A recent video of Colin Farrell featuring Alan Murray, at the moment one of my favourite Bouzouki players.
This first SlipJig is also called Na Ceannabháin Bhána, An Ceannabhan Ban, Bog Cotton, Cannabhan Ban, Ceannabhan Ban, The Cotton Grass Flowers, The Cottongrass, The Little Fair Canavans, Little Fair Cannavans, The Little Fair Cannavans, Na Ceannabain Bana, Na Ceannabáin Bhána, Na Ceannabh, Na Ceannabhain Bana, Na Ceannabhain Bhana, Na Ceannbháin Bhána according to https://thesession.org/tunes/612
Colin mentions that he learned the tunes from Cormac Braetnach. They can be found on the album "Music for Whistle and Guitar" Spotify link
I tried to tab the first SlipJig. If you want the tab in printable form just write me an email
So this are the most watched posts on my blog during the last 12 months. Interesting that most people are looking for chords or information on building a bouzouki.
Please tell me, what are you looking for, what information do you need for your playing the bouzouki. Any questions, any hints what you would like me to post here?
Do you know of any hidden treasures on the web which I haven't covered here? Please let me know and I will try to post it.
{t:The Sun's Coming Over The Hill} {st:Karine Polwart}
[G]Six rain-ridden [D/F#]summers and she [C/G]still had an [G]eye for me She [C/G]kissed me each [G]evening and she [Am]told me she'd [D]die f' me She [Em]ran off the [G]road, for [C/G]whisky and [G]irony [C/G]She always [D]meant what she [C/G]said
So [G]{soh}I{eoh} took to [D/F#]whisky that I [C/G]I might re[G]call The [C/G]taste of her [G]mouth on my [Am]lips and that's [D]all And I [Em]tried the same [G]trick with a [C/G]truck, but it [G]stalled The [C/G]engine was [D]better off [C/G]dead
{soc} [C/G] Oh [G]oh the [C]nights are so l[G]ong But [C/G]life is [G]longer [D]still [C/G]Oh [G]oh the [C]nights are so [G]long But the [G]sun's coming [D]over the [C/G]hill {eoc}
The [G]taste never [D/F#]left me, and I [C/G]don't think it [G]will And it [C/G]caused me to [G]supplement [Am]whisky with [D]pills But there was [Em]something in[G]side that [C/G]I couldn't [G]kill Be[C/G]lieve me, I [D]really did [C/G]try
Now there's [G]some say you [D/F#]get what you de[C/G]serve, but they're [G]wrong You [C/G]get what you're [G]given, and [Am]then it's all [D]gone And you're [Em]lucky if [G]you are suf[C/G]ficiently [G]strong To [C/G]daily de[D]cide not to [C/G]die
{soc} [C/G] Oh [G]oh the [C]nights are so l[G]ong But [C/G]life is [G]longer [D]still [C/G]Oh [G]oh the [C]nights are so [G]long But the [G]sun's coming [D]over the [C/G]hill {eoc}
Well I [G]can't say there's [D/F#]many things [C/G]I wouldn't [G]change There's [C/G]better days [G]gone than [Am]those that [D]remain But [Em]I can find [G]joy in the [C/G]sound of the [G]rain You [C/G]have to find [D]joy where you [C/G]can
{soc} [C/G] Oh [G]oh the [C]nights are so l[G]ong But [C/G]life is [G]longer [D]still [C/G]Oh [G]oh the [C]nights are so [G]long But the [G]sun's coming [D]over the [C/G]hill {eoc}
In this video Kevin explains how he arranged the song Bold Young Rover from his CD. It's a long and very informative video. So give it a go if you are interested in Song accompaniment.
In the next, actually the first video he gives some tips how to arrange the melody of the song.
You'll find some more videos of him on youtube. He also has a patreon page with additional content:
Matt Heaton made another one in his great Backer Corner series. This is a hornpipe you really have to know before backing it.
