Someone here recommended 4-cd and book set: 121 Favorite Irish Session Tunes. It seems to be nice, but it's so expensive that I want to be sure...
Are the tunes played in "real" Irish style, or does they have something that I call "American accent" in them? How slow is slow, and how fast is fast (bpm)? Do you know or have any alternative items?
The tunes are played slowly and pretty simply. There isn't a lot in the way of decoration. I don't know the bpm but I would say the tempos are slow and even slower. Actually the main thing I like about it is the guitar work of Nancy Conescu. She plays DADGAD but you can figure out some of her stuff in dropped D. Her guitar is a killer with big fat luscious bass notes. It's hard for me to turn off the whistle track and play the whistle along with her accompaniment though because her syncopated style throws me off.
I bought this a year ago and learned a few tunes from it. His style is not the style I'm currently studying and striving for but I like having it around. Since I'm new to this music, I like to use it to familiarize myself with the melodies of tunes. So I just pop in the CD's occasionally to listen to while cleaning the kitchen or whatever. I like having the book to just flip through and browse every once in a while. Is it worth the $45 bucks? For me, yes......
I personally have noticed that his settings are different than the Mally books and the sessions up in Vermont. But I did learn Castle Kelly and Humours of Ballyconnell and am very happy with these settings. Well, that's my 2 cents worth.
Here is a cut & paste of LE McCullough's bio, with more at http://feadaniste.tripod.com/... I didn't know most of this stuff, but it's pretty cool.
Trained as a youth in classical piano and jazz saxophone, the Indianapolis native took up the study of Irish traditional
music on the flute and tinwhistle in July, 1972; after living in Ireland for a year and studying at the School of Irish Studies in
Dublin, where he received a solid grounding in the music's scholarship from renowned folklorists Brendan Breathnach, Tom
Munnelly, Hugh Shields, Sean Ó Súilleabhain, Richard O'Beirne and fiddler-seannchai John Kelly.
Once back in America, he learned the fine points of the music from several of the best Irish musicians living in America
during the 1970s -- Seamus Cooley, John McGreevy, Paddy Cronin, Noel Rice, Joe Shannon, John Vesey, Andy
McGann, Jimmy and Eleanor Neary, Sean McGlynn and Joe Burke and began to establish an international reputation as
a young player of note.
In 1974 and '75, McCullough won First Place in the Midwestern U.S. Fleadh Ceoil for Senior Tinwhistle; in 1975 he
was runner-up in the Senior Tinwhistle Competition at the All-Ireland Fleadh Ceoil in Buncrana, Donegal. At the All-Ireland
competitions in Buncrana the following year, he won the 1976 New Dance Tunes Composition category.
McCullough's passion for Irish music led him to extend his activities into the scholastic realm. From 1974-78, with
fiddler Miles Krassen and mandolinist Mick Moloney, he traveled across the U.S. recording Irish musicians for projects
funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, Illinois Arts Council and Pennsylvania Council for the Arts, turning his
collection over to the Indiana University Archives of Traditional Music and contributing material issued by Rounder Records on
two LPs. In 1976 he received an NEA grant to document the craft of 80-year-old Chicago uilleann pipemaker Patrick
Hennelly, at the time the last remaining maker of Irish bagpipes in the U.S.
In 1976 McCullough wrote The Complete Irish Tinwhistle Tutor, a highly acclaimed instructional manual now
distributed by Music Sales, Inc. From 1977-86 McCullough operated Silver Spear Publications, a book publishing company
devoted to issuing Irish music instruction books and tapes. His book/CD publication, 121 Favorite Irish Session Tunes,
was produced by uilleann piper Patrick Sky and is distributed by Homespun Tapes, who issued McCullough's instructional
video, Learn to Play Irish Tinwhistle in 1996. McCullough's book of 61 original Irish traditional compositions, St. Patrick
Was a Cajun, was released by Ossian Publications in 1997.
One of the tunes from "St Patrick was a Cajun" can be got here with the sheet music and an mp3 or Real Audio file http://fingertrip.net/whistle/index.html
Played by Mick Woodruff on the whistle.
The name of the tune is "La Polverita Fiera" or "The Savage Powderpuff" which you must agree is a great name for a tune!
121 Favorite Irish Session Tunes
121 Favorite Irish Session Tunes
Someone here recommended 4-cd and book set: 121 Favorite Irish Session Tunes. It seems to be nice, but it's so expensive that I want to be sure...
Are the tunes played in "real" Irish style, or does they have something that I call "American accent" in them? How slow is slow, and how fast is fast (bpm)? Do you know or have any alternative items?
