Irish Music

Bouzouki This is an evolving clearinghouse list about Irish and Celtic music in the Reno/Tahoe/Eastern Sierra area, but I hope you find it helpful wherever you might be. Please leave a comment if you’d like to add or correct something on this page.

Irish Music Sessions – Background

Sessions are informal gatherings at which people play Irish traditional music. The sessions in this region are “open,” meaning that players familiar with Irish music are welcome to join in. The open sessions around here are held in restaurants and pubs.

The objective in a session is not to provide music for an audience of passive listeners; although the punters (non-playing attendees) often come for the express purpose of listening, the music is most of all for the musicians themselves. “Audience” requests for a particular song or tune can be considered rude or welcomed; it depends on asker/attitude/alcohol. The session is an experience that’s shared, not a performance that’s bought and sold.

The music is a living thing. It’s not New Age; it’s not like the endless PBS reruns of Celtic Woman. Don’t come expecting to hear Enya.

[ + ] General Session Guidelines

[ – ] General Session Guidelines

Drone

The focus is on music from the Celtic traditions:
- Irish
- Scottish
- Canadian Maritimes/Quebecois
Although Bluegrass and Folk are fruits that fell from the same tree, they are discouraged at local Irish sessions. There are incredible jams in the region here and here where Bluegrass/Folk musicians can let their spirits soar with kindred souls.
The emphasis is on melody instruments. Please limit rhythm instruments, as we already have excellent guitarists and bodhrán players. If you do play a rhythm instrument, please know the tunes, the chords, and most importantly, the correct rhythm. “Boom-chuck” is not an Irish rhythm! 🙂 You will otherwise incur the never-ending wrath of the other players. Other wrath-incurring items are “foreign” instruments like bass, brass, electric keyboard, dobro, oboe, ocarina, didgeridoo, etc.
We are in endless pursuit of the elusive “lift,” and reading from music is discouraged. Irish music is an aural tradition; the complex rhythms and nuances can only be communicated by listening. We find that, unless the player has extraordinary sight-reading skills combined with feel for the music, reading from notation results in listless, lifeless music which sucks the very soul out of a session. Sheet music should be used sparingly at home to pick out tricky parts of tunes that you’re learning by ear.
Sessions are at the pleasure of the local tavern owners and staff. Treat them well. Play good music that keeps their customers happy.
Singing is welcome, as long as the song is in the Celtic tradition. I concur that “Sugar Magnolia” is an awesome song, but this isn’t the place.
The sessions are welcoming and inclusive. Players of all experience levels show up to these sessions. There will be times when less-skilled players sit out a tune listening to more advanced players put the tune through its paces. There will be times where accomplished players will feel unchallenged. That’s OK. Relax and enjoy your Guinness.
We welcome and encourage beginners, but unless otherwise indicated, these aren’t “learning sessions.” If you’re new to Irish music and want to play, we strongly urge you to come to a session to listen. If you like what you hear, introduce yourself to one of the more seasoned players. Don’t be shy–we don’t bite! Most players are willing to help out a newcomer, and some are even willing to do one-on-one playing and tutoring apart from the session. Some are professional teachers. When you’re back home, go to your CD collection for some solid, traditional players, listen to a few good tunes, learn them well and at speed, and then give them a whirl at the next session. We have all been there.
Noodling: Discouraged. Discouraged strongly. If you don’t know the tune, sit it out and enjoy listening to the other players play it. Unless prearranged with the singer or soloist playing an aire, don’t “play backup” or harmony behind the player. It’s extremely distracting, not part of t/he tradition, and mostly sounds terrible. Lunasa and Solas can pull it off, but it doesn’t work here. A few of our local players pull off backup and harmony with aplomb, but they’ve got the killer chops, and they’ve got the permission.
Pwnage/Session Piracy: This isn’t a competition; nothing is gained by commandeering a session. If you want to play a tune that no-one else knows, just run through it once or twice. We’re eager to learn new tunes, but the other players’ enjoyment fades fast as the tune drags on. Stringing unknown tunes into a ten-song set that only you can play is a drag for everyone else, and it’s no fun. That being said, we don’t mind if you want to whip out a couple rounds of a flashy, show piece–we love to be entertained, too!
Tunes. The tunes are not in any set order. Most of the time, choice of a tune is up to the player, and, around here, the opportunity to call a tune moves around the circle. This way, everyone gets a chance to play a tune they want. Other times, to make the session move along faster, the first person to think up a tune just launches into it. Tunes may be played by themselves or with other tunes to make a set.

