irish or celtic tune books

[Bauju]

I went to my first session last week and a number of people were playing tunes from a book. (The fiddler's fake book by Matt Cranitch) I mostly play by ear but I'd like to have a book or two for reference. I did some research on the net and got overwhelmed with the possibilities. We play guitar, low whistle, fiddle and flute so I'd like a book with tunes and guitar chords. I'm not that interested in the non-Celtic tunes. I'd like a book with LOTS of tunes - a book with CDs would be nice but not necessary.....Any reccomendations?

[ChrisA]

(Edit: Err, on second thought, disregard this. There's no guitar chords involved in
these materials. I don't know where you would find that.)


For tunes and CDs, I'd get L.E. McCullough's 121 Favorite Irish Session Tunes.

For a -lot- of tunes, I'd get O'Neill's Music of Ireland (Eighteen Hundred and Fifty Melodies).
There's more than one O'Neill's book out there, noteably the 1001 (re)arranged for fiddle. I like the original 1850 just to have as a reference.

Of course, most any tune you could name is available on thesession.org.

However, if in your particular location, everyone is using book X, you might want to also have book X, just to have the -same- version of the tune, though if you usually learn by ear, I suppose adapting shouldn't be that hard, in most cases.

[colomon]

(Edit: Err, on second thought, disregard this. There's no guitar chords involved in
these materials. I don't know where you would find that.)

For tunes and CDs, I'd get L.E. McCullough's 121 Favorite Irish Session Tunes.

Actually 121 Favorite Irish Session Tunes added chords in the second edition. (The one that had CDs instead of tapes.)

[Martin Milner]

There's a series of books by Ossian, The Red Book, The Blue Book, the Orange Book, and the Green Book , of Irish Session Tunes.

I have all four books now, and two CDs. I haven't actually found the CDs for the other two books (Red & Green) but hope to pick them up at Willie Clancy Week this year.

The CDs have the tunes played by Sheila Garry & Brid Cranitch.

The tunes are arranged in sets of two or three tunes per page, mostly reels and jigs, with polkas, hornpipes, slipjigs and slides too, but less common, as they would be in sessions.

Not sure if they have the Chords, but I can check tonight.

[SteveShaw]

Four from Dave Mallinson publications:
100 Essential Session Tunes
100 Enduring Session Tunes
100 Evergreen Session Tunes
100 Irish Polkas

Irish Traditional Session Tunes, books 1-3 from Tony Sullivan (Halshaw Music)

All have guitar chords. Just remember, the written-down tune is just the beginning....

Cheers!

Steve

[Guitar Kat =^..^=]

Here's one I just recently bought... even though it's in C, a lot of the music is still playable.. just get the right whistle in your collection.

Celtic Fake Book

This book is made for "C" instruments meaning that you can have a very accurate guitarist with you, without tuning it or whatever, etc.

[The Weekenders]

Just a caution that the whole subject of putting chords to ITM is so subjective and changeable that its possible that you may find some chord adaptions very unacceptable. I know that the goal is just to play the music but I swear, 'tis a can of worms.

I heard several accompanists at our SF Tionol this weekend. At the wrap-up concert, a young feller was playing exceptional accompaniments to the tunes. It made me realize that the style has become a nearly polyphonic, ever changing addition to the tune, for better or worse.

In simpler terms, instead of hearing strummed chords at predictable places, these musicians are constantly moving, never playing the same thing twice. There are occasional chords, but its something different, and somehow in-between traditional chords, a moving bass line, and an actual countermelody (the melody moving about half the speed or less of the original tune, tho).

The answer, if there is one, is to get your guitarist to listen to some of the finer accompanists on a tune that you do have the music to already. It may start an interesting journey, if he/she like the style, into alternate tunings and a very satisfying way to use the guitar.

Not an easy answer, but I have crossed out many chords in many sheets over the years for the other Weekender to play. Developed some of my own, then after a while, erased them out and changed 'em more. Definitely a process.

[Miwokhill]

I like the 121 Session tune book by L.E McCullough too. Works well with whistle and fiddle. If you get it, go thru a 'used seller ' at Amazon: cheaper price unless Amazon has knocked the price down of late. The used one I got was new though, it'll tell you if it is or not on the site page.
Like colomon had mentioned also does have the chord names along with 4 cds. -mike

[SteveShaw]

Just a caution that the whole subject of putting chords to ITM is so subjective and changeable that its possible that you may find some chord adaptions very unacceptable. I know that the goal is just to play the music but I swear, 'tis a can of worms.

I heard several accompanists at our SF Tionol this weekend. At the wrap-up concert, a young feller was playing exceptional accompaniments to the tunes. It made me realize that the style has become a nearly polyphonic, ever changing addition to the tune, for better or worse.

In simpler terms, instead of hearing strummed chords at predictable places, these musicians are constantly moving, never playing the same thing twice. There are occasional chords, but its something different, and somehow in-between traditional chords, a moving bass line, and an actual countermelody (the melody moving about half the speed or less of the original tune, tho).

