Simple Session Tunes

[Jewish Leprechaun]

I'm looking for simple tunes that are more or less commonly played in sessions. By simple I'm thinking of more tunes like the Armagh Polka (Ryan's Polka). Any tune suggestions would be welcomed and places where I can find the sheet music and/or a recording of the song would be even more welcomed.

 

Thanks,

Lep

[Steve Mansfield]

Have a look at

 

this section of the uk.music.folk newsgroup FAQ which covers introductory tunes for English and Irish sessions.

 

HTH

 

Steve

[Simon H]

I find Paul Hardy's Session tunebook at http://www.pghardy.net/concertina/tunebooks/ invaluable, prints out nicely in pdf, and there is an ABC file with all of the 270 tunes which if you have a programme like ABC explorer http://stalikez.info/abc/abcex.php , you can play easily at any speed. Good to hear recordings of the tunes played live too, but ABC is very good for getting the tunes and building up speed to.

[Jewish Leprechaun]

Have a look at

 

this section of the uk.music.folk newsgroup FAQ which covers introductory tunes for English and Irish sessions.

 

HTH

 

Steve

 

Thanks, Steve, but I can't find what I'm supposed to be finding at the website, do I need to click to a link or a different part of the site.

[Larry Stout]

I followed a few links from the address Steve gave and got to an abc collection of basic session tunes. The URL ro that is

 

http://www.Lesession.co.uk/music/UmfFaqSessionTunes.abc

 

Hope that helps.

[Jewish Leprechaun]

I followed a few links from the address Steve gave and got to an abc collection of basic session tunes. The URL ro that is

 

http://www.Lesession.co.uk/music/UmfFaqSessionTunes.abc

 

Hope that helps.

 

Thanks, Larry.

[John Wild]

Some time ago, the music supplement with the ICA's concertina World was a sessions supplement. you could enquire of the ICA if any copies are still available.

 

best wishes

 

John Wild

[Chris Drinkwater]

Have a look at

 

this section of the uk.music.folk newsgroup FAQ which covers introductory tunes for English and Irish sessions.

 

HTH

 

Steve

 

Thanks, Steve, but I can't find what I'm supposed to be finding at the website, do I need to click to a link or a different part of the site.

 

For an English music session, the following have been suggested:

 

Enrico, Speed The Plough, Michael Turner's Waltz, Soldiers Joy, Walter Bulwer's polkas, New Rigged Ship, Harpers Frolic / Bonny Kate, Bacup Coconut Dance, Sweets of May, Captain Leno's, Steamboat hornpipe, Nutting Girl, Maggie in the Wood, Three Around Three, Jimmy Allen, The Keel Row, Captain Pugwash (aka Trumpet Hornpipe), Morpeth Rant, Oyster Girl, Hunt the Squirrel, Queen's Jig, Haste to the Wedding, Smash the Windows, The Man in the Moon, Orange in Bloom (aka Sherbourne Waltz).

 

For an Irish session, some suggestions are:

 

Kesh Jig, Morrisons, Tripping Upstairs, Banish Misfortune, Lark in the Morning, Merry Blacksmith, Maid Behind The Bar, Silver Spear, Rakish Paddy, Wise Maid.

 

Chris

[Jewish Leprechaun]

Thanks for all the great tune suggestions!

[David Barnert]

...Bacup Coconut Dance, ...

One of my all-time favorite tunes. A more frequent name for it is "Tip Top Polka," although in Mally's North West Morris Book (thank you, Perry W), which contains many of the above tunes, it is called "Clow Bank."

[Fergus_fiddler]

I find Paul Hardy's Session tunebook at http://www.pghardy.net/concertina/tunebooks/ invaluable, prints out nicely in pdf, and there is an ABC file with all of the 270 tunes which if you have a programme like ABC explorer http://stalikez.info/abc/abcex.php , you can play easily at any speed. Good to hear recordings of the tunes played live too, but ABC is very good for getting the tunes and building up speed to.

 

I find Abc Explorer very messy and difficult to handle.For to hear and practice abc's, I prefer this one:

 

http://abcnavigator.free.fr/abcnvgt.php?lang=eng

 

And, for printing, this one:

 

http://www.abc2win.com/

 

Cheers,

 

Fer

[michael sam wild]

...Bacup Coconut Dance, ...

One of my all-time favorite tunes. A more frequent name for it is "Tip Top Polka," although in Mally's North West Morris Book (thank you, Perry W), which contains many of the above tunes, it is called "Clow Bank."

 

I remember going over one Easter Monday from Sheffield , to Rossendale in 1975 , the band were an apparently random bunch of brass players in old overcoats and anoraks and The Tip Top Polka went on all day , a bit like the Padstow 'Obby 'Oss tune does.