Brian Miller - Collected Tabs

Here's a list of the tabs I made of accompaniments by Brian Millar.

John McCormick & Mary Vanorny with Brian Miller - In The Tap Room

 Lillies In The Field

The Black Haired Lass

Bag of Spuds

Brian Miller hails from Bemidji, in northern Minnesota. He developed a deep connection to Irish music early in life and has become known as a singer, guitarist, and bouzouki player dedicated to reviving traditional songs from the Great Lakes region—especially ballads once sung in lumber camps, aboard ships, and along the railroads.

Brian has performed with several notable groups, including Bua, Two Tap Trio, Chulrua, and the Máirtín de Cógáin Project. He is also an experienced educator and has taught for many years at institutions such as the Center for Irish Music in Minnesota.

His duo project The Lost Forty, with Randy Gosa, focuses on uncovering and performing Irish-influenced folk songs from the northern U.S., combining music with rich historical storytelling and cultural context.

What are you looking for? - Click here for tips

If you are looking for particular items you might look here:

Chords:

Chord Charts:

Right Hand Technique

Tabs:

- Donal Clancy

- Daoiri Farrell

- Alec Finn

- Matt Heaton

- Donal Lunny 

- Brian Miller

- Alan Murray

- Macdara O'Faoláin

- Eoin O'Neill

- Vincent Fogarty

Books

Tunebooks

Videos of full concerts

CDs, Vinyl or Downloads

Finger Practice Exercises

Daoiri Farrell - Collected chordsheets and Tabs

Over the years, I have collected several tabs and chord sheets from Daoiri Farrell. Over the last 10 years, he has undoubtedly become one of Ireland's most influential singers. I first met him in 2011 at a weekend workshop and was impressed by his manner and musicality. At the time, he was still relatively unknown and had just released his first CD, which I had to purchase immediately. I still have a video of him playing my bouzouki from Heiner Dreizehnter and singing the song ‘Paddy's Green Shamrock Shore’. I had requested this song because he had sung it at the ceilidh the night before. You can also find this video on YouTube.

Here are the links to my chordsheets and tabs:

A Pint Of Plain

Biddy Mulligan

Blackwaterside / New Tabs!

Bogie's Bonnie Belle

Boozin'

The Creggan White Hare

Galway Girl

The Galway Shawl

The Galway Shawl - Intro and chords

Fergie McCormack

John O'Dreams

The Little Drummer

McShane

The Mickey Dam

Paddy's Green Shamrock Shore and here

Pat Rainey

The Shady Woods Of Truagh

Sonny's Dream

Sweet Portadown

Tipping It Up To Nancy

Valentine O'Hara

The Wedding Above In Glencree

Windmills

Here's a link to a concert I filmed with his Trio in 2019. This is an excerpt, The Blue Tar Road.

Danny Diamond (fiddle) & Brian Miller (bouzouki) live at ‪@TheCelticJunction‬ , September 2024

Brian Millar is a musician based in St. Paul, Minnesota, known for his deeply rooted work in Irish traditional music. Originally from Bemidji, he fell in love with Irish sounds as a teenager at the Winnipeg Folk Festival and has since developed a rich career as a guitarist, bouzouki player, singer, and multi‐instrumentalist. 

He has played with bands such as Bua, The Two Tap Trio, and in recent projects like The Lost Forty (with Randy Gosa), bringing to light song traditions from the Great Lakes region and lumber camps. Miller also teaches Irish music, and his accompaniment style—especially on guitar and bouzouki—is admired for its intricacy, drive, and deep sense of tradition.

His website

Here's a link to an older interview with Brian Millar

Danny and Brian play some Reels: Paddy Fahy's / The humours of Carrigaholt / Felie's Fancy (comp. Arty McGlynn) / The Grand Canal

Another set of Reels: 

The Three Scones of Boxty / The Long Slender Sally / The Colliers'

 ‘A que por muy gran fermosura’ is the title of Cantiga 384 from the Cantigas de Santa María, a collection of songs praising the Virgin Mary written during the reign of Alfonso X the Wise. This cantiga tells the story of a devout monk who wrote the name of Saint Mary in three colours to honour her great beauty, and how the Virgin appeared to him in a dream to thank him. 

