A fresh, guitar-friendly arrangement of a classic Irish jig – transposed to A Dorian for comfortable fingerpicking.
The Swallowtail Jig is one of the best-known tunes in Irish traditional music. With its flowing 6/8 rhythm and memorable melody, it is a favourite among traditional musicians and a wonderful piece to explore on fingerstyle guitar.
For my arrangement, I made one deliberate change: I transposed the tune from its commonly played E Dorian setting to A Dorian.
Why? Quite simply, because it works better on the guitar.
Listen to the arrangement:
Why A Dorian?
Traditional Irish tunes are often played in keys that suit instruments such as the fiddle, flute, or tin whistle. But what feels natural on those instruments isn’t necessarily the most comfortable choice for fingerstyle guitar.
At Celtic Picking, my approach is straightforward: the music should feel good under the fingers.
Transposing The Swallowtail Jig to A Dorian opens up different possibilities for fingering, open strings, and accompaniment. The aim is to make the arrangement more natural and enjoyable to play, without losing the character of the original tune.
A Dorian retains the distinctive modal sound of the melody – that unmistakable Irish flavour somewhere between minor and major.
Traditional Music, Practical Arrangements
My arrangements are not intended to be definitive versions of traditional tunes. They are practical interpretations, created primarily for my own playing and shared with other guitarists who might find them useful.
I focus on:
- Playability: Comfortable fingerings and natural movements across the fretboard.
- Musical character: Preserving the melody, rhythm, and spirit of the traditional tune.
- Guitar-friendly keys: Transposing when another key makes the music easier or more satisfying to play.
- Fingerstyle possibilities: Making use of bass notes, open strings, and simple harmonic accompaniment where appropriate.
The result is an arrangement designed for playing rather than simply reproducing a traditional notation note for note.
Download The Swallowtail Jig – A Dorian
If you’d like to try this version yourself, the arrangement is available as a PDF.
Download The Swallowtail Jig – A Dorian (PDF)
Whether you’re exploring Irish traditional music on guitar or simply looking for another enjoyable jig to add to your repertoire, I hope you’ll find this arrangement useful.
About Celtic Picking
Celtic Picking is my personal collection of fingerstyle guitar arrangements of Irish and Scottish traditional music, including tunes and compositions from the Celtic harp tradition.
I create these arrangements for my own enjoyment and share them with other guitarists – free or for a small fee.
The emphasis is always on musicality, simplicity, and good playability, in standard tuning, Dropped D, or other suitable guitar tunings.
Explore more arrangements at CelticPicking.com.