (bar 5).
Try hammering on and pulling off with your index finger for the B-C-B melody note sequence at the start of bar 2 and thereafter.
