Haste to the Wedding: Mandolin Tab
Mandolin tab and sheet music with synced audio · Key of D · 120 BPM · 6/8 time · Traditional jig · Beginner
Also known as The Small Pin Cushion, Rural Felicity, Fast Trip to Reno.
Chords used in this arrangement: D, G, A.
Before it was called "Haste to the Wedding," this tune went by the wonderfully random name "The Small Pin Cushion"! That was its earliest known appearance, in James Oswald's Caledonian Pocket Companion of 1759. It only picked up its famous title when it was used in a London pantomime called The Elopement in 1767, and the name just stuck so hard that folklorist Samuel Bayard spent considerable ink wondering which came first, the name or the tune's wedding associations. What's even more fun is the sheer range of aliases this thing has accumulated over the centuries — across Irish, Scottish, English, and American traditions it's also been called "Rural Felicity," "Fast Trip to Reno," and, brilliantly, "Cut Your Toenails You're Tearing All The Sheets."
This page includes mandolin tablature, standard music notation, and a chord chart, printable as PDF and playable in sync with the original recording. Change the key, slow the tempo down, and loop the bars you want to practise. Download the Haste to the Wedding PDF.
Haste to the Wedding: questions and answers
What key is Haste to the Wedding in?
Haste to the Wedding is in D major. The transpose control on this page moves the tab, notation and chords to any other key.
What chords are used in Haste to the Wedding?
The chords in this arrangement are D, G, A. The chord chart on this page shows each shape and highlights the current chord as the tune plays.
How fast is Haste to the Wedding played?
This recording is at 120 BPM in 6/8 time. Use the speed control to slow it down without changing the pitch, then work back up to full tempo.
Is Haste to the Wedding a good tune for beginners?
Yes. Haste to the Wedding is rated beginner, so it suits players who are still learning their first tunes.
Can I download Haste to the Wedding as sheet music?
Yes. A printable PDF with the mandolin tab and standard notation is free at /tab/haste-to-the-wedding.pdf, and there is a download button on this page.
Is Haste to the Wedding known by any other names?
Yes. It is also called The Small Pin Cushion, Rural Felicity, Fast Trip to Reno. The same melody often travels under several titles in different regions and collections.
Related tunes
More in D
- The Lark in the Morning (D, 120 BPM)
- Liberty (John Dickinson and Arthur Lee,, D, 120 BPM)
- Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine (D, 120 BPM)
- Fairy Dance (Nathaniel Gow, D, 120 BPM)
- Briar Picker Brown (D, 120 BPM)
- Banks of the Ohio (D, 120 BPM)
- Quince Dillons High D (D, 120 BPM)
- Frieze Britches (D, 120 BPM)
Browse more: Mandolin tabs, Tunes in the key of D, Folk and traditional tunes, Beginner mandolin tabs, or see all songs and the chord charts.