Me and a couple more people decided to play some whistle music and stumbled upon a problem of sets. I use the book “Ireland’s Best Tin Whistle Tunes” and taking out tunes I like I find it difficult to put them together because they generally don’t match - either rythmically or musically or even both. Are there any guidelines for this?
And can you, perhaps, suggest some classical tune sets?
Ah, the “problem” of sets. If your repertoire doesn’t have much to match, then you have to go with contrasts. Yes?
People put sets together for all sorts of different reasons. I imagine, to begin with, they’d be tunes of the same length, suitable for whatever dance was going on. Sometimes people put sets together on the basis of the titles, like Drowsy Maggie with Tripping Up the Stairs and Toss the Feathers.
The first set I ever learned was The Spanish Lady/Grand Old Dame Brittannia/Farewell to Whiskey. Recently there arose “the Beginner’s Set” which is My Darling Asleep/The Winding Road/Old Hag you have killed me.
Over on The Session they regularly discuss sets and what their current favourite set is.
My English friends seem to consider it “a set” if they consecutively play two or three tunes which are printed consecutively in their tunebook. Since they must have been selected this way, it’s mostly good enough.
My English friends seem to consider it “a set” if they consecutively play two or three tunes which are printed consecutively in their tunebook. Since they must have been selected this way, it’s mostly good enough
Yes there’s that too: here are a few sets that are tailor made to work playing for sets as much as for anything else 
Thanks, I’ll try that book =)
Some “classical” sets are:
Humors of Tulla / Roaring Mary / The Skylark (recorded by Michael Coleman)
Bonny Kate / Jenny’s Chickens (ditto)
Master Crowley’s #1 and #2 (i.e., the one that goes A3d B2dB|AD~D2 AD~D2 followed by the one that goes fedf edBc|dBBA BAFA; this is another Michael Coleman set)
Galtee Rangers / Glountane Reel / Callaghan’s (known, for some reason, as the Sliabh Luachra National Anthem)
Colonel Rodger’s / Happy Days of Youth (recorded by John McKenna)
Are you sure Michael Coleman recorded that set? According to the Fortune Favours the Merry liner notes, “The Skylark” is a James Morrison composition. I didn’t think it was associated with “Roaring Mary” until sometime in the 40s or 50s (ie post-Coleman). And isn’t “Skylark” usually played before “Roaring Mary”? I know Joe Cooley played them in that order.
Galtee Rangers / Glountane Reel / Callaghan’s (known, for some reason, as the Sliabh Luachra National Anthem)
At least around here, the classic Coleman set “Tarbolton / Longford Collector / Sailor’s Bonnet” is called the “Sligo National Anthem”.
“Galtee Rangers / Glountane Reel / Callaghan’s (known, for some reason, as the Sliabh Luachra National Anthem)”
I was told the same thing when I spent some time in St. Louis in a workshop and session with Tommy Martin and friends. It must be true!
Around here, The Skylark always precedes Roaring Mary.
I deleted an earlier post but it was Joe Cooley Tulla/Skylark/Roaring Mary
Are you sure Michael Coleman recorded that set? According to the Fortune Favours the Merry liner notes, “The Skylark” is a James Morrison composition. I didn’t think it was associated with “Roaring Mary” until sometime in the 40s or 50s (ie post-Coleman). And isn’t “Skylark” usually played before “Roaring Mary”? I know Joe Cooley played them in that order.
I stand corrected. I was thinking of the Tarbolton Set (Tarbolton, Longford Collector, Sailor’s Bonnet).
Try the following for some good standard sets:
http://music.celtic.ru/Session_Tune_Sets/Contents.htm
Tom Ryan
Hi!
The Foinn Seisiún books and CD’s are a good place to start. Will give you 74 sets to begin with
If you just want the set compositions from both CD’s you can find them here and here. You can listen to the first tune in each set.
/MarcusR
Honestly, as thoughtful as mentioning actual sets is, I don’t think the original question was answered! Which was, and still is, how do you build tune sets? Or did I miss something… 
Is there any specific guildlines to look for/follow when trying to create sets? Besides reels with reels, slip jigs with slip jigs, etc, etc.
It depends on what you’re putting them together for. If your playing for setdancers you may want to think of the figure you’re playing for and what tunes suit the dancers best. Step dancers may have different requirements again and when playing for listeners, whatever seems pleasing to you may work. The examples provided are just that, examples from which you can take something, identify patterns, or not.
I think if you follow this link you won’t have to bother getting the Foinn Seisiún book
Dude!!! Thankyou. I’d hug you, but the wife might look askance…
Not ITW, but Cape Breton players are fairly highly systemized for having sets of tunes (Cape Breton music being strongly biased in the Scottish direction, with elements of Irish and Acadian, plus a sizable body of contemporary tunes that are pure Cape Breton) …see
http://www.magma.ca/~jwmacgi/SetList2007.pdf
for a master list of tune sets played or hoped for by the Ottawa Cape Breton Session. The first page of that list is from the CBFA (Cape Breton Fiddle Association) so they are standardized sets you may find played all over the island. For the music see the session’s main page:
http://www.magma.ca/~jwmacgi/cbsession.htm
Bill
to follow up on that, Cape Breton tradition has standard progressions of tune types to make a set, generally going from slow to fast…
For example:
a slow air>a march>a strathspey or two>reels
Whereas jigs are more likely on their own.
Does ITM not have typical formatsmore typical along those lines or is it more typical to stick with a particular tune type?l
I’ve often heard a slow air followed by a faster tune.