Does anyone out there know of some really good tunes? I know it’s a dumb and subjective question, so here are some qualifiers.
I’m looking for reels/ hornpipes, things like that in the keys of D or G, or something fun that only uses 1-2 keys. For instance the tune that Seamus Egan plays on his flute which is noted in the great youtube thread.
Thanks for the suggestions in advance!
Mark
The New Rigged Ship
Brenda Stubbert’s
Star of Munster
Ships are Sailing
Cooley’s Reel
The Templehouse Reel
Colonel Fraziers
Devils of Dublin
Around the Fairy Fort
Spootiskerry
Three Sea Captains
John
This doesn’t quite answer your question. But, I recently picked up Matt Malloy’s Stony Steps CD from the library and it is great. I added it onto my mp3 player and listen every chance I get.
Kevin Maloney’s Jig (on speed 78, Mike Raffety).
Tomgraney Castle/Mcmahon’s (reels) same plcce.
Peacock’s Feather; Mikey Mahoneys’ hornpipes
Lucy Farr’s (hornpipe)
The Orphan (jig)
I’m currently having fun with the following reels:
Lisdoonvarna/Blackthorne Stick - great set
Road to Lisdoonvarna (the reel - not the slide/jig) - this one you can use the Cnat key if you feel like it.
If you want to work out your Fnat key a bit, Julia Delaney’s will make your tendons sore (others should suffer as I have - BTW, I’m now at session speed and played it last Saturday at our session).
Eric
I like the Trip to Pakistan a lot. It has a certain groove not many tunes have.
Mickey Dan’s Jig is also VERY cool and a current favorite.
My current favorite reel is “Boil the Breakfast Early.” It is in three parts, and each part has a second ending. It is fairly easy to play, but sounds like it is hard. You can really fly on it.
Follow the link below, and you can get the album I learned the tune off of. The album is called “The Irish Girl,” and the flutist is Michel Sikiotakis (with Robin Bullock backing him up). It’s a wonderful album, btw.
Go to ronimusic.com if you are interested in inexpensive software that will allow you to slow the tune down without changing pitch. Grey Larsen endorses this software, and it is what I used to learn the tune. Took me about an hour, which for me is some kind of record. Fantastic software!
http://bullock.sikiotakis.online.fr/
that cool tune Egan plays is called “Emily’s Reel” and written by otis sanford.
David-
You might know this:
On the paean to his egoness (Aka: Michael Flatley Gold) he plays a flute duet with Matt Molloy, it’s an excerpt from “The late late show”. Any idea what tunes they are?
John
I second Trip to Pakistan, but with the addendum of placing Edinburgh Rock and The Bunny’s Hat before it…still by far the funnest and coolest set to play in my book.
I’d also recommend any thing written by Tom Mcelvogue…if you want cool I’d suggest Reel in Am and the jig in A major.
I second Trip to Pakistan, but with the addendum of placing Edinburgh Rock and The Bunny’s Hat before it…still by far the funnest and coolest set to play in my book.
I’d also recommend any thing written by Tom Mcelvogue…if you want cool I’d suggest Reel in Am and the jig in A major.
Recently learned and am enjoying playing the Otter’s Holt, by Junior Crehan. B minor gives a nice change of tonality.
The Congress Reel gives the opportunity to use the G# key (I learned it from a box player–I’ve heard flute players play G nat. throughout, too.)
And “Highland” (actually a barndance, isn’t it?) on Harry Bradley’s “As I Carelessly Did Stray” is a fun and bouncy tune (and he pairs it with a great reel, which I don’t know and can’t remember the name of off hand).
The Trip to Durrow is a nice D maj reel.
now there’s some truly sick tunes.
We play the Otter’s Holt with The Humors of Scarriff (good F natural exercise, there!) and Mayor Harrison’s Fedora. Makes for a fun set.
Meanwhile, back in Em/G land … one of our old standby favorites is the Golden Keyboard into Christmas Eve (unless, of course, you crib from James Kelly/Zan McCleod and do Julia Delaney into Christmas Eve, but that’s maybe a bit wackier than you’re looking for). As for Trip to Durrow, we do it with Sean Se Ceo. That’s kinda fun, too 
Speaking of wacky, we just smushed the Black Rogue together with Arthur Darley’s. It’s a purty cool change if I do say myself.
Cathy, could we have a brief technical description of “smushed”?
it’s that really cool sound you get when you play two really cool tunes together in a really cool set. it’s really cool (so i’m told).
Why sure! It’s just like how they invented the Reese’s Cup. “Hey! You got your Black Rogue in my Arthur Darley’s!” “No, YOU got your Arthur Darley’s in MY Black Rogue!” And then, taaaa-daaaa, a world-beating combination was born.
Technical enuff? 
Yeah, like rama said. Only it’s not really cool, it’s purty cool. Nowhutimean? 