Fans of Fiona Ritchie’s Thistle and Shamrock show will certainly appreciate this segment focusing on the guitar in Celtic Music.
Click here for a listen.
Session I Class – Jan 2014
Week 5
If you enjoy fiddle and banjo, you missed a fabulous display of it last night with Kevin Burke and John Carty. Here are a couple of sets from Patrick Street (Kevin, John, Andy Irvine and Arty McGlynn). A set of reels:
and Loftus Jones, a lovely composition by Turlough O’Carolan (and if you don’t know who that is, start the video at the beginning for an explanation by Kevin).
The last set of their performance (before encore) were tunes woven around the reel, Mountain Road. So, I decided that was sign to add that one for next week. A very well known (single) reel, lots of fun, and if you already know it, I’m going to try to dig up the 3rd part to learn (and if I can’t I’ll have an alternative tune for you all). Though it is (almost) always played as a two-part reel, so no worries about the 3rd part 🙂 Definitely a tune to have in your repertoire.
Have a listen here. Generally not a fan of these dubbed recordings, but hey, it is nice and clear with several variations, and has accordion on Banshee, so how could I resist? Here’s another version that starts with Castle Kelly’s – maybe you remember it from earlier?
Don’t forget Swinging on a Gate though!!
Week 4 – Winter Storm Edition
Great day to stay inside and play tunes. Again, everyone was sounding great this week. Transitions between tunes were stronger. One thing I do sometimes if I’m struggling with transitions is to play the tunes in various orders one time through each. Also a good way to explore which tunes work better with each other. I find people’s preferences all over the place when it comes to putting tunes together. My only advice (beyond trial and error) is that the transitions provide a “lift” of energy in a session. There are different ways of accomplishing this. One way is by changing keys. Another is by moving from less well known tunes to more common ones so that more people join in – leaving everyone at the session somewhat satisfied by the end of the set and helping to build a sense of inclusion within the group. Often sessions will have particular sets of tunes that are usually played together. Be sensitive to that when you are a visitor to a session.
Here’s another version of Castle Kelly’s coming at the end of a set. Thanks to John and Wes for telling me about how to start a Youtube video at a particular point in time, but feel free to start this one from the beginning as it is a nice set of tunes.
Next up is Swinging on a Gate in Holly’s honor. Usually played in G (we’ll learn the G version), but watch for different keys. If you find yourself in a jam with old time players, this one has some cross-over, so it also has that going for it.
And here’s another version played at a good clip:
Week 3
Running behind this week – fortunately, you’ve got the recording of Brian O’Lynn’s from last week along with the music handout. Thought that sounded quite good for the first time through it on Tues. Here’s an interesting version of it (2nd tune in set starting around 2:40), for those of you who might be looking for variations.
Next week, we’ll be working on Castle Kelly’s. Yes, I know, bait and switch strikes again, but we’ll get to Julia Delaney’s yet. Anyway, here’s a sweet set that starts with Castle Kelly’s along with Mountain Road and Pigeon on a Gate. Kind of nice as it has fiddle, banjo, and whistle, so you can a sense of how the various instruments “swing” around the beat. And no worries John and Kaleb, we won’t ask you to do that kind of intro… at least next week!
Week 2
Gee that was fun last night! Nothing like some jigs to make you smile on a cold winter night. And seriously, you all sounded really good on the new tunes – picking them up far faster than I do! Our primary tune for this week will be The Banks of Lough Gowna and if you’re looking for the challenge of a two tune week, you’ve got Larry O’Gaff’s to add to the mix. Next week, I’m leaning toward Brian O’Lynn’s.
Listen to Banks of Lough Gowna (jig in Bm/D)
Here’s a really lovely version of Banks of Lough Gowna (last tune in the set starting around 4:07) played by Marla Fibish who came through C’ville in November and taught a couple of workshops for BRIMS and gave a concert with husband, Bruce later in the day. If you play Irish mandolin (I’m talking to you, John M.), she is definitely someone to emulate!
John B. sent me a link to this version of Banks of Lough Gowna (second tune in the set). The fiddle player plays a bunch variations on all the tunes, but a fun set and the guitarist is clearly having such a good time! The last tune is another of my favorite jigs – Christy Barry’s. We learned that tune in Lisdoonvarna from Christy Barry himself on our BRIMS trip in 2005. After that workshop, there was no turning back.
So, it turns out that Larry O’Gaff’s is a favorite of the Uke players. Who knew? This can come in handy if you find yourself in a session surrounded by ukuleles. You never know – always good to be prepared! Listen to Larry O’Gaff’s (jig in D)
Here’s a nice Youtube video that starts with Larry O’Gaff’s and then adds a bit of lilting and dancing. The set builds beautifully into the 3rd tune. And I kind of like what they do with B part of Larry O’Gaff’s which is definitely a variation to what I handed out in class. A fun set of tunes and well presented. Have a listen!
Week 1
Thank you all for coming to Session Class last night – really wonderful to be with all of you and play some tunes. I was thinking on the way over to class how one could find an Irish session anywhere in the world, and though you might not be able to understand each other’s words at all, you could communicate with your instruments and share the joy of music and a common experience. But, enough with the philosophizing, and on to this week’s tunes.
The first tune is Brendan Tonra’s, a catchy two part jig in D. I believe it used to be a “BRIMS tune” in the early days, likely taught to us by Tes or Sara. It’s always been one of our daughter, Katherine’s, favorite tunes, so I thought it would be a nice one to start with and one that might be new to folks in the class. It does, however, present a little bit of a challenge to the flutes and whistles, so I appreciate Augie’s guidance there. Interestingly enough, the two best examples of our tunes for today I found were played by flutes, so we’ll celebrate our strong flute section today!
