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Today we’re looking at a wonderful fiddle tune from the early 1900’s – “John Ryan’s Polka.” You may recognize it from the opening bars of “Hills of Connemara.” You might also know it from the Irish dancing scene in Titanic. Or if you’re a parent like me, you’ll recognize it from the Bluey episode “Fairies.” Once you have it in your head, you’ll be surprised how often it makes an appearance.
I’ve put together two versions of the tune – one that is true to the original fiddle arrangement and one that leaves a few notes out to make it more accessible for beginners. The song features several 16th-note runs that can be hard to hit at fast tempos. If you find them too difficult, take a look at the “Simplified” TAB of the song. I took out a few 16th notes to give you some breathing room.
If you are tackling the full version of the song right away, focus on good alternate picking technique (down-up-down-up), and start slow. Use a metronome and work your way up. Starting out too fast will result in tangled fingers.
The Dum Dum Polka
If you have an accompanist playing the chords for you, be sure to listen to recordings of the song first. You’ll often hear the full band only play the G’s (D’s in the original key) on the eighth notes at the beginning of measures 1, 3, and 5 (the dum-dum of the song’s nickname) and skipping the rest of the chords until measure 7 and beyond.
I’ve included the other chords in the A section in case you’d like to perform a less energetic rendition.
Click the link or the ‘Download’ button below to see the sheet music if your browser doesn’t display the embedded PDF. The simplified version of the song is the bottom download button. Happy picking!
“John Ryan’s Polka” Low G Ukulele Sheet Music Download
“John Ryan’s Polka (Simplified)” Low G Ukulele Sheet Music Download
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