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I'm trying to put together a list of 20 tunes that should be the essential core repertoire for all Celtic mandolinists. I want this list of tunes to be a broad sampling of all the different Celtic styles for players at varying levels of ability. What do you think I should include? Thanks!
Is this just for your own musical enjoyment? By the time you factor in reels, jigs, hornpipes, airs, polkas, mazurkas, slip jigs, barndances, flings, waltzes, marches across the "Celtic" spectrum of Irish, Scottish, Breton, Cape Breton, Galician, Northumbrian, etc 20 tunes won't take you very far. I don't think the idea of a "core repertoire" is very practical. People very conversant in one tradition may not know much about some others. This doesn't even begin to touch upon regional styles. I'm not just trying to throw cold water on what you want to do, but as Roy Schieder said in Jaws, you may need a bigger boat. Or a smaller ocean.
... and also the fact that different sessions usually have different cores, so you'd have to add regional bias and whether any of the regulars are also composers (we have one in our session and everybody knows a couple of his tunes as part of the usual repertoire). I remember the first "real" session I sat in on, I didn't know 2 tunes out of a 90-minute session. Ugh. So, yeah, perhaps a bigger ocean.
(Out on the Ocean is a favorite out our way, by the way. just a note)
I had this list in my notes from an earlier conversation about core Irish tunes. The earlier mentions of regional variation, etc. really affect any list, but here are the 20 that came from the last time I joined in such a conversation.
Top 10 Jigs
Banish Misfortune
Connaughtman’s Rambles
Garrett Barry’s
Geese in the Bog
Joy of My Life
Lilting Banshee
Morrison’s
Out on the Ocean
Scatter the Mud
Tripping Up Stairs
Top 10 Reels
The Banshee
Cooley’s (Luttrell’s Pass)
Dunmore Lasses
Maid Behind The Bar
The Mountain Road
The Sally Gardens
Silver Spear
Sligo Maid
Wind that Shakes the Barley
Wise Maid
Really though - what are really you up to?Quote:
Originally Posted by dbmandolin
Why all the core repertoire questions? Whats the bigger plan?
Hey M.Marmot, just trying to expand my repertoire in different genres and be exposed to the experience of the many awesome players on this site. I also hope to find a common ground of core tunes in these styles to use as a starting point for my students. Sorry if my questions sound too uniform or institutional. Thanks
Not a bother sir - seeing as you have posted a variation of the same question on most of the genre forums here i was just curious to see if there was a greater plan behind them.Quote:
Originally Posted by dbmandolin
Best of luck to you.
Maybe a better question is to ask what tunes play well on the mandolin. Marla Fibish mentioned this during her class at the O'Flaherty Retreat. "Some tunes just don't sound good on the mandolin", she said referring to The Flogging Reel in this case, "especially tunes that suit the flute." There are things in certain tunes that can't be done on the mandolin or are very hard and sound bad on the instrument. On the other hand, some tunes sound are great on the mandolin because the player can take advantage of the strengths of the instrument while playing those tunes. The Antrim Reel is a good example as is the Abbey Reel both of which she taught as a set.
Mike Keyes
Mike - Was the Antrim Reel that Marla taught this one:Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeyes
http://thesession.org/tunes/3049
or this one:
http://www.irishtune.info/tune/528/
And was the Abbey Reel this one:
http://thesession.org/tunes/477
Do you have any plans to share these & other tunes taught by Marla at the Retreat with the rest of us? We'd all be extremely grateful!!
A top 10 jigs without The Frieze Britches, The Kesh, Saddle The Pony, and Tobin's is missing something... and 10 Reels without The Musical Priest, The Glasgow, and The Mason's Apron is heresy... and no mention of Slip Jigs, Hornpipes, Marches, Laments... 20 tunes won't cut it, in any genre... but fair play to you for tryin'
Don't have time for a long post, but want to note that Celtic doesn't only mean Irish.
O. K. Then what is your starting point? Bluegrass? Jazz? Rock n' Roll? A list is a good idea but knowing the tunes before you teach them is another. No offense intended but I'd be more forthright about my own background. I guess you said 'why' and I like that idea.
The Catepilar said to Alice "Whooooo are you?"
The top 20 from the Popular Tunes list on TheSession.org is a pretty good selection:
- Drowsy Maggie (reel)
- The Kesh (jig)
- The Butterfly (slip jig)
- Cooley's Reel
- Morrison's Jig
- The Silver Spear (reel)
- The Maid Behind the Bar (reel)
- The Banshee (reel)
- Banish Misfortune (jig)
- The Wind That Shakes the Barley (reel)
- The Glasgow Reel
- Out On the Ocean (jig)
- The Connaughtman's Rambles (jig)
- The Rights of Man (hornpipe)
- Harvest Home (hornpipe)
- The Mason's Apron (reel)
- Gravel Walks (reel)
- The Musical Priest (reel)
- Kid On the Mountain (slip jig)
- King of The Fairies (hornpipe)
Patrick
The Boys of Blue then transition right into Harvest Home. This is a really great combination and really fun to play!Quote:
Originally Posted by PseudoCelt
Boys of Blue Hill, eh?
You will find exactly what you are looking for here:
Top Session Tunes
at Irishtune.info
To the OP
What tunes have you got so far? and then we can maybe add a few!!
pkev
>>Marla Fibish mentioned this during her class at the O'Flaherty Retreat. "Some tunes just don't sound good on the mandolin", she said referring to The Flogging Reel in this case, "especially tunes that suit the flute."<<
This has been true for me and I noticed it as soon as I could play tunes ok on the mandolin. I used to play flute and one of my very favorite tunes to play was The Sunset Reel. I learned it on mandolin and couldn't get it to sound right and finally concluded it just doesn't work well on mando. BTW, The Sunset Reel was composed by one of the best Irish flute players, which is probably why it sounds so great on the flute.