Listen to Brendan Tonra’s (paired with Maid on the Green, from Brock’s class)
Notation for Brendan Tonra’s
And here’s some background on Brendan Tonra, who is one of the more prolific Irish tune composers and, I believe, is still playing fiddle in Boston. Kind of fun to be able to come across some recent youtube videos of him. Here he is playing one of his compositions.
The second tune is a popular session tune, the Killavel Jig. This is one we’ve been playing in KGB for years paired with Cliffs of Moher, so we might try that combination next week for old time’s sake. It was interesting that none of us had learned it yet. I had put it in for this week’s alternative tune mainly b/c of the flute challenge on Brendan Tonra’s, but am glad to be introducing it to many of you.
Listen to the Killavel Jig
Notation for Killavel Jig
Oddly enough, when looking for examples, I found both together in a set. Not the best quality recording of either, but thought it might be helpful to have them both together.
Last thing which I probably didn’t say enough last night. While I may provide 2 tunes in a week, one will be our focus (Brendan Tonra’s this week) and the 2nd one is one is an alternative option (for whatever reason you may have – you like it better, you already knew the first one, etc). I’ll especially do this for the first few weeks as it is helpful to get our common repertoire count up quickly. However, I’ve always felt learning a tune a week is a great accomplishment. If you think about it, if you did that every week, you’d learn 50 tunes a year, which is a very solid tune list. So, my point is, we all pick up tunes at different paces and have different reasons for being in class. I will be very happy if, in 7 weeks, you’ve on your way to knowing 7 tunes that you enjoy playing.
How do you play that tune, anyway?
I’ve noticed that people have various reactions to what constitutes the “right” way to play a tune and I always struggle with handing out a piece of written music to my session class (or particular chords to my guitar class for that matter) for fear the tune becomes “fixed” in someone’s mind. Traditional tunes are malleable and we should be open to (or dare I say welcome?) interesting variations on how a tune is played. Here’s a quick take on the subject from Martin Hayes.
Also, here is a link to a somewhat related article and video from the Irish Times about The Gloaming, an on-going experiment in music, whose new CD will soon be released (featuring Martin among others).
Session I Class – Fall 2013
Week 7
Good to have Jim back in class this week. So in his honor, Lark in the Morning is the tune of the week. This recording of Cillian Vallely was wonderful to come across as he’s one of the best out there on pipes. As always, this version is not the same as the printed version, which won’t be exactly the same as how we play it in class. But it’s definitely one to have in your repertoire. As I think I mentioned in class, at the C’ville session the other night, I think every person was playing on it, so it is a popular tune both in Charlottesville and elsewhere. Enjoy and see you next week for our last class (oh no). Bring your favorite tune and we’ll try to plug a few extras in our usual sets!
Week 6
It was great to have Mimi join us for a few tunes this week. A wonderful reminder of the enduring nature of the BRIMS community and the larger community of Irish music. What a cool thing to be able to travel to a town, look up on the internet to see if they have a session, join in, and instantly be connected to a new community of people through a common joy in trad music. In fact, at our monthly session at C’ville Coffee, we had a visitor who did just that! Love it!
So this week, our tune was Devaney’s Goat. This is a nice straight forward rendition of it (with an appropriate backdrop). Here’s another version by a trio of fabulous musicians (2nd tune in set, but enjoy the entire set). As I mentioned in class, I originally learned it from David Surrette as part of a set with Mountain Road (also in D). I looked up David’s site and found that he had posted tab notation for all the tunes from his CD, so here’s a link to a pdf of the version I originally learned.
Week 5
We’re trying a bit of Cape Breton this week with Brenda Stubbert’s written by Jerry Holland. Fortunately, we do have a recording of him playing the tune (with steel drum accompaniment!) which you can listen to here: Brenda Stubbert’s Reel (Am). The first phrase in the B part is the distinctive part of the tune. Here’s a bit clearer (and slower) version on solo fiddle. Also, you might enjoy hearing a set played by Brenda Stubbert herself. She really tears it up and you just can’t beat that Cape Breton piano accompaniment in my opinion! The first tune is Foxhunter’s which you probably have heard before. A bit different feel in Cape Breton style.
Will try to record and post the waltz tonight. Thanks everyone for another great class!
Well, apparently my password for the BRIMS site is out of date, so I can’t upload my recording. In the meantime, here’s Faraway Waltz on flute for Sandy and Sherry. (and thanks to Guy, who mentioned that the previous recording was in Em rather than the Bm that we’ll play)
Week 3 + 4
Sounding pretty darn good and folks seem to be up for learning more tunes, so I’ll oblige. However, I will always designate 1 tune the primary tune for the week in case you would prefer to focus on one tune. So this week’s tune is Rolling Wave(s) a beautiful jig in D (also known as Humours of Trim). John B. also found this incredibly cool version of it as well. Some folks from C’ville learned this in Doolin during our last trip to Ireland, so it is a good one to keep going!
If you’re feeling frisky, give Maire Rua a whirl. A pretty easy slip jig to pick up in the key of G. This version played on mando just for Jim. As I mentioned during class, John Doyle used the melody on his version of Wheels of the World. Lyrics shared below (may not be exactly the same). Good opportunity for a quick history lesson 🙂
The Wheels of the World
Come all of you true sons of Erin; attend to these few nimble lines:
I’ll sing you a song about spinning. It was a good trade in our time.
Now some they spun worsted and yarn, and others they spun flaxen and tow.
By experience, my friends, you may learn how the wheels of the world how they go.
William Pitt he was a good spinner, and so was Lord Castlereagh.
They spun out the Union from Ireland. To England they shipped it away.