The tab is in the video. I tabbed it with Tabledit. If you like you can download it here

Bouzouki Workshops with Luke Ward - The Blacksmith - Andy Irvine's Version

Some time ago, I reported on the workshops that Luke Ward offers on Patreon. He offers two different series, one for beginners and a second for advanced players. He publishes a workshop twice a month. So far, he has devoted himself to various topics related to accompanying tunes. Mainly accompaniment in different keys. 

Now he has turned his attention to accompanying the song “The Blacksmith” in Andy Irvine's version. He sticks pretty closely to the version Andy plays live. He shows the intro and the accompaniment for the verses. Of course, there is also tablature for it. 

So if you've been hesitating to sign up, now there's one more important reason to do so. It's worth it!

Here's the link!

Here's a little excerpt of the tab, hope Luke doesn't mind.

Online Bouzouki Workshop: Less is More: Tasty Accompaniment Suggestions for Bouzouki and Guitar with Randy Clepper, Oktober 02, 2025

 

On Thursday, October 02,2025 there will be an online workshop for Bouzouki with Randy Clepper. 

If you want to improve your bouzouki playing or expand your possibilities, you should definitely sign up. 

Payment is based on the principle of pay what you can. The default amount is $25.50, but you are free to choose any amount you like. 

Perhaps you shouldn't just choose $1, because then there is a possibility that such workshops might not be able to take place in the future. 

You can enroll here or just click on the picture on the left.

And by the way, if you play any other instrument, there are lots more workshops on offer here.

Here's the announcement from the website:

Strumming away at chords certainly has its place, but there’s a whole gamut of options that can be employed in Irish music accompaniment. We’ll explore a palette of ideas including partial chords, countermelodies, how melodies inform accompaniment, rhythmic choices including minimal (the oft-quoted “music is the space between the notes” can be applied to accompaniment as well as to melodies). Demonstrations will be primarily on the bouzouki but the concepts apply to guitar and other forms of accompaniment. Instructor: Randy Clepper

Who's this for: Bouzouki, guitar, other accompaniment instruments

Level: Advanced Beginners/Intermediate/Advanced Will this class be taught by ear, with sheet music, or both? By ear Cost: Pay what it's worth to you. (The checkout page defaults to $25, but that's not the suggested price...choose what works for you. Thanks!)

Video: Registered students will receive the class recording immediately after the class, so feel free to sign up even if you can't attend live. ___________________________________________________________________ Instructor bio: Randy Clepper is an in-demand player of the Irish bouzouki, guitar, and tenor banjo. He performs and tours regularly with several artists including fiddler Bella Issakova and fingerstyle guitarist John Sherman. Randy performs and teaches at festivals around the country and has been called upon to accompany many well-known traditional players. Randy also hosts the popular Trad Nua Celtic concert series at Natalie's Live Music in Columbus, Ohio, where he has featured many of the scene’s finest traditional touring acts. Check out Randy's work here: www.randyclepper.com

Danny Diamond & Brian Miller - Live (UCC TradSoc Lunchtime Concert, 29th of March 2023)

A concert of Danny Diamond (Fiddle) and Brian Millar (Guitar, Bouzouki) which was available only on Facebook until now.

Here's a bit of information which I had asked AI to write for me:

UCC TradSoc is University College Cork’s Traditional Music Society, bringing students together through Irish music, song, and dance. Open to all skill levels, they host weekly concerts, pub sessions, and workshops throughout the year. 

Their highlight event is TradFest, a lively annual festival featuring gigs, lectures, and session trails. The society also promotes Irish music globally, with performances in countries like Malaysia and South Africa. 

Whether you're a musician or just love the tunes, TradSoc offers a warm, welcoming space to celebrate Ireland’s living musical tradition.

Here's the link to their YouTube Channel

Daoiri Farrell - The Mickey Dam Lyrics and Chords

 One of the first songs I ever heard Daoiri sing back in 2011. I had heard the song before from a Duo at Irish Folk Festival some time ago but don't remember the names of the two singers.

First a video of Daoiri, I think it's from 2013 made in Elmstein, Germany.

A live version from around 2001, only audio.

