DADGAD & Irish music
ROLLING IN THE RYEGRASS (reel)
"Rolling in the Ryegrass" is a traditional reel in D major (Ionian) with two parts of 4 bars each.
To get started, we can play a simple grid:
A
B
Then to change a bit, we can add modal chords at the beginning of the parts and substitute some D chord by their relative minor. The 1st line represents the first part (A and A') and the second line the second part (B et B').
A
B
At the beginning of the B part, we play D5 + D + G and it will do a bass line D - F# - G. As in DADGAD you have three D strings you can adapt your playing to make these effect in bass, medium or treble.
Bass
Medium
Treble
Then we can go further, adding 7th chords in the first part, Em7 instead of G and using a D base F# (D low) to make a bass line: E - F# - G - A on the B'.
On the first part you can use this sequence of chords:
A
A'
On the B part:
B
B'
You can listen to "Rolling in the ryegrass" in the album "Music at Matt Molloy's". An album made by differents artists and recorded in 1992 at Matt Molloy's pub in Wesport Co. Mayo.