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The Ivy Leaf REEL SHARE

Also known as The Extremity, Miss Farr’s.

There are 89 recordings of this tune.

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This tune has been recorded together with

ESSION
The Green Groves Of Erin(lots of times),
The Man Of The House(a few times),
SHARE
Mulqueeney’s(a few times),
The Belharbour(a few times) and
The Flogging(a few times).

The Ivy Leaf appears in 7 other tune collections.

The Ivy Leaf has been added to 34 tune sets.

The Ivy Leaf has been added to 302 tunebooks.

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Nine settings
S
ABC SHEET MUSIC 1

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ABC

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3 3

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# Added by Trinil 18 years ago.

ABC SHEET MUSIC 2

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ABC
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# Added 13 years ago.

ABC SHEET MUSIC 3

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# Added by Othannen 13 years ago.

ABC SHEET MUSIC 4

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ABC

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# Added by ceolachan 9 years ago.

ABC SHEET MUSIC 5

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ABC

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# Added by Dr. Dow 7 years ago.

ABC SHEET MUSIC 6

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3 3

3 3 3 3

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3

3 3

3 3 3 3

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# Added by JACKB 7 years ago.

ABC SHEET MUSIC 7

A A G A Em G

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3

A A G A Em

3 3

A A G Am Em G

3 3

ABC
A A G Am Em G

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ABC SHEET MUSIC 8

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ABC
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# Added by John-Norvell 7 months ago.

ABC SHEET MUSIC 9

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# Added by jamesa one month ago.

Twenty-seven comments
Ivy Leaf

Trad, I think. There’re several tunes going by this

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name but this is the version I learned, note for note.
I wonder if it has a different name, or if the others
are imposters…. I think it’s got a good interesting
sound to it without pushing the ‘different’ factor. We
play it with Glass of Beer and Silver Spear, or at least
we will be soon.

# Posted by Trinil 18 years ago.

Ivy Leaf

I’ve alway’s liked how this tune goes after a G major

reel, "Crooked Rd to Dublin" & the G version of
"Maude Millar" come to mind….

# Posted by b.maloney 18 years ago.

Ivy leaf

I have a double LP of one of the "Irish Folk Tours" of

Germany in the 1980s (late 70s?) when Miko Russell
played this tune. He also introduced it before
playing it, and because of his strong Clare accent, it
ended up on the sleeve notes as "I Will Leave"
( Ivy Leaf = I Vill Leave) ! So don’t be surprised if it
‘s known by that name on the continent.
First heard it by Desi Wilkinson, who recorded it
with "Cran".

# Posted by Kenny 18 years ago.

Ivy Leaf

A little note for backers: this tune is in key of A

mixolydian (also 2 sharps). So don’t try any D major
chord progressions on this one.

# Posted by Jani 18 years ago.

Amix

Thanks, Jani. I’m afraid I never quite learned my

modes so I wouldn’t have caught that. Guess I’ll
have to start studying… ;)

# Posted by Trinil 18 years ago.

Ivy Leaf Reel

Here’s a setting based on the playing of Kevin Burke

(fiddle):

X: 1
T: Ivy Leaf, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
S: From the playing of Kevin Burke.
K: Amix
A2 ed cdec|Acec dBGB|A2 ed cdec|B~E3 GABd|
A2 ed cdec|Acec dBGB|A2 ed cdec|B~E3 GABd||
e~a3 edBd|e~g3 dBGB|e~a3 edBA|B~E3 GABd|
e~a3 edBd|e~g3 dBGB|A2 AB =cBcd|e/f/g fa gedB||

# Posted 13 years ago.

I had a rough time finding this tune since it’s A myx

rather than D major. Can someone fix it?

# Posted by ElaineT 13 years ago.

"The Ivy Leaf" ~ composer?!

I could swear I’d met the composer of this one, and

learned it from them, and guess what, not in A
Mixolydian, but A Dorian, or that is how I’m
remembering it. Now I’ll have to find my old ABCs
for it…

X: 3
T: The Ivy Leaf
C:
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: A Dorian
|: cB |\
A/B/A eA cdec | Acec dBGB |
A/B/A eA cdeA | BEGE dG :|
|: B/c/d |
eaag e2 B/c/d | eaag e/g/e dg |
[1 eaag edBA | BEGB dG :|
[2 eAAB c2 cd | eg f/g/a gB |]

But, then again, it could be the ‘lurgy’ affecting my

reason…

# Posted by ceolachan 13 years ago.

Only ‘Trinil’, the original contributor, can correct it

to A Mix. I’ve sent here a scramble of emails to that
effect, from my current state of ‘lurgydom’, the poor
soul…

# Posted by ceolachan 13 years ago.

Another version

i learnt another version of this tune:

X: 1
T: Ivy Leaf, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Amix
~A2 Ae cA ec | Ae ce dB GB | A2 Ae cA ec | AG EF
GE D2 |
Ae ~e2 ce ~e2 | ae ~e2 dB GB | A2 Ae cA ec| AG EF
GA B1/2c1/2d|
e2 ag eg fa | ~g2 ge dG B1/2c1/2d | e2 ag ed _cA |
BG EF GA B1/2c1/2d |
e2 ag eg fa | ~g2 ge dB GB | A2 AB _cB cd | e2 fa ge
dB |

i play it with off beats emphasis on the Es. a really

great tune indeed.