[ + ] Irish and Celtic Session Locations

[ – ] Irish and Celtic Session Locations

Ceol Irish Pub
(Across the street from the Wild Orchid Club in Reno)
538 S Virginia St, Reno, NV 89501 map
Every Tuesday, 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Contact: Peter petergrant55@gmail.com

band Auld Dubliner
(The Village at Squaw Valley)
1995 Squaw Valley Rd, Olympic Valley, CA map
Every Sunday, 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Contact: Bev bev@raggedrogues.com

The Copper Top Lounge
(first location for the re-formed “Stonehouse Session”)
133 Neal Street, Grass Valley, CA map website
First Thursday of the month, 6:30 PM

Holbrooke Hotel
(second location for the re-formed “Stonehouse Session”)
212 W Main, Grass Valley, CA map website
Every other Sunday (“seed date” is April 26th, 2009), 3 PM

Latitudes Restaurant
130 Maple Street, Auburn, CA map
Every Sunday, 5:30 PM
Bodhran

Sessions nearby, but outside our “Sphere of Influence”:

The Fox and Goose
1001 R Street, Sacramento, CA map
Contact: Linda Relph celteck@yahoo.com

Delta of Venus
(Beginner-friendly. Jamaican food.)
122 B Street, Davis, CA map
Every Wednesday, 7:30 PM
Contact: Delta of Venus, 530.753.8639

The Beach Hut
(in the Arden Town Shopping Center, behind the Arco station)
510 La Sierra Drive, Sacramento, CA map
Every Thursday, 7:00 PM

Duffy’s Tavern
337 Main St (4th and Main), Chico, CA map
Contact: 530-343-7718
Every Friday, 3:30p – 7:30pm

deVere’s Pub
1521 L Street (between 15th and 16th), Sacramento, CA map
Contact: 916-231-9947 website
2nd and 4th Sunday: 4 to 7pm

Sharon and Jaya’s Irish Session (Seisiún)
1665 High St., Auburn, CA map
Contact: 530-885-4292 website
4th Saturday Every Month, 4 PM – 9 PM

Local, Eastern Sierra venues that host Irish music

Ceol Irish Pub, Reno
Brewery Arts Center, Carson City
Great Basin Brewing Co., Reno
Comma Coffee, Carson City
88 Cups Coffee & Tea, Minden, NV
CVIC Hall, Minden, NV
Carson Valley Arts Council, Minden, NV
Center for the Arts, Grass Valley, CA
Auburn House Concerts – Top tier musicians in an intimate setting, Auburn, CA

Reno Celtic Festival
Grass Valley Celtic Festival

[ + ] Tune List

[ – ] Tune List

First off this is only a list of tune titles that show up at our local sessions. If you’ve come here looking for the music to any of these tunes, go to TheSession.org or JC’s tune finder and do a tune search. These sites will return tunes in sheet music and ABC format. If you’re hunting for tablatures, these are difficult to find without buying a book or simply buckling down and learning the tune by ear with the help of a slow-downer program.

This tune and song list is ever-changing. Players are always introducing new tunes, and other tunes fade away. I’d say it’s much larger now. If you’re just starting out, the list below will get you started off nicely:

Angeline the Baker
Anything for John Joe?
Aran Boat
Ashokan Farewell
Banish Misfortune
Banshee
Barrowburn Reel
Beverly’s Jig
Bill Sullivan’s Polka
Blackberry Blossom
Bonaparte Crossing the Rockies
Boys of Bluehill
Britches Full of Stitches
Butcher’s Row
Butterfly
Carnelian Hornpipe
Carolan’s Concerto
Carolan’s Dream
Castle Kelly
Charlie Hunter
Cherokee Shuffle
Chief O’Neill’s Favorite
Cold Frosty Morning
Congress Reel
Connaughtman’s Rambles
Cooley’s
Crested Hens
Crowley’s Reel
Cuckoo’s Nest
Danny Boy
Dawn
Devil’s Dream
Donegal Lasses
Drowsy Maggie
Dunmore Lasses
Farewell to Erin
Farewell to Whiskey
Father Kelly’s
Fig for a Kiss
Fisher’s Hornpipe
Flowers of Edinburgh
Flowers of Red Hill
Gander in the Pratie Hole
Garry Owen
George Brabazon (2nd Air)
Gilderoy
Girl I Left Behind Me
Gravel Walk
Guns of the Magnificent Seven
Hag at the Churn
Harvest Home

Hector the Hero
Home Rule
Inisheer
Irish Washerwoman
Jackie Tar
Jim Ward’s
John Leary’s Slide
June Apple
Kesh Jig
King of the Fairies
Kitchen Girl
Lady Anne Montgomery
Lark in the Morning
Liberty
Little Beggarman
Liverpool Hornpipe
Liza Jane
Lord Mayo
Maid Behind the Bar
Maids of Mount Cisco
Maison de Glace
Merrily Kiss the Quaker
Merry Blacksmith
Micho Russell’s Slide
Morgan Magan
Morning Dew
Morning Star
Morrison’s Jig
Mouth of the Tobique
Mulligan’s Reel
My Darling Asleep
Nag
New Policeman
O’Keefe’s Slide
Off to California
Old Joe’s Jig
Ook Pic Waltz
Over the Waterfall
Palfrey Hornpipe
Pays de Haut
Pig Town Fling
Planxty Hewlett
Planxty Irwin
Pogonip
Poodle in the Dryer
Rakes of Mallow
Reel du Montreal
Reilly’s Reel
Rights of Man

