Irish Flute Tunes - podcast cover

Irish Flute Tunes

Michael Clarksonirishflute.podbean.com
Traditional Irish Tunes Played on the Flute (iflute@googlemail.com)
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Episodes

Éamann a' Chnoic (Ned of the Hill)

Here's a slow tune for a change. It's probably easier than a lot of slow tunes to pick up and, unlike a good book, I'm sure it will be even easier to put down. If I get enough requests to so do, I'll remove it.

Jun 07, 20072 min

The Glen Cottage Polka

Here's a polka. My apologies to polka land people for my interpretation of it. A lot of them are good tunes for learning and are well suited to the flute.

Jun 06, 20072 min

The Glendowan Fancy

Here's a Sligo Maidish type of reel. There are different version's of this one around. This one's more or less the same as the one in the book Alan's Irish Fiddler. I'm only after finding a link with all the tunes in that book: http://www.oldmusicproject.com/allans.html They also seem to have O'Neill's Music of Ireland on the site. Aren't people kind?

Jun 06, 20073 min

Thady Casey's

I saw this name for this tune in a book. I can't remember which book at this stage. My memory is like the result of a vagueness generator being put in a cheap food blender (both food and blender). This reel sounded familiar to me when I recorded it but that was a couple of long days ago. A lot of water has passed under the bridge since then. Most of the water was mixed with other, more potentially confusion inducing liquids, and the bridge was the sort which lives in a mouth. I hope the tune is ...

Jun 05, 20072 min

The Gatehouse Maid

Here's a standard tune, albeit with a lot of non standard versions. It is often played after "Down The Broom". I hope it really does go like this.

Jun 05, 20072 min

Gorman's Reel (2)

Here's a tune that's listed in Ceol Rince na hÉireann 3, No. 188, as "Gorman's Reel". It sounds a bit like an A minor "Sporting Nell". I don't know when a minor sporting Nell is like a sort of under 18 camogie player. Whatever about that, it's a nice reel and easy enough in this key.

Jun 05, 20072 min

The Australian Waters

I think this jig is associated with Jimmy Lyons, a fiddle player who came from Teelin in Co. Donegal.

Jun 04, 20072 min

The Knotted Cord

Here's a requested reel. I'm told that when asked was it a piece of string it replied that it was afraid not. I learned this as "Bridie Morley's" (or was it "The Bride Morley"?) from Packie Duignan's playing. The version in Ceol Rince na hÉireann vol 2, number 229, is almost the same as this. It's a great tune and thanks Mary for suggesting it.

Jun 03, 20073 min

Killoran's Polka

Here's another polka. This one's from a wee bit further north. It's a good tune for the flute.

Jun 03, 20072 min

The Groves of Gneeveguilla

Here's a popular polka. I think I'm from a bit too far north to understand them but I can but try.

Jun 03, 20072 min

Cornelius Curtin's Big Balloon

This is a tune with a great name. I'll tidy up this post tomorrow. I'm feeling too vague just now. Today is now tomorrow and I'm fit to add that I heard this one on Paddy Carty's LP. It's named after "The Balloon" which was a pub in Fulham, London owned by Con Curtin from Kerry.

Jun 02, 20072 min

The Cloone

Here's a reel which can be found on a record of Tommy Peoples and Matt Molloy - all quite quick and E flattish as far as I remember.

Jun 02, 20073 min

John Doherty's Reel

I can't write much about this tune due to my having an industrial strength hangover to wrestle with. I recorded this tune yesterday, before I went out. I recall feeling quite well then.

Jun 02, 20072 min

Gallagher's Frolics

Here's a jig I was asked to put on. I looked it up on the internet and got these particular "Google's Frolics". I hope they are the correct frolics. I've known this tune for years but I never knew its name. I've learned more tune names in the last 2 months than in the preceding 2 decades.

Jun 01, 20072 min

For The Sake Of Old Decency

Here's a nice plain reel. It's on, among other places, "The Eagle's Whistle" LP of Michael Tubridy which is well worth a listen.

Jun 01, 20072 min

The Green Gowned Lass

Here's a good reel. I must try excavating my Matt Molloy record which has this tune living in its groove.

May 31, 20072 min

The Bag of Spuds (2)

More potatoes (I was trying to remember this last night and then I saw it on the Chiff and Fipple site: http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=50746 - Fipple & Chips)

May 31, 20073 min

Tatter Jack Walsh

Here's a very common jig. The "Walsh" seems fairly interchangeable with "Welsh". The "Tatter Jack" bit refers to "An tAthair Jack", i.e. Father Jack.

May 31, 20072 min

The Fermoy Lasses

Here's a popular tune which is handy on most instruments. Judging from this recording the flute mightn't be one of them but that's just my fault. It sounds grand on the flute when other people play it. I had a bit of bother at the end (more Fermoy Losses than Lasses) as I heard the potatoes boiling over in the kitchen when I was nearly done. There should be enough of the tune intact up to that point to be able to get the idea of it.

May 31, 20073 min

The Bag Of Spuds

Here's today's carbohydrate ration in a reel.

May 30, 20072 min

The Maid At The Spinning Wheel

I usually can't remember which order the parts go in this tune. They sort of go round and round. Hopefully they're OKish here.

May 30, 20072 min

I Am Waiting For You

Here's a reel which I think I remember being on an LP of Julia and Billy Clifford. I just stole it from O'Neill's 1001. Only about another 987 to go.

May 30, 20072 min

Gregg's Pipes

Here's Gregg's / Craig's / Greig's pipes. Surely Greig's ones were on a church organ. It's a good noise making opportunity for flute players. I know there's more to music that raucous rackets. I approach subtlety as I mature. I feel a bit of ageing in my water. I'm not sure how I feel about that feeling.

May 29, 20072 min

The Fairhaired Boy

I don't know whether this could refer to the young Tom Ennis. I'm starting to steal tunes from O'Neill tunes. (158 / 1001 in this case). I'm not nicking ones I don't know at all but I'm having to give my memory a kick in the backside the odd time. Sometimes this can be a fairly risk-laden manoeuvre.

May 29, 20072 min

Young Tom Ennis

Here's a nice jig named after a by now fairly aged Tom Ennis.

May 29, 20072 min

The Tenpenny Bit

Tunes like this used to be two-a-penny. I think they're now 7.1096488 a Euro.

May 29, 20072 min

The Gallowglass

Here's a nice jig. I can't tell you a whole pile else about it.

May 28, 20072 min
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