The Galway Piper (D Major)

This lively Irish Folk Song will surely get your toes tapping!

It's great for:

• Teaching the rhythmic element "ti-tika" (quaver, semiquavers / eighth note, sixteenth notes).
• Working in Major tonality.
• Singing, teaching (and tuning!) octave intervals (d-d' and s-s,)
• Teaching minor 7th intervals (r-d')
• Working with basic chords - this copy uses chords I, IV and V; but you could just use chords I and V.
• Teaching melismas. (A melisma is where two or more notes are sung to one syllable. This song has quite a few!)
• Teaching melodic sequence (dmfmrd; t,rmrdt,)

Also available in Eb Major.

Historical note:

We don't actually know what sort of pipe the Galway piper played. This song was known to have been published at least by 1740, though possibly earlier. The "uilleann pipes", which are a type of Irish bagpipe were definitely around by 1743, but they too may have been around in earlier years. Or is it possible "pipes" could have also referred to instruments like the tin (penny) whistle? Regardless of what type of pipe, we do know this is a merry tune which is great fun to sing and play!