What easy tune titles come to mind for beginner fiddle and mandolin players? I'm teaching a six session class for beginners with a focus on traditional Irish tunes. What would be your top ten easy tunes for beginners? (Real tunes and titles, please, not "Log in the Bedpan," etc.)
People have to start somewhere, including teaching, and besides, while I've taught for years I still enjoy attending beginning workshops and finding out what others teach, including tunes...
Marches are great for starters, though it is a shame that things like that, and polkas, get considered 'beginner' tunes and never go anywhere else. Before listing titles, give us some idea of your focus. Is it just 'Irish' tunes you're wanting, or is it more open, or a different focus altogether?
This subject comes up for discussion often, if more often from beginners themselves, but not limited to that, as a result of thsi regularly being raise there are other threads on site here worth searching out ~ 'beginner / beginning tunes'. There are a few threads whose topic is specifically 'beginning tunes for the fiddle'...
Classic early marches and march like tunes, great for establishing a firm rhythm/beat/temp, include:
I hesitate offering them up for slaughter, but polkas usually get the 'beginner' treatment, and sadly don't tend to move past that, but they too make good starts and are also great for taking the heart of this music into ones own ~ a 'steady' rhythm, the 'dance' in the music...
Good luck, but come back and tell us more, what you hope to do and what your focus is...
Polkas:
"Maggie in the Woods"
"Britches Full of Stitches"
"Peg Ryan's"
"Egan's"
Simple short song airs are regularly used for starters early on... It is often better to start with something they are familiar with, is in their background, ears and head, even the likes of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Start". It is always easier for starters to pull out something on the bow you already are familiar with.
Hmmm. I've rarely seen beginners get polkas. Sure, they can learn the notes, but they almost never get the feel. So I don't teach polkas to newcomers to this music.
On fiddle, I usually start off with jigs because the downbeats are clear, and you can easily convey the feel by playing the TOCKity tickity timing. I also stick with repetitive two-part double jigs (single jigs can throw people off the rhythm). Some good beginner jigs for fiddle include:
Lilting Banshee
Connaughtman's Rambles
My Darling Asleep
Tripping Upstairs
I go for the same traits in reels. These work well:
Tommy Peoples (the one in Bm)
Mountain Road
Rolling in the Ryegrass
I'm teaching a week of Irish fiddle at the Montana state fiddle camp, and I'll be happy if everyone comes away with one jig and one reel under their belt with a decent feel for the rhythm and timing. Some people will get more than just two tunes, of course.
Wish I could be there. Yes, in agreement, and I like your list of jigs... I also like using highland flings and will be doing that soon in group, a pair of 'old' standards this time ~
Thank you, everyone who has submitted tune suggestions. Most, I'm familiar with and the others, I'm going to look at. The main reason that I asked for suggestions is, I play many genres of music and I'm better at remembering the tunes rather than the titles. I wanted to widen my search of easy tunes from musicians experienced in playing them, because this class will focus on traditional Irish tunes. I appreciate the time you spent to contribute.
Father O'Flynn (Top of Cork Road)
Silver Spear (They'll get plenty of mileage out of this one.)
Concertina Reel
Walls of Liscarroll
Up Leitrim (maybe - it's easy, but somewhat obscure)
dunno if its the same on the fiddle..and if its kids ul bore them to death..but scales and ornaments before tunes..saves having to backtrack when they progress..get it right first time so to speak..
Beginner tunes..dunno about fiddle, but why not make a list of tunes that isolate particular techniques and decide which order to teach them in, gauge capability of student. maybe add a few more etc..
The Monaghan Jig - cuts, rolls, runs, can be played lots of different ways
Mouse in the Mug Jig - Unusual great tune for rolls not to difficult
kesh jig - Obviously
Morrisons Jig - My first tune
Tobins Jig -My second tune
Butterfly Slip Jig
Cathal Mc Connells - slip jig
...
Playing reels here
maybe..
Abbey Reel - as played by ronan browne etc Cran Black album, first track..Qucik one to learn and an old tune.
Maids of MtCisco - repetitive driving first part, easy melody everyone knows.
Dunmore lasses - Nice as a slow reel
Easy Tune Titles
Easy Tune Titles
What easy tune titles come to mind for beginner fiddle and mandolin players? I'm teaching a six session class for beginners with a focus on traditional Irish tunes. What would be your top ten easy tunes for beginners? (Real tunes and titles, please, not "Log in the Bedpan," etc.)
# Posted on June 6th 2009 by Leendah
Re: Easy Tune Titles
To be honest if you can't choose beginners tunes yourself, why are you teaching?
# Posted on June 6th 2009 by tnoumarap
Re: Easy Tune Titles
People have to start somewhere, including teaching, and besides, while I've taught for years I still enjoy attending beginning workshops and finding out what others teach, including tunes...
