BB's hopefully helpful Harmony hints for Irish Traditional Musicians

Bill Black is hosting an interesting website with some information for Irish Musicians.


http://capeirish.com

You'll find some original tunes, trad. songs, writings and other useful things. Especially the section called "Reference Library" contains interesting documents.

Here you'll find his text: "BB's hopefully helpful Harmony hints for Irish Traditional Musicians" which he has updated and extended in 2019. There you find information about building chords, harmonization, Scales and Modal tunes.


Also a basic Session Tune list, a tune library of about 10 000 tunes and a text concerning the concept of the Session and some Banjo hints and tips.

If you find this useful you can buy me a pint.

Accompanying in G - Ger The Rigger (Polka) - Matt & Shannon Heaton

 This is a slow Polka in G. Shannon and Matt are playing it nice and slow. The tune starts at 3:05.

 

 This is the tab I made for the first time round the tune. Looks more difficult that it is. First time I tried to write a tab for a Polka. 2/4 time. I hope I did it right.

Btw: If you like my blog please click on "Follow" on the right, so you will get notified whenever there is a new post.

You'll find lots more tabs for tunes and songs on this blog here:
https://irish-bouzouki.blogspot.com/search/label/Tabs%20for%20GDAD

I also made a tab of the 2nd time round the tune because Matt uses several chords up the neck here:

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a tab for the melody at capo 2. I made it from the second file on thesession.org with the program tabledit, but changed a few little things. https://thesession.org/tunes/1367

Accompanying in G: Matt & Shannon Heaton: Sean South of Garryowen (March)

A slow march played by Matt & Shannon Heaton called Sean South of Garryowen. Matt plays in G without capo. He uses several voicings for G, C and D. Tune starts at 3:18.

 

 

I tried to write down the first round through the tune. Hope, I got it right. Here's my tab:

You'll find lots more tabs for tunes and songs on this blog here:
https://irish-bouzouki.blogspot.com/search/label/Tabs%20for%20GDAD

Accompanying Tunes in Am with Gm-Chords Capo 2 - The Castle Jig

A nice way of accompaniment for A Dorian tunes (Am) is to put the capo in 2nd position and play in Gm. This way you can use the G-string and or the D-string as drone (with capo then A and E).

I made a chord chart with lots of chords for this occasion:

As an example here are some possible chords for the tune Castle Jig. Your ears have to decide what sounds good for you:

I found this nice version of the Castle Jig, so this one might be used to try to accompany.




This is Kevin Burke teaching the Castle Jig. I cut out his performance and looped it, so I could play along with him. I used some of the chords shown above in the chord sheet. I had lots of inspiration from the Guitar Course at OAIM which is well worth a look at, even for players of the bouzouki. https://www.oaim.ie




Here's a second video with some slightly different chords:

Liam O'Brien, Ciara Ní Bhriain & Macdara Ó Faoláin - Stone of Destiny

Macdara is one, if not the best bouzouki player of the younger generation. He also builds bouzoukis and other instruments. Here he is with  Liam O'Brien and Ciara Ní Bhriain. The tunes they play are The Stone of Destiny (written by Maurice Lennon), The Liffey Banks & Music in the Glen.




I tried to transcribe the first tune. Here it is for your pleasure (hopefully)

You can download the tab as pdf here.

Good Morning to your Nightcap - The Furze in Bloom

Got this CD from Custy's Website because I liked the cover photo. Nice bouzouki playing by Ryan O'Donnell on an Abnett Bouzouki. 

This is my attempt to write down the bouzouki part of Furze in Bloom (Capo 3rd fret)

Catherine McEvoy & Ruairí McGorman - The Holly Bush/The Shores of Loughrea

Lovely flute and bouzouki duo. Ruairi's playing reminds a lot of Alec Finn. Sounds so easy, but look at his right hand. Where are the ups and downs? Hard to figure out.




I tried to tab the first round through The Holly Bush. Here it is. Capo 1st Fret if you want to play to the video.

Isaac Anderson and Alan Murray - John McHugh's with Tab

Lovely set played here on Flute and Bouzouki. I already posted some videos with Alan Murray. Really love his style of playing.

I tried to transcribe the accompaniment of the bouzouki. Here's the intro and first part of John McHugh's Jig aka Kevin McHugh's. Please don't expect it to be 100% correct. ;-)

You can download the tab here.

Nuadan - Barrell Rafferty's

Just got the new CD from Nuadan yesterday. I really like the style Macdara plays his bouzouki. So I tried to figure out an accompaniment. My first attempt was the tune Barrell Rafferty's, it's the second tune on track 8. Unfortunately there is no sound sample to be found on the web to link to.

So here's my attempt to create the tab. There might be lots of mistakes in it, but I hope it shows a little bit how Macdara's style works. He uses Capo 4 on this track.

Here's the link to the track on Bandcamp.

Here's the link to thesession: https://thesession.org/tunes/12410
To accompany it put capo on 7th fret.

You can download my tab here

if you do please comment!

Oisin Morrison, Macdara O'Faolain - The Hills Of Larraga with Tab

I really love the playing of Macdara O'Faolain from the band Nuadan. Here is a video of Oisin Morrison on Flute and Macdara an Zouk.

I tried to figure out some of Macdara's accompaniment. I don't think it's really correct, but it helps a bit to understand what he is doing. I think the tune is called The Hills Of Larraga. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Here's the Link to thesession:
https://thesession.org/tunes/5202

You can download my tab here

If you download please comment!

Paddy Ryan's Dream

This time I tried to find out the accompaniment which Brendan O'Regan plays on the tune Paddy Ryan's Dream together with Matt Molloy. He starts at the repetition of the A-Part.

Here's the video I tabbed the accompaniment from. I cut off the first tune, the air black is the colour of my true love's hair.

Here's the link to the notation at thesession.org
https://thesession.org/tunes/79

Michael Chapman and Rino Eriksen

Lovely playing here by Michael and Rino on Cittern and Flute. Old Maid of Galway and The Green Mountain. Hope you enjoy it.

Yellow Wattle and another Jig in G (Paidin O Raifeartaigh?)

Frances and Sean Conningham from Whistletutor.com playing two traditional Jigs on bouzouki and flute. Awesome!


Hammy Hamiltons / Unknown Slip Jig


Launching the Boat and Lad O'Beirne's


Maids of Mitchellstown/With Her Long Dark Hair Flowing Down Her Back


The Old Favorite and the Maid at the Well

Monaghan Jig

Here's a version of the monaghan jig. I don't know anything about the zouk player.