While watching I thought about how I would back it on the bouzouki. The tune is in A, not my favourite key on the bouzouki, but I wanted to try it anyway. All I wanted to do was to find the chord shapes Matt uses on the bouzouke. So I figured out two ways of accompanying and made an answer video to Matt's.
Here's Matt's video:
And this is my answer bouzouki video. Please be kind to me, this is my very first instructional video and I did it without any practicing beforehead. Hope this is helpful.
A few days ago I posted another version of this lovely jig. Here's the version of Mary Bergin with Alec Finn. I tried my best to tab the acompaniment, but there may be some mistakes in it. So please let me know if you find them ;-)
Matt just posted another video in his Backer Corner series. This time he talks about backing polkas. I think his series is definitely one of the best tutorials available at the moment. So have a look at it.
If you are not familiar with Matt Heaton up to now look for Matt & Shannon Heaton on google and youtube. You'll find plentyful of good music and information. They do Slow Sessions on youtube and Shannon published some fine books on Irish Music. https://shannonheatonmusic.com
In Bodenstown churchyard there is a green grave, And wildly around it the winter winds rave; Small shelter I ween are the ruined walls there When the storm sweeps down on the plains of Kildare. Once I lay on that sod it lies over Wolfe Tone And thought how he perished in prison alone, His friends unavenged and his country unfreed "Oh, bitter, " I said, "is the patriots meed.
"For in him the heart of a woman combined With heroic spirit and a governing mind A martyr for Ireland, his grave has no stone His name sheldom named, and his virtues unknown." I was woke from my dream by the voices and tread Of a band who came into the home of the dead; They carried no corpse, and they carried no stone, And they stopped when they came to the grave of Wolfe Tone.
There were students and peasants, the wise and the brave, And an old man who knew him from cradle to grave, And children who thought me hard-hearted, for they On that sanctified sod were forbidden to play. But the old man, who saw I was mourning there, said: "We come, sir, to weep where young Wolfe Tone is laid, And we're going to raise him a monument, too A plain one, yet fit for the loyal and true."
My heart overflowed, and I clasped his old hand, And I blessed him, and blessed every one of his band: "Sweet, sweet tis to find that such faith can remain In the cause and the man so long vanquished and slain." In Bodenstown churchyard there is a green grave, And freely around it let winter winds rave Far better they suit him the ruin and gloom Till Ireland, a nation, can build him a tomb.
Bodenstown is in Sallins, Co. Kildare, where Wolfe Tone is buried. Wolfe Tone was one of the leaders of the 1798 uprising, often referred to as the rebellion of the 'United Irishmen' due to the fact that Catholic and Protestant Republicans fought side by side. (Notes Finbar & Eddie Furey, 'The Farewell Album')
This time I tried to tab a barndance composed by Vincent Broderick and played by Willie Kelly and Mike Rafferty accompanied by Donal Clancy on Bouzouki. Here's the tune:
Kevin Elam talks about accompanying Jigs and gives four reasons why you should learn DUDDUD Rhythm. He does not say that playing DUDUDU is false, but that it should be your main pattern and match it with alternates.
Today I listened to the beautiful Album by Jimmy Noonan, Michael Shorrock, Chris Mc Grath & Ted Davis called Maple Leaf. On it there is a Reel Set called Courting Them All, which took my attention because I loved the melody of the first tune and also the bouzouki accompaniment of Michael Shorrock.
When trying to tab it I found out, that it is not too difficult, but effective. Of course, there are some difficult parts in it, you'll find out. I definitely did not catch all of the finesses, but this is what I found out.
You can listen to the tune here:
If you want the whole tab in pdf form just write an email and comment.
If you would like the tabledit file, so you can listen to it and edit it please write a comment or a mail.
Some days ago I posted the tab for Martin Wynne's No 3. Then I posted The Pinche's Snuff, also called The Pinch of Snuff. Now it's the third tune in this set called "The Laurel Tree", sometime also called "The Laurel Bush".
