Speed the Plough
Notation:
Standard Notation
ABC Notation
Banjo Tablature
Mandolin Tablature
Violin Tablature
traditional
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Irish
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Transcription: by Darryl D. Bush
"Speed the Plough", also known as "Speed the Plow" is an Irish reel in A Major.<br> It is played in standard or AEae fiddle tunings. The parts are played AABB.<br> A note in O'Neill (1913) states the air was composed in 1799 by<br> John Moorehead of Armagh, Ireland, a famous violinist who came<br> from a musical family and who acquired some renown in the latter 18th century.<br> One of the earliest recordings of the melody was in 1909 when<br> Cecil Sharp waxed it on a cylinder from the playing of John Locke,<br> described as a “gipsy fiddler”.<br> The tune was recorded by the Beers Family on a long out-of-print LP entitled<br> “Introducing the Beers Family.” The liner notes (by Robert Sherman) indicated<br> that Beers learned his "Speed the Plow” from his maternal grandfather, George Sullivan.<br> Sullivan was born in Ireland, but raised in America and was the champion old-time<br> fiddler of North Freedom, Wisconsin.<br> he banjo tablature is by John Letscher.<br> There are many versions of reels named "Speed the Plough"<br> which are not at all like this one.<br> It was printed in Silberberg's 93 Fiddle Tunes I Didn’t Learn at the Tractor Tavern (2004) and<br> The Complete Fiddle Tunes I Either Did or Did Not Learn at the Tractor Tavern (2007) and<br> Songer's Portland Collection (1997).<br> It was recorded by The Beers Family on Introducing the Beers Family (1965) and<br> Bigfoot on I've Got a Bulldog (2012).<br> Various versions were recorded by Malcolm Dalglish and Grey Larsen, Aly Bain, Seamus Ennis,<br> De Dannan, Michael Cooney and various Irish musicians.<br> <br>
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