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The identity of the musical priest has been lost to history – if it was even a particular person to begin with. I can’t figure out if the tune is meant to refer to a specific individual or if it was just a general reference. The melody is originally Scottish, seemingly derived from William Marshall’s “Belhelvie House.” As “The Musical Priest,” the tune gained popularity in the States after it was recorded in 1935 by fiddler James Morrison (of “Morrison’s Jig” fame).
“The Musical Priest” stands out from a typical reel for two reasons. First, it is a single reel, which means that each section is only four measures long. Most of the reel’s I post are double reels (eight measures per section), which are so common that we tend to leave off the “double” and just call them “reels.”
Second, making up for the shorter sections, “Priest” has three sections that each repeat. Overall, the song is still shorter than a typical reel – 12 measures that are repeated instead of 16 – but I always find that tunes with three or more repeating sections are more challenging to keep track of, probably because my brain is wired to only think about an A section and a B section most of the time.
“The Musical Priest” Playing Tips
Single reels are a great addition to your practice routine because they force you to sharpen your focus on shorter passages. Any time you are practicing a piece (especially if its new to you), you should really be breaking it up into smaller, more manageable chunks, but I always struggle with this. If I don’t play a section all the way through to its resolution, my brain gets itchy. Single reels help with that because they resolve after only four measures.
Each section is musically distinct, which is a big part of what makes this tune so catchy. The first section is a fairly simple movement up and down the G major scale that never leaves first position. With practice, you should be able to speed through this bit without much trouble.
Skipping Strings in Section 2
The second section has a bit of string skipping in measure 6. Leave your middle finger planted on the 2d fret of the C string throughout the measure, grabbing the 2nd fret of the A string with your ring finger and then lifting it back up in time for the open string note.
If you play fingerstyle, alternate between your thumb and your middle or ring finger to handle the string skips, or start slow and work your way up with a pick. Either technique is fine.
Leaving First Position in Section 3
The third section spends a lot of time outside of first position (there was a brief jump up in the second section as well). Map out where you want your hand ahead of time. Print out the music and add notation with a pencil to remind yourself what fingers to use and where.
If you have big hands (or a soprano uke), you can probably manage the stretch from the 2nd fret up to 7 without moving your hand, but for kids and those with smaller hands, it is essential to figure out the best places to move your hand up the neck so you can keep in time.
A Simpler Arrangement for “The Musical Priest”
If you find this tune too complex for you at the moment, I’ve created a simplified arrangement that shifts the key from G (Em) down to F (Dm). All of the notes are still there, but there’s no string skipping other than open strings in the second section and the highest fret you have to stretch to is 5.
Click the link or the “Download” button below to see the sheet music if the embedded PDF doesn’t display correctly. The simplified version of the song is the bottom download button. Happy picking!
The-Musical-Priest-Low-G-Ukulele-Level-1“The Musical Priest” Low G Sheet Music Download
“The Musical Priest (Simplified)” Low G Sheet Music Download
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