sources for slow airs

[Marien]

Many tune books show fast dances, reels, jigs, reels and horn pipes. Does anyone have an idea where to find the best tunebooks or sites containing slow airs?

[Steve Mansfield]

Many tune books show fast dances, reels, jigs, reels and horn pipes. Does anyone have an idea where to find the best tunebooks or sites containing slow airs?

 

Traditional Slow Airs Of Ireland by Tomas O Canainn is a really good collection of Irish slow airs - here's a link to it on UK Amazon, The notation and explanatory notes are excellent, and there's an accompanying CD.

 

Don't forget about Carolan, there's various editions of his complete works about (not by any manner of means all slow airs of course, but quite a few of his tunes have been played as slow airs down the years).

 

Many slow airs started life as song tunes or dance tunes, so don't be afraid to experiment. For example the Dorset tune 'Sun Assembly' makes a beautiful slow air, the French revolutionary song 'Le fils de mon pays' stands alongside any of Carolan's given the right treatment, and I have also been known to play a deep soulful heavily ornamented air on low whistle which it usually takes people who've not heard it before a while to realise is actually Kylie's I Should Be So Lucky ...

[Anglo-Irishman]

Many slow airs started life as song tunes or dance tunes, so don't be afraid to experiment.

 

Marien,

An Irish example springs to mind:

Take the A-part of the jig "Father O'Flynn" and slow it down, and you've got the tune of the song "The Bard of Armagh," which when played without singing is a slow air! You can then "Americanise" it by adding a guitar with a waltz picking pattern and Hey presto! you've got the tune of "The Streets of Laredo!"

 

Cheers,

John

[Kautilya]

I had forgotten how to do a search in Cnet.

Use a search engine outside Cnet

and you immediately get

 

Haunting Slow Airs - Concertina.net Discussion Forums - Page 3

Concertina.net Discussion Forums: Haunting Slow Airs - Concertina.net Discussion Forums. Jump to content. ... Last Rose of summer (no Ferrier alas)

concertina.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=11586&st=36

 

and first page of that

http://www.concertina.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=11586&st=0

 

I cheated a little by remembering Last rose was cited as a slow air.

There is lots to make a little collection of what YOU fancy there.

Carolan of course is always wonderful to wander through.

Edited November 16, 2012 by Kautilya

[Kautilya]

I had forgotten how to do a search in Cnet.

Use a search engine outside Cnet

and you immediately get

 

Haunting Slow Airs - Concertina.net Discussion Forums - Page 3

Concertina.net Discussion Forums: Haunting Slow Airs - Concertina.net Discussion Forums. Jump to content. ... Last Rose of summer (no Ferrier alas)

concertina.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=11586&st=36

 

and first page of that

http://www.concertina.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=11586&st=0

 

I cheated a little by remembering Last rose was cited as a slow air.

There is lots to make a little collection of what YOU fancy there.

Carolan of course is always wonderful to wander through.

Marien, I collected together a load of those, some with all or parts (score, lyrics, midis and some youtubes) for Whitby so anything in particular you might fancy, let me know)

[cboody]

Well I know of one source, because I edited it and sell it. It is a collection of tunes "For whistle and other instruments." Most of the tunes are in their common key, though a few have been moved to keys more friendly for D whistle. Most, but not all, have suggested chord names. Some are just too much in the sean nos tradition to want chord names. We've probably stepped into chords further than some ITM folks would like. It is NOT a collection of slow airs, but rather a collection of slow tunes. Tune tiles are listed below. I sell the collection spiral bound on good 24 lb paper for $20.00 postpaid in the US ($21.00 through paypal). PM me for address to send a check. I hope mentioning this hasn't stepped into some prohibitions of list use. If so please let me know and I'll remove the post and be a good boy!

 

Thanks for reading.

 

 

Amhran na Leabhair

Arran Boat, The

Auld Lang Syne

Auld Resting Chair, The

Banks Of The Devon

Battle of the Somme

Birks of Invermay

Blind Mary

Bonaparte's Retreat

Bonny At Morn

Boulavogue

Boys of Wexford, The

Bruach na Carraige Baine

Cape Clear

Captain John Sudley

Carrickfergus

Coleman's March

Cradle Song

Da Slockit Light

Dark Island

Eagle's Whistle

Eleanor Plunkett

Erev shel shoshanim

Eye of the Storm

Fairhaired Child, The

Farewell

For Ireland I Won't Say Her Name

Green Glens of Antrim, The

Green Hills of Gweedore

Heart of the Heartland

Hector the Hero

Her Mantle So Green

Hills of Lorne, The

If Ever You Were Mine

Inisheer

Jimmy Mo Mhile Stor

John O'Dwyer Of The Glen

King of the Fairies

Kitty Tyrrell

Kitty Tyrrell

Lliw Lili Ymysg Y Drain

Loch Tay Boat Song

Lochaber No More

Logan Water

Lord Ullin's Daughter

Love Of The Isles, The

Maids of Arrochar

May Morning Dew

Merch Megan

Mist-Covered Mountains Of Home, The

Molly St. George

Morgan Magan

Mountains of Mourne, The

Mrs. Jamieson's Favorite

Music o' Spey

My Hame

Ned Of The Hill

Niel Gow's Lament For The Death Of His Second Wife

Parting Glass, The

Roisin Bheag Dubh

Roisin Bheag Dubh

Roslin Castle

Seamus O'Brien

She Moved Through The Fair

Siuil A Ghra

Song of the Kelpie

Spailpin Fanach

Sunset Over Ayr

Taímse Im' Chodhladh

Thatched Cabin, The

Though I Go To Bed, Little Does Sleep Come To Me

Westmorland, The

Ye Banks and Braes of Bonnie Doon

Yellow Hair'd Laddie, The

[angloplayer]

Hi Marien

 

I recently found this page on the internet. Maybe it is useful for you?

 

AP

[Kautilya]

Hi Marien

 

I recently found this page on the internet. Maybe it is useful for you?

 

AP

Tku tku - terrific, and with abc score and midi.

I hope Marien's request brings up some more gems like this.

[Marien]

Thanks all for the good links to tune pages. Also the hint to try out fast tunes and play them slower is helpful.

Marien

[Jack Campin]

There are far more of them from the Scottish repertoire than from everywhere else in Western Europe put together. There are many in the 18th and 19th century fiddle tune collections, and some recent ones here:

 

http://www.ian-hardie.co.uk/

 

(Hardie died last month).

 

I have some from the Scottish flute repertoire here:

 

http://www.campin.me.uk/Flute/Webrelease/Flute/Flute.htm

 

One unusual Scottish form is the "slow strathspey". William Marshall wrote a lot of those. They are more elaborate than a strathspey intended for dancing, though they can be used as dance tunes if you cut some corners in the ornamentation. They idea is to play them slowly but with a definite strathspey rhythm. You won't figure that out just from a printed score.