The Parting Glass

The Parting Glass is a Scottish traditional song written in 1770. (However, evidence of this song has been found in manuscripts from the 1620s-1630’s.) This solo guitar arrangement is heavily inspired by the live a-capella versions of Loreena McKennitt and Hozier. The Hozier performance is one of the more powerful things you’ll ever hear. 

I’ve also performed a subtle and delicate performance of The Parting Glass with opera singer Janet Todd. We wanted this to be a largely a-capella performance — so the guitar is gently ghosting in underneath her magnificent voice.

Spotify and streaming

You can find The Parting Glass on Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music, and all streaming services:

The Parting Glass – Evan Handyside on Spotify

The Parting Glass – Evan Handyside on Apple

How to play The Parting Glass | fingerstyle guitar

The guitar tab for The Parting Glass is beautifully written across only one page. The chord positions are really easy to play. I recommend this piece for beginner and intermediate guitar players.

Enjoy, the guitar tab is available below:

My order of play looks like this:

-You’ll play the entire tab through, then the refrain.

-You’ll play the entire tab again, then the refrain to finish the song.

**The Parting Glass | fingerstyle guitar

I’m using the Loreena McKennitt key of D minor. My guitar is tuned one whole step down to: D G C F A D. You can easily play this tune in standard tuning, or any key you prefer.