Irish Sessiun Tune Books

[Helen]

Jim,

 

I have the Portland book, I just never thought of it as a resource for Irish tunes.

 

Eric,

 

I have the fiddler's fake book and the session I attended used it a lot. I had wondered if the Sullivan books were a good deal. Although, I too have dogs, and if they are tasty, I will have to hide them. (My coworker told the warehouse where she got her glasses that her dog ate them, you can see the dog tooth marks, and they are giving her new ones for free. Maybe the Sullivan books come with a warranty.)

 

I love piano accordion books.

 

Ah gosh, I am so happy.

 

Hi Janis, glad I didn't tell you I thought your name was Jim, Oops now I did.

 

Helen

[Sharron]

Hi Helen

 

Have you seen Karen Tweed's 'Irish Choice' available from Dave Mallinson in the UK, but elsewhere also I would expect?

It has 93 session tunes well laid out with chord symbols too. It also has a couple of cds to go along with the book. The tunes are played on PA but sound very much like a box/melodeon so are very clear without distractions and loads of chord playing.

I would think it would be a good choice for you with your interest in PA and with the cds it makes a good compromise. Be warned though that a couple of tunes are not in a normal key/setting in the session where I come from but that may be different elsewhere.

A nice book nontheless.

 

Sharron

[geoffwright]

Have a look at thesession.com - the best place for Irish session tunes. It has abc, midi, a personal tunebook and lots more.

[Lester Bailey]

Have a look at thesession.com - the best place for Irish session tunes. It has abc, midi, a personal tunebook and lots more.

What is the full URL for thesession.com? having difficulties finding it.

[semaj1950]

Hi Helen, gang,

 

While not exactly a book, I have found Steve Kaufman's Four Hour Celtic Workout published by Homespun Tapes to be a great boon. I live in the middle of nowhere--Montana, actually--and sessions are far away and the roads are snowy now. While the collection only has 50 tunes (only!), each is played 3 times at a moderate tempo, then thrice at the correct tempo. Sheet music is included in standard notation, as well as guitar and mandolin tablature, and for those who learn better auraly (isn't that a song by Stphen Foster), the first repeat of both the slow and fast versions includes the melody. Then for the next 2 repeats you're on your own. It's more fun than a metronome, and you can repeat a tune till the laser burns through the disc, if you so desire. No arguments over key, what to play next, or anything. You get to be the alpha musician in the group.

 

Yeah, I know it's not the same as playing with real musicians, but if getting to sessions is a problem, it's a fair substitute.

 

Just for the record, I do play regularly with live people. It's mostly Rock and Roll bass guitar in smoky, drunk filled bars, but it helps pay my daughter's tuition. I also force the other guys to let me play a couple of fiddle tunes a night. I wear ear plugs, and can't think of a better way to make $100 on a night when I'd just be sitting at home practicing my concertina anyway.

Additionally, in the summer months I play fiddle/mandolin/banjo/dobro in a couple of acoustic groups of the sort of bluegrass/western swing variety. I also play for the dudes at a dude ranch in the summer. They're called guest ranches now, and the dudes are called guests. They're called a few other things, too, by the locals and ranch owners, but when they're paying, they're guests. Occasionally I dress up like one Pierre Cruzat, and play music of the Lewis and Clark era--the were one of the last big things to happen in some parts of MT, and this is their bicentennial.

 

But I digress. You can get the Kaufman set from either Homespun, Elderly Instruments, or via a couple of sources on Ebay for a few bucks less.

 

Have fun,

 

Jim

[Rhomylly]

I've seen the Mallinson and the Portland books advertised in my new obsession, Andy's' Front Hall catalogue (hey, I need something as an antidote to all my husband's heirloom tomato catalogues!). Needless to say they are all at the top of my holiday wish list!

 

I also have the Peter Barnes book of English Country Dance tunes. While the tunes are completely not useful for sessions, they are a part of my childhood and I love being able to play them anyway.

 

Not that any of this is very useful, I'm sure. Chalk it up to flu-induced rambling.