Poor Pitt spun out his existence, then took a long trip on a boat.
Lord Castlereagh saved him the distance, by cutting the rim of his throat.
Napoleon he was a great spinner, for freedom did always advance.
Through deserts and high lofty mountains, he marched with the brave sons of France.
Wellington he went a-spinning. His wheels they were at Waterloo;
But if Grouchy had never been bribed, the French would have split him in two.
John Mitchel a true son of Erin, declared that a spinner he’d be.
He set all wheels in motion, his dear native land to set free.
But John Bull that crafty old tyrant, at spinning he was fully bent,
And straight to Van Diemen’s Land the son of old Erin was sent.
The factory owners are spinning. Their wheels are a turning away,
And now they are expecting their hands for to work thirteen hours a day.
They don’t care a damn for the poor and they hate all their sighs and their moans.
They don’t care a pin if you work till you cut all the flesh from your bones.
And the rich they are all famous spinners, and that we’re are very sure
They are always contriving a scheme to drive down the rights of the poor.
So if you’re compelled to go spinning, be sure that your spindles are steel.
Let “Liberty” then be your motto, and glory will turn your big wheel.
Week 2
Great job this week, everyone. Great to have two more melody players – thanks for joining us Sandy and Julie. So, our main tune to work on for the week is Geese in the Bog. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can try out Merry Blacksmith (D reel) – here are two versions by Planxty (starts around 0:40) and Solas (from a workshop).
Next week, Sherry offered to bring in a printed version of Eel in the Sink (singular, Stu) and I will be out of town (sadly), but Erin will do a fabulous job leading you all in my absence. Thanks to both Sherry and Erin!
The following week, I’m thinking we might tackle Rolling Wave (another D major jig). Have a listen to it in the meantime if you don’t already know it (Note that they modulate to G for the performance but almost always played in D). Paired with The Legacy here – really nice set with Flute and Harp. Anyway, Rolling Wave is one of my favorite tunes… started learning it in Doolin two years ago, but never really got it down. So I’m pulling it out again for all of us to master together. Guitars, B part (to me) calls for a nice descending run down from D.
Week 1
So, we’re working on two tunes for next week – a single reel – Rolling in the Ryegrass (Key of D) and a jig – Pipe on the Hob #1 (Key of D mix). Here are two recordings of the tunes and you all have the music from class.
Watch Rolling in the Ryegrass (great for guitars to play along with)
Listen to Pipe on the Hob with Merrily Kissed the Quaker – really nice arrangement. John B. also reminded me that I had a version from Alex that she taught on fiddle a few years ago here.
Also, Sherry introduced us to Eel in the Sink, so here is a version of that tune as well!
Summer Tunes and Songs
Just back from Alex Caton’s Fiddle Camp, my last stop on a summer tour filled with lots of new musical inspiration, new friends, and, of course, new tunes! So much to catch up on before Fall’s courses start up in… oh my, just over a week. I still haven’t had the time to download all the music from Swannanoa off my iPhone and organize that yet as I’m just back from basically 3 straight weeks away from home (sadly, only 2 days of music).
Going back to June, I had the opportunity to back Sara Read (fiddle) and Monika Fallon (singing/flute) on the forthcoming BRIMS CD. That was the highlight of a lovely week of music. Great to see Sara with a fiddle in her hands again these days. Backing her reminded me what a joy it is to play with melody players who have a really solid internal rhythm. Something I need to remember to talk about in session class. So often it is perceived that accompaniment players set the rhythm, but really, our job is to enhance/support the rhythm that is already created by the melody player. It was also a delight to recreate a bit of our last BRIMS trip to Ireland with Monika as we recorded “The Orchard”, a song we learned from Mairead Curran around the piano at the Ballyroe Hotel. Thanks to Dave C., finally got to hear some of the cuts off the CD over the weekend, including hearing Marina’s dance steps on Sara’s track. I think folks will be pleased with the results on the CD! Bobby Read has a fantastic new recording studio set-up in Charlottesville, so if you’re looking for studio time / engineering, check out Bobby. Really enjoyed working with him.
Next up was Swannanoa in mid-July. It is honestly THE week I look forward to most all year and this year was the best yet, perhaps because Katherine was able to come, or perhaps just because each year I return I meet new friends and get to know returning friends better. Plus, the music rocked! I took three classes this year – Mandolin I with Marla Fibish, who was new to me. Really enjoyed her class and have also been enjoying her CD. Hoping that she’ll make her way to Charlottesville on an upcoming East Coast tour. Her “potluck” with Martin Hayes was certainly one of the highlights of my week. 2nd class of the day was Bouzouki with Robbin Bullock. I’ve been looking forward to taking a class with him since the first SwannyG concert I saw. What he does with O’Carolan pieces is mesmerizing and his Rosewood Castle CD remains one of my favorites. My last class was banjo with Eamon O’Leary. I’ve taken 3 classes with Eamon over the years, and I’ve always appreciated his approach to teaching. He always meets you where you are, encourages you to reach a little farther, and is very thorough. While I don’t play banjo much (why? b/c it is heavier than my octave mandolin? questions to ponder early in the morning), this was a terrific class for me.
Late night sessions / slow jams / breakfast chats about picks were all wonderful as always. Great to catch up with some of the folks from Asheville I’ve met in years past who come by for an evening or two of tunes. I did miss being in a singing class, however. I think this was the first year I didn’t sign up for one. They always kind of center me, so I’ll get back to that next year for sure. Some of the tunes I heard and want to learn include: Brenda Stubbert’s, Pipe on the Hob (the 2 pt in D), Julia Delaney’s, Geese in the Bog, Faraway Waltz, Miss McLeod’s, Islay Rantor Reel, Christy Barry’s #1, Boy in the Bush, Donnybrook Fair, Rose in the Heather, Humours of Glendart, Hunter’s House, Monaghan Jig, and one of the Paddy Fahey’s (cripe… who knows now which one). Many standards that I just haven’t learned yet, but some lesser known ones too. Along with the tunes I learned in class, that should keep me busy for awhile. Are any of these on your list as well? Let’s learn them together!
