Irish Flute Tunes

This tune is also played as a reel with an extra bit thrown in. I'm sorry about the mess up at the end. I suddenly realised that I had seven minutes to finish the tune, upload it, write a comment, digest my dinner (I suspect that may actually take days) and catch the start of the film which appears to be the only thing on TV tonight. I'll try the reel version soon.

Here's my attempted response to a request for this tune.  Like most old and popular tunes it has lots of versions.  I hope that this is at least in some way related to some of them.  The Christmas to New Year period is left my memory more muddled than usual.  I hope to be more organised in 2008.

I never knew much about customs, new, knew, known or none in particular but here's a tune relating to them which I hope isn't too taxing.

Here's a nameless wonder.  I don't suppose it would be very sociable of me to spend time posting tunes on the internet tomorrow, even ones with names,  so here's my Happy Christmas effort.  I hope Santa is kind to everyone and the tunes make it down the chimney without too much incident.

Here's a reel from my holidays.  I don't play this very often so I hope my version has survived the years of neglect I've so lovingly administered to it.

Here's a jig which I think is actually a single jig.  I don't really understand all these different jig types so I'll just play the notes and leave the counting to those better qualified than I am.  I think I first learned this tune from a book of the same name by Francie McPeake.  This version is probably a bit different but as I can't find the book I can't be sure.

I'm better at knowing what time it is than knowing what day or year may be around about me.  As it is cold and often dark quite early, I suspect this tune to be fairly seasonal about now.  My version of this tune becomes less reliable as the day approaches but people who really know the tune will hopefully still recognise this approximation. I'll try to think of something else to play between now...

I can't really see what particular use could be made of a golden keyboard apart from for naming a tune after.  It's a while since I either heard or played this tune (apart from about 3 minutes ago) so I can't guarantee that some keys on this particular board may be a bit more pig ironish than golden.

Sorry it's been so long since I posted a tune.  The last thing I can remember is thinking that I was getting seasonal amnesia  (I don't rightly know whether Santa will be able to fit it down the chimney, though).  This tends to reduce the regularity of tune postings. Here's one anyway.  I'm not sure whether the title refers to the said mountain's hue or to its being made of recycled hills.  It cer...

Here's a jig I nicked off a record of Johnny Cronin and Joe Burke (that's Burke with a beard and banjo rather than a beard and box).  The name is sometimes given to Father O'Flynn's jig as well.

(Thanks Bernie for telling me the name of this tune). Here's a reel which is as un-ainm-ated as I feel today having been at an over-crowded, over-priced and over-cooked Christmas (it's barely even December) dinner last night. At least now it's just an over dinner without a hyphen in pursuit. Whatever about the name, I know enough about this tune to be able to say that I'm playing it in the key abo...

Here's my very belated response to a request to post this tune.  I hope late turns out to be better than never.

This is the name this hornpipe is given in Alan's Irish Fiddler. I think I've heard other names, and none, for it too. It's a good tune for exercising the G# key. I've included instances of both hitting and missing it throughout the tune.

Here's a reel which I think has Fermanagh connections.  If I knew about FJMcG I'd be more sure of this. I played the tune in a big, empty room so each note probably repeats itself about ten times.  Just like my cooking.

Here's another tune I was asked to put on. One of my problems with playing this tune is that is seems to have far more notes than I do.  Another is trying to identify what these notes are and in which order they ought to come.  I tried looking at Reavy's book "Where The Shannon Rises" to see whether his version would shed any light on the matter but this just reinforced my view that none of his tu...

Here's a tune which it was suggested I play.  It was written by Junior Crehan.  The tune is maybe a bit too melodic for the likes of me to play so I hope I haven't mangled it too much. I've often had rain flowing down my back but that doesn't normally inspire anything other than cursing.

I was told this name for this tune by someone I sometimes trust.  I'm not sure whether this is one of those occasions. I hope it's a nice jig whatever its name is.

The first part of this tune should really be played an octave lower on a fiddle,  complete with nice growly bits.  I'm afraid a flute is all I had to hand so this is the best I could do.  I'm never sure how to end this tune on any instrument.  Maybe not starting it would work.

This is a John Doherty tune which is also known as the Monaghan Switch.  There are a few versions on the go but this is the one which is stuck in my head at the moment.  It's more or less the same as the version in the book "The Northern Fiddler".

I was asked to play this tune and am very grateful to have been reminded of it.  I apologise if my evening's libatory recreations have blurred Barney's notes too much.  There's a flute player from my town who recorded this tune in a more sober manner.  If my version's vagueness is too vicissitudinal then verification could be found in the vicinity his CD. He is called Marcas. Oíche mhaith, Michael...

This is a version of Dr. Gilbert's Reel.  I could do with the services of the same Mr. Quack as my hearing, breathing and tuning are all away with it.  I Think it's just what's known as a cold but I intend moaning about it all the same.  Sorry if this sounds worse than normal.  It's hard to sneeze and maintain in-tune-producing breaths down a flute at the same time.  Maybe I should try dissolving...

Comes from big cow's?

Here's a very popular reel. I don't know a wild pile about it.

I think I have one of these which helps me cook.

Here's a nice plain tune which shouldn't do anyone too much harm.