Wild Mountain Thyme for Fingerstyle Ukulele

In this video Jeff Peterson of Ukulele Corner plays his arrangement of the Scottish/Irish tune Wild Mountain Thyme for fingerstyle ukulele. It’s a beautiful song and we can really focus on musical elements to bring out the melody and really let it sing. There are also some ornaments typical of Celtic music. These quick little ornaments are called the “Scottish Snap.” Jeff’s arrangement in the key of G Major is for Low-G ukulele.

Wild Mountain Thyme

This song goes back to the 1700s and originally is a Scottish song. It exists in many different versions and arrangements, including in Irish folk music. Alternative titles are “Purple Heather” and “Will Ye Go, Lassie, Go?” The music goes back to Scottish poet Robert Tannahill and Scottish composer Robert Archibald Smith. However, its title, “Wild Mountain Thyme,” was a later addition by early 20th-century Belfast musician Francis McPeake. So technically it is Scottish in origin, but its title Irish!

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We hope you enjoyed this performance! We have many more arrangements of popular songs at Ukulele Corner Academy. At UCA you’ll find lessons, PDF downloads of the sheet music and TABS, along with performances like this. Join Ukulele Corner Academy today!