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

The Hare in the Corn

Here's a good jig. It's often played as part of "The Fox Chase" but I've given up fox hunting as the animals used to wreak havoc in my house.

May 03, 20072 min

John Egan's Reel

This must be a flute tune as it's named after a flute player - a great one at that.

May 03, 20072 min

The Skylark

This reels is a bit lonely without its friend "Roaring Mary". I'll add its companion as soon as I can.

May 03, 20072 min

Give us a Drink of Water

Here's a well known slip jig. (I had it attached to the post for "Sweeney's Dream" earlier - I hadn't been asking for the right sort of drink).

May 03, 20072 min

Sweeney's Dream

Here's the way I remember this tune. I'm not sure how standard it is. (Sorry - I had the wrong tune on this. I've fixed it now.)

May 02, 20071 min

The Piper's Despair

Here's a good reel. I don't think it has as severe effects on flute players as it does on lucht na bpíbí.

May 02, 20073 min

The Girl That Broke My Heart

This is often in G minor but the flute gets a bit displeased by this tune in that key. The A minor version has the added advantage of being annoying to people who do like the G minor version. (Not sure about the grammar in the title. I suppose it reflects the heartbroken person's view of the being what caused him such anguish.)

May 02, 20073 min

The Kesh Jig

A very popular tune - you can probably blame the Bothy Band for that. As with most popular tunes, it has a good melody and rhythm. That's probably why it's popular. If that's a load of rubbish then it must just be popular courtesy of the Bothy Band. I don't know whether any of them liked it or were just asked to play it. I think it's quite nice.

May 02, 20072 min

Ceol na gCeártan (The Forge Music)

Here's a piping reel which is good on the flute. It sounds a bit like some other reels, sure all reels sound like all other reels. This Irish music all sounds the same to me. I just learned one tune and a few dozen names. That's the reason why I've being recording tunes one at a time. It's like the two people who you've never actually seen in the same room at the one time. Maybe there's only really one person in the world. I fairly sure it's not me so it must be you.

May 02, 20071 min

The Banks of Lough Gowna

Here's a nice, melodic jig which I was asked to record here. It suits any instrument (anthough the C naturals can be challenging on a triangle if it isn't isosceles).

May 02, 20072 min

The Old Blackthorn

This tune's a great stalwart. Stalwart is a great word. Syllogisms can be musical.

May 01, 20073 min

The Leitrim Fancy (jig)

I was asked for this tune and recorded the hornpipe. I never knew it was also a jig but here's the jig. Lovely Leitrim's full of fancies.

May 01, 20073 min

The Boys of Ballisadare

Here's a reel which works very well on the flute. Someone once described to me how to play reels in 'G' in the flute; you hold down the top 3 fingers, blow into the hole provided for blowing into, and slap the other 3 fingers down on their allotted holes in time to the tune. That's what I've done here.

May 01, 20073 min

The Hare's Paw

Is this the tune Mary? I had to do a search for this name. The version I found on the internet isn't quite the same as this but here's how I learned it. I never knew it came from a leporid. Between being coursed, accused of insanity and having their feet cut off to make tunes, they get a fairly raw deal.

May 01, 20071 min

The Friendly Visit

Hopefully its a friendly "friendly visit" and not a "friendly" "friendly visit". It think it's really just a hornpipe. I've taken to recording tunes in bulk and then putting them on a few at a time. There's a danger that this might lead to tunes going on more than once as my tracking system doesn't exist yet. There could even be ones that don't get on at all (they must be the good ones). Hope this one isn't a twin in any case. Safe enough about the "good one" thing.

May 01, 20072 min

The Boy on the Hilltop

I don't know much about this tune apart from the fact that it isn't too hard to play and it can sound OK (this instance not withstanding). That's probably all I really need to know.

May 01, 20072 min

The Man of the House

This reel is often known as "Paddy Carty's Reel". I think he called it "The Day I Met Tom Moylan" but I may well be wrong. I thing the mice must have eaten most of my record collection and I haven't been able to find my Paddy Carty record to check. I'm not sure how close this version is.

May 01, 20072 min

The Boys of The Town

Here's a jig I was asked to play. I seem to remember there being a nice version of it on a Josie McDermott record.

Apr 30, 20072 min

The Lilting Banshee

Here's a jig I was asked to record here. It's a great tune for learning. I hadn't played it for a long time and am glad to have been reminded of it.

Apr 29, 20072 min

The Primrose Lass

A good reel which deserves to be played more often than it is.

Apr 29, 20072 min

The Limestone Rock

Here's a good reel. I'm not sure how standard my version is as I haven't played or heard it for a long time. I hope it's OK.

Apr 29, 20071 min

The Cliffs of Moher

Here's a very popular jig - another suggestion from a flute player in internet land.

Apr 29, 20072 min

The Leitrim Fancy

Here's a nice hornpipe. A flute player called Alexandre suggested this tune, along with a few other ones. If anyone requests a particular tune, I'll gladly record it as long as I know it. My memory isn't what it was so tunes are exiting my head quicker than they are being replaced.

Apr 29, 20072 min

The Musical Priest

There are lots of versions of this tune. Hopefully this is fairly close to the commonest one.

Apr 28, 20072 min

Seán Reid's Reel

Here's a good piping reel. As is ofter the case with good piping reels, especially ones in G, it's good on the flute too.

Apr 28, 20072 min

The Pipe on the Hob

Here's a popular piping jig. Some people called this "The Piper of the Hearth (or embers)". One Irish translation for a cricket is "Píobare an teallaigh" which = the piper of the hearth. Who knows?

Apr 28, 20073 min

Jackson's Reel

There were a lot of reels names after this chap. This one is normally associated with Michael Coleman.

Apr 28, 20073 min
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