This is my attempt to tab Eoin's accompaniment of The Laurel Tree
If you want the whole tab in pdf form just write an email and comment.
This is an excerpt, the melody is underneath the accompaniment. The melody is taken from thesession.org.
If you would like the tabledit file, so you can listen to it and edit it please write a comment or a mail.
Some days ago I posted the tab for Martin Wynne's No 3. Now I tried to tab the second tune in this set, The Pinche's Snuff, also called The Pinch of Snuff.
This is my attempt to tab Eoin's accompaniment of The Pinch of Snuff:
If you want the whole tab in pdf form just write an email and comment.
This is an excerpt, the melody is underneath the accompaniment. The melody is taken from thesession.org and varies a bit from the melody the fiddle is playing:
If you would like the tabledit file, so you can listen to it and edit it please write a comment or a mail.
Last year Eoin O'Neill gave a workshop for Virtual O'Flaherty's Irish Music Retreat. In the evening there were concerts presented. This was one of the videos. Unfortunately I forgot the name of the fiddler. If you know him please write in the comments.
This is my attempt to tab Eoin's accompaniment of Martin Wynne's No.3. It works on ADAD and GDAD, Capo on 5th fret. The melody is underneath the accompaniment.
If you want the whole tab in pdf form just write an email and comment.
This is an excerpt:
If you would like the tabledit file, so you can listen to it and edit it please write a comment or a mail.
Kevin Elam has posted some really good instructional videos on youtube which you might want to check out. Here are two videos about accompanying reels. He uses a guitar and piano, but it is worth looking at for bouzouki players as well. If you think these videos are useful you might consider joining his patreon site at: http://www.patreon.com/kevinelammusic
This years Minnesota Irish Weekend brings us a bouzouki Workshop with Singer/Bouzouki player John Coyne.
Just lately John released a fantastic album together with Kathleen Conneely and Séan Clohessy called "All Jokes Aside". You can listen to it and buy it here: https://srslylike.bandcamp.com/album/all-jokes-aside
Jeffrey Forbes posted some tutorial videos he filmed at a workshop in the Roundhouse Celtic Festival, Evanston, Wyoming (USA) on youtube. Michael and Brian discuss several topics.
Right hand patterns
Jig pattern
Backing rhythm on a trad. Irish Jig (I Buried My Wife)
Backing of trad. Reels
Backing of a trad. Irish song (Hills of Greenmore)Humours of Ballyloughlin Jig
Randy Clepper will give 3 bouzouki courses at this yeas Virtual Dulcimer Fest, June 2-5, 2022. Each course is $10.30, so this is very cheap and definitely worth it. I took part in his courses last year and he does a really good job. Topics of the 3 courses are:
For some time now Tune Supply brings us lovely sessions on youtube. Here's a version of the song/tune Cunla by Eimear Arkins (Vocal, Fiddle) and Alan Murray. It starts at approx. 1:20:30. Did I mention that I really enjoy Alan's Bouzouki playing?
Note-orious is an app/game which helps you to learn the notes on the fretboard. It cost approx. 2€. You can use it for a lot of stringed instruments, also for GDAD tuning. It's fun playing around with it and it really helps to get to know the fretboard.
It is available for iPhone, iPad, Mac (Catalina and higher). Sorry not for Windows or Android.
The Banshee, a well known Reel is the second tune in this set. I like the accompaniment of the bouzouki a lot, so I tried to tab it. You'll find the download link under the video.
00:00 - Intro 00:31 - Background / Origin of the instrument
04:57 - Tunings and Versatility
09:55 - Irish Bouzouki vs Octave Mandolin vs Cittern
13:00 - Instrument Range
14:06 - My Bouzouki (Where I got it, Cost)
15:05 - Demos (Background Information on Tunes)
15:56 - Demo I - Irish (Sí Bheag, Sí Mhór)
18:26 - Demo II - Swedish (Byggnan)
A few days ago I discovered the album by Pádraig Mac Aodhgáin (Paddy Egan) called Tobar Gan Trá which you can buy by pre-order. On it there is a lovely jig-set which starts with the tune "The Muskerry Tram" written by Sean O'Driscoll and released on his CD "The Kitchen Session".
