If you've ever walked eagerly into an Irish music session, your flute under your arm, your whistle in your top pocket, then felt the smile drain from your face as one tune after another swept by you into oblivion... don't despair! With this repertoire of tunes, you will no longer find yourself trapped at the bar with the resident conversationalist, or forced into drinking far more than you intended. The great majority of the tunes in this book are popular session tunes. The selection of tunes found here should enable players of any melody instrument to contribute to music sessions; it is also a sound base for building a personal repertoire. Irish music sessions have been a feature of the traditional music scene for years now and show no signs of abating. Many players have honed their skills among them first before bringing what they have learned to the concert platform. Irish music is not a static, it is constantly changing. The influence of recordings by Matt Molloy, The Bothy Band, Planxty etc. has had a major impact in recent years however, the tunes in this book have stood the test of time and fashion and they're sure to remain firm favourites for many years to come. Gordon Tyrrall is an accomplished player of the wooden flute, tin whistle and the guitar, this book and its accompanying recordings are are his selection of personal favourite Irish tunes; it reflects his maturing as a musician being involved in the phenomenal number of sessions that have taken place in and around Leeds over the last three decades. The book contains 101 tunes, chords, drawings by Gordon, notes on the tunes, a discography, a biography, explanation of technique and a discourse on the wooden flute.
Contents
Reels
Belles of Tipperary Bird in the bush Boyne hunt Christmas eve Craig's pipes Cup of tea Dogs among the bushes Dublin reel Duke of Leinster Fairy reel First house in Connaught Fisherman's island Five mile chase Flowers of Edinburgh Gilbert Clancy's reel Gol & gaire na hÉireann Green mountain Humours of Lissadel Hunter's purse Ivy leaf Jack McGuire's Jenny's chickens Kerry reel Killavel fancy Knotted cord Maid behind the bar Maid of Mount Cisco Man of Aran Maple leaf Maud Miller McDermott's Morning dew Morning star Old blackthorn Pigeon on the gate Pullet
A Rainy day Rakish Paddy Road to Knock Rolling in the ryegrass Roaring Mary Seán McGuire's Seán McKenna's no. 1 Seán McKenna's no. 2 Skylark Sligo maid Sligo reel Tarbolton lodge Tie the bonnet Tom Billy's Toss the feathers no. 1 Trip to Birmingham
Jigs
Banish misfortune Bank of turf Battering ram Blarney pilgrim Cliffs of Moher Cornelius Curtin's balloon Ducks and the oats Dusty windowsills Flail Kesh Killavel Langstrom's pony Lark on the strand Leitrim fancy Maid in the meadow Monaghan jig Morrison's Paddy Taylor's Queen among the rushes
Rose among the heather Scotsman over the border Tom Billy's jig no. 1 Tone Rowe's Tune the fiddle Up Sligo! Willie Clancy's Willie Coleman's Hornpipes Byrne's Fairies' hornpipe Flowing tide Joe Burke's Fort of Kincora Friendly visit Horse and jockey Kitty's wedding Rights of man Seán Ryan's Smell of the bog Miscellany
Barnacle redowa Branch line Drops of brandy Foxhunter's jig Kerry no. 2 Man from Skye March of King of Laoise Mick Coen's O'Keeffe's Over the hills to glory Scartaglen Weaver's