[Patrick Brown]

QUOTE (geoffwright @ Dec 11 2003, 12:52 PM)

Have a look at thesession.com - the best place for Irish session tunes. It has abc, midi, a personal tunebook and lots more.

 

 

What is the full URL for thesession.com? having difficulties finding it.

 

 

the correct URL is www.thesession.org

[geoffwright]

http://www.thesession.org/

 

com / org - whats in a suffix? Sorry!!

Edited December 12, 2003 by geoffwright

[Monty [IIIIII]]

A local Irish fiddler, Dale Russ, reportedly introduced a tune at a concert with the following: "A lot of people learn tunes off CDs but we learned this one the old fashioned way -- We looked it up in O'Neils".

 

Tunebooks have long been a source of discussion. debate and rancor around Irish sessions (I've been to quite a few in the US, England, Scotland and Ireland over manyyears). The older traditional Irish players I've talked to seem rather bemused by the concept of people learning Irish tunes from a book. They perceive it as an aural tradition and believe one never learns the nuance or soul of the music from the page. I tend to agree.

 

However, few of us have a grandfather or other traditional player in our kitchen to pass along these tunes. There are some teachers around, of course, and some people learn from organized lessons and classes. Otherwise we can take tape recordings at sessions, listen to CDs or MIDI files, or pick up sheet music from books or the web. I tend to buy sheet music books as I travel or when I meet someone who has something new and interesting. This has led to a large collection -- some of which I have never opened.

 

Which resource and how to use it is probably a matter of learning style as well as propriety. There are Irish sessions where people erect music stands and play from books. But such sessions are not common and they seldom attract, or may even repel, the accomplished traditional players. Consequently it can become a a gathering of novices stumbling through tunes week after week with slow if any progress towards a real high powered traditional Irish session. Books are good for roughing out a tune, but alone they are not enough. One has to listen to the music played well by someone who understands the nuances of the tradition.

 

All that being said, "The Portland Collection" is an excellent resource, though probably more for Contra Dance settings than Irish sessions. Only about a third of the tunes are common in Irish sessions and they are not necessarily the most popular settings where I have played. The CD "Portland Selection", which can be purchased along with the book, provides an excellent aural guide to the music. The performers -- George Penk, Sue Songer and Clyde Curley -- are great players and very knowledgable musicians (Susan and Clyde authored the book).

 

Sue and Clyde did many interviews and extensive research in collecting the tunes. But they aren't and don't pretend to be Irish or even Irish wannabes. I don't see them at the many Irish sessions here in Portland (Oregon) trying to absorb or perpetuate that particular vibe. Rather, they have carefully and laboriously translated Irish, Quebequois, American and original tunes into a formidable contra dancing repertoire. But it is not the same sound you would get from Frankie Gavin, Charlie Lennon and Noel Hill, or Kevin Burke and Jackie Daly, or many other traditional Irish players. Whether that makes a difference is a matter for the purists to argue.

 

To sum up, "The Portland Collection Book and Selection CD" will make a valuable addition to your library of traditional music and helpful in learning some standard Irish tunes. It is well worth the price (around $40 for book and CD). And the Quebecois tunes are a great bonus for those of us who also enjoy that tradition. But if your interest is strictly and purely traditional Irish sessions, there are probably better resources. Some I enjoy:

 

Traditional Tune Sourcebooks I&II-- by Richard Darsie; Silver Sound Publications

 

The Smokey Chimney ... Book & CD -- By Mike Dugger -- Lopitha Publishing Co.

 

Musical Memories Book & CD -- by Charlie Lennon -- Worldmusic Publications

 

O'Neill's Music of Ireland (publisher information covered by tatterd duct tape)

 

The Fiddlecase Book of Irish Traditional Music (Published long ago in Peterborough, NH -- may still be available somewhere)

 

Sully's Irish Music Book -- By Anthony Sullivan ; Halshaw Music 1979

 

I'm not sure if these books are still available or where to find them today -- but they're worth a look. And don't stop with the books. Listen to as many great players as you can and let the music seep into your bones -- then it will eventually come out in your fingers.

