Immersion in Irish Culture

Siar agus Aniar 5

On Friday evening, I went to a session at Tí Sé in An Cheathrú Rua, in Conamara. While traditional Irish music sessions are much the same all over the world, the repertoire of tunes played varies from session to session. I’ve only been playing the fiddle for a few years but love going to play at sessions because it motivates me to play in a way that just does not happen when I play alone at home.

Playing music alone is like learning a language but never speaking it with anyone else.

When I took up the fiddle and started going to trad session, I had the great support of our community of local session musicians who were always very kind and generous to mé. I started learning using sheet music. I became dependant on the written music particularly to start a tune cold. This is a real handicap in session play.

I decided that while I am in Ireland, I will start learning by ear – the traditional way most session musicians learn.

Last night, I started the slow work of learning the Sally Gardens Reel. Learning by ear, dropping the crutch of the sheet music, is slow work for someone who did not play an instrument as a child. To help me do this, I used a YouTube instructional video and am listening to recordings on sites such as Comhaltas.

Learning by ear is what I want to do. It requires a massive shift in my approach. Another useful thing to do to help enrich my experience of Irish culture while I am here on the Siar agus Aniar Ambassador Exchange.

Some tunes from the local repertoire:

Reels

Sally Gardens

Bird in the Bush

Maid of Mount Kisco

Coolies Reel

The Wise Maid

The Bucks of Oranmore

Jigs

The Connaughtman’s Rambles

The Maid on the Green

The Lark in the Morning

Fry’s Britches

Hornpipe

The Boys of Blue Hill