BB's Basic Irish Session Tune List

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Some Preliminary Thoughts

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(1) You don't have to learn all of these tunes at the same time. Whatever your learning 
pace has been heretofore, continue with it. Sometimes trying to cram too much new material 
into your cranium is counter-productive. Some of these tunes have been around for 300 years 
so you don't have to rush into learning them - they're not going anywhere!

(2) Tune names exist for a reason. Try to become familiar with as many names as you can 
so that you'll have an idea what to expect if someone mentions "Trip to the Cottage" or 
"Green Mountain". You don't have to be able to play them yet, but being able to recognize 
them will be a big help. (I personally find tunes easier to remember and play if I know
their names - don't ask me why.)

(3) If for whatever reason you don't like a tune, don't bother learning it. Chances are 
you'll never play it correctly. You may however want to re-visit it after you've learned 
a few others and see if your opinion of it has changed.

(4) A session is not for learning or for practicing - it's for playing. The learning/practicing 
happens at home. If you're at a session and someone starts a tune you're not confident about, 
back off - time to let your fingers relax and put your ears to work. A very quick way to lose 
the respect of other players is to try faking your way through a tune you don't really know. 
We've all done it and we feel really lousy about it afterwards. (NOTE: Irish traditional 
music never includes a "harmony" part or counter-melody like some American music does. If 
you're not prepared to play what everyone else is playing, stay out. Anything that's not 
melody or backup chords is unwelcome.)

(5) Speed comes with practice and experience but is not an end in itself. I'll try to keep 
the session tempo reasonable but if it gets out of control, OK to remind me to slow down a 
little. (This isn't recommended procedure at ALL sessions!)

All of these tunes listed can be found on John Chambers' TuneFinder website. Type in the name 
of the tune you want, click the "Find Wide" button, and you'll get a listing of the matches to 
your request in a few seconds. The tunes are given in various formats which are explained on 
the TuneFinder home page: for example, PDF and PNG files are for the notation, MIDI files are 
sound files, and so forth. 

The TuneFinder URL is http://trillian.mit.edu/~jc/music/abc/findtune.html

So, without further ado, the list:
  
  
REELS:
Silver Spear-----Banshee-----Bird in the Bush-----Boyne Hunt-----Cregg's Pipes-----Cup of Tea
-----Drowsy Maggie-----Foxhunter's (in G)-----Humors of Tulla-----Jackie Coleman's #1-----
Kilmaley (Glen Allen)----Lady Ann Montgomery-----Merry Blacksmith-----Miss McCloud's(McLeod's)
-----Mountain Road-----Over the Moor to Maggie-----Sally Gardens-----Rolling in the Ryegrass
-----Ships are Sailing-----Teetotaller (Temperance)-----Wind that Shakes the Barley-----Wise Maid
-----High Reel-----Cooley's-----Maid behind the Bar-----Mason's Apron-----Saint Anne's ("Irish" 
setting is slightly different from "American" setting)-----Star of Munster-----Pigeon on the Gate
-----Swallow's Tail
  
  

JIGS:
Battering Ram-----Blarney Pilgrim-----Cliffs of Moher-----Frost is All Over-----Connaughtman's 
Rambles-----Leg of the Duck-----Geese in the Bog (A minor)-----Haste to the Wedding-----Haunted 
House-----Humors of (East of) Glendart-----Kesh-----Langstrom's Pony-----Morrison's-----My Darling 
Asleep-----Out in the Ocean-----Sackow's(Trip It Upstairs)-----Saddle the Pony-----Swallow Tail
-----Ship in Full Sail-----Tobin's-----Paddy in London(Clare Jig)-----Smash the Windows-----Off 
She Goes-----Blackthorn Stick-----Shandon Bells
  
  

HORNPIPES:
Boys of Blue Hill-----Harvest Home-----(Little)Stack of Barley-----Rights of Man-----Kitty's 
Wedding-----Cuckoo-----Cuckoo's Nest-----Plains of Boyle-----Soldier's Joy------Delahunty's
(Wexford/Home Brew)-----Chief O'Neill's-----Fisher's-----Off to California-----Staten Island
-----Flowers of Edinburgh-----Frogs and Snakes of Galway-----Sweep's-----Sailor's (the "real"
one in D, not "Jackie Tar" which is the tune we all think is the Sailor's HP!)
  
  

SLIP JIGS:
Barney Brallaghan-----Kid on the Mountain-----Foxhunter's-----Riding a Mile----Rocky Road to 
Dublin (A minor)
  
  

POLKAS/SLIDES:
Britches Full of Stitches (A major)-----Denis Murphy's Polka-----Denis Murphy's Slide-----Maggie 
in the Woods-----Captain Byng-----Peg Ryan's("Kerry #1")-----John Egan's("Kerry #2")-----Flying 
Squirrel-----Spanish Lady-----Port Láirge(Rose Tree)-----Dingle Regatta-----Scattery Island-----
Merrily Kiss the Quaker-----Tim's Kerry Pony
  
  



FINAL NOTES:
= For those of you who look at the above list and find yourself fainting, console yourself
with the thought that I could have included 5,669 MORE tunes but didn't. Also for consolation
purposes: if I learned them, you can learn them.
= Please do yourself a big favor and acquaint yourself with the wonderful world of ABC 
(http://www.gre.ac.uk/~c.walshaw/abc). It's simple to use and will help expand your tune horizons 
tremendously!

REALLY FINAL NOTE:
Call (508.540.5324) or email me (zouki@aol.com) for further assistance.

Have fun and good luck!
BB