And finally, last weekend, I wrapped up my summer at Alex’s Fiddle Camp. Along with getting to hang out and play tunes with good friends from C’ville, I also took a couple of classes with Patrick Ourceau who came with his family and is such a great guy (and musician). Really enjoyed getting to know him a bit and their twins are a total hoot. My fiddle playing, however, left much to be desired. Not sure what to do about that! Though he does give Skype lessons now apparently 🙂 Also took one singing class with Pat Egan who long ago taught me a few key DADGAD runs when I was first getting started on guitar. And yes, he teaches guitar in standard tuning. Someone to check out if you’d prefer to build on playing in that tuning rather than trying to figure out drop D or DADGAD. So great to catch up with folks who are in Alex’s circle… many years, her camp is the one place I get to play tunes with them. It was fun to see the crew from NOVA who were there last year. Hope we’re able to get together one Sunday evening in Warrenton (or Culpeper… I forget now the session locale). Even try to dust off a few old-time tunes with somewhat limited success – many cobwebs there. Also a quick plug for Sara(h), a young fiddler who’s been a student of Alex’s for years. She made a huge jump in playing this past year. Just so cool to see these young players hit their stride!
What I have missed with all the travel is playing with my bandmates in KGB. Fortunately, we’re playing tonight – Sunday (Aug 25th) at 6pm at Fellini’s. So, with that and BRIMS classes starting on Sept 3rd, sounds like we’ll be back on track. Look forward to see you all soon!
Classes for this Fall
Hey folks – here’s what I’ll be teaching at BRIMS this Fall. First half of semester will be Session I, 2nd half will be DADGAD Guitar. Not finalized yet is the timing, but probably in the 6pm time slot. I expect all the classes and times to be published on the BRIMS homepage soon. Hope you’ll be able to join us for one more classes!
If you are considering taking either of these classes and have any specific requests or questions, please let me know through a comment to this post – thanks!
Session Workshop Class I (8 Week Class)
This 8 week class will focus on playing well-known session tunes as a group. We will learn tunes from three sources – most popular tunes from thesession.org, tunes that are played locally, and tunes that people in the class want to learn. To take this class you should have some experience with a melody instrument (e.g. can play at least a few Irish tunes), be eager to work on playing better, and be able to learn a tune on your own from a recording with perhaps a little help from music notation if you’re new to learning by ear. We will also have room for 1 or 2 guitars / bouzoukis / bodhráns for accompaniment. Ages 12 and up are welcome. We will cover a new tune each week so that by the end of class, we’ll have 3 sets of tunes that you can play. Our goal will be to play those tunes well and in a consistent rhythm.
Introduction to Irish Accompaniment on Guitar (DADGAD tuning)
In this five week class, students will learn the fundamentals of accompanying Irish traditional tunes on guitar. We’ll cover two of the basic rhythms (reels and jigs), chord shapes, and some common major and minor progressions. We’ll also be using DADGAD tuning; an open style guitar tuning that is very popular for backing Irish musicians. Ages 12 and up are welcome. Some experience on guitar is helpful (simple chords and strumming in standard tuning). You will need a guitar, capo, and pick.
Susan Fletcher Tansey Scholarship Recipients Announced for Swannanoa
BRIMS is pleased to announce that fiddle student Leah Marshall and dance student Chloe Hellerman are recipients of the 2013 youth scholarships to the Swannanoa Gathering Celtic Week. The Susan Fletcher Tansey youth scholarship is made possible by a generous donation from Interpretive Simulations.
Congrats Leah and Chloe!! Have a great week and bring back some new tunes and steps to our community! Sue would be so happy for you.
Free on-line Course on Irish Identity Starting in April
In this rapidly changing world, is it any surprise that we can now join a MOOC (Massive Open On-line Course) on Irish Identity? Here is the link and below that is a description from their website. Looks like it will be an interesting 8 weeks – anyone care to join me in a virtual study group?
This year, the year of the Gathering, communities throughout Ireland are showcasing and sharing the very best of Irish culture and tradition. Hibernia College, in association with the Gathering, is taking this online by launching the first Irish massive open online course (MOOC) on the theme of Irish identity in April 2013.
The Exploring Irish Identity MOOC is available to everybody completely free of charge, no matter where you are in the world. All you need is access to the Internet and a desire to find out more about Ireland’s culture and heritage. Designed and created by Hibernia College, Ireland’s leading online educator, with contributions from prominent Irish academics and cultural icons, this course seeks to discover the threads of identity that weave through Irish history, culture and society.
Through an exploration of Irish history, literature and poetry, theatre and film, language, art, sport and landscape, this open online course aims to start a conversation that will continue in cities, towns and villages across the globe. Each week of the 8-week course will embrace one of the themes above. You can discover how each aspect is permeated through Irish identity; how they are interpreted and perceived.
Session I Class – Spring 2013
Tunes
Cliffs of Moher (jig in Am)
Tobin’s Favorite (jig in D)
Wise Maid (reel in D)
Wise Maid (slower version from Alex – note that she only plays 1 A part and 1 B part even though they do repeat)
Maid Behind the Bar (reel in D)
Maid Behind the Bar (slower version from Alex – note that she only plays 1 A part and 1 B part even though they do repeat)
Kid on the Mountain (5 part slip jig in Em/G/Em/Em/G – pretty close to notation)
Kid on the Mountain (Erin’s version – missing 4th part, but lovely variation!)
