Started exploring the world of Irish music last month, and from my perspective with no experience in the genre, its all rather overwhelming. What would help is to have a section for common tunes, maybe voted for on a month by month basis.
Hey Robert,
Easiest way is to click on the members tab on this website, then click on the tunebook tab again and there are a list of tunes that people have saved to their accounts. A lot of the tunes are very standard and popular melodies in the repertoire. Learn the first 100 or 200 and you'll be flying it! Have fun and enjoy the music, listen as much as you possibly can.
Click on Members and then click on Tunebook, and you will find the tunes people have added to their tunebooks on this site, sorted by the number of tunebooks each tune appears in. Some use their tunebook to track tunes they have learned, some tunes they want to learn, but it is a pretty good approximation of what are the most commonly known tunes.
Click on my user name, and among other info, you will find a list of 50 core tunes, put together by site member Dr. Dow some years ago.
Click on Will Harmon's name, and find some very comprehensive tune lists.
Also, do a google search for "slow sessions," there are a number of learning sessions around the world, and many post sheet music, abc notation and even sound clips to go along with their lists.
Don't be overwhelmed--just take it a tune at a time and enjoy the ride!
The only tunes you need to learn are the ones they play at the session you go to. The only place to learn them is there. There is also beer, more often than not, so what do you have to lose?
And, before you tell us that you can't, yes you can learn tunes by ear. Listen until you remember a piece of the tune, and then find that piece on your instrument, and then listen some more until you get the other bits, and then play them together, and there you are.
"The only tunes you need to learn are the ones they play at the session you go to"
That always puzzles me. None of the local sessions where I live are that static, either in personnel or repertoire. If I learned the tunes I heard today, they'd have moved on by the time I went back. Certain tunes will come up more often though, but to some extent you've got to just learn tunes that you like.
Inexperienced players always want the security net of a standard set of tunes that will let them play in any session. It seems to take away the absolute vastness of the task ahead and simplifys the achievements of the more competent players. This is only natural as the task ahead, if you want to be good, is very daunting. The thing is, is that when you become more experienced, it is the vastness of the repertoire and the differences between the various sessions and players that make this music so interesting. you don't need a standard set of tunes. Listen(a lot) to great recordings, and learn what you like.
There are far too many tunes. Just listen to them all; & all you can. Then play the one's that find their way into your head & all through your bones. It's a love that lasts forever.
Popular tunes section
Popular tunes section
Started exploring the world of Irish music last month, and from my perspective with no experience in the genre, its all rather overwhelming. What would help is to have a section for common tunes, maybe voted for on a month by month basis.
# Posted on September 18th 2011 by Robert Hickman
Re: Popular tunes section
Hey Robert,
Easiest way is to click on the members tab on this website, then click on the tunebook tab again and there are a list of tunes that people have saved to their accounts. A lot of the tunes are very standard and popular melodies in the repertoire. Learn the first 100 or 200 and you'll be flying it! Have fun and enjoy the music, listen as much as you possibly can.
# Posted on September 18th 2011 by jcawley
Re: Popular tunes section
Click on Members and then click on Tunebook, and you will find the tunes people have added to their tunebooks on this site, sorted by the number of tunebooks each tune appears in. Some use their tunebook to track tunes they have learned, some tunes they want to learn, but it is a pretty good approximation of what are the most commonly known tunes.
Click on my user name, and among other info, you will find a list of 50 core tunes, put together by site member Dr. Dow some years ago.
Click on Will Harmon's name, and find some very comprehensive tune lists.
Also, do a google search for "slow sessions," there are a number of learning sessions around the world, and many post sheet music, abc notation and even sound clips to go along with their lists.
Don't be overwhelmed--just take it a tune at a time and enjoy the ride!
# Posted on September 18th 2011 by AlBrown
Re: Popular tunes section
jcawley was quicker on the draw than I was!
# Posted on September 18th 2011 by AlBrown
Re: Popular tunes section
Here are the tune lists I started:
Reels: http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/18036
Jigs: http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/18049
Hornpipes: http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/18069
Polkas:
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/18087
Slip jigs: http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/18120
# Posted on September 18th 2011 by Will Harmon
Re: Popular tunes section
obligatory cold-water post:
The only tunes you need to learn are the ones they play at the session you go to. The only place to learn them is there. There is also beer, more often than not, so what do you have to lose?
Or, if you like there's this:
http://irishflute.podbean.com/
I don't think you'll do yourself any harm learning any of those.
# Posted on September 18th 2011 by Jon Kiparsky
Re: Popular tunes section
obligatory encouragement post:
And, before you tell us that you can't, yes you can learn tunes by ear. Listen until you remember a piece of the tune, and then find that piece on your instrument, and then listen some more until you get the other bits, and then play them together, and there you are.
# Posted on September 18th 2011 by Jon Kiparsky
Re: Popular tunes section
You are ambidexterous today, Jon, good cop and bad cop all in one person!
# Posted on September 18th 2011 by AlBrown
Re: Popular tunes section
"The only tunes you need to learn are the ones they play at the session you go to"
That always puzzles me. None of the local sessions where I live are that static, either in personnel or repertoire. If I learned the tunes I heard today, they'd have moved on by the time I went back. Certain tunes will come up more often though, but to some extent you've got to just learn tunes that you like.
# Posted on September 18th 2011 by Bren
Re: Popular tunes section
I have found this to be a pretty good selection of commonly played tunes:
BBC Virtual Session -
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/r2music/folk/sessions/
# Posted on September 18th 2011 by Reeds Munson
Re: Popular tunes section
Inexperienced players always want the security net of a standard set of tunes that will let them play in any session. It seems to take away the absolute vastness of the task ahead and simplifys the achievements of the more competent players. This is only natural as the task ahead, if you want to be good, is very daunting. The thing is, is that when you become more experienced, it is the vastness of the repertoire and the differences between the various sessions and players that make this music so interesting. you don't need a standard set of tunes. Listen(a lot) to great recordings, and learn what you like.
# Posted on September 19th 2011 by mcg
Re: Popular tunes section
There are far too many tunes. Just listen to them all; & all you can. Then play the one's that find their way into your head & all through your bones. It's a love that lasts forever.
# Posted on September 20th 2011 by Batgirl has left the GPL ;)
Re: Popular tunes section
An unpopular tune section might be smaller than the popular tune section, come to think of it...
# Posted on September 20th 2011 by AlBrown
Re: Popular tunes section
Yeah. Tam Lin, the Butterfly, and, um, that's mostly it. The Kesh, on a bad day, until someone actually starts playing it.
# Posted on September 20th 2011 by Jon Kiparsky
Re: Popular tunes section
Thanks for the welcome and suggestions everyone, loving learning new tunes so far, finger dextrisity beeing the biggest issue.
About playing by ear, I can figure out slower tunes but struggle with faster one.
Oh, and are there any good sessions around Chepstow?
Thanks again.
# Posted on September 20th 2011 by Robert Hickman