i wanted to know what cool slow tunes you use in between all the fast ones.
I know Sven writes and sings unreal songs, but we can’t sing,
so i was wanting to find some nice slow airs.
thanks, eilam.
Here are some of the slower tunes you could hear at our sessions:
Crested Hens
Planxty Hewlett
Planxty Fanny Power
The Ashokan Farewell
Josefine’s Waltz (when Jill Winters plays this on cello, it’ll bring tears to your eyes, it’s so lovely)
If Ever You Were Mine
Also, every blue moon, someone will play an air or other listening piece for us. This doesn’t happen often but is considered a great honor to the session when it does.
–James
The funny thing about that one is that it’s played slow only because Solas recorded it that way. It’s a hurdy-gurdy tune, composed by Gilles Chabenat, and I think it’s meant to be played as a bourrée. I heard a recording of it played by Chabenat himself and it was quite fast. Of course, it sounds nice played slow too.
Another tune like that is “Far Away,” the waltz composed by Pete Jung from New York state. He composed it on his mandolin while driving home (steering with his knees!) from Brattleboro, Vermont, and he intended it to be played as a fast waltz. But nearly everyone (including me) prefers to play it slow, and it reportedly drives him crazy.
Up here, one of the favored slow tunes for sessions is Inisheer. A lovely melody…I hear it at almost every session but never get tired of it.
To add to James’ list:
Planxty Irwin
Sheebeg Sheemore
Easter Snow (OK, so no one plays along with me, but it’s still a great slow aire)
The New Land (could be “A” new land - Bretton or Cape Bretton tune)
Eric
Some from our set list:
Sheebeg..
Dark Island
MacPherson’s Lament
A Flook air on a big bass A bansuri (forget the name right now)
Ned o’ the Hill
We don’t do them very ‘trad’; we either have a harmony part on hammered dulcimer, or harmony in a lower flute or whistle. When our fiddle player is with us (rarely these days), he breaks out the viola and uses lots of double-stops. Very pretty. We’re also doing the second movement of the Bach Flute Sonata in Eb, transposed to D, on dulcimer and flute. Oddly, it goes great with Dark Island.
some of the waltz’s that we play that are nice (please forgive me for the botching that i am about to make)
Midnight over the water, lovers waltz, leaf’s waltz (Sarah Bauhen), lonesome moonlight waltz.
some cool slow ones: she left a star & the sadness of some ( both Sarah Bauhen).
i forgot about Crested hens, we used to play it long time ago, Solas style..
thanks, e.
I was really enjoying listening to Frankie Kennedy playing An Feochan last night.
-Craig
There are some slow-reel type tunes that can be nice to play:
The Sunset
The Ruined Old Cottage in the Glen
Cuz Teehan’s (Is it McGoldrick who does this tune followed by Her Long Black Hair? That’s a pretty nice slowish set.)
Yes, it’s McGoldrick. Dreamy.
Farewell to Glasgow is very pretty. I also love The Cradle Song, which is by the Scottish fiddler J. Scott Skinner. Chris Norman has a beeeeeeeautiful version on his Man with the Wooden Flute. I like Blind Mary too.
Carol
Three of my favourite slow jigs: (at least that’s how I play them)
The End Of The Day
Split Rock
The trip To Brittany
“Crossing to Ireland.” And I’m really fond of “Wayfaring Stranger” on flute too.
I’ve told here before (but let me repeat) this story:
The tune to Gershwin’s ‘Someone to watch over me’
was first played very fast, if you can imagine that.
It was a little throwaway interlude as the dancers
got into place during one his his musicals. Just fluff.
Then, one day, sitting at the piano, Gershwin played
it slowly, and there was one of the most beautiful
ballads of the last century.
Bachelor’s Farewell.
Moran’s Return
The Osprey
thanx for that. jim stone keeps raising this thing about the the suitability of bansuri for the precision needed in ITM. but then, methinks he is talking about jigs and things and this one is a slow air and would be amenable to the fluid bamboo flute by anyone’s reckoning.
has anyone suggested Carrick Fergus?
and Wild Mountain Thyme?
Bonnie Light Horseman?
What about From Clare to Here?
and Song for Ireland?
I won’t mention my other favourites.
Well, it’s not really a bansuri. The 6th hole resides in the same zip code as the 5th, and the F# is in tune in equal temperment. I know, 'cause I made it.
Wild Mountain Thyme! We finally got the singer to learn this one, and it’s quite fun. One can muck with the changes endlessly.
Lunasa’s “Inion Ni Scannlian”. Great, slow waltz! It’s on their “The Merry Sisters Of Fate” album.
I’ve been playing
Long Lonely Summer.
Lovely tune.
Of course there is Greensleeves,
The Water is Wide,
Scarbourough Fair.
i want to add a slow tune that is not sappy, as is, i start a slow one, and my buddies roll their eyes
Her Long Golden Hair
Planxty George Brabazon
OCarolan’s Draught
Sonny’s Mazurka
Tom Bhetty’s
Wind that Shakes the Barley
The Snowy Path
Fig for a Kiss
Leaving Glasgow
Slieve naMon
Lord Mayo
OKeefe’s Slide
And some tunes that can go either way, but are really darned nice at a reasonable pace - ala slow reels/jigs, maybe?
Martin Wynne’s #1 & 2
The Virginia
The First Month of Spring
The Maple Leaf
The Rolling Wave
The Lonesome Jig
Old Tipperary
Pigeon on the Gate
Hammy’s #1 & 2 (aka the Woodcock and the Kerfunten jigs)
George White’s
Ormond Sound
Eddie Kelly’s jig
Jim Coleman’s
The Banks of Lough Gowna
Humours of Ballyloughlin
The Lark on the Strand
Fraher’s jig
Jimmy Ward’s jig
Dowd’s #9
Arthur Darley’s jig (aka the Swedish Jig)
Slieve Russell
Tommy Peoples’ Jig
The Cuil Aodha Jig
Humours of Lissadell
Sweeney’s Buttermilk
Pull the Knife and Stick it Again
Whelan’s Old Sow
Gusty’s Frolics
Anything by Paddy Fahey and a whole lot of Paddy OBrien’s stuff, too (Fahey because Yrs Trly can’t play all those Fnats that fast anyway, and OBrien’s stuff because it’s so intricate and lovely it’s a shame to rush thru) it)
OK, that’s all I can think of for now. Boy, we must play slow all the time! 
But the nice thing about taking some of those tunes a little slower is you can really appreciate them, plus have time to build some nifty sets on the fly. It’s all so, like, organic, dude. 
Anyway, hit 'em with Arthur Darley’s. That’ll keep them busy for a while.
Hey Cathy W!
How are ye?!? I decided to have a look around here after checking some tunes on kerrywhistles. Great video collection there he has.
Did ye ever make it over to Ireland?
Eric T
Lovely tune. I’ll bring it to the guys, if I can do it any justice.