Musical Priest (3 part reel in Bm/D/Bm)
Lilting Banshee for Emily (2 part jig in Am)
Galway Hornpipe (2 part hornpipe in D)
Kitty’s Wedding (2 part hornpipe in D)
Kitty’s Wedding played by Pio Ryan (banjo – some nice variations)
Spootiskerry fiddle version on Youtube (Reel in G)
Spootiskerry in a set with Flowers of Edinburgh (2nd tune)
Resources
Comhaltas Archive THIS IS AN AMAZING COLLECTION!!!
How to Talk Like an Irish Musician
Playing in Sessions
The Session.org a great way to lose 3 or 4 hours.
Here are the two tune compilations from O’Flaherty’s Retreat in Texas.
O’Flaherty’s Retreat Tune List #1
O’Flaherty’s Retreat Tune List #2
9th Class
Heard lots compliments on our group’s playing after the recital – great job everyone. Thank you for being there! So on to our last tune for this Spring – Spootiskerry which is a Scottish tune and a rollicking reel. Here’s the sheet music and I’ve linked to a couple of youtube videos that should give you a good sense of the tune.
Did you all wonder where the name came from? Me too… here’s what I found (gotta love google).
From the Introduction to “Spootiskerry. Music from Shetland” by Ian Burns
“Spootiskerry – the croft belonging to my late great aunts Bella and Joan Nicholson, situated between the village of Sullom and the new town of Brae. Originally spelt Spootskerry, but as the years have passed, an “i” or an “a”, and sometimes an “o” have been added. The croft took its name from the skerry that lies offshore. Usually the house on a croft has the same name, but in this case the house is named Southness.” He adds that it was his first composition. and, it dates from 1980, and is a reel.
8th Class
What happened to the 7th class? Must have been really good (thanks again for covering, Erin!). Everyone sounded lovely on Tuesday. You may not realize it, but the progress you’ve made this semester has been fabulous. And it isn’t like we’re playing easy tunes – really impressive, everyone! In particular, we’re doing a much better job playing together and steadily. Way to go guitars for keeping a solid rhythm section going, but guitars can’t do it without melody players listening well to each other too.
Remember that Sunday, April 28th at 2pm will be the recital. Please let me know if you will NOT be able to come. We decided that the two sets to consider will be the jigs (Tobin’s and Cliffs) and the Maids (Wise and Behind the Bar). We’ll make the final call on Tuesday, but I thought both sounded good this week. I’ve requested to Lori that we play right before Brock’s class, so that we can get a circle set-up for the two classes.
Here’s the notation for Kitty’s Wedding for Emily and others! Julie and Jim, take a listen to Pio’s version of Kitty’s from our class last summer – some excellent examples of triplets and variations, especially the F natural lead-in to the 2nd phrase in the A part.
6th Class
Remember, BRIMS isn’t having classes this week b/c of Spring break.
Here’s the notation for Galway Hornpipe – our tune for next class.
5th Class
Thanks to Alex and Joe for sitting in on Kid on the Mountain, especially since we were missing Erin and Scott. That’s a really fabulous slip jig – and sounded pretty darn good that last time through. So, those of you who know a couple of slip jigs, be thinking about what you might want to pair with the Kid. Too bad there’s not a slip jig called Cassidy’s.
This week’s tune is a 3 part reel called Musical Priest. Seems like an appropriate tune to learn the week of St. Paddy’s, yes? It’s also in Bm (two parts anyway), so it is good to get the patterns for a Bm tune in your fingers if you haven’t learned any before. They are somewhat rare, but very nice to put with D tunes – such as, haha, the Maids! As I mentioned in class, this was the most popular tune in the Claire sessions I listened to a few years back – played at 6 of the 7 sessions. The most difficult part of Musical Priest, especially for banjo players, is the reach on the 3rd part from the high B coming down. That will take a bit of practice to master. Note that I played it on mandolin – perhaps for Jim – or perhaps because the stretch is just so darn difficult on octave mandolin. Anyway, my apologies for the dishes clanking in the background. Sounds almost like we’re at a pub… we’re not, really… I swear. Speaking of recordings in pubs, a really fine CD that captures the feel of a session is “Live at Mona’s” featuring Patrick Ourceau on Fiddle and Eamon O’Leary on guitar. Lots of great tunes as well. Speaking of Patrick, he’s been the Irish fiddle teacher at Alex’s summer fiddle camp. For you fiddle players in class, that is an amazing opportunity to take some classes (and be treated to some fabulous playing) over a weekend in August. Yes, a blatant plug.
4th Class
Okay, enough of the dark, rainy evenings. Hope everyone made it back from the concert without any incidents. Started snowing quite a bit earlier here than expected. Just a couple of quick comments for this week as we lost power yesterday and I’m behind something awful. First, the Maids sounded quite good – you all are to be commended on your practice. 2nd, as I mentioned in class, I won’t be here this coming week, but the classroom is available, so I’m encouraging you to meet and play this week as well (I mean, come on, it is St. Paddy’s week). 3rd, our tune for the following week will be Kid on the Mountain, a 5 part slip jig. Though I knew the tune well, I hadn’t learned it. But was able to get it down reasonably well in a couple of days. So, even though it is a 5 part tune which sounds rather daunting, it isn’t as technically difficult as say, The Maids! Anyway, best to get the tough ones out of the way first so we’ll have the opportunity to practice them more in class. Here’s the notation:
3rd Class
It was a dark, rainy evening – perfect for Irish tunes – but we were missing a few folks. I’m counting on the fact that it was the weather (or other commitments) and not the difficulty of the tune that kept people away. Those who were there all agreed that Wise Maid was a challenging tune, but we decided to work on Maid Behind the Bar this week and we reassured ourselves that we’d have 8 weeks to work on the Maid Set. As I mentioned in class – I first “learned” these tunes a year or more ago, and I still don’t have them down solidly. I can play them at home 50/50 on my own, but in a group setting I rarely make it through without an error. My point being not to be hard on yourself with the Maids. They are very popular tunes, but also of a higher order of challenge. Those who kind of know them will benefit from working more on them, and those who are new to them will begin the process. No worries. Tobin’s sounded solid, but I think we could all stand a bit more work on the Cliffs, especially as part of a set.