Road to Lisdoonvarna
Roaring Barmaid
Rolling in the Ryegrass
Rose in the Heather
Round the Horn
Saddle the Pony
Sailor’s Hornpipe
Sandy River Belles
Scatter the Mud
Scotland the Brave
Sean Ryan’s Polka
Si Bheag Si Mhor
Silver Spear
Sliabh Russell
Slide
Sleeping Moggy
Smash the Windows
Soldier’s Joy
Sourgrass and Granite
Southwind
Split Rock
Spootiskerry
Spotted Dog
St. Anne’s Reel
Stack of Barley
Staten Island Hornpipe
Star Above the Garter
Star of Munster
Star of the County Down
Swallowtail Jig
Tam Lin
Teetotaller’s Reel
Temperance Reel
Trip to Sligo
Trippin’ up the Stairs
Walls of Liscarroll
Waltz of the White Lilies
Waxie’s Dargle
When Sick, Is It Tea You Want
Whiskey ‘fore Breakfast
Wicklow Hornpipe
Wind That Shakes the Barley
Wise Old Friend
Woodchopper’s Reel

[ + ] Local Irish and Celtic Musicians

[ + ] Sources of musical inspiration

[ + ] ABC vs. Slow-Downers

[ – ] ABC vs. Slow-Downers

Music

I’ve been asked a couple of times what the difference is between these two music program types and what the advantages might be of one over the other. If you’re interested in learning traditional music, you’ll eventually run into a group of people online discussing “ABC” files along with a side discussion on slowing down music so it’s easier to learn.

First off, there are significant differences between ABC programs and slow-downer programs. The ABC format was developed as a way for people to send musical notation over the internet via email and simple text messages and to be able to edit the tune. These are simple strings of letters instead of large, non-editable images of scores and notation created with expensive software. A side benefit of ABC format is that it makes it easy to store the music in a database. Disadvantage: ABC programs play tinny, computer-generated music by using MIDI output, which completely fails to capture the spirit and lift of a tune and doesn’t convey nuances well at all. However, ABC programs can display the visual tune information as it has the actual notes, either through the raw ABC text or by converting the ABC to a musical score.

As the ABC format has developed over the years, it is now capable of remarkable feats of scoring and musical representation.

[ + ] First, a simple ABC tune, The Long Acre

[ + ] And here’s the score of The Long Acre based solely on the jumble of letters above.

[ + ] Here’s an example of a complex ABC, Canazonetta a tre voci.

[ + ] And the printout of the score of the Canzonetta.

This page isn’t intended to be a tutorial on using ABC notation. Check this out for further information on ABC notation, directly from the fellow who invented it.

Slow-downers are simply a way to take an actual performance and slow it down without changing the pitch, so that a musician can practice along with, say, Kevin Burke at one-fifth the speed. Disadvantage: no visual notation of the music, and totally non-portable without involving music piracy. However, it works with any music that you can get into your computer either via MP3 files or audio CDs that you can put in your computer’s CD-ROM drive.

In other words, ABC and Pitch-changers both work with music, but entirely different results and output. I use both freely.

Some popular ABC programs:
abc2win
abcmus
ABCExplorer (my personal fave)

Speed-changing software:
Amazing Slow-Downer
Transcribe!

Amazing Slow-Downer is probably the most popular. Instead of Amazing Slow-Downer, I use Transcribe!. Although they have the same concept, Transcribe! has a couple of nifty extra features, such as ‘Karaoke’ mode where a song can be played while stripping out the center mix, leaving only audio information that’s panned off-center. In other words, it can strip out vocals while leaving instruments behind. It can save loops in a list so that you can simply click on the loop you want to practice. It also has a large keyboard graph so you can click on the keys and get the notes. It analyzes the music and comes up with chords. Finally, it has a visual waveform representation of the music. If you ever wind up doing transcriptions of tunes and songs, Transcribe! is the flat-out choice.

SeventhString, the maker of Transcribe!, has a link list of all the software out there that slows down music so you can choose what suits you. For slow-downers, *my* main choices would be between Amazing Slowdowner and Transcribe!.

Finally, I use MusicCAD, a cheap Music publishing software package, for writing out scores and such. It isn’t intuitive, and doesn’t have the same horsepower as the “Finale” program, but it’s a way to prettify ABC files on the cheap, and I use it as the way to transcribe tunes onto an actual stave while listening to the Transcribe! program. Disadvantage: It’s not as intuitive as I would like. Some of the instructions don’t translate so well. Transcribing tunes from what you hear onto a stave is a good way to train your ear.

These programs are not substitutes for actually getting out there and learning tunes and songs from other musicians. For musicians that don’t have the benefit of attending nightly sessions or strolling into Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Eireann, using both ABC and slow-downers is a way to easily learn tunes without having to spend time and money finding local instructors.

[ + ] Helpful Links

Irish Music Sessions – Background

Sessions nearby, but outside our “Sphere of Influence”:

Local, Eastern Sierra venues that host Irish music

Irish Musicians in the Western NV and Eastern Sierra

Fiddle

Whistle

Flute

Free Reed (accordion, concertina, etc)

Uilleann Pipes

Guitar, Banjo, Bouzouki, etc

Groups / Ensembles

Harp / Hammered Dulcimer

“This one time, at Band Camp…”

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