Off She Goes
Most polkas are pretty easy. Ballydesmonds 2 and 3. Rattlin Bog. Egan’s. Sean Ryan’s. Finnish.
Easy reel: Anything for John Joe, Little Bag of Spuds.
Jigs: Blackthornstick. Kesh. Donnybrook Fair.
Waltz: Planxty Irwin, Planxty Fanny Powers,
Hornpipes: Off to California, Rights of Man,
March: Dawning of the Day, Star of the County Down, Foggy Dew
Polkas are good, and “Off she goes” is a good one as well.
I’d add
The Rakes of Mallow
My Darling Asleep
Happy to Meet, Sorry to Part
The Cat Rambles to the Child’s Saucepan ( a slide)
The Seven Stars
I appreciate this thread and especially some of the beautiful airs I have not heard before. Where can one find the sheet music for whichever of these may be available?
Thanks.
RVC
Try these RVC…only 815 pages though:
Boolavogue
Down by the Sally Gardens
Egan’s Polka
Britches Full of Stitches
Boys of Bluehill
Chief O’Neill’s
The Rookery (Bill Hart’s Jig)
Swallow’s Nest
Parting Glass
Yeah, that should handle it. Thanks, Agio.
RVC
Have a look at the VERY simple Welsh tune I just put on katybell’s thread.
I’ve never found slow tunes easy to play, at least not play well. I never found them satisfying. I started with easy jigs such as Lilting Banshee or easy polkas such as Finnish Polka. Slow tunes need ornamentation in order to sound good, and that’s not easy for beginners. (Not easy for me either, after 7 years of working on it).
If you’re a Tolkein nut like me, you can learn the Hobbit’s theme from the Lord of the Rings (official name, “Many Meetings”) quite easily by ear from the soundtrack. That was one of my first tunes learned. And it has the advantage of being recorded on a D whiistle, so you can play along.
Another tune simple enough to learn by ear is “Be Thou My Vision,” a beautiful hymn. Music can be found in almost any hymnbook. Might as well add “Amazing Grace” while you’re at it–then you can play at my funeral!
I didn’t know there was a tune Cameron Highlanders… I WAS a Cameron. Off to look for ABCs. Thanks