Hi all… I’m doing a session Monday night.. but the biggie is the 2nd Monday every month and I am going for really good mixes of tunes AND songs for those out there that like to sing… preferably easy, fun, audience participation type stuffs… Trying to keep it from being too similar every single hoolie.
A few of the ‘not too typical’ tunes I’ve put on the roster for the next hoolie are…
I buried my wife and danced on her grave (lovely title eh? but one of my fav. jigs)
Hardiman the fiddler
Templehouse
Otter’s Holt… couple of slows… Southwind and Dunmore lassies (ok it gets fast)
Got some good ones other than the obvious favorites? (drowsy maggie, kesh, etc.)
I don’t know if this is what you had in mind, but there are always certain “tried and true” sets we’ll do at sessions because then we don’t have to think ahead (lazy Minnesotans, tsk).
Here’s one we’ve been doing lately, and it’s a bit nonstandard in that it’s a mix of tune types:
Cock o’ the North (slide), x2 (sometimes 3)
Chase Me Charlie (slide), x2 (sometimes 3)
Drops of Brandy (slip jig), x3
Primrose Lasses (reel), x3
Bank of Ireland (reel), x3, optional, but frequently done
Even though they’re in different meters, we keep the pace uniform throughout…well, the reels somehow fall into place, anyway! Punters seem to enjoy the set, and backup players have an easier time of it because the tunes are all in G*—also a bit nonstandard up here in the frozen North as we tend to prefer switching keys in sets just to drive the backup crazy. Ah, well…we take our thrills where we can get them.
Needless to say, we call it The Big Set. Imagine that. I prefer An Foireann Mhór, myself. Sounds more, oh, arcane, or something.
Best,
N
*except for Bank of Ireland, of course; that’s arguably in every key possible.
Everything but Cock o’ the North is in the list (Hey, I’m in the Bible belt and believe it or not… we actually have someone opposed to the name. Even though Springfield is surrounded by farming communities if nothing else! )
Everyone was very polite about it, but after she left, I must admit we all about rolled in the ailes
Thx! 4 more added. Gotta go grab some mp3s or midi now (and sheet music for those creeps that can read sheet music!!! ) Hey!! someone handed me a Chieftains CD called
“Down The Old Plank Road”
It’s a mix of Celtic/Irish Trad and Country/Bluegrass stuffs. It ended up being much cooler than I thought, and the finale was way cool … it’s called “Give the Fiddler a Dram” it’s like 10 min long.
I’ve definately got to work on getting a ton of tunes/songs compiled for us to play in session, so in the future we can slap together enough of them to all get solo rounds going similar to that. Way cool. Good even tempered fast tempo. Listen if you can find it.
I can’t resist. As a child in London we sang.
Aunty Mary Had a canary. Up the leg of her drawers. I forget the rest but this lady might just object to Aunty Mary as well.
Aunty Mary had a canary up the leg of her drawers,
Aunty Mary had a canary up the leg of her drawers.
As she was sleepin’ I was peepin’ up the leg of her drawers,
As she was sleepin’ I was peepin’ up the leg of her drawers.
Popular tune here in Newfoundland as well, up until recently I had only known it as Aunty Mary rather than Cock 'o the North.
Hey, Whamlyn, my granddad was from St. John’s! He used to play fiddle (I still have it), but gave it up before I was born, so I never got to hear what it was he played, unfortunately.
In re: Templehouse…which will you do? I’ve heard at least two jigs and two reels by the name (three of them played by James Murray while we were AT Templehouse last year).
My current favorite is “By The side of The Rock” which is an air and a good last tune of the night? I played it for my Mother this morning and she agreed that it was uncommonly beautiful. Its the last tune in the Dossan of Heather book by Packy Manus Byrne.
Ok then… By the Side of the Rock is added to the slow aires list…
As far as what version of Templehouse… forgive my neverending ignorance combined with neverending enthusiasm! I’m not sure what to say as far as if there is a specific title difference or anything… I just learned it as “The Templehouse”, but I will post a link tomorrow or the next day of me playing it or something. It’s a very easy tune. And I believe it’s a jig.
Thank you everyone for you suggestions… keep 'em coming… they are being used… !!!
This may have been done 1000 times before, but playing around earlier tonight I discovered that Tar Road to Sligo and I Buried My Wife and Danced On Her Grave go perfectly together as a set.
Sounds particularly nifty if you play around with switching the A and B parts around a bit withing the two.
Ah, well…we take our thrills where we can get them.
)
Good even tempered fast tempo. Listen if you can find it.
I forget the rest but this lady might just object to Aunty Mary as well. 