(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.
.
Version 1 (high, outside row)         Transposition based mainly on
                                                                              youTube Video #1 below.

Part A:     Buttons  5 - 9*    Part B: Buttons  6 - 11 plus i10*

                  (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*    |1|    "7  "6  "6    -   "6  "8  "8*    |   <  

                                                  |2|    "7  "6  "6    -   "6  "7  "8     | 

Part B    (This is one variant of many for Part B.   

 >  |   "9  "10* "9   -   "8  "7  "8     |    "9  "10*  "9    -    "10  "11*  "9   |

    |  "10* "8  "8   -    "7* "8 "8     |   "10*  "8  "10*  -    "11*  "9  "10*    |

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

    |  "8* "7  "8*   -   "7* "8  "8*    |1|    "7  "6  "6       -     "6   "7   "8        |  <

                                                               |2|    "7  "6  "6       -     "6   "8  "8*      |   <

                                                               ​|End|   "7  "6  "6     -            ;6~ | ~;   -   "r
​
Version 1 (Either row, low)      Transposition & octave shift based 
                                                                    mainly on youTube Video #1 below.

Part A:  Buttons  2 - 5* plus o3*  (Most Part A recordings are identical, or nearly so)

>   "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*    |1|    "4  "3  "3    -   "3   "5  "4*    |   <  

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


Part B   Buttons  3 - 7       (This is one variant of many for Part B.)     

   >  |   "6  "6* "6   -   "5  "4  "5     |      " 6  "6*  "6      -     "7  "7*  "6       |
 
      |  "6* "5  "5   -    "3* "5 "5      |       "6*  "5  "6*     -     "7*  "6  "6*      |

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

      |  "4* "4  "4*   -   "3* "5  "4*   |1|      "4  "3  "3       -     "3   "4   "5       |  <

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

                                                                |End|   "4  "3  "3       -            ;3~ | ~;  -  "r

Version 2 ...for Outside Row (high)   (Assembled from multiple sources) 

Part A  Buttons  5 - 9*    (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    Buttons  7 - 11      (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                <  <
​
Version 2 ... for Either Row (low)     (Assembled from multiple sources) ​

​Part A       Buttons  2 - 5*    (This part of the tune 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* "4 "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      Buttons  4* - 7           (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               <  <
​
​
Three (of many) 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
Fifteen videos in keys of:  C=3    G=12

Many of these performances are quite fast, so at first you may want to play the videos at reduced 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 any of the above accordion notations, 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.
Video #1
Key:  G                                                                                                        Posted by:  fiddle castro
Key:  G

​Arranger:  Jeff Lisenby

Album:   Premier-PT085 World Beat 8 Celtic America

​Group:  TNTPD  ?

Posted by:  Joseph Tauscher

​
Key:  G 

​​Arranger:  Jeff Lisenby

Album:   Premier-PT085 World Beat 8 Celtic America

Posted by:  Statley Steps

​Filmed by Andrew Wong in Belleville, IL Dance called by Jeremy Suermann
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  time 0 to 1:04
          followed by a second tune.

​Tempo:

Accordion player:  ?

Posted by:  Gratteeboutons87
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 & Info
Background
​
Wikipedia points out that
  • "The Irish Washerwoman" is a traditional jig known to have been played throughout Britain and Ireland and in North America. Although usually considered an Irish tune, some scholars claim that it is English in origin, derived from the seventeenth-century tune "Dargason".
  • this tune "repeats its refrain several times, sometimes by gradually increasing in tempo until being played very fast before coming to a sudden stop."
Part A  lyrics for those of you who enjoy "dark" humour:
​   
"5  "4*  |   "4  "3   "3   -   "2     "3  "3    |     "4  "3   "4   -    "5    "4* 
Oh! Mc -   ta-vish is     dead and his    broth-er don't   know  it. 

 "4   |  "4*   "3* "3*  -    "2    "3* "3*    |   "4* "3*      "4*   -  "5*    "5   
His    broth-er  is      dead and Mc -     Ta - vish  don't    know  it. 

   "4*     |   "4   "3   "3   -   "2     "3     "3       |    "4  "3    "4    -    "5 
They're   both of them   dead And they're       in the same    bed,
 
 "4*    "4    |  "4* "4      "4*    -   "3*  "5  "4*  |  "4  "3  "3~   -   ~"3  
And  neith-  er  one knows    that the oth -   er  is  dead_____