Drowsy Maggie
Reel in E Dorian · difficulty 3 of 5
The story of Drowsy Maggie
It seems that nobody knows who Maggie was or why she was drowsy. The reel has been played since at least the mid-1800s and was first published with that name in O'Neill's Music of Ireland (1903). Wherever the name came from, it could not be less accurate - this is one of the least drowsy tunes in Irish music: a two-chord churn over a droning E that fiddlers use to set dance floors alight.
It is also one of the most heard. When the steerage passengers throw their céilí in James Cameron's Titanic, Drowsy Maggie is what the band is tearing through - the scene is quite possibly many people's very first Irish session tune. It's a popular early pick on the penny whistle too: the first part circles a small handful of notes, so you can get the rhythm rolling long before the second part opens up the range.
How to play Drowsy Maggie on tin whistle
Reels run in 4/4 with two big pulses to the bar. Keep the eighth notes even and let the emphasis, not extra speed, carry the drive.
The tab under the notes shows the whistle fingering for every note - filled circles are covered holes, and a + means the overblown octave. If you are new to stave notation, you can try reading the stave and tab together which gradually will make you learn the notation.
Start slow with a metronome getting the base melody right. As the fingers learn the tune, try adding some ornaments and gradually increase the tempo without losing control.
Notation is sourced from The Session, the community archive of traditional music.
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