Podcast
Irish Flute Tunes
Hosted by Michael Clarkson · EN
Traditional Irish Tunes Played on the Flute (iflute@googlemail.com)
10episodes
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Introduction
2w ago00:04:06Tap to summarizeHello. This site contains recordings I have made as a source of tunes for people who play the flute, or other instruments for that matter. They are often just versions of tunes as I remember them but, as my memory isn’t the best, in some cases I cheat and find the dots online. As often as not, the online versions and the dots inside my head aren't quite the same so there may be a sort of 'average' appearing. I usually play the tunes once through slowly (ish) to make them easier to learn, then I have a bit of a run at them to give another view of them. I hope this approach is OK. If anyone has any comments, or tune suggestions, please get in touch (iflute@googlemail.com). Thanks, Michael Clarkson (Belfast). In the good old days, there used to be a tune index on the left hand side but Podbean "upgraded" the layout a few years ago and this index was lost. You can now list tunes by type, but this relies a bit on my having categorised them all properly; maybe not all that reliable. The search function at the top of the screen works fine though.
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The Parcel of Land (reel)
2w ago00:02:15Tap to summarizeHere's a reel composed by Charlie Lennon, who made up lots of great tunes. He had the ability to make a new tune sound like it had been there for years, thanks to his imagination combined with having heard thousands of traditional tunes thousands of times each over tens of years. Unlike Charlie Lennon, loads of people make up tunes all the time just relying on the imaginatioin bit. Leaving out the ex-perience factor rarely leads to anything useful. Thankfully this tune was made by someone who knew how. Sorry if the playing here lacks similar savvy. The "session.org" setting (Here's a picture of a beartán of land. A spleotán would have been too big.)
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The Drunraney Lass (jig)
3w ago00:01:55Tap to summarizeHere's a tune written by the concertina player William Mullaly (1884 - ca.1955) from Mullingar. I was reminded of it by a recording of the recently departed fantastic musician Charlie Harris. That recording, along with a recording of William Mullaly himself playing it in the extreme olden days, is available here: The Drunraney Lass on "The Session". The tune reminds me of "The Lark on the Strand". I'm not sure whether that Lark's egg came before or after this particular Drunraney chicken.
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Jimmy Neary's Jig
4w ago00:01:53Tap to summarizeHere's a tune I learned from a recording of the Chicago fiddle player Johnny McGreevy. The session.org call it "By Golly". I was surrprised to see "By Golly" written on the "session" site without an exclamation mark. So surprised that I nearly said "OMG!!!!!!!!!!". There's more information about the tune and the Jimmy Neary (and it's played properly!) at https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/457.
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The Wexford Lasses
Apr 700:02:57Tap to summarizeI might have posted this tune under a different name in the days before AI, but here it is anyway, along with computer generated triplets in the picture below, to go with the flute generated ones in the recording. Sorry if the notation is a bit truncated and twisted. That's all my free Chatgpt account would give me. The rest of the notes are here: Wexford Lasses notation.
Transcribe →John Egan's Reel
Mar 300:02:02Tap to summarizeHere's a second post for this Olympic-length posting period. A sensible reel without much musical tautology. Rare enough in our times. My new (cheap) phone can't seem to handle anything louder than a sigh so the recording is a bit distorted. No harm: I can hide my dodgy tone behind the buzzing. I've been keeping my flute and my mouth in a cupboard for over 9 years so rich resonances are rare in my reels. Or in anything else I do. John Egan's Reel (thesession.org)
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The Crib of Perches (reel)
Jan 2700:02:16Tap to summarizeI was just reminded yesterday of the existence of this Irish Flute Tunes site by getting my annual subscription receipt from Podbean. So, I thought I might as well put a tune on it to get my money's worth. I played this one on a very reliable Rob Forbes flute which I got off eBay a little while ago. My wooden flutes are also reliable but my ability to find them is less so. I'm in Belfast at the moment, on holiday from Luxembourg, so (another "so") I'm allowed to play the flute as it's not illegal here. I'll be back in Belfast FOREVER from 1st May. So ... I might go into work retirement and come out of flute retirement. So... À bientôt ... The Crib of Perches (as "The Session" has it)
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The Wren Hornpipe
Jun 4, 202300:02:41Tap to summarizeHere's another tune from O'Neill's Dance Music of Ireland. I hadn't noticed it before, despite its being there since 1907. I don't remember ever seeing a wren either. Maybe because they're so small.
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Clarkson’s reel
Apr 7, 202000:02:08Tap to summarizeTune number 748 from O'Neill's Dance Music of Ireland - 1001 gems There are 1000 tunes in this book with better names but only some of them are better tunes.
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The Cat in the Corner (jig)
Mar 25, 202000:01:52Tap to summarizeO'Neill's Dance Music of Ireland tune number 129 I probably would have been better getting the cat to play it.
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