Following from Will's recent lists, which are superb, but maybe even better if you can join some good ones together into nice sets. Can anyone think of some nice examples of sets?
Yeah yeah yeah, I know some of you are bound to answer, 'Oh, I just play the next one that comes into my head', and that's fine. But sometimes it's nice to have a plan. Also, there are some drab sets which people play where, in my opinion, the tunes don't fit together well, or are too similar, and not balanced.
Drag her round the road+Miss Monaghan's+Maid Behind the Bar
John Mc Hugh's+Rollicking Boys of Tandragee+Spotted Dog
Earl's Chair+Salamanca+Banshee
Stone mason+Old Flail+Hunter's Moon
Out on the ocean+Saddle the pony+Cape Breton+Mike Mcgoldrick's
It happens to me quite often that sometimes it's difficult to remember one single tune in a set. I mean that when you try to play just the one without the others in the usual set you suddenly haven't a clue how it begins...
There are a whole heap that are regulars at the sessions I go to, which probably class as cliches, but they are good to be able to play as a relative newcomer (I can't handle all of them yet!). A few:
Tenpenny Bit + Rakes of Kildare
Bear Dance + Theme Vanitaise
Ger The Rigger + Bill Sullivan's
Jump at the Sun + Jiggery Pokerwork + another that I can't remember
Boys of Bluehill + either Harvest Home or Trumpet Hornpipe (Captain Pugwash)
Blarney Pilgrim + The Kesh
Foxhunter's Jig + The Butterfly
I'm finding it really useful to try learning tunes that are often played along with the ones I already know. It's a nice feeling to start being able to play with whole sets. However, I am very conscious of the possibility of getting stuck into a rut ("Tenpenny Bit... ah, it should be Rakes of Kildare next!").
I'm inclined to start a session with a set of jigs. I try and vary but I sometimes warm up with the Kilimer, A Visit to Ireland and maybe finish with something in Am ...either Wellington's Advance or The Rakes of Kildare.
Sets of reels that I learned from Pete Cooper:
Boys of Malin / Gravel Walks / Dinkey's
Lad O'Bierne's / Paddy Ryan's Dream
Martin Wynne's #1 / Martin Wynne's #2 / (guess what) Martin Wynne's #3
Oak Tree / Flogging / Glory
Other sets that I've either heard or tried out at a session and liked:
Dr. Gilbert's / Maudabawn Chapel / Mrs. Crehan's
Cup of Tea / Maudabawn Chapel
Cliffs of Moher / Farewell to Ireland
Jig of Slurs / Atholl Highlanders
Helvic Head / Donegal Lass / maybe Calliope House
Out on the Ocean / Morrison's / Kesh
Drummond Castle / Stool of Repentance
Once we played the last two sets together as a superset! It was awesome, but is the kind of thing that should only be done once every few years...
Ones that I haven't tried in sessions, but like anyway:
Dr. Gilbert's / Hervé's / Ornette's Trip to Belfast
King of the Faeries / Red-Haired Boy
Farewell to Whalley Range / Trip to Windsor / Ornette's Trip to Belfast (I think a slip jig into a reel sounds incredible if done well)
Gathering the Dal GCais / Mountain Road / Trip to Hervé's
Peter Man / Conlágh's Big Day
Ornette's Trip to Belfast / Wizard's Walk (rock on)
And my "super-daggy into super-amazing" set:
St. Anne's Reel / Davey Davey Nick Nack / Boys of Malin
There are some tunes, however, that I just can't seem to put into sets. Not because they're big, flashy, stand-alone pieces either. Julia Delaney is one. There are others I can't think of right now.
I always come across nice tune sets but forget them quite quickly. Some that have stuck are:
Boy in the Gap / Boy on the Hilltop / Boy in the Boat
O'Connell's Trip to Parliament / Mills are Grinding / Jenny Picking Cockles
Eileen O'Callaghan's / Thady Casey's Fancy
Heh, Joe, funny you say that about Julia Delaney's, because just the other week a talented fiddler I know remarked that she thought that that tune sounded good played after just about anything, and I think she may be onto something there. In any case, I have two recordings of Julia Delaney's played with Tamlin, and have heard that combination in sessions in two different cities, so obviously some folks seem to think that they go well together...