One last thing that I don’t want to forget. We will have class this coming week (March 5th), but March 12th I will be out of town, so that will give all of us a solid 2 weeks of practice time before we meet again after St. Paddy’s Day. Hopefully, I shall be fully recovered by Tuesday 🙂
Here’s the notation for Maid Behind the Bar:
2nd Class
So we’re taking on the Maid Set – or at least Wise Maid. Both of the Maids are challenging tunes, so we’ll see how you all feel about it next week. But Wise Maid was at top of the “want to learn” list. For those of us who kind of know the tune, we’ll no doubt benefit from working on it some more. Guitars, Wise Maid can either be done very simply or you can have a blast with backing variations. We’ll start simply (single finger) but then will show you a few fun variations. Here’s the notation (and chords) from O’Flaherty’s. But again, I encourage you to learn primarily by ear and refer to the notation only for guidance or when you are stuck on a part. There are two recordings of the tune provided, one by Erin that moves along at a pretty good clip and slow version from Alex that I had recorded back when I learned the tune. Melody instruments may find Alex’s easier to learn from at first while guitars may find it easier to play along with Erin.
You all sounded very solid on the two jigs. Frankly, I was planning on working on Tobin’s for this week, but you eager beavers all were ready to move on. We will play the two jigs again next week, so keep practicing them, especially as a set.
Generally, we will follow a similar format for the coming weeks. First thing we’ll do is play the “tune of the week” (Wise Maid for this week) together at a measured pace. Then we’ll review any tricky parts or variations of interest and play it as part of a set. After that, we’ll do other tunes and we’ll mix in tunes that a majority of the class knows, or tunes that some people know and others have mentioned they’d like to learn. That way, even if one of those tunes isn’t chosen as “tune of the week”, you’ll still have a chance to hear it and possibly pick up a few bars (and notice who does know it, so you can accost them later!) At the end of class, presuming there is time, we’ll play the tune of the week once more as part of a set, but this time as the 2nd tune, which is generally more difficult for a new tune. Hopefully, this sounds like a good approach and will help you get mentally prepared for the format of the class! I do reserve the right to throw in a surprise or two along the way 🙂
First Class
Welcome everyone! Great to be starting up our class and to have both familiar and new faces. Based on the first class, I think everyone is in the right place, but if you have any concerns about that or anything else, please let me know. Our goal will be to learn one tune each week. I will pass out sheet music for the tune each week and we’ll have a recording on this site for reference. We won’t be learning the tune in a note by note, phrase by phrase way in class, but we will play the tune slowly in class together multiple times. If you can learn it that way, great, but I expect most of us to spend some time during the week to learn the tune on our own either from the sheet music or the recording. Also, if you have one of those weeks, and you can’t find the time to learn the tune, no worries. We’ll be playing most of the tunes we learn every week (yes, that means 10 weeks of Cliffs of Moher!), so there will be ample opportunity to catch up if you’d like.
This weeks’ tune is Cliffs of Moher, but I’ve also given you Tobin’s Favorite (next week’s tune) to work on if you already knew the Cliffs. The tune recordings will always be at the top of this post and each week I’ll post a few notes / thoughts about what we covered in class.
We will spend most of our time in class playing tunes rather than chatting and I promise not to have quite so much coffee next class 🙂 Thanks for being willing to introduce yourselves and try out a few tunes. I hope to have a better sense of people’s repertoire as time goes on, and we’ll try to find some common tunes that people already know to try out each class, but if not, we’ll work on the tunes that we cover in class in more detail.
A couple of things about playing in Sessions that we were kind of covering:
New folks If you’re part of an open session and someone new comes to join in, it is nice to ask them for what tunes they’d like to play or to ask them start a set of tunes. You may have noticed that I was asking 3 or 4 people in particular what tunes they knew or what they’d like to play – this was because they were new to the class / group.
Starting tunes If you are asked (or want) to lead a set – meaning 2-4 tunes played in succession – it is helpful to play a few bars of each tune that you’re planning on playing. It’s also helpful to the guitarists if you happen to know the key of the tunes. Last, it is important to let folks in the group know when your planning on switching from one tune to the next by either sticking your leg out or saying “hup” or “here we go” or doing that Irish thing where you look around at everybody with that knowing glance that says, “we’re about to change to the next tune”. You can also say “one more time” to indicate that you’d really like another go at it. Personally, I’m a stick my leg out person, probably left over from old time playing days. I believe the tradition of sticking one’s leg out was actually due to one’s leg cramping uncontrollably after playing an old-time tune 15 times in a row, though I could be wrong.
Tunes and Songs Not the same! Silly, I know, but a tune is a tune and a song has words and is sung.
Craic Pronounced crack. Irish for having a really great time as in, “ah, the craic was mighty last night”. Not to be confused with any of the other ones.
DADGAD Guitar – Winter 2013
One last goody thanks to John F. from class. Great interview with John Doyle – when you get bored practicing what we covered in class, check out this interview / lesson!
