I don’t want to hijack this thread, so we won’t get into it here. 
Hi DJM/Cynth
Why not try an air sung in scots or english, rather than an out and out sean nos song. There are quite a few to choose from. For example flowers of the forest, while it is based on a GHB pipe tune, and you can get the dots easily, is sung in a style similar to nothern irish sean nos style. (it also sounds better on UPs than on GHB - I’ll get hung here for saying that).
David
On the contrary, this is exactly the place to say it. Everything sounds better on UPs. 
I can pick song tunes out on the UPs with no problem. I just can’t follow most sean-nós tunes well enough to play them correctly, i.e. in the tradition. There is a lot of griping about pipers who screw up sean-nós tunes, so I solve the problem by not playing them.
djm
Depends what ye call relative I suppose "The Complete Tutor for the Pastoral or New Bagpipe"by John Geoghegan was published in 1745 before that there where plenty of manuscripted music. To suggest otherwise seems to imply that the Irish only bothered with an aural tradition which could be said of any culture until the widespread availability and acceptance of written music.The term aural is also a cop out to those who don’t want to or can’t be bothered to learn to read music.Most of the IT Musicians I have come across can at least recognise the dots and make an effort to comply with whats written .So if ye can’t read the music then learn to ..its not that hard and a lot easier than learning a foreign language…Aural,what does that mean anyway?all music is an aural tradition in my book 
Slán Agat
Uilliam.
PS Keith, Davy Spillane can play the pipes,overated or not by yourself.
It seems to me, and I’m open to correction, that the practice of writing down music has certainly not been consistent in Irish history. Or at the very least, the practice was largely discontinued after the Famine years.
Sorry Pat Just dont have the time… For me it’s always been easier to take the sheet music go over it a few time’s and change it up to my liking… I don’t have the time right now to sit around and pull my pud… >
texasbagpiper, What’s the hurry? What will happen to you if you don’t learn this air RIGHT NOW, AS SOON AS POSSIBLE? Will you lose your job? Is someone holding a gun to your head? Are you performing in front of thousands of people this coming Saturday?
You can learn music by ear the same way you learned Jennie’s phone number:
867-
It takes a lot of repetition, but it’s a very valuable skill. If learning speed is your main concern, I’d tell you that the ten years I’ve spent learning how to learn by ear are incredibly useful to me now – I can pick up just about any new tune in about 20 minutes (half an hour if it’s really complicated). So I’d say, try to wean yourself off the sheet music, gradually. It takes time, but it’s worth it.
Now, all that being said, even though I am good at learning by ear, it takes me a much longer time to absorb and learn to play a slow air – let alone play it really well. I just don’t think there are any shortcuts there. You might get the bones of the tune quickly via sheet music, but you’ll never get the feel of it right away. And slow airs are all about feeling.
KAD
You know I was just thinking about that last night. I could play airs that are more accessible to my understanding and I believe, if I am remembering a long ago discussion with Uilliam correctly, it would not be a travesty to do so as long as I made it clear that I was not playing one of the traditional sean nos airs in the traditional sean nos style. There are also Irish songs, I believe, that don’t fall in this particular tradition (on thin ground here, but I think this is true) that I might be able to play the airs to as long as I did not attempt to impose a style on them that was not fitting.
The nice thing about playing airs for a beginner is that they can sound something like music when played slowly yet one is not trying to play “slow airs” which are beyond one’s ability and understanding. It is nice have a few to play when one gets a bit discouraged by the slowness of one’s dance tunes.
Walton’s (Dublin) publishes an “Ireland’s Best” collection for a variety of instruments. One is "Ireland’s Best Slow Airs" – "110 of Ireland’s most beautiful and haunting melodies, including laments, airs…O’Carolan compositions. " On the back cover is a tag from “Mel Bay Publications, Inc. Order Number WM1311.” There is also a companion CD that tracks each tune. Hope this helps. Best,
No hurry,I’m well aware of learning tunes by ear…, just don’t have the time to sit down and do it right now… that’s all.. I’m Very, Very Busy…
Cheers, Seth
PJ: Do you personnally know Spillane? If not I can send you a autographed picture if you like…(yes I actually have one)… 
I don’t know Davy Spillane. I just think he’s a decent piper who gets a lot of criticism because he’s managed to do something many of us would like to do - make a living from his music.
Don’t forget he makes his own pipes…
Never trust a man who makes his own pipes …
PJ:
My being critical of him has nothing to do with what he has accomplished through “River dance” and his other musical endeavers.
Seth:
He is a pipe maker… That I will also extend credit.
We had a long-drawn out discusion about Spillane and his products on the C&F whistle forum…take gander if you like.
You say he’s one of the most over-rated musicians of the 21st century but yet your view isn’t based on his music … I’m confused. What are you basing it on if not his music ?
He is the most discussed piper on this forum and not usually in the best of light… I want to avoid this occuring again. Perhaps we can move along to the original topic please? Thanks.
It’s because he is loosing his hair… 
,edited,Oops I was typing and didnt see Josephs street sign… Sorry back on the main road… 
Enough.
So we should talk about a safe topic like “slow airs”? 
I will say one thing about this forum…the moderator(s) don’t put up with getting off the subject of the thread, now in the whistle forum its a whole different subject…
Cynth my opinion is that a slow air is actually more difficult to play than a jig, reel etc.
To the forum: I shouldn’t have said anything about Spillane…its just that everytime I see or hear his name I feel ill. So sorry for expressing my feelings about him on the open forum.
Now back to the regular scheduled program…