 

Monty McKinney -- Portland Oregon

[Helen]

Thanks, Monty,

 

I do have the Portland Collection, but not the CD.

 

I want to go to more Irish sessions. I know that I need to hear nuances and variations. I just also wanted written music to get a feel for how the tunes sound. I do not learn by ear. I am working towards that, but not there yet.

 

There is a session I go to once in a while, pretty far from where I live. People do use tune books there, Fiddler's Fakebook, mostly I think. But I go because the people are so very nice. I like being around them. I have fun and feel good for days after I've gone. Can't beat that.

 

Helen

[Monty [IIIIII]]

"I know that I need to hear nuances and variations. I just also wanted written music to get a feel for how the tunes sound."

There's the rub, Helen -- the musical notation for traditional music seldom provides much information about how the tune should really "sound". Rythm patterns are often simplified, leaving out dotted notes, slurs, ties, pauses, accents, grace notes, stacatto, legato, rubato etc. Bar lines can be deceptive, chopping up phrases and so on. It's really bare bones notation compared to a classical piece, for example. And even Irish "traditional" composers (if that is not an oxymoron) such as Charlie Lennon play the tunes differently on their recordings than they have noted them on the page.

 

What you do get from traditional music notation is a succession of tones with a general idea of how much time to alot each note and phrase. If you play it exactly as it is written it will sound mechanical and about as exciting as the personalized tune on your cell phone. In fact a half dozen people playing their cell phones in unison might be an improvement over some sessions.

 

On the positive side, the beginners "sheet music" session I attended ten years ago has spawned some dedicated musicians, instrument makers, CD purchasers and devoted fans of traditional music. It also offered an opportunity for people to gather, enjoy music and become friends. Many of us have remained close friends for years. And the social experience can be much better than playing with Irish "celebrities" and wannabes.

 

But, in terms of musicality and perpetuation or development of a musical tradition the debate goes on, particularly amongst the traditionalists who shudder at some of the musical results of "their" music in the hands of people who have read the dots but obviously don't hear the tune. And I have to include myself amongst the "amateurs" who have caused some of this consternation. But one does improve eventually by listening as much as playing -- assuming one listens to people who know and understand the tradition. And there's another argument.

However, I've rambled on here way to much and tonight is session night at my favorite pub, so I must run.

 

All the Best,

 

Monty

[Helen]

Thanks Monty and everyone,

 

Truly I understand that one can not play note for note from written music and get the nuances and variations. I do get it. I know that I need to listen to music and go to sessions and listen to CDs and go to concerts. I really do get all that. It's just that some of us like to have music to look at as a jumping off place. I need to get anchored or rooted or something. Not everyone has developed the talent to play by ear.

 

I promise. I am working on playing by ear.

 

But I have never never regretted learning to read music as a very young child. I learn best visually. This was a big help through school because traditionally that is how my schools taught all subjects.

 

Kids I work with now, since I only get the ones with problems, often can not learn by visual means. So we work with them in different ways. I don't teach, by the way.

 

I really do concede the need to listen to music and won't debate written music versus playing by ear. That's been beaten to death in other threads. Both ways have their advantages.

 

I just appreciate getting leads on tunebooks.

 

So thanks to all of you for giving me so many wonderful tunebooks from which to choose.

 

And I want you all to be impressed that I ended that last sentence grammatically. (I wanted to say ... so many tunebooks to choose from. Now aren't you impressed? So I can't learn by ear. I can write grammatically from time to time.)

 

Ha.

 

Musically,

Helen

[David Barnert]

There is, of course, value in each of the skills: the ability to read music and the ability to play without it. I regularly play chamber music with friends and it would be unthinkable to attempt it without printed music ("Master and Commander" notwithstanding) but as the music we play is baroque (look it up--it means highly ornamented), we often play notes that are not printed on the page, tossing improvised ornaments back and forth.