Marches are great for starters, though it is a shame that things like that, and polkas, get considered 'beginner' tunes and never go anywhere else. Before listing titles, give us some idea of your focus. Is it just 'Irish' tunes you're wanting, or is it more open, or a different focus altogether?
This subject comes up for discussion often, if more often from beginners themselves, but not limited to that, as a result of thsi regularly being raise there are other threads on site here worth searching out ~ 'beginner / beginning tunes'. There are a few threads whose topic is specifically 'beginning tunes for the fiddle'...
Classic early marches and march like tunes, great for establishing a firm rhythm/beat/temp, include:
"O'Donnell Abu"
"Clare's Dragoons"
"The Foggy Dew"
"Brian Boru's"
"Roddy McCorley"
A classic early 3/4 tune is "The Southwind"
I hesitate offering them up for slaughter, but polkas usually get the 'beginner' treatment, and sadly don't tend to move past that, but they too make good starts and are also great for taking the heart of this music into ones own ~ a 'steady' rhythm, the 'dance' in the music...
Good luck, but come back and tell us more, what you hope to do and what your focus is...
# Posted on June 6th 2009 by ceolachan
Re: Easy Tune Titles
"Munster Cloak"
"Maguire's March"
Polkas:
"Maggie in the Woods"
"Britches Full of Stitches"
"Peg Ryan's"
"Egan's"
Simple short song airs are regularly used for starters early on... It is often better to start with something they are familiar with, is in their background, ears and head, even the likes of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Start". It is always easier for starters to pull out something on the bow you already are familiar with.
# Posted on June 6th 2009 by ceolachan
Re: Easy Tune Titles
Hmmm. I've rarely seen beginners get polkas. Sure, they can learn the notes, but they almost never get the feel. So I don't teach polkas to newcomers to this music.
On fiddle, I usually start off with jigs because the downbeats are clear, and you can easily convey the feel by playing the TOCKity tickity timing. I also stick with repetitive two-part double jigs (single jigs can throw people off the rhythm). Some good beginner jigs for fiddle include:
Lilting Banshee
Connaughtman's Rambles
My Darling Asleep
Tripping Upstairs
I go for the same traits in reels. These work well:
Tommy Peoples (the one in Bm)
Mountain Road
Rolling in the Ryegrass
I'm teaching a week of Irish fiddle at the Montana state fiddle camp, and I'll be happy if everyone comes away with one jig and one reel under their belt with a decent feel for the rhythm and timing. Some people will get more than just two tunes, of course.
# Posted on June 6th 2009 by Miss Lonelyhearts
Re: Easy Tune Titles
Wish I could be there. Yes, in agreement, and I like your list of jigs... I also like using highland flings and will be doing that soon in group, a pair of 'old' standards this time ~
"The Keel Row"
"Green Grow the Rushes O'"
# Posted on June 6th 2009 by ceolachan
I avoid polkas till later on, and, I make them dance before they learn to play them...
# Posted on June 6th 2009 by ceolachan
Re: Easy Tune Titles
It's not strictly Irish, but Michael Turner's is a good starting point to find out what level people are at.
# Posted on June 7th 2009 by skreech
Re: Easy Tune Titles
Thank you, everyone who has submitted tune suggestions. Most, I'm familiar with and the others, I'm going to look at. The main reason that I asked for suggestions is, I play many genres of music and I'm better at remembering the tunes rather than the titles. I wanted to widen my search of easy tunes from musicians experienced in playing them, because this class will focus on traditional Irish tunes. I appreciate the time you spent to contribute.
# Posted on June 7th 2009 by Leendah
Re: Easy Tune Titles
"Down the Back Lane"
A nice jig. I'm only suggesting because I just learned this one.
;)
# Posted on June 7th 2009 by Random_notes
Re: Easy Tune Titles
Father O'Flynn (Top of Cork Road)
Silver Spear (They'll get plenty of mileage out of this one.)
Concertina Reel
Walls of Liscarroll
Up Leitrim (maybe - it's easy, but somewhat obscure)
# Posted on June 8th 2009 by jasonb
Re: Easy Tune Titles
dunno if its the same on the fiddle..and if its kids ul bore them to death..but scales and ornaments before tunes..saves having to backtrack when they progress..get it right first time so to speak..
Beginner tunes..dunno about fiddle, but why not make a list of tunes that isolate particular techniques and decide which order to teach them in, gauge capability of student. maybe add a few more etc..
The Monaghan Jig - cuts, rolls, runs, can be played lots of different ways
Mouse in the Mug Jig - Unusual great tune for rolls not to difficult
kesh jig - Obviously
Morrisons Jig - My first tune
Tobins Jig -My second tune
Butterfly Slip Jig
Cathal Mc Connells - slip jig
...
Playing reels here
maybe..
Abbey Reel - as played by ronan browne etc Cran Black album, first track..Qucik one to learn and an old tune.
Maids of MtCisco - repetitive driving first part, easy melody everyone knows.
Dunmore lasses - Nice as a slow reel
# Posted on June 8th 2009 by Trucks