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“Whiskey Before Breakfast” sounds like a terrible idea, but it does make for a wonderful fiddle tune. You’ll often see it noted as being an old Scottish or Irish song, and while it does contain several melodic ideas common to those Old World fiddle traditions, it’s likely that the song is actually Canadian in origin.
The first copyright of “Whiskey Before Breakfast” belongs to Canadian fiddler Andy deJarlis in 1957. And while copyright of these old tunes often tells you little about where they came from, “Whiskey” appears to be an exception. DeJarlis was a member of the Métis Nation, one of the recognized indigenous peoples of Canada, and the song most likely originates from within their culture.
The Métis claim an ancestry that is a mix of native Canadian peoples and immigrants from France, Scotland, and England, and their culture includes a deep repertoire of fiddle tunes and dances. While “Whiskey Before Breakfast” sounds like an old European tune and likely does have roots in that area of the world, it is correctly placed in the New World.
“Whiskey Before Breakfast” Playing Tips
As usual with these fiddle tunes, I’ve simplified things a bit here for the Level 1 arrangement. There’s a bit more empty space and no embellishment to speak of, which allows the core of the melody to shine through.
The A section stays within first position nicely, but the B section is a bit spicier. My index finger travels a lot from measures 9-13. That whole passage is going to depend a lot on your hand size and the size of your uke. Map out how you’re going to approach it before attempting it at even a moderate tempo.
There’s no shortage of renditions of “Whiskey” on YouTube to help get the tune in your head, most of them from the more modern Bluegrass tradition. It’s almost always played as an up-tempo piece with a good bit of bounce. Definitely take the time to get the feel of it down. It’s easy to lose the thread of the melody, especially in the B section, if you don’t know where to put emphasis.
Click the link or the ‘Download’ button below to see the sheet music if your browser doesn’t display the embedded PDF.
“Whiskey Before Breakfast” Sheet Music Download
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