How to Play the Challenging and Rewarding Flatpicked Fiddle Tune ‘Daley’s Reel’

“Daley’s Reel” is a memorable tune in the uncommon key of B♭—a less frequent choice in jam circles compared to more fiddle- and mandolin-friendly keys like A and D. So while it might be harder to find folks who know “Daley’s Reel,” the ones who do usually love to play it. It’s a difficult tune to learn on guitar, but if you take the time to work it up, I suspect you’ll love it too.

This traditional tune became popular among fiddlers after Joe Greene and Kenny Baker recorded it in the 1970s. There are a few notable guitar renditions as well. Bryan Sutton released a version on his 2003 album, Bluegrass Guitar, which is probably the most widely known recording of it to date. It also appears on the classic Bluegrass ’95 album, with Clay Jones kicking off the melody on guitar, and on Gabe Epstein’s 2025 release, Washington Express, which features a standout flatpicking solo by Joe Cicero. These are all wonderful recordings, and I encourage you to spend some time with each of them. Doing so will open your ears to just a few of the countless possibilities within this one tune.

The arrangement presented here sits well on the guitar while intentionally retaining the playful rhythmic bounce of the melody. In the right hand, alternate picking puts downstrokes on the beats and upstrokes on the upbeats, helping to drive the tune forward with a steady pulse. String crossings can tie up players not used to this approach, so keep a close eye on the pick markings to make sure your hand stays on track. While the left hand stays mostly in first position, it uses all five frets, making the part surprisingly demanding. The F♯ on the fourth string, fourth fret, can be played with either the fourth or third finger—try both and see what works best for you.

Not only is “Daley’s Reel” difficult to play—it’s also difficult to memorize. I recommend two things when learning this or any other fiddle tune. First, focus on small portions at a time. For example, play only the first measure, then stop and repeat. Go over it many times until you get a feel for the notes, the pick direction, and the general flow, before moving on to the second measure. 

Second, commit everything to memory. Reading from the page takes a lot of mental energy, and while memorizing can be frustrating, I’ve always found that it makes every part of the learning process much easier. You may have to re-memorize each measure multiple times—and that’s OK. Over time, you’ll be able to stitch everything together.

Learning the long list of fiddle tunes is a lot of work. But the more you do it, the easier it becomes. While “Daley’s Reel” may not be the most common tune out there, it’s well worth the effort.