A Tune A Week

Right after Keeffe’s on the Jackie Daly record. I haven’t listened hard enough to be sure, but I’m betting he plays this one on the C row too. I am. It’s very strange to have D and B on the draw now; I’ve been ignoring those for a year, so I’m not used to it at all.

From Jackie Daly’s recording, Traditional Accordion and Concertina Music from Sliabh Luachra. It’s one of those I could hum along with from hearing it so many times, but had never actually learned to play until now. He plays it in C, along the row from what I can tell based on which notes are especially legato on the recording. I originally started learning across the rows on my “standard” scale, but then decided to go with the C row for kicks. There are some quick bellows changes either way. I wonder if other people in Nashville know this one, and play it in C. . . guess I’ll find out.

From Patrick Street’s Made In Cork. I suspect one of them made it up, as I haven’t found it anywhere else. I got the album from eMusic.com, which I discovered today via an old and REALLY LONG Chiff & Fipple forum thread about learning Irish tunes from sheet music that was prompted by some comments from Alan Ng. eMusic.com actually has some stuff I was interested in, which surprised me. They also have a moderate selection of Cajun and Zydeco, but that’s a story for another day.

From Live from Patrick Street—it’s the first one on track 7. I can’t find it anywhere else, not that I’ve looked too hard, and there’s no history in the liner notes. It’s a simple one in some sort of modal D key. Or A. I can never figure out what key to put to tunes like this. For this one, I’m playing D on the draw instead of the push, in both octaves, just because I like the bellows changes better that way.

Update, June 11, 2005: This tune is also on Johnny O’Leary’s disc Music For the Set, as Murphy’s. Alan Ng has it as Denis Murphy’s Slide, listed separately from the Denis Murphy’s I showed off in January! No wonder I’m always forgetting what tunes are named…

I’ve actually known the Brosna Slide for a while, but I did learn it since I started this project, so I figure it counts enough for a week when I’m playing catch-up. One day I paired it with Denis Murphy’s—the slide, not the polka—and liked how it sounded, so here they are together. The Brosna Slide is on a Johnny O’Leary disc in A, and on one of Jackie Daly’s CDs in G. I learned it in G. Playing it in A would mean learning a whole new button, the low G#—so I’ll save that project for later.

Update: The tune I’m calling Denis Murphy’s here is called the Gleanntan Slide on Tony MacMahon’s album Traditional Irish Accordion. And he plays it in F. Go figure.