A live version with his trio I filmed in Pforzheim, Germany in 2019

{t:The Mickey Dam}

{st:Daoiri Farrell Version}

No capo

Daoiri: nur D 7050 und C 7500 je 2Takte In Str. 1

I’m an [D]honest Irish Laborer and I [G]came from the County Clare

I [D]always had a little farm with [G]nothin left to spare

I [D]had to sell me donkey and me [G]famous billy goat

And [D]with the money I received, to [C]Glasgow took the boat

In the [D]morning, when I landed there, be[G]fore me hair got [C\G]dry

I was [D5]started [C]at the [G]Micky [D/A]Dam in a [C]place they [D/A]called Mull [D5]Guy

And the [D5]ganger that I started with, they [C]call him [G/B]John the [C]Mouse

And the [D5]very first [C]day that [G/B]I got [D/A]there, at [C]me he’d [G/B]start to [G]grouse

Well, I [D]quickly did surprise him and I [G]said, „“You little [C\G]rat.

I’ll [D5]tie a [C]string a[G/B]round you’re [G]neck and [Dsus4/A]toss you to the cat““

For I’m [D5]strong as any lion. I was [G]reared on eggs and [C\G]ham

I’m a [D5]terror [C]to all [G/B]fighting’ [D/A]man a[C]round the [D/A]Micky [D5]Dam

Well, this roused the mouse’s temper and at me he made to jump.

And he swore he’d paralyze me with the handle of a pump

But, I quickly surprised him and I grabbed him by the throat

And I shook that ugly monkey ’til the tail fell off his coat

{soc}

For I’m [D5]strong as any lion. I was [G]reared on eggs and [C\G]ham

I’m a [D5]terror [C]to all [G/B]fighting’ [D/A]man a[C]round the [D/A]Micky [D5]Dam

{eoc}

Well, the big hotels we’re stopping at, they call them navies huts

And the fleas and bugs that are in the bed are as big as coconuts

Of a Saturday night, when I get home, I stands behind the door

And as they come out, one by one, I bashed them to the floor

For I’m as strong as any lion. I was reared on eggs and ham

I’m a terror to all fighting me around the Micky Dam

If you copy these lyrics and import them into an lyrics and chords app like Songbook you can see the chords above the lyrics, transpose etc. In the Songbook app you can define Bouzouki as instrument and it has chords implemented so you can see how to play them. You even can define your own chords, which is really handy sometimes. The app is available for most platforms.

Here I have collected some videos how this app works.

Chords:

D5: 7,0,5,0

G/D: 7,5,0,0

G: 0,5,5,0

C/G: 0,2,3,0

C: 5,5,0,0 or 5,5,3,0

G/B: 4,5,0,0

D/A: 2,0,0,0

Dsus4/A (or A7?): 2,5,0,0 (A chord Daoiri uses often to lead from A to D)

Andy Irvine with Kevin Burke & Mícheál Ó Domhnaill - Santa Barbara, California - 1984-02-21

 What a gem! I don't think there a many video recordings of Andy from that time. Here's one hour of Andy solo and with Kevin Burke and Mícheál Ó Domhnaill. Once again thanks to AndyFanblock page on YouTube who collects videos of Andy.

Andy Irvine & Paul Brady - 40th Anniversary Concert, Vicar St. Dublin

 A newly posted video on the Andy Irvine Fanblock on YouTube. What a concert it was!

Daoiri Farrell - Biddy Mulligan - Tab and Chords

Another lovely song of Daoiri's repertoire.

This is what AI knows about the song:

"Biddy Mulligan" is a folk tune composed by Seamas Kavanagh in the 1930s. It honors the lively personality of a street vendor from the Coombe area in Dublin. The song paints a picture of a woman who makes a living selling things like fruit, nuts, and used clothing, and it emphasizes her strength and sense of pride in her working-class roots. It also stands as a cultural companion to the better-known Dublin ballad, "Molly Malone."