The Teetotaler's / The Drunken Landlady -- they really go well together
Ten Penny Bit (Ador one) / Six Penny Money -- similar titles and similar opening phrases
New Copperplate / Old Copperplate / Rakish Paddy -- all derived from a Scottish reel "Caber Feidh"
Good sets on hand?
Good sets on hand?
Following from Will's recent lists, which are superb, but maybe even better if you can join some good ones together into nice sets. Can anyone think of some nice examples of sets?
Yeah yeah yeah, I know some of you are bound to answer, 'Oh, I just play the next one that comes into my head', and that's fine. But sometimes it's nice to have a plan. Also, there are some drab sets which people play where, in my opinion, the tunes don't fit together well, or are too similar, and not balanced.
Getting started, I thought it might be fun to get three daughters to meet.
Milliner's Daughter
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/1409
Shepherd's Daughter
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/1313
Shoemaker's Daughter
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/1832
However, you may think that's a drab set. Sounds nice to me though.
# Posted on June 13th 2008 by Key Maniac Lad
Re: Good sets on hand?
I like this combination, as a good warm up and helps relax the fingers-- Ten Penny Bit, Lilting Banshee and Killavil Jig
# Posted on June 13th 2008 by banjoian
Re: Good sets on hand?
Here's some tunes I almost always play as sets:
Frank's Reel+Punch in the Dark
Drag her round the road+Miss Monaghan's+Maid Behind the Bar
John Mc Hugh's+Rollicking Boys of Tandragee+Spotted Dog
Earl's Chair+Salamanca+Banshee
Stone mason+Old Flail+Hunter's Moon
Out on the ocean+Saddle the pony+Cape Breton+Mike Mcgoldrick's
It happens to me quite often that sometimes it's difficult to remember one single tune in a set. I mean that when you try to play just the one without the others in the usual set you suddenly haven't a clue how it begins...
# Posted on June 13th 2008 by nora o'kelpia
Re: Good sets on hand?
Ha ha - same here!
# Posted on June 13th 2008 by Key Maniac Lad
Re: Good sets on hand?
We regularly play sets in reverse order, just to keep us off automatic pliot. We have the dots out, but only glance at the tune names.
# Posted on June 13th 2008 by geoffwright
Re: Good sets on hand?
There are a whole heap that are regulars at the sessions I go to, which probably class as cliches, but they are good to be able to play as a relative newcomer (I can't handle all of them yet!). A few:
Tenpenny Bit + Rakes of Kildare
Bear Dance + Theme Vanitaise
Ger The Rigger + Bill Sullivan's
Jump at the Sun + Jiggery Pokerwork + another that I can't remember
Boys of Bluehill + either Harvest Home or Trumpet Hornpipe (Captain Pugwash)
Blarney Pilgrim + The Kesh
Foxhunter's Jig + The Butterfly
I'm finding it really useful to try learning tunes that are often played along with the ones I already know. It's a nice feeling to start being able to play with whole sets. However, I am very conscious of the possibility of getting stuck into a rut ("Tenpenny Bit... ah, it should be Rakes of Kildare next!").
# Posted on June 13th 2008 by robharper
Re: Good sets on hand?
I'm inclined to start a session with a set of jigs. I try and vary but I sometimes warm up with the Kilimer, A Visit to Ireland and maybe finish with something in Am ...either Wellington's Advance or The Rakes of Kildare.
# Posted on June 13th 2008 by Free Reed
Re: Good sets on hand?
No sessions here but I like Snug in a Blanket (2-part D major version) + Ale is Dear + Jenny Dang the Weaver
# Posted on June 13th 2008 by Pere
Re: Good sets on hand?
Pidgeon on the Gate and Maudabawn Chapel go nicely.. whichever way you put them.
# Posted on June 13th 2008 by baby
Re: Good sets on hand?
