The tunes I have learned seem to take much less time to play than they used to. So I’m thinking of putting together some sets from the tunes I know.
How do you combine tunes to make a set? Do you always combine similar tunes: a double jig with a double jig, a slip jig with a slip jig, and a reel with a reel? Or would you combine a jig with a reel? Or a double jig with a slide? How about keys? Would you, for instance, ever combine an A-major jig with a G-major hornpipe and a D-major waltz if you think it sounds good to you?
Whatever feels good and works for you.
I usually play a jig/hornpipe before a reel and for key changes,I find raising the pitch is very effective as the set progresses.
An Em jig followed by a Gmajor reel is nice.
Just fool around with whatever tunes you have and when you find a combination that you like call it Dapples choice !
In Irish and Newfoundland traditions, standard (but by no means universal) practice is to follow tunes with tunes of the same type. In Cape Breton and Scottish traditions, it seems to be much more accepted to have sets with several different kinds of tunes.
If you’re playing in a session, you’re going to want people to know you’ve shifted to a new tune. Key changes are an easy way of doing that. Lately I’ve also been trying to find tunes that start in the upper octave to switch to, so I can be more clearly heard in our usually quite noisy pub.
If you’re not playing in a session, you usually don’t have to worry about those things. It can be fun (if brainbending) to stick very similar tunes together. The example that comes instantly to mind is “Duke of Leinster / London Lasses”, which I believe comes from the playing of Michael Coleman – the tunes are so much alike that it’s hard to tell them apart until you’ve learned one of them.
If you’re not playing in a session, you usually don’t have to worry about those things. It can be fun (if brainbending) to stick very similar tunes together. The example that comes instantly to mind is “Duke of Leinster / London Lasses”, which I believe comes from the playing of Michael Coleman – the tunes are so much alike that it’s hard to tell them apart until you’ve learned one of them.
The two tunes I’m working on now, Galway Bay and Caisleàn Na Nòr (Golden Castle), are similar F-Major hornpipes. I think I’ll play them as a set and call it dapple’s choice.