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(THE)  IRISH  WASHERWOMAN

Time signature: 6/8  (played as a JIG )
Tempo:
​
Irish Traditional
UNDER CONSTRUCTION:   Notation & keys need to be checked, and tempo added.
​​​
Accordion Notation... 
Counts per bar =  6
Count symbol  =  double quote ( " )
Strong beats per bar = 2 (compound time - double jig)
​Strong Beat symbol = Semicolon   ;   (or equivalent, such as  "   "    "  )

Pattern of parts (following arrows shown):  A  A  B  B    etc.
​
​My playing preference for this tune is the inside row.  However, the key of G (the outside row on my G-C accordion) is used in the majority of youTube videos below, and, to play along with them, I'm forced to the outside row.


...for Inside Row (low)              Part A: Buttons  2 - 5*     Part B: Buttons  4* - 7

​Part A  (This version of Part A is in common usage, found in many recordings).

​> >   '5  '4*   |    "4  "3  "3   -   "2  "3  "3     |    "4  "3  "4   -  "5 "4*   "4     |

                    |   "4* "3* "3*  -   "2 "3* "3*    |    "4* "3* "4*  -  "5* "5   "4*   |

                    |   "4  "3  "3   -   "2  "3  "3      |    "4  "3  "4   -   "5 "4*  "4      |

                    |   "4* "4 "4*     "3* "5  "4*    |    "4  "3  "3       .3 
                <

Part B    (This is one variant of many for Part B of this tune)

   >  '6  '7*  |    "7  "6  "6   -   "5 "6 "6       |    "7  "6  "7   -   "7  "7*  "6    |

                 |   "7* "6* "6*  -  "5 "6* "6*     |   "7* "6* "7*  -  "8* "7 
  "7*    |

                 |  "5*  "6  "6   -  "5  "6  "6      |    "4* "6  "6   -     "4  "6   "6    |

                 |   "4* "4  "4*  -  "3* "5  "4*    |    "4  "3  "3   -     .3               <  
<
​

​
7​...for Outside Row (high)       Part A: Buttons  5 - 9*    Part B: Buttons  7 - 11

Part A  (This part of the tune is in common usage, found in many recordings).

> >   '8  '8*   |    "7  "6  "6      "5  "6  "6     |    "7  "6  "7      "8 "8*   "7     |

                      |     "8* "7* "7*    "5 "7* "7*    |    "8* "7* "8*    "9* "8   "8*   |

                      |   "7  "6  "6      "5  "6  "6      |    "7  "6  "7      "8 "8*  "7      |
 

                      |   "8* "7 "8*     "7* "8  "8*    |    "7  "6  "6       .6             <  

Part B    (This is one variant of many for Part B.   Note the cross-playing to i9 in line 2 below)

   >   '9  '11*   |    "10  "9  "9   -   "8 "9 "9       |    "10  "9  "10   -   "10  "11*  "9    |

                      |  "11* "10* "10* - "8 "10* "10*  |  "11* "10* "11*  -  "i9 "9 
 "10*  |


                      | "9*  "9  "9  -  "8  "9  "9      |    "8* "9  "9   -     "7  "9   "9     |

                      | "8* "7  "8*  -  "7* "8  "8*    |    "7  "6  "6   -     .6             
  <  
<
​


Alternate variants for Part B

(Based, in part, on Hal Leonard's "300 Fiddle Tunes", copyright 1998)

>   '6  '7*   |    "7  "6  "6      "5 "6 "6       |    "7  "6  "7      "7  "7*  "6    |

                 |   "7* "6* "6*    "5 "6* "6*     |   "6* "5  "6*    "7* "6
    "6*   |

                 |    "5*  "6  "6    "5 "6 "6        |    "4* "6  "6     "4 "6
     "6    |

                 |    "5  "4*  "4    "3* "5  "4*    |    "4  "3  "3       .3          <   
​


(Based, in part, on 2nd half of Tune Project  version - an excellent "fiddle-tutorial-pay" site)

>   '6  '7*  |    "7  "6  "6      "5 "6 "6       |    "7  "6  "7      "7  "7*  "6    |

                |   "7* "6* "6*    "5 "6* "6*     |   "7* "6* "7*    "7* "6 
  "6*   |

                |  "5*  "6  "6     "5  "6  "6      |    "4* "6  "6        "4  "6   "6     |

                |  "4* "4  "4*    "3* "5  "4*    |    "4  "3  "3        .3           < 




​(Based, in part, on a musicnotes.com version - an excellent "notation-pay" site)

>  '6  '7*   |    "7  "6  "6      "5 "6 "6       |    "7  "6  "7      "8  "8*  "7    |

                    "7* "6* "6*    "5 "6* "6*     |   "7* "6* "7*    "8* "7
    "7*   |

                    "5*  "6  "6    "5 "6 "6        |    "4* "6  "6      "4 "6
     "6    |

                    "4* "4  "4*    "3* "5  "4*    |    "4  "3  "3       .3           < 
​

For those of you who don't like any of the Part B notations above, you can play Part A in a lower octave (& repeat), and then play it, as Part B, in the higher octave (& repeat).
​

Embedded youTube VIDEO
​Twelve videos in keys of:  C=3    D=1    G=8

Many of these performances are quite fast, so at first you may want to play the videos at half speed, and then return to normal speed when you are ready.   (If you don't know how, check the "Introduction to youTube" under the drop-down "Info" menu at the top of this page).   

Also, please note that some performances do not follow the above accordion notation, though most are quite close for Part A.  
​
If you are a beginner, you may want to focus mainly on, and master, Part A, before moving on to learn Part B.

Key:  G

​Tempo:

Accordion: Florian Silbereisen
Violin:        Andre Rieu

​Posted by:  fritz5108

Key:   C

​Tempo:

Group:  Fogo Island
             Accordion Group

​Posted by:  james h


Key:  G 

​Tempo:

Accordion player:  ?

Posted by:  Gratteeboutons87

     At Drummond Castle in
    Perthshire, 
Scotland

Key:  G

​Tempo:

Accordion player:    ?

Posted by:  ​diatovendee

Key:  G 

​Tempo:  130 bpm

Players:  Hope Grietzer &
​            Dannielle Spindler Swart


Posted by:  kgs113

Key:  G 

Tempo:

Accordion player:  ?

Posted by:  diatocz
​

Key:  C 

Tempo:

Accordions played by:  Aaron
          Brown & Melanie Penton
          (from the Fogo Island
           Accordion Group)  


Posted by:  Aaron Brown
​​

Key:   G

Tempo:

Fiddler:  John Sheahan
​Guitarist:  Eamonn Campbell  


Posted by:  Lemurie
​​

Key:  C

Tempo:

Performer:  Hiram Keeping

Posted by:  sta66ord

One of NL's great button-accordion players.

​​​

Key:  G

Tempo:

Performers:  Celtic Bagpipes

Posted by:  lildarkrose13

from album Celtic Traditions.

​​​​

Key:  G

Tempo:

Performer:  Jonathan Feffery

Posted by:  Jonathan Jeffery

The tune really begins at
time t = 0:24

An excellent video.

​​​

Key:  G

Tempo:

Accordion played by:  ? 

Posted by: arekb66
​​​


Background Materials, Information & Links

Background
​
Wikipedia points out that
  • a simplified version of the melody appears in John Playford's 1651 instructional book The Dancing Masters.
  • this tune "repeats its refrain several times, sometimes by gradually increasing in tempo until being played very fast before coming to a sudden stop."