Sheep in the Boat

Sheep in the Boat is an Irish jig. It is in 6/8 time, and—rather unusually—is played in the key of D Dorian (D, E, F, G, A, B, C). This necessitates C naturals and F naturals. On Irish flute, both can be played with or without a key. Whereas there is a specific fingering for unkeyed C naturals, an unkeyed F natural requires half-holing up from an E natural (see Tips for the Tune for more on these concepts).

Perhaps due to the unusual key signature, this is a lovely tune that feels very fresh to the ears. It is also a nice opportunity to practice finger vibrato on all those long Es.

Learning the Tune provides all tune-learning resources. Every tune has different resources available and every player has different preferences for how to learn tunes. One path you might consider is 1) Slow Tune Learning and/or Sheet Music, 2) Play Along, 3) Tune Breakdown.

Tips for the Tune provides technical resources which will be helpful to playing the tune well. These may include exercises in the same key, tips that might help, and how-to videos for ornaments and techniques specific to the tune.

© Leslie Anne Harrison 2023. All rights reserved.