Hello first. I've been 'lurking' for a few months now, and have enjoyed it too. Some great tips, tunes and ideas, so thanks, everyone.
I'm a fiddle player, intermediate level. Like some others on this site I live in the country (Australia in my case) and don't have easy access to other players. This site is a geat help in this situation.
An ocassional mentor has told me that there's a particularly useful tune collection by a fellow called Walsh, I think from Seattle. Does anyone know where I could get this? My mentor says its the best collection of popular, up-to-date tunes from round the world. I get my tunes from recordings, sessions and this site, but seem to have a repertoire thats still a little obscure, and doesn't hold up well at a session. A couple of dozen completely reliable 'standards' added in would be a big help.
Way back last year we posted a discussion thread titled "Common Session Tunes" that listed several hundred tunes common at ITM sessions around the globe. That's a good start at identifying tunes to focus on. Many of those same tunes are available here on The Session, in O'Neill's, and other collections. If you know of a tune on the Common Session Tune list, but need sheet music or the midi file to learn it, just ask. I can post any tune from the list if it's not already here. You can also find most session standards on the web (e.g., see Zina's Small Circle Slow Session web site in the links archive).
Especially when you're just trying to build a repertoire of common tunes for session playing, start by learning 2-4 reels a week. Here are four relatively easy ones on fiddle--all in the tune archive already--to get you started.
Blackhaired Lass
Silver Spear
Last Night's Fun
Maids of Mount Cisco
The players at any decent session will know at least 2-3 of these.
And try http://www.irishfiddle.com/tunechoices.html (from the link page) for a booklet of John Walsh's stuff...don't know if that's the one you were told about, but looks like it to me.
Hello Bill,
Our Tir-Na-Rogue website has a Links page with a direct link to Chris Walshaw's WWW Page "web-wide abc index" collection.
( http://www.tir-na-rogue.com/ )
This may not be what you are looking for, but it's a great resource! Also try the "JC's ABC Tunefinder" link.
Rick
Hello Bill,
If you want some session tunes that everybody knows, then go to the Comhaltas site at http://www.comhaltas.com/seisiun/learn.htm where there's 20 or so well known standards that you can download. Comhaltas also has a new session tune book "Foinn Seisiun" which contains 116 well known tunes arranged in 39 sets. This can be ordered at the e-mail address "enquiries@comhaltas.com"
Thanks very much, everyone.
I did find the collection by delving through the links section. It isn't quite the holy grail, but certainly there are some tunes on it that are new to me and will help my situation. I'll also be following up the other highly helpful suggestions in turn.
Cheers, Bill.
Comhaltas (39 Belgrave Sq, Monkstown, Dublin) have a newish book called Foinn Seisúin - 116 Irish Traditional tunes arranged in 39 sets. Brian Prior writes in the introduction: "For sessions to be successful it is important that participants have the opportunity to join in as much as possible and the sets of standard traditional tunes in this publication should help musisicians in this regard. The selections are based on a consensus achieved at our regular Wednesday night sessions held at the Cultúrlann in Monkstown over a two year period. When these sessions started, because of the backgrounds of many of the musicians (some from France, Mexico, Spain plus one or two from Clare and Dublin!), it was difficult to mentain any degree of continuity due to the varying repertoirs of the participants, hence the need to adopt this approach"
The book costs €10 behind the bar in the Culturlann which is not much use to any one in Australia but perhaps a letter to Comhaltas might produce some result.
walsh collection, and hello
walsh collection, and hello
Hello first. I've been 'lurking' for a few months now, and have enjoyed it too. Some great tips, tunes and ideas, so thanks, everyone.
I'm a fiddle player, intermediate level. Like some others on this site I live in the country (Australia in my case) and don't have easy access to other players. This site is a geat help in this situation.
An ocassional mentor has told me that there's a particularly useful tune collection by a fellow called Walsh, I think from Seattle. Does anyone know where I could get this? My mentor says its the best collection of popular, up-to-date tunes from round the world. I get my tunes from recordings, sessions and this site, but seem to have a repertoire thats still a little obscure, and doesn't hold up well at a session. A couple of dozen completely reliable 'standards' added in would be a big help.
Any particular or general advice?
Cheers, Bill.
# Posted on May 31st 2002 by bd
Re: walsh collection, and hello
Greetings Bill,
Way back last year we posted a discussion thread titled "Common Session Tunes" that listed several hundred tunes common at ITM sessions around the globe. That's a good start at identifying tunes to focus on. Many of those same tunes are available here on The Session, in O'Neill's, and other collections. If you know of a tune on the Common Session Tune list, but need sheet music or the midi file to learn it, just ask. I can post any tune from the list if it's not already here. You can also find most session standards on the web (e.g., see Zina's Small Circle Slow Session web site in the links archive).
Especially when you're just trying to build a repertoire of common tunes for session playing, start by learning 2-4 reels a week. Here are four relatively easy ones on fiddle--all in the tune archive already--to get you started.
Blackhaired Lass
Silver Spear
Last Night's Fun
Maids of Mount Cisco
The players at any decent session will know at least 2-3 of these.
Good luck,
# Posted on June 1st 2002 by Will CPT
Re: walsh collection, and hello
And try http://www.irishfiddle.com/tunechoices.html (from the link page) for a booklet of John Walsh's stuff...don't know if that's the one you were told about, but looks like it to me.
Zina
# Posted on June 2nd 2002 by Zina Lee
P.S.
I'm not necessarily fond of all the settings in there...FYI.
Zina
# Posted on June 2nd 2002 by Zina Lee
Re: walsh collection, and hello
Hello Bill,
Our Tir-Na-Rogue website has a Links page with a direct link to Chris Walshaw's WWW Page "web-wide abc index" collection.
( http://www.tir-na-rogue.com/ )
This may not be what you are looking for, but it's a great resource! Also try the "JC's ABC Tunefinder" link.
Rick
# Posted on June 2nd 2002 by Mando Pluckerman
Re: walsh collection, and hello
Hello Bill,
If you want some session tunes that everybody knows, then go to the Comhaltas site at http://www.comhaltas.com/seisiun/learn.htm where there's 20 or so well known standards that you can download. Comhaltas also has a new session tune book "Foinn Seisiun" which contains 116 well known tunes arranged in 39 sets. This can be ordered at the e-mail address "enquiries@comhaltas.com"
# Posted on June 2nd 2002 by Bannerman
Re: walsh collection, and hello
Thanks very much, everyone.
I did find the collection by delving through the links section. It isn't quite the holy grail, but certainly there are some tunes on it that are new to me and will help my situation. I'll also be following up the other highly helpful suggestions in turn.
Cheers, Bill.
# Posted on June 3rd 2002 by bd
Re: walsh collection, and hello
Hi Bill
Comhaltas (39 Belgrave Sq, Monkstown, Dublin) have a newish book called Foinn Seisúin - 116 Irish Traditional tunes arranged in 39 sets. Brian Prior writes in the introduction: "For sessions to be successful it is important that participants have the opportunity to join in as much as possible and the sets of standard traditional tunes in this publication should help musisicians in this regard. The selections are based on a consensus achieved at our regular Wednesday night sessions held at the Cultúrlann in Monkstown over a two year period. When these sessions started, because of the backgrounds of many of the musicians (some from France, Mexico, Spain plus one or two from Clare and Dublin!), it was difficult to mentain any degree of continuity due to the varying repertoirs of the participants, hence the need to adopt this approach"
The book costs €10 behind the bar in the Culturlann which is not much use to any one in Australia but perhaps a letter to Comhaltas might produce some result.
regards
Alan
# Posted on June 4th 2002 by Alancorsini