The accompanyment by Macdara Ó Faoláin is really beautiful, so I tried to transcribe it. There may be lots of mistakes in it, but I think you can (hopefully) find the essence of it.
Here's the tune on bandcamp:
Here you can download my tab as pdf. It contains also the melody as tab. Capo on 5th fret.
I really love Eoin's new CD, so I tried to tab his accompaniment of The Cliffs of Moher, a well known Jig. First, here's the link to the recording on bandcamp. Please consider buying the album if you like it.
Here's a picture of my attempt to tab the arrangement. It is in GDAD, but if you play in ADAD there's no big difference. If you'll find any mistakes (I'm pretty sure you will ;-) please let me know.
If you want the whole tab in pdf form just write an email and comment.
Matt did it again. Now he released a short workshop for absolute beginners. The first simple chord shapes and strumming patterns. He shortly after released part 1.5 with some additional patterns in 6/8.
I always have problems losing my plectrum. I tried several things like cutting a hole in them, gluing cork or sandpaper on them, all worked, but a month ago I came across the SMI PlecPads. I bought a sampler pack of them and was overwhelmed. They really feel good and the plectrum does not slip anymore. There are different shapes available. The ones on the picture are the ones that work best for me, but you have to find out which ones are best for you.
They've got different thickness, and it seems different stickyness. I like the red and the black ones. The yellow ones feel a bit strange and I think they stick too much imo.
If you are interested here's their website. (I don't get anything from them!)
Daoiri Farrel introduces Justin Rogers Bouzoukis in County Wexford. He builds lovely bouzoukis, so have a look and listen to Daoiri plaing Van Dieman's Land.
If you're interested in his bouzoukis you can get write an email:
Now here are the chords for the song. Look at the video and try to play with him.
{t:The Galway Shawl} {st:Daoiri Farrel Version}
[A] from intro In Oran[D]more [D/F#] [G] in the County [A/C#]Galway [G]Early, [D]early [D/C#] [D/B] in the [D/A]month of [G]May [D5] [A] I spied a [D]damsel, [D/F#] [G]s o fair and [A/C#]handsome [G] Her beauty it [D/A]stol[Dsus4/A]e my heart a[D]way
{soc} She wore no jewels, nor costly diamonds No paint nor powder, no none at all But she worn a bonnet with ribbons on it And 'round her shoulders was the Galway shawl {eoc}
We kept on walking she kept on talking 'Till her fathers cottage came in to view Said she, 'Come in sir', and meet my father And play, to please him, 'The Foggy Dew'
She sat me down beside the hearthstone I could see her father he was six feet tall And soon her mother, had the kettle singing All I could think of, was the Galway shawl
{soc} She worn no jewels, nor costly diamonds No paint nor powder, no none at all But she worn a bonnet with ribbons on it And 'round her shoulders was the Galway shawl {eoc}
I played, 'The Black Bird', 'The Stack of Barley' 'Rodney's Glory' and 'The Foggy Dew' She sang each note like an Irish linnet And tears weld in her eyes of blue
'Twas early, early, all in the morning I hit the road for old Donegal Said she, 'goodbye sir', she cried and kissed me But my heart remain with the Galway shawl
{soc} She worn no jewels, nor costly diamonds No paint nor powder, no none at all But she worn a bonnet with ribbons on it And 'round her shoulders was the Galway shawl {eoc}
Inspired by Vince Jerrison's Video of "A bunch of Thyme" which I posted yesterday I tried to find another song in 4/4 on which to try some of these ideas. The first song I found was "Sam Hall". So this is what I came out with. Maybe I'll post a video at some time, have to practice first ;-)
He now has released a youtube video of him playing the song "That's Alright" from his album. The tab for the song is in the video so you can play along with him if you like. He uses some nice chords, by the way. And the album is really worth a listen.
