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Speed The Plough sheet music

Speed The Plough appears here as a traditional tune title in several settings. Listed versions open in G major with a 4/4 signature and in A major with a 2/2 signature; one score pairs the tune with Inverness Country Dance, and another carries the title God Speed the Plough. No composer, date, region, instrumentation or difficulty is stated for these scores, so match the opening key and metre to the version you already know, then check the score itself for the details that matter to you.

Scores 1–20 of 75

Sheet music

Page 1 of 4

G major or A major?

Two listed versions open with one sharp, G major, and a 4/4 signature; a third opens with three sharps, A major, and a 2/2 signature. Pick the key that matches the session, singer or instrument you are preparing for, since a tune notated in A major sits a whole tone higher than the same tune in G major. The listings do not say whether the different keys reflect transposition of one setting or separate arrangements.

Reading 4/4 against 2/2

The G major versions are notated in 4/4, while the A major Speed the Plough/Inverness Country Dance score uses 2/2, counted in minims rather than crotchets. That difference in metre affects how the bar is counted and accented, and it may also reflect a different notation of the same dance tune. Compare the note values in the opening bars before deciding whether two scores are variants of one setting.

God Speed the Plough as a title variant

One score is titled God Speed the Plough while still being listed under the song name Speed The Plough; like the other G major score it opens in 4/4.

The Inverness Country Dance pairing

The score titled Traditional music - Speed the Plough/Inverness Country Dance presents the tune alongside a second named dance, opening in A major with a 2/2 signature. This is the only listed version that names a companion tune, and the listing does not explain the pairing or its history.

Scores to open first

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Common questions

What is Speed The Plough?

Speed The Plough is a tune title that appears in traditional-dance listings; one score credits it simply as 'Traditional'. The listings give no composer, date or region for the tune, so its origin cannot be stated from the available information.

What keys and time signatures do the listed Speed The Plough scores use?

Listed Speed The Plough scores open in G major with a 4/4 signature and in A major with a 2/2 signature. The A major version is the one paired with Inverness Country Dance.

Is God Speed the Plough the same tune as Speed The Plough?

The relationship is unconfirmed. God Speed the Plough is listed as a separate score under the song name Speed The Plough and, like the other G major version, opens in 4/4. Compare the melodies in the opening bars before treating the titles as interchangeable.

Which listing includes Inverness Country Dance?

The score titled Traditional music - Speed the Plough/Inverness Country Dance presents Speed the Plough together with Inverness Country Dance, opening in A major with a 2/2 time signature. No other listed version names a companion dance.

Does the 2/2 version differ musically from the 4/4 versions?

The A major Speed the Plough/Inverness Country Dance score is notated in 2/2, counted in minim beats, while the G major versions use 4/4. Whether the melodies themselves differ is not established by the listings, so compare the notes rather than the metre alone.