Whiskey in the Jar/Kilgary Mountain

Fiddly-day-dee-dar, it’s nearly St Patrick’s day. So it is. Me fah-vorite goup is T’in Lizzy. So it is.

That’s enough of that. The song Kilgary Mountain is a traditional Irish song that has been picked up by acts from the likes of Peter, Paul and Mary and Roger Whittaker to Thin Lizzy and Metallica (usually under its more modern name Whiskey in the Jar)

I’ve tabbed out the tune in a couple of different ways. The first run through of the tune is a sober, steady fingerpicking version. For the most part, the first beat of the bar includes the chord with the melody being picked out for the rest of the bar. The chords are played as a ‘fake strum’ (one finger for each string, played on after the other to sound like a strum). For the melody, I’m using my thumb for the notes on the G string and my ring and index fingers for the other notes.

The second version is a wild, drunken strum through the tune. Be sure to emphasise the melody notes and play the non-melody supporting strums more quietly. There are also fingerpicked notes in this section. It can be quite tricky to switch from strumming to fingerpicking. I had to practice bar 23 in particular to get it right. One more note: don’t do what I did in the last bar. I’ve tabbed out what I’ve played but in the first two notes of the bar (0403) but you’re much better off just playing a C chord (0003). I intended to emphasise the melody note (E) but actually just fluffed it unnecessarily. So, do as I say, not as I do.

This work by Ukulele Hunt is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.