The Hunt

                          The Hunt

                                      Traditional Irish tune
                                       Mandolin tablature by 
                                    Elizabeth T. Knuth, 1998

Key: G

Set dance, in hornpipe time

E--||-------------|--------------------------|
A--||*--4:--------|-----0--2-----0-----------|
D--||*--4:--0-----|--5--------5-----5--2--5--|
G--||-------------|--------------------------|
            |        |__|__|__|  |__|__|__|


|-----------0--------------|--------------------------|
|--3-----3-----5--3--2--0--|-----0--2--0--------------|
|--------------------------|--5-----------5--2--0--5--|
|--------------------------|--------------------------|
   |     |__|  |__|__|__|     |__|__|__|  |__|__|__|


|--------------------------|--------------------------|
|-----0--0-----0--3--2--0--|-----0--2-----0-----------|
|--2--------5--------------|--5--------5-----5--2--5--|
|--------------------------|--------------------------|
   |__|__|__|  |__|__|__|     |__|__|__|  |__|__|__|


|-----------0--------------|--------------------------|
|--3-----3-----5--3--2--0--|-----0--2--0--------------|
|--------------------------|--5-----------5--2--0--2--|
|--------------------------|--------------------------|
   |     |__|  |__|__|__|     |__|__|__|  |__|__|__|


|--------------------||
|-------------------*||
|--5-----5--5--5----*||
|--------------------||
   |     |__|  |


||---------|--------------------------|
||*--------|-----0--2--3--5-----5--0--|
||*--0-----|--5-----------------------|
||---------|--------------------------|
     |        |__|__|__|  |     |__|


|--1-----1-----1-----0-----|--0-----0-----0--2--3--0--|
|-----------------------5--|--------------------------|
|--------------------------|--------------------------|
|--------------------------|--------------------------|
   |     |     |     |__|     |     |     |__|__|__|


|-----------0--------------|--------------0-----------|
|--5-----5-----5-----3--2--|--3--2--3--5-----5--3--2--|
|--------------------------|--------------------------|
|--------------------------|--------------------------|
   |     |__|  |     |__|     |__|__|__|  |__|__|__|


|--------------------------|--3-----3-----3--0--------|
|--0-----0--2--0-----------|--------------------5--2--|
|--------------------5-----|--------------------------|
|--------------------------|--------------------------|
   |     |__|  |     |        |     |     |__|__|__|


|--------------------------|--------------------------|
|--0-----0--2--0-----------|-----0--2-----0-----------|
|--------------------5--2--|--5--------5-----5--2--5--|
|--------------------------|--------------------------|
   |     |__|  |     |__|     |__|__|__|  |__|__|__|


|-----------0--------------|--------------------------|
|--3-----3-----5--3--2--0--|-----0--2--0--------------|
|--------------------------|--5-----------5--2--0--2--|
|--------------------------|--------------------------|
   |     |__|  |__|__|__|     |__|__|__|  |__|__|__|


|--------------------||
|-------------------*||
|--5-----5--5--5----*||
|--------------------||
   |     |__|  |

============================================================
==                 TABLATURE EXPLANATION                  ==
============================================================

||------|| Repeat         ----------
||*----*||                -4:------- Time
||*----*||                -4:------- Signature 
||------||                ----------

Since this is a dance, the best advice I can give is that you should maintain a steady pace. The first and third beats of each measure are somewhat emphasized.

The Hunt was very popular in Ireland and America in the first two decades of this century. That it is a set dance means that it is somewhat irregular--you will notice that while the first part has eight full measures, the second has twelve--and there is one particular dance which corresponds only to this tune. The dance is performed solo. The first part is very similar to a hornpipe, which gives an indication of the rhythm and speed with which this piece should be played.

I found this tune in standard notation as number 976 in Francis O'Neill, The Dance Music of Ireland, ed. Francis O'Neill, arr. James O'Neill (Chicago: Lyon & Healy, 1907) 168. The tune is in the public domain in the United States.

Transcription to tablature for mandolin is my own original work, as is formatting for the World Wide Web. The copyright statement below applies to my work and not to the tune itself.

Simple Gifts Mandolin Tablature Archive | Elizabeth T. Knuth's Home Page

Comments to: eknuth@unix.csbsju.edu