John Doyle Article in Acoustic Guitar
Last Class
The new topic for our last class was capo challenges. Drowsy Maggie was a good example to explore as the A part is clearly Em and the B part is clearly D major which requires playing the tune without the capo. It is also a good example as to why you ultimately need to know the tunes. If you quickly recognized it as an Em tune in the A part but didn’t know the tune, put the capo on and played, you’d find yourself in a difficult position when the B part came around. Whereas if you recognized, “ah this is Drowsy Maggie, that tricky D / Em tune that is a single reel,” you’d be ready for the B part.
The other capo challenge comes from playing sets of tunes where the first tune might be in the key of G and the second in the key of D and the 3rd in the key of Am. Basically, there are 4 approaches to how to manage this long-term. First, when the tune changes, drop out for the A part of the new tune and come in on the B part (or the 2nd time through). This is actually a very lovely musical effect as the melody players kind of get the tune going (and can hear each other slightly better) and then guitar comes in to add another layer of sound. With this approach, I’ll often start to strum a bit (muted) to get my own internal rhythm in synch before coming in on the B part. I also think it is very effective opportunity to build the accompaniment. For example, come in softer and simpler, and increase the dynamics (volume, rhythmic variation, chord substitution) as the tune progresses. The second approach is to hit the first chord (root chord) of the next tune at the beginning to get the transition to feel strong, then move the capo quickly and be there for the beginning of the next phrase. Basically, a strong first beat and then silence for the rest of the phrase (other than misc. capo moving sounds… hahaha). This takes a bit of practice and I would say it works best when going from D to other keys. Third approach is if you’re very good with a sliding capo (like I have), you can actually keep the rhythm going while changing the capo in a single beat (without a sliding capo, the equivalent approach is probably to drop out right at the end of the previous tune and move the capo quickly). The last approach is to play all the tunes out of the D position (no capo). This generally requires you to be very good at choosing the particular strings to play/strum and/or muting particular strings. There are some sets (for example, sets that go D-G-D or D-Em-D or D-Am-D) where I’d encourage you to consider it. Long-term, it is a good skill to work toward as it also helps (ummm… is required) on tunes that change keys between the A part and the B part.
The last point I made in class is the importance to continue playing with people. You’ve been introduced to all of the basic tools you need for accompaniment in this class (regardless of tuning chosen). If you can find a group of folks to play tunes with on a weekly basis, and struggle through the gaining experience part of accompaniment, you’ll get to the point where you have a better sense for the structure of tunes and your role in the session/group. And, I’m here to tell you, when you get there, it’s a bunch of fun!!
Many thanks for taking the class and supporting BRIMS! Hope we’ll have the chance to play together again in the near future!
Third Class
We spent most of our time just playing in the last class and that will be the plan for week 4 as well. I did throw in a few items along the way which are explained in a bit more detail below.
1) Because we’re in DADGAD, the root chord (if you’re playing with the capo) will typically be played neutrally – that is, without the 3rd note of the scale being played. For example, for the one finger D chord, the notes that are played are DADAAD – no Fs or F#s (the 3rd note of the D scale which is what determines if the chord is Dmaj or Dmin). Therefore, when you play that D chord in a D tune, it will work for a D tune in any mode (or more generally, in major or minor modes). This buys you a little time to get your bearings, but it does make the 2nd chord choice an important one because then you are making more of a commitment to the mode. What you’ll generally find is that for tunes in the Major (Ionian) mode, that 2nd chord will likely be a G or an A shape. In the other 3 modes, the most likely chord will be a C shape. So, as you listen and try to figure out accompaniment, think about that 2nd chord choice. While there may be many other substitutions that work, that 2nd chord shape goes a long way toward determining a workable accompaniment.
2) I also mentioned (almost in passing) about an alternative rhythm for jigs to consider once you feel really comfortable with first one we did. This rhythm goes down (quarter note) – up – down – up – down (all 8th notes). This emphasizes the first downbeat in a jig phrase more than the other pattern we used, but still has the same underlying down-up-down-down-up-down rhythm.
3) Our new tune for the week, Drowsy Maggie (reel), threw us two curve balls to be aware of in session playing. One is that there is a clear change of key between the A part and the B part. So, again, in DADGAD we have to make a choice about capo position and work around the fact that in one of the parts, we’ll be working “against” our capo position choice a bit. The second curve ball is that it is a single reel, meaning that you only play the A part and the B part once each, so it goes by twice as fast. While most tunes follow the AABB pattern, some are AB (single reel, for example) and others have more parts (AABBCCDD or ABCDE, etc.) Ultimately, you have to know the tunes, but the structure of the tune is something to listen for!
Here’s Erin playing Drowsy Maggie, a very popular session tune.
Since I’ve been pounding you with theory… a little something to lighten the mood thanks to Facebook and multiple friends sending it on. And it is “relatively” accurate. Enjoy.
C, E-flat, and G go into a bar. The bartender says, “Sorry, but we don’t serve minors.” So E-flat leaves, and C and G have an open fifth between them. After a few drinks, the fifth is diminished, and G is out flat. F comes in and tries to augment the situation, but is not sharp enough. D comes in and heads for the bathroom, saying, “Excuse me; I’ll just be a second.” Then A comes in, but the bartender is not convinced that this relative of C is not a minor. Then the bartender notices B-flat hiding at the end of the bar and says, “Get out! You’re the seventh minor I’ve found in this bar tonight.” E-flat comes back the next night in a three-piece suit with nicely shined shoes. The bartender says, “You’re looking sharp tonight. Come on in, this could be a major development.” Sure enough, E-flat soon takes off his suit and everything else, and is au natural. Eventually C sobers up and realizes in horror that he’s under a rest. C is brought to trial, found guilty of contributing to the diminution of a minor, and is sentenced to 10 years of D.S. without Coda at an upscale correctional facility.
