Tunes

Here's a list of Tunes .. both listening to and more importantly learning/playing.

I'll put them all in order on my Session Tunebook

13 June 2019 Now putting all of my tunes into https://www.irishtune.info/ which combines search, discog, practice generator.  A great resource.

Been learning ..

JigD	Gander in the Pratie Hole	D Mixolydian	|FAD FAD|~G3 EFG|
JigD	Haunted House	G Major	|GG2 AGA|BGE EDE|
JigSl	Rocky Road to Dublin	A Dorian	|efe d2B A2G|E2A A3 B2d|
Polka	Kerry No. 2	E Dorian	|B2 BA|FA Dz|
Polka	Tripping to the Well	G Major	|G>A BG|EG ED|
Slide	O'Keeffe's Slide	A Dorian	|A2e e2d BAB d2B|A2e e2d B2G GFG|

Week 8: Monday 28th November 2016 - The Blackthorn stick / The Trip To Sligo / Lark in the Morning

Monday: Had a terrible time practicing last week so didn't finish Fig for a Kiss until tonight.  Will start trip to sligo on Tuesday.

Week 7: Monday 21st November 2016 - A Fig For A Kiss - week 2

Thursday: By late in the week made the decision not to rush to the next week's song.  I'd discovered that there was too much work to be done in the six tunes to date.  I could have learned another tune this week but I wasn't able to play the older tunes through without error.

On a much more positive side my practice Thur-Sunday were really good  - most importantly I notice a much better tone overall.  Thursday's practice the tone was particularly good - really nice, sweet higher octave without much effort.  I was delighted with myself!  My happiness at the better tone really made helped me make the decision to focus on quality over quantity and push this weeks tune out by a week.

Week 6: Monday 14th November 2016 - A Fig For A Kiss

Monday: Again a lovely session tune.  Here's a nice version

Then Matt playing a slightly slower version in Eb

Week 5: Monday 7th November 2016 - The Winding Road (The Idle Road)

Monday: Had to finish the Connaughtman's Rambles on Monday but started into The Winding Road just to make sure I keep the tune per week rhythm.

Nice little bouncy tune.

Wednesday: Only tonight finished the Connaughtman's Rambles and started The Winding Road.  Perhaps it was just me but I kept finding the slowed down version confusing - for the first part I'd find myself substituting the 4th section for the 2nd etc etc.  It really was a muddle in my head once I did it slowly.  If I listened to the tune at full speed I'd no issue humming along and getting the tune but once it was slowed down it would get get messy.
It was a case of repeat - repeat - repeat before it all became clear.

So .. started the Winding road late Wednesday which puts me about 3 days behind.  The good news is that it looks like a straightforward tune.  I'm aiming to get it all learnt off tonight (Thursday) so I can then have the weekend to keep going over it.  That will put me back on track.

Sunday: By the time I finished the tune Sat/Sunday I was really enjoying it.  At the moment it is my favourite tune so far.  But I think that when I play Ryan's slip jig also!

Week 4: Monday 31st October 2016 - Connaughtman's Rambles

Monday: Started Connaughtman's Rambles.  A very popular session tune and like Pigtown a lot of fun to play.  This week will be also concentrating on Taps.

Nice tune.  Faster flute version of it here.

Thursday: This has also been a slow tune to learn.  I've finished the first part and am about half way through the second.  The main reason has been those octave jumps.  I could learn the tune quickly but I'm doing it very slowly and very repetitively to try to get the tone, taps, cuts correct - particularly in the second octave.  Still aiming to finish the tune Friday then repeat over the weekend.

I'm beginning to replay the first four tunes when I relax at the end of a long slog.  My favourite thing is to put on a Comhaltas recording or a youtube session of it and play along.  

It will definitely be interesting to build up this list to have myself a mini-session .. well playing along to a session .. right now that's the best bit of any daily practice.  I do have a small concern that when I play at speed I'm undoing some of the good habits of my slow down play but I recon it's a mix .. I'm getting something from the faster play .. albeit with some errors .. as well as the careful practice.

Sunday: So with being away from home Fri to Sunday didn't get to finish practice on this tune.  I'll let it spill into week 5 and start the new tune a day late.  I've only a bit of the tune to finish.

Not delighted at this but feel it better than to put off week 5 tune.  

Week 3: Monday 24th October 2016 - Pigtown

Monday: Pigtown.

Have to say I like this tune.  https://thesession.org/tunes/80

Here's the Old Timey version

Wednesday to Sunday: This was a hard week to practice.  By Sunday I had the tune finished but I definitely will be putting the final touches to it in the weeks to come.  One of the biggest challenges was the low to high G on the Olwell .. it was much harder to get that sweet spot.  But I think there were many learnings this week and not just the tunes.  There was a lot of lessons from the new flute in terms of embouchure and octave jumps.   There was also a lesson around keeping it up.

Week 2: Monday 17th October 2016 - Rolling in the Ryegrass

Tuesday: Started Ryegrass on Sunday and so now been playing it 3 days.  You seem to have a day or two stumble then it all sort of falls together .. you end up moving from a time of struggling to a time of enjoying playing the tune.  Had a good chance to run over Ryegrass and Fisherman's tonight.


Wednesday: Had to travel to Dublin to visit a friend so was late home.  Picked up the flute and went 'bah .. I'm so tired' but played through a few times.  I knew I was ready to give it up when I was sitting up in bed playing Ryegrass with loads of mistakes .. decided that enough was enough and it was lights out!

Thursday: Nice version here - Rolling in the rye grass, reel ; The traveller, reel / Catherine McEvoy, flute. Recorded at the Roscommon flute players recital at the Frankie Kennedy Winter School, 2007

Week 1: Monday 10th October 2016 - Fisherman's Slip Jig

Monday: So starting with The Fisherman's slip jig also known as the black haired lass.  Also going to focus on getting cuts nice and clean.

Wednesday: So been playing the jig a few days now.  I'm not sure this is my favorite tune ever but maybe that's because I'm not getting to the heart of it.

Thursday: Discovered the problem.  I was playing along to a very clunky version (I'll name no names) but today had a break through day with this tune.

After a good dig around on the session and found a version on Matt Molloy's Heathery Breeze (track 10).  An absolutely beautiful beautiful version - slowed down, not trying too hard, letting the melody do all the work.  Such a reflection of what I read in the Jack Coen interview.

Very strangely Matt Molloy follows the Fisherman up with Ship In Full Sail - this was the first tune I every tried on the flute from that sofa borrowing teacher in college.  Strange irony - Matt's set is my first tune coming back to the flute and my first tune every back to back.

Now I feel I get the tune in a new way I've been playing along to lively session version here  and am really enjoying myself (as it should be!).  Thanks (again) Matt.

Saturday: Feel like I've definitely broken the back of this tune.  Been playing away to  Foinn Seisiún II Ryan's Slip Jig.  Needs a lot more work but I've gone from struggling to enjoying playing it.  Will look forward to starting a new tune tomorrow (I think Sunday will be a good day to introduce the next week's tune .. just say hello not really learn) and then I'll keep going over this weeks and next week's over next Monday to Saturday.


Sunday: So having a look at Rolling in the rye grass for next week.

And Micho Russell playing a lovely bouncy version of it.