Mandolin Song Breakdown: Temperance Reel

Today I’m going to review Temperance Reel – a great, though under called, fiddle tune. I first heard this called with some regularity at the Little Red Hen jam when I first moved to Seattle. One of the reasons I like this tune is it’s pretty easy to get down quickly since it’s essentially a mash up of Billy in the Lowground and Blackberry Blossom.

Temperance Reel is an Irish tune originally and has also been known as Teetotaler’s Reel. I understand the earliest recording in the United States was by Joseph Samuel in 1919 though I couldn’t find that when I looked (edit: a post reader showed me the an older version from 1910 on the UCSB archives at the end of the recording). Whatever the origins, or name, it’s an old standard and a lot of fun to play.

Sheet Music and Charts for Temperance Reel

• Main melody with chords
• Harmony

Listen to Temperance Reel

Here’s some recordings

• Tony Rice
• Tim Connell and Eric Skye
• Michael Cleveland

Form for Temperance Reel

Temperance Reel has a very standard fiddle tune form – AABB.

Melody

Temperance Reel’s melody for the first two measures of the A part is really similar to Billy in the Lowground. The next two measures a bit more like Blackberry Blossoms B Part as well.

If you’re looking for some good fretting hand exercises, this is a great tune! Try the B part using the E at the 7th fret of the A string instead of the open E and you get a great pinky workout!

Another great practice you can pull from this tune is playing the melody up the neck a bit. Start the A part with your first finger on the G note (5th fret) of the D string and keep in that position throughout.

Harmony

Harmony lines make fiddle tunes so much more fun – especially when there’s an “everybody” section where everyone plays the melody.

I recommend playing the below in a few positions. For example, start the A part by playing the B note at the 9th fret of the D string with your pinky instead of the 2nd fret of the A string as written. Keep your hand in that position and play the rest of the piece there. This eliminates the pinky shift in the second measure which can even make playing this a bit easier.

Here’s a fun harmony line based on a major 3rd above the main melody.

Wrap up

Temperance Reel is a great classic fiddle tune with some rich history to boot. I hope you bring this song in to your local jam and have some fun!

If you found this topic interesting, drop a comment below with any questions or feedback. For a deeper exploration, click here for more information on private coaching.

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