Kesh Jig — Mandolin Tab

Mandolin tab and sheet music with synced audio · 120 BPM · 6/8 time

Chords used in this arrangement: G, D, C, Em, D7, Am7.

Here's a cool little thing to know before you dig into the mandolin tab for Kesh jig. "Kesh" is actually an Anglicisation of the Irish word ceis, meaning "a wicker bridge"! So you're playing a tune named after a river crossing in County Fermanagh. The melody itself is ancient; it first turned up in print in George Petrie's 1850s collection under the odd title "Tear the Callies," and the very first sound recording of it was made in 1916 by an accordion and banjo duo who called it the "Rambler Jig." Most people today know it through the Bothy Band, whose 1975 recording essentially relaunched it as a session staple. It was fittingly the opening tune on their very first album. It's got a reputation as a beginner's tune, which is both true and a little unfair I think, as I know a lot of easier tunes to play! The A-part is reasonably easy, but the B-part's bouncy runs give you a real chance to work on smooth, even triplets at speed, which is where the tune really starts to sing.

This page includes mandolin tablature, standard music notation, and a chord chart — printable as PDF and playable in sync with the original recording. Change the key, slow the tempo down, and loop the bars you want to practise.