# Posted on November 19th 2002 by Jani
Re: 121 Favorite Irish Session Tunes
The tunes are played slowly and pretty simply. There isn't a lot in the way of decoration. I don't know the bpm but I would say the tempos are slow and even slower. Actually the main thing I like about it is the guitar work of Nancy Conescu. She plays DADGAD but you can figure out some of her stuff in dropped D. Her guitar is a killer with big fat luscious bass notes. It's hard for me to turn off the whistle track and play the whistle along with her accompaniment though because her syncopated style throws me off.
Steve
# Posted on November 19th 2002 by SteveKendall
Re: 121 Favorite Irish Session Tunes
Where is it available?
# Posted on November 20th 2002 by cuchulain54
Re: 121 Favorite Irish Session Tunes
Homespun tapes.
http://www.homespuntapes.com/
Look under Celtic.
Steve
# Posted on November 20th 2002 by SteveKendall
Re: 121 Favorite Irish Session Tunes
I bought this a year ago and learned a few tunes from it. His style is not the style I'm currently studying and striving for but I like having it around. Since I'm new to this music, I like to use it to familiarize myself with the melodies of tunes. So I just pop in the CD's occasionally to listen to while cleaning the kitchen or whatever. I like having the book to just flip through and browse every once in a while. Is it worth the $45 bucks? For me, yes......
I personally have noticed that his settings are different than the Mally books and the sessions up in Vermont. But I did learn Castle Kelly and Humours of Ballyconnell and am very happy with these settings. Well, that's my 2 cents worth.
Joyce
# Posted on November 20th 2002 by JMH
Re: 121 Favorite Irish Session Tunes
Jani,
For some more opinions on this book and the like try the chiffandfipple whistle message board http://chiffboard.mati.ca/
Dave.
# Posted on November 20th 2002 by Twiz
Re: 121 Favorite Irish Session Tunes
Here is a cut & paste of LE McCullough's bio, with more at http://feadaniste.tripod.com/... I didn't know most of this stuff, but it's pretty cool.
Trained as a youth in classical piano and jazz saxophone, the Indianapolis native took up the study of Irish traditional
music on the flute and tinwhistle in July, 1972; after living in Ireland for a year and studying at the School of Irish Studies in
Dublin, where he received a solid grounding in the music's scholarship from renowned folklorists Brendan Breathnach, Tom
Munnelly, Hugh Shields, Sean Ó Súilleabhain, Richard O'Beirne and fiddler-seannchai John Kelly.
Once back in America, he learned the fine points of the music from several of the best Irish musicians living in America
during the 1970s -- Seamus Cooley, John McGreevy, Paddy Cronin, Noel Rice, Joe Shannon, John Vesey, Andy
McGann, Jimmy and Eleanor Neary, Sean McGlynn and Joe Burke and began to establish an international reputation as
a young player of note.
In 1974 and '75, McCullough won First Place in the Midwestern U.S. Fleadh Ceoil for Senior Tinwhistle; in 1975 he
was runner-up in the Senior Tinwhistle Competition at the All-Ireland Fleadh Ceoil in Buncrana, Donegal. At the All-Ireland
competitions in Buncrana the following year, he won the 1976 New Dance Tunes Composition category.
McCullough's passion for Irish music led him to extend his activities into the scholastic realm. From 1974-78, with
fiddler Miles Krassen and mandolinist Mick Moloney, he traveled across the U.S. recording Irish musicians for projects
funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, Illinois Arts Council and Pennsylvania Council for the Arts, turning his
collection over to the Indiana University Archives of Traditional Music and contributing material issued by Rounder Records on
two LPs. In 1976 he received an NEA grant to document the craft of 80-year-old Chicago uilleann pipemaker Patrick
Hennelly, at the time the last remaining maker of Irish bagpipes in the U.S.
In 1976 McCullough wrote The Complete Irish Tinwhistle Tutor, a highly acclaimed instructional manual now
distributed by Music Sales, Inc. From 1977-86 McCullough operated Silver Spear Publications, a book publishing company
devoted to issuing Irish music instruction books and tapes. His book/CD publication, 121 Favorite Irish Session Tunes,
was produced by uilleann piper Patrick Sky and is distributed by Homespun Tapes, who issued McCullough's instructional
video, Learn to Play Irish Tinwhistle in 1996. McCullough's book of 61 original Irish traditional compositions, St. Patrick
Was a Cajun, was released by Ossian Publications in 1997.
# Posted on November 20th 2002 by emily_bmore
Re: 121 Favorite Irish Session Tunes
One of the tunes from "St Patrick was a Cajun" can be got here with the sheet music and an mp3 or Real Audio file http://fingertrip.net/whistle/index.html
Played by Mick Woodruff on the whistle.
The name of the tune is "La Polverita Fiera" or "The Savage Powderpuff" which you must agree is a great name for a tune!
Dave.
# Posted on November 20th 2002 by Twiz
Re: 121 Favorite Irish Session Tunes
Lot of good information. Thanks to everyone!
# Posted on November 21st 2002 by Jani