# Posted by Othannen 13 years ago.

Primitive instrument, and 19th-century

play

In Ireland long ago, rural folk knew how to make

music with an ivy leaf. You hold it between your
thumbs and blow over it, making the leaf into a
"reed" which can vary in pitch according to the
shape of your mouth. This seems to be a lost art in
Ireland now, but I met a Chinese fellow from
Yunnan province last summer who was in
Washington, D.C. at the Smithsonian Folklife
Festivel. He could make the most amazing music
this way using any ivy-like leaf that came to hand.
He traded tunes one night with piper and low
whistle player Jarlath Henderson of Armagh to the
delight of all present.

Another possible source for the name of the reel is

the play "The Ivy Leaf," which was produced
throughout Ireland and America in the late 19th
century and featured an uilleann piper in the cast.

# Posted by blarneystar 13 years ago.

Recorded by Leo Rowsome in 1944:

http://www.archive.org/details/LeoRowsomePrimr
oseLassTheIvyLeaf

# Posted by Ramiro 13 years ago.

Gumleaf playing too !! In the Antipodes

Although the ivy-leaf as an instrument may have

fallen into disuse, it persists, however vestigially, in
Australia.

Gum-leaf playing, in the 19th century and earlier

20th, was a reasonably widespread art. There aren’t
many old codgers left who do it. But just two years
ago there was an old Aboriginal bloke playing
Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ with a backing band on the
Grand Final of "Australia’s Got Talent" on the box.
Splendid !! Here’s the link -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpWUEEuXBtg

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There were Australian championships as recently as

1978.

# Posted by Fliúiteadóir 12 years ago.

Grass was the reed of choice in my youth, but other

tough leaves work well, and much better than ivy…

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# Posted by ceolachan 9 years ago.

"The Ivy Leaf" / "Miss Farr’s" ~ a rescued

duplication

Submitted on April 12th 2012 by Sean B..

~ /tunes/11896

X: 5
T: Miss Farr’s
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Amix
|: ~A2 eA cAec | Acec dBGB | ~A2 eA cAec | d2 BG
EFGE |
~A2 eA cAec | Acec dBGB | Aced cBcA | BEED
EFGE :|
|: eaag edcd | effe BA G2 | eaag edcA | BEED EFGE |
eaag edcd | effe BAGB | ~A3 B =cBcd | egfa gedB :|

Authorship, origin, alternate setting ~ I obtained it

from either a Yankee Clipper or a Tenpenny album. I
no longer have either album so I can’t be sure.
Here’s an alternate setting I found online:

X: 6
T: Miss Farr’s Reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Amix
|: Aced cAec | Acec dBGB | Aced cAed | BEEF GABG
:|
ea a2 caea | Bg g2 dgBg | ea a2 caec | BEEF GABG |
ea a2 caea | Bg g2 dgBg | afge fdec | BEEF GABG |]

# Posted on April 12th 2012 by Sean B.

# Posted by ceolachan 9 years ago.

"Miss Farr’s" / "Lucy Farr’s" ~

A lot of tunes were passed on via the bow of Lucy

Farr, who influenced many, but didn’t always
remember or have a name for all the tunes she knew
and played, with many and varied sources for her
repertoire…

http://www.mustrad.org.uk/articles/farr.htm

# Posted by ceolachan 9 years ago.

The Ivy leaf

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JCi9BaRzmI
(simple origami)

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# Posted by birlibirdie 9 years ago.

A twig of Ivy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Uzc_nM9opk

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=5meLnnNrIIQ&feature=related

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# Posted by birlibirdie 9 years ago.

La feuille de lierre

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVxQxSqgQY4
(2’41" to 3’25")

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# Posted by birlibirdie 9 years ago.

Iederă frunze

Marioara Mut, a singer from Transylvania can also

be heard playing the ivy leaf (the instrument, not the
tune!) on the Track: Nu-i Motru Ca Stiu Cînta (on
the Ocora label).

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Yves Pacher, from Poitoux in France, can be heard
playing a range of various ‘hedge instruments’ on his
Musique Buissonière (Naïve / Silex label) and
Lutherie Éphémère CDs.

# Posted by birlibirdie 9 years ago.

An tEidhneán

http://www.wildflowersofireland.net/plant_detail.p
hp?id_flower=415&Wildflower=Ivy,%20Atlantic

# Posted by birlibirdie 9 years ago.

On a pair with the Gravel Walk:

https://thesession.org/tunes/42

# Posted by birlibirdie 9 years ago.

X: 5
Tara Bingham

# Posted by Dr. Dow 7 years ago.

Re: The Ivy Leaf

On the Green Linnet release of Hugh Gillespie

classic recordings, “Gurren’s Castle,” identified as a
highland fling, to my ear has a strong resemblance
to The Ivy Leaf reel. Is this far-fetched?