This week’s Tune Of The Week is a modern composition by Jay Ungar: “The Wizard’s Walk”. A few weeks ago, another Hangout user requested a tab for this tune, which prompted me to look this tune up and work out how to play it. It’s a three part tune, and quite complex sounding, but very memorable.
It was written by Jay Ungar and appears on his 1997 album with Molly Mason “The Lover’s Waltz”.
I contacted Jay to check if he was happy for the tune to be used here, and he happily agreed. He also provided some background on the inspiration for the tune to share:
“You asked how the tune came to be. I’ve written many tunes over the years, and they tend to arrive in different ways. Some begin with a spark of inspiration, then take shape through hours, days, or even weeks of refining and rewriting. Others arrive almost fully formed, as if they’d always existed. “The Wizard’s Walk” was one of those.
Although “The Wizard’s Walk” first came to me decades ago, in the mid-1980s, I still remember the moment vividly. I was playing fiddle while gazing out the large window of my office in West Hurley, New York—a room that has since become the recording studio of my daughter, Ruth Ungar, and my son-in-law, Mike Merenda. Sensing right away that this was a tune worth preserving, I switched on my cassette recorder to capture it. Titles don’t always come easily to me, but in this case, the name arrived the very same day as the melody itself.
A summer or two later, my wife Molly and I, and my pre-teen daughter Ruth, were at a CDSS dance camp at Pinewoods in eastern Massachusetts. While Molly and I were teaching a workshop, Ruth choreographed a contra dance that fit “The Wizard’s Walk” perfectly. That evening, caller Bob Dalsemer invited her to call the dance, and it was an instant hit.”
Other online versions
I found one banjo video, by Tyler Andal and Sterling Abernathy, featuring some great clawhammer playing.
There are a lot of videos online of people playing the tune on fiddle. It seems to have been picked up widely by contradance and Irish fiddlers. Some of these start off very slow and dramatic then speed up to a very quick pace.
The Wizard's Walk - Day 234 - 366 Days of Fiddle Tunes
Jacie Sites plays Wizards Walk
Playing the tune
You can find music notation here:
The Wizard's Walk on folk tune finder
The Wizard’s Walk (reel) on The Session
I have read that this tune is also included in Volume 1 of the Portland Collection, if you have access to that.
Here’s a tab and video of my arrangement. The main features are:
• In the key of E minor
• Standard G tuning (gDGBD)
• Three parts plus a short coda
• The second part can be played as a regular bum-ditty but it’s fun to try to get it to syncopate like the fiddle versions, which ends up sounding a bit flamenco-ish
• The third part starts with a descending circle of fifths chord sequence (a bit like the start of “Hotel California”). Then, near the end, its hits a diminished chord – not something you encounter every day playing clawhammer tunes!
I hope you enjoy finding out more about this tune and playing it.
Edited by - gentrixuk on 06/12/2026 06:14:49
Great tune, nicely played - thanks for sharing!
Reminds me a little bit of the theme to the Pokerface TV show.
Working through the tab, much appreciated!
You do a beautiful job with this challenging piece, Mark! I don't think I've played this many chords at once in a tune. Jay Ungar is certainly a virtuoso and must have a classical background. In my mind he's a living fiddle legend and when I correctly think I hear his playing in Ken Burns' outstanding and numerous documentaries, the music is so utterly moving.
My arrangement here is played notably much slower than Ungar's or yourself. I thought to go by the chords to capture the nuance of his melody and ease up on the challenging melodic work you tabbed. It was hard anyway! There was one chord, or set of notes, I couldn't name in the 23rd measure, maybe a C7.
Once time through here, and I'm content for now.
Here is my fingerstyle version with a lot of the same notes as the CH version. An intriguing tune!
My main challenge was getting an appropriate sound out of my instrument. I had to use two mutes and some modeling clay, but I think I managed to "tame the wild banjo" in the end.
quote:
Originally posted by JanetBYou do a beautiful job with this challenging piece, Mark! I don't think I've played this many chords at once in a tune. Jay Ungar is certainly a virtuoso and must have a classical background. In my mind he's a living fiddle legend and when I correctly think I hear his playing in Ken Burns' outstanding and numerous documentaries, the music is so utterly moving.
My arrangement here is played notably much slower than Ungar's or yourself. I thought to go by the chords to capture the nuance of his melody and ease up on the challenging melodic work you tabbed. It was hard anyway! There was one chord, or set of notes, I couldn't name in the 23rd measure, maybe a C7.
Once time through here, and I'm content for now.
Thanks Janet! Great playing as always. I think the chord you mention is some kind of diminished chord, but not sure what exactly. Its Em but with the B note dropped to B flat.
quote:
Originally posted by Laurence DiehlHere is my fingerstyle version with a lot of the same notes as the CH version. An intriguing tune!
My main challenge was getting an appropriate sound out of my instrument. I had to use two mutes and some modeling clay, but I think I managed to "tame the wild banjo" in the end.
Hi Laurence. It sounds clear as a bell to me. I was watching your right hand to see how you use different fingers to fit the melody across the strings - fascinating stuff.
quote:
Originally posted by gentrixukquote:
Originally posted by Laurence DiehlHere is my fingerstyle version with a lot of the same notes as the CH version. An intriguing tune!
My main challenge was getting an appropriate sound out of my instrument. I had to use two mutes and some modeling clay, but I think I managed to "tame the wild banjo" in the end.Hi Laurence. It sounds clear as a bell to me. I was watching your right hand to see how you use different fingers to fit the melody across the strings - fascinating stuff.
Thanks Mark. There are lots of choices in that style. Sometimes because it's easier, other times because it just sounds better (more fluid). Thanks for letting me join in. Enjoyed your playing as well.
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