Here you can download my tab

{t:Biddy Mulligan}

{st:Daoiri Farrell}

{c:}

No Capo

{soc}

You[D] may travel from [Bm]Clare to the [G]County Kil[A]dare,

From[D] Dublin right down to Ma[A7sus4]croom,

But [D]where would you [Bm]see a fine [G]widow like [A]me,

Biddy[D] Mulligan the[A] pride of the[D] Coombe me [Bm]boys

Biddy[D] Mulligan the[A] pride of the[D] Coombe

Run: 74, 55, 45,35,25,25

{eoc}

 

I’m a [D]buxom fine [Bm]widow that [G]lives in a [A]place,

In [D]Dublin its [Bm]known as ''The [A]Coombe''

Me [D]shop and my [Bm]stall are laid [G]out in the [A7sus4]street

And me [D]palace con[A7sus4]sists of one [D]room

By [D]Patrick's street corner for [Em]35 years

I [D]stood by me stall that's no [A]lie

And [D]while I was there - there's no [Em]one would dare

To say [D]black was the [A]white of me [D]eye

{soc}

You[D] may travel from Clare[Em] to the County Kildare,

From[D] Dublin right down to Ma[A]croom,

Bu[D]t where would you see a fine[Em] widow like me,

Biddy[D] Mulligan the[A] pride of the[D] Coombe me [Bm]boys

Biddy[D] Mulligan the[A] pride of the[D] Coombe

{eoc}

I sell [D]apples,oranges [Em]nuts and split peas,

Bulls [D]eyes and sugar sticks [A]sweet,

On [D]Saturday night I sell [Em]second hand clothes

From me [D]stall on the [A]floor of the [D]street,

Now I [D]have a son Mick who [Em]plays on the pipe,

He be[D]longs to the Longford street [A]band

It would [D]do your heart good - to [Em]see them march out

On a [D]Sunday to [A]Sandymount [D]Strand

{soc}

You[D] may travel from Clare[Em] to the County Kildare,

From[D] Dublin right down to Ma[A]croom,

Bu[D]t where would you see a fine[Em] widow like me,

Biddy[D] Mulligan the[A] pride of the[D] Coombe me [Bm]boys

Biddy[D] Mulligan the[A] pride of the[D] Coombe

{eoc}

David Tennille - How to play Bouzouki

 

Just found this little boob while searching Amazon. The reviews are really bad. Does anybody know more about it? The index looks ok, but the misspelling on the cover???

If you maybe have it it would be nice if you'd comment and tell about it.

Alan Finn & Fionn O' Hanlon (UCC TradSoc Lunchtime Concerts, 5th of April 2023)

 The UCC TradSoc Lunchtime Concerts take place regularly and offer great concerts. Here is a concert with Alan Finn & Fionn O' Hanlon (Fiddle and Bouzouki)

Here's Simon Crehan and Fionn O'Hanlon at Crowleys Music Centre 

This is the youtube channel of Fionn O'Hanlon

'Twas Many a Wild Night, a CD by Alan Finn, Joanne Quirke, Paul Clesham & Fionn O' Hanlon

 

By chance I came across this CD on bandcamp a few months ago but forgot to mention it here on the blog. Fine bouzouki playing here. I especially like the polkas and slides.

I asked chatgpt to write a short text about the musicians, here's what came out (hope the information is correct ;)

Alan Finn, Joanne Quirke, Paul Clesham & Fionn O’Hanlon

This quartet brings together four of Ireland’s finest young traditional musicians, each with deep roots in the music of their home counties.

Alan Finn (Buttevant, Co. Cork) is a renowned button accordion player and founder of the Shandrum Céilí Band, celebrated for multiple All-Ireland titles and his lively, driving style. Joanne Quirke (Co. Cork) is a versatile multi-instrumentalist on whistle, flute, fiddle, piano, and harp, and a graduate of University College Cork who was awarded the prestigious Seán Ó Riada Prize. From Hollymount, Co. Mayo, Paul Clesham is an All-Ireland champion on concertina and a highly skilled accompanist, equally at home on fiddle, accordion, melodeon, and piano, with a strong academic background in ethnomusicology. Completing the group is Fionn O’Hanlon (Boherbue, Co. Cork), a bouzouki player whose roots in the Sliabh Luachra tradition bring rhythmic energy and harmonic depth to the ensemble.

Together, their 2025 album ’Twas Many a Wild Night captures the joy, drive, and spirit of Irish traditional music today.

Here's a video of them playing at Custy's in Ennis.

Here's the link to their bandcamp site