Sets of reels that I learned from Pete Cooper:
Boys of Malin / Gravel Walks / Dinkey's
Lad O'Bierne's / Paddy Ryan's Dream
Martin Wynne's #1 / Martin Wynne's #2 / (guess what) Martin Wynne's #3
Oak Tree / Flogging / Glory
Other sets that I've either heard or tried out at a session and liked:
Dr. Gilbert's / Maudabawn Chapel / Mrs. Crehan's
Cup of Tea / Maudabawn Chapel
Cliffs of Moher / Farewell to Ireland
Jig of Slurs / Atholl Highlanders
Helvic Head / Donegal Lass / maybe Calliope House
Out on the Ocean / Morrison's / Kesh
Drummond Castle / Stool of Repentance
Once we played the last two sets together as a superset! It was awesome, but is the kind of thing that should only be done once every few years...
Ones that I haven't tried in sessions, but like anyway:
Dr. Gilbert's / Hervé's / Ornette's Trip to Belfast
King of the Faeries / Red-Haired Boy
Farewell to Whalley Range / Trip to Windsor / Ornette's Trip to Belfast (I think a slip jig into a reel sounds incredible if done well)
Gathering the Dal GCais / Mountain Road / Trip to Hervé's
Peter Man / Conlágh's Big Day
Ornette's Trip to Belfast / Wizard's Walk (rock on)
And my "super-daggy into super-amazing" set:
St. Anne's Reel / Davey Davey Nick Nack / Boys of Malin
There are some tunes, however, that I just can't seem to put into sets. Not because they're big, flashy, stand-alone pieces either. Julia Delaney is one. There are others I can't think of right now.
# Posted on June 13th 2008 by Joe CSS
Re: Good sets on hand?
I always come across nice tune sets but forget them quite quickly. Some that have stuck are:
Boy in the Gap / Boy on the Hilltop / Boy in the Boat
O'Connell's Trip to Parliament / Mills are Grinding / Jenny Picking Cockles
Eileen O'Callaghan's / Thady Casey's Fancy
There's more but I can't think of them right now.
# Posted on June 13th 2008 by PaddyCmusic
Re: Good sets on hand?
Joe, Julia Delaney goes really well with this Paddy Fahey reel:
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/463
We either play it with that or with a Cornish tune called Saltash when we're not restricted to just Irish music.
x
# Posted on June 13th 2008 by An Kammneves
Re: Good sets on hand?
I found the following a nice busking set on D/G melodeon:
Dashing White Sergeant (D), The Glenside Polka (E Dorian), Salmon Tails Up The Water (G).
# Posted on June 13th 2008 by nicholas
Re: Good sets on hand?
Heh, Joe, funny you say that about Julia Delaney's, because just the other week a talented fiddler I know remarked that she thought that that tune sounded good played after just about anything, and I think she may be onto something there. In any case, I have two recordings of Julia Delaney's played with Tamlin, and have heard that combination in sessions in two different cities, so obviously some folks seem to think that they go well together...
# Posted on June 14th 2008 by Tall, Dark, and Mysterious
Re: Good sets on hand?
A few of the sets we do:
Mouth of the Tobique / New Ships Sailing
Butcher's March / Morrison's / Kesh
Atholl Highlander / Muckin' O'Geordies Byre
Britches / Micky chewing bubble gum / John Ryan's
# Posted on June 14th 2008 by CleverName
Re: Good sets on hand?
The Teetotaler's / The Drunken Landlady -- they really go well together
Ten Penny Bit (Ador one) / Six Penny Money -- similar titles and similar opening phrases
New Copperplate / Old Copperplate / Rakish Paddy -- all derived from a Scottish reel "Caber Feidh"
# Posted on June 14th 2008 by slainte
Re: Good sets on hand?
Tam lin / Czar of Munster / Wizard's Walk / I'm joking
I like Sunset on the Ouseburn (in D, not C
) / The Oak Leaf
The Oak Tree / Foxhunter's REEL / High Road to Linton
Sleep Soond in da Mornin' / Red Haired Boy / Dinkey's / Mason's Apron (A keys FTW)
# Posted on June 16th 2008 by D.J.F.