 

I learn traditional tunes by ear because I am inspired to want to learn them by hearing them. Since it's unlikely that an aural source and a written source of a tune will become available to me at the same time, I generally have only an aural source for a tune when I want to learn it. Once I've got the tune figured out, however, I will want to "nail it down" by having it on paper. If I can't find a written source, I will notate it myself.

 

But let there be no doubt: I find the practice of playing tunes at a session from printed music goes against the grain of everything I cherish about playing music. There is no spontaneity, there is no interaction with other musicians, there is no listening, there is no learning, there is no music.

[Helen]

Perhaps I can't get us past the old debate of playing by ear or using written music because I asked about Irish session tunebooks.

 

I tried really really hard in the intro to this thread to make it clear that I realized the advantages of playing by ear. And I wasn't looking for tunebooks to take to sessions to use.

 

Honestly. I wanted some leads on good books to have to get some direction on how to get started. To play some tunes I like at home.

 

I concede the wonder of being able to play by ear. I understand the frustration of waiting for people to find a tune in a book. I really wasn't getting the books to take and sit in a session.

 

Perhaps because I mentioned sessions I sparked off this discussion.

 

However, I tend to buy books because I like them and I think they might be helpful. I was trying to be a little more fiscally responsible and get some feedback instead of buying every book I saw in the catalogues. I couldn't tell if a book was good by the descriptions as I couldn't see the index or indices (I think).

 

Anyway. I'm excited by all of the wonderful books everyone has mentioned and already ordered and received a few from Andy's Front Hall. I liked the resources so much that I put this thread up in my toolbar on my computer. I needed to knock something else off the toolbar to get it there. If you knew how little I know about computers, you would realize that means I REALLY like these tunebooks.

 

Thanks all,

Helen

 

Okay maybe I'll go listen to some music and see if I can figure out at least one note.

[Monty [IIIIII]]

While it was Helen who began this thread, my remarks were aimed at anyone in the whole wide world who might be passing through this forum with a thought of picking up a tune book and heading off to an Irish session.

 

So, people reading my little essays may consider what seems relevant to their particular situation and disregard the rest. Or they may disregard everything because ultimately I'm but one concertina player making comments based on my experience and observations accumulated over years of playing here and there. Others may have very different experiences and are certainly invited to share them without any need to apologize. The object is to promote a discussion, collect new information and expand or maybe even change our perspective -- Or confirm what we already believe.

 

In short, no one should take anything I say personally. If I have a personal message, I will send a personal email. Here I'm just pontificating -- or as some of my friends say "You're Montificating again!!!!"

 

 

All the best,

 

Monty

[Helen]

Hey Monty,

 

You can montificate all you want. It was your response coupled with the neat ones from other people that prompted me to place this thread on my toolbar. So what ever you want to say is ok by me. (David has already told me he wasn't referring to me by his response.)

 

I just didn't want us to get lost in the age old debate about playing by ear versus tunebooks. Then no one would tell me about any other tunebooks!!!!

 

You see, I have an agenda here!

 

I've already ordered some of the books mentioned. And the funny thing is, I realized I had some of the books already. Just had them for a different setting and didn't think of them as Irish tunebooks.

 

Ah, I am so happy.

 

I got the Evergreen book and the Enduring book. (Ordered them and they came yesterday). Last time I saw Steve Kaufmann, I got the Celtic book for mandolin.

 

Still on the lookout for more tunebooks. I think I have had a lifelong love of books. I used to scribble on colored paper and fold it to make books before I could read. Oh golly, maybe I should take that back out, someone is going to get me for that little revelation.

 

Thanks to all for the great ideas.

 

Helen

[ScottC]

check out the freebie acrobat session sets at this link:

 

Paddy O'Brien's Sets

[JoachimDelp]

Helen,

 

May I recommedn you :

 

Fran Edgleys Irish Session Tune Book, which comes togehter with an intersting CD,.

He perfomrs the tunes (more or less a 50 % of the Tunes noted in the Book, as fa as I know he planned to edit a second CD with the rest), playing the tunes in two versions, once a bit slower in order to make it easier to leran it, and a seciond tiome at speed.

 

I find it very helpful.

 

Kind regards

Joachikm Delp