The answer, if there is one, is to get your guitarist to listen to some of the finer accompanists on a tune that you do have the music to already. It may start an interesting journey, if he/she like the style, into alternate tunings and a very satisfying way to use the guitar.

Not an easy answer, but I have crossed out many chords in many sheets over the years for the other Weekender to play. Developed some of my own, then after a while, erased them out and changed 'em more. Definitely a process.

Good stuff. I speak as a non-guitarist melody player. It's very tempting to view all potential guitar accompanists with suspicion, and this is well-founded in many cases, but assuming we accept that (a) they're here (b) they aren't going to go away (c) some may have a great deal to contribute that's good, then there are things we can do other than sitting back and letting them "sort out the chords" themselves as if that were nothing to do with the melody players. Guitarists have egos like the rest of us and the last thing they want to be doing in the session is to feel that they they are sitting in the background all night while the fiddles, flutes and boxes hog the limelight. The best accompanists often play another instrument as well, and it's pretty good when they dump the guitar for the odd set and we can all just bang out the tunes with just the occasional double-stop here and there to suggest the harmony in the mind's ear. I love that sort of session-playing. I think too that the melody-players should take an intelligent, constructive interest in what the guitarist is doing - at the very least be able to discuss chords and alternatives so that the end result feels like a collaboration to all parties. It's not good enough to sit there and try to ignore inappropriate chords or, worse, glare at the guitarist when a clanger is dropped (guilty on both counts :roll: ). And, as you say, get the guitarist to listen to the really good accompanists on recordings. I love to hear Arty McGlynn tripping lightly yet giving a solid rhythmic foundation on the earlier Patrick Street albums or on The Fire Aflame - we're definitely not talking chord-strumming there - but there's a place for the "less subtle" stuff too, a la Bothy Band or Molloy-Brady-Peoples. Whatever the approach, the melody players should have an intelligent involvement in the harmony just as much as the accompanist should appreciate the nuances of the tunes. It's an education for all the protagonists.

Steve

[The Weekenders]

Yeah, I was going to mention Arty McGlynn! I bet others on Forum could compile a list of best guitarists in this style.

[TomB]

Yeah, I was going to mention Arty McGlynn! I bet others on Forum could compile a list of best guitarists in this style.

Artie McGlynn is fantastic. I also like John Doyle, Zan Mcleod and Dennis Cahill.


Tom

[Cayden]

Paul de Grae

[monkey587]

Good stuff. I speak as a non-guitarist melody player. It's very tempting to view all potential guitar accompanists with suspicion, and this is well-founded in many cases, but assuming we accept that (a) they're here (b) they aren't going to go away (c) some may have a great deal to contribute that's good, then there are things we can do other than sitting back and letting them "sort out the chords" themselves as if that were nothing to do with the melody players. Guitarists have egos like the rest of us and the last thing they want to be doing in the session is to feel that they they are sitting in the background all night while the fiddles, flutes and boxes hog the limelight. The best accompanists often play another instrument as well, and it's pretty good when they dump the guitar for the odd set and we can all just bang out the tunes with just the occasional double-stop here and there to suggest the harmony in the mind's ear. I love that sort of session-playing.
Steve

I try to be a sensitive accompanist, but almost invariably there's been another guitarist at the session trying to fit all the tunes, including the minor key ones, into G, C, and D major chords, bashing out endless boomchuck rhythms that drown me out, and I am left feeling unable to contribute anything. :roll:

I found myself, a guitarist, resenting guitarists. So, I took up octave mandolin and now flute/whistle (though I'm not ready to take winds to sessions) and generally stick to melody unless there's no other accompanist present, in which case I'll switch back and forth depending on what I think the tune needs. I like playing backup as much as melody, but it's very easy and detrimental to have too many cooks in the kitchen.

[SteveShaw]

Monkey 587 wrote:
<<..found myself, a guitarist, resenting guitarists. So, I took up octave mandolin and now flute/whistle (though I'm not ready to take winds to sessions) and generally stick to melody unless there's no other accompanist present, in which case I'll switch back and forth depending on what I think the tune needs. I like playing backup as much as melody, but it's very easy and detrimental to have too many cooks in the kitchen.>>

You're one of the good guys, mate - like hens' teeth, I'd say! I wish all guitarists were as sensitive.

Cheers!

Steve

[SteveShaw]

Yeah, I was going to mention Arty McGlynn! I bet others on Forum could compile a list of best guitarists in this style.

I know Tony McManus gets mentioned a lot (deservedly!), but for a marvellous album that shows his accompaniment skills at their very best check out "Return to Kintail" on the Culburnie label, featuring his guitar and Alasdair Fraser's fiddle (it's basically Scottish but there's a bit of Irish on there, and the whole thing's definitely up our alley!).

Cheers

Steve