Second Class
Modes:
Ionian (major), Mixolydian (majorish), Dorian (minor), Aoelian (minor)
For those that are interested, there’s a nice introduction to modes here.
How to find modal scales:
Start with major (Ionian) scale
Mixolydian – flat the 7th note of the scale (in D major scale, make the C# a C natural)
Dorian – Mixolydian scale except flat the 3rd (in D, make the F# an F natural)
Aoelian – Dorian scale except flat the 6th (in D, make the B a Bb)
Generally, moving from Ionian to Aoelian goes from “happy” sound to “intriguing” sound (think movie soundtracks!)
With this in mind, note that both the Dorian and Aoelian modes have a “flat” 3rd which is what makes them considered minor. In other words, the primary chord (1 chord) for D is D minor rather than D major. In DADGAD many of the D shapes are major/minor neutral, meaning there is no F note (3rd) played at all in the chord (no F# – major, or F natural – minor). Very handy (and forgiving)!
What modes are in play in various keys?
D tunes – All modes are in play – most tunes, however are major and mixolydian
Em tunes – Minor modes (both dorian and aoelian)
G tunes – Mainly major (ionian)
A / Am tunes – All modes are in play
Bm tunes – Minor modes (mainly dorian)
The modes of tunes are the last piece of theory / information you need to consider in tune accompaniment. And again, your ear is your best ally (but a little theory is helpful to understand the reason why certain chord patterns work).
So, the quick list of questions for tune backing is:
1) What is the rhythm? (reel, jig, hornpipe, polka, slip jig, slide, waltz, etc.)
2) What is the root key or tonic? (D, Em, G, A, Bm)
3) What is the mode? (Ionian, Mixolydian, Dorian, Aeolian)
4) What chords do I choose to play?
First Class
Welcome back! Let’s review what we covered in our first class of 2013:
How to find the key. Use the bass note (low D) or two bass notes together (low D and A) on your guitar to find where the tune sounds in synch with the underlying root chord or tonic (key). Usually most effective to find during the first phrase of the A or B part, but watch for tunes (about 10-15%) where the first phrase is not the 1 chord. Finding the key (and, of course, the rhythm) is the first step in creating your accompaniment for a tune.
What bass notes do I try? 98% of the tunes will be in D, Em, G, A or Am, or Bm, so try the D (open), E (2nd fret), G (5th fret), A (7th fret) and B (9th fret).
Alternative approaches: Move your capo to each of those frets and use the single finger version of the D chord, or, if there are other guitarists in DADGAD tuning, check out where their capo is placed (not always effective as we’ll later see, btw). While you can also usually find the key on-line, it is REALLY important to develop this skill by ear, and practice is the only way to get there!
Be careful: If you happen to catch a phrase that strongly suggests a chord that is different than the underlying key, you may get a “false positive”, hence the reason to try to catch the first phrase. Also, on many guitars, as you move up the neck or possibly bend the strings a bit, you may find yourself slightly out of tune (or if you weren’t in tune with the melody player to begin with) and your ear will pick up on that and perhaps think it that didn’t sound “in synch” when, in fact, the issue was being slightly out of tune.
When I slap the capo on, how do I know what chord I’m playing? As I so deftly described in class, just count up the scale from the chord in D position by the number of frets where you’ve placed your capo. So, starting with D, here are the notes in a chromatic scale:
| D | D# | E | F | F# | G | G# | A | A# | B | C | C# | D |
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
Interestingly enough, that also corresponds to the capo position, right?
So, if you’re playing D position with the capo on the 5th fret, you count up the scale 5 places from the chord form you’re playing – D (D#, E, F, F#, G), then you’re playing a G chord. If, as we discovered in class, you’re playing a G form chord with the capo on the 5th fret, count up 5 notes on the scale from G (G#, A, A#, B, C), and voila, you’re playing a C chord. Note that the scale repeats after the C# going back to D, D#, etc. So, if you’re playing a Bm chord form with the capo on the 5th fret, count up 5 notes from B (C, C#, D, D#, E) and you’re playing an Em chord.
This is called “transposition” in music theory and is also very important to understand when backing up a singer (or perhaps yourself, if you sing). For example, you might look up your favorite Irish song, write down the chords, and then try to sing along with it and realize it doesn’t work so well for your voice range. This is when your trusty capo comes in handy. Instead of learning new chords, you can just put on the capo and try a different key.
For our purposes in class, when I make chord notation on a tune, I will generally make the notation based on key of D fingerings (forms) even if the tune is in a different key. Thus, if a tune is in G and the first chord is G, I will show it as D, but because we have the capo on the 5th fret it will be a G chord. That probably sounds somewhat confusing right now, but you’ll find it is easier to refer to the chord forms that way (e.g. play Em form with your capo on the 5th fret (which is an Am), rather than having to figure out in your head how an Am chord would be fingered with the capo on the 5th fret).
Last, I’ve asked that you try to figure out your own accompaniment for Out on the Ocean (a jig) and bring that to class next week. This is likely to be a struggle, but a worthy one! Long term, your goal is to be able to figure out fairly quickly what sounds good with a tune and trust me, most people can’t memorize all the chords to all the tunes (and plus, you’ll want to throw in a few variations), so you have to start on the journey of gaining the experience of recognizing patterns that work.
So without further ado, here’s Erin!
Out on the Ocean
And if you figure that one out and are now bored, here’s another one!
Father Kelly’s