Buy me a coffee or a pint

Several people have asked me how they can support my work and my blog. Well, now it's very easy: you can buy me a pint or a coffee. Just click on the beer on the right and you will be redirected to the ‘Buy me a coffee’ website. There you can enter the amount you wish to donate. 

Alternatively, you can scan this QR code.

Many thanks in advance to everyone who would like to support me with a small donation.

Guitar to Bouzouki conversion

It seems that many people are interested in converting a guitar into a bouzouki. This does not appear to be particularly difficult. To get around the problem of string suspension with the pins, you can, for example, attach a new tailpiece. Of course, two additional holes have to be drilled in the head of the guitar. You can either simply drill two holes at the top of the headstock. Or you can go to the trouble of filling in the six existing holes and drilling eight new ones, which certainly looks much better.

Then the bridge insert and saddle need to be converted to 8 strings. Particular care should be taken when working on the saddle.

In any case, it should be noted that the fingerboard is very wide compared to a bouzouki, which will certainly not appeal to everyone. Personally, I would find it too wide. I am also not a fan of the sound of the gizouki, or whatever you want to call it. But that is all a matter of taste.

Here's a website where a guy called Keith Hempsey shows his conversion of two guitars. 

Robin Jones - The Lakes Of Pontchartrain Lesson

This is a lesson that many musicians have surely been waiting for. A classic Irish folk song. I think the most famous version is by Paul Brady. But there are many other fantastic recordings of the song.

In the first part, Robin introduces the song and shows the chords and a basic pattern for accompaniment.

In the second part, which you can buy on his website, he shows you the intro, interlude and a few more nice tricks. 

If you like it, you might want to consider registering for a monthly subscription. This will give you access to all his workshops and support Robin in his work. I hope he will continue to offer more workshops for some time to come.

Here's the link to his website

TradChords - Website to find chords to accompany tunes

Just found this website. It might be of interest if you are looking for chords to accompany a tune. Sometimes you can find chords on thesession, but not too often. So this is a website where you can find chords to lots of tunes. Also you can contribute the chords you use to help others.

On this website you'll find the dots for the tunes, also a player which is able to play the tune with and without chords.

So have a look at the website at: https://tradchords.org

 

Robin Jones - The Cliffs Of Moher - Tutorial

I cannot recommend Robin Jones' workshops highly enough. Over the past few months, he has created some fantastic workshops on mostly well-known tunes. His latest workshop covers the jig ‘The Cliffs of Moher’. He teaches the melody step by step and shows various embellishment options. But I particularly like the intro. This is also well explained. Similar intros can now be worked out with slight changes and used for other tunes. Take a look at the video. The second part is available to purchase on his website. You might also consider becoming a member, which would give you access to all the workshops produced so far.

Oh, and he has recently started offering tabs for each workshop. This means you can practise at any time without having to watch the video.

Here you can get part 2:

Luke Ward - Bouzouki Lessons on Patreon

It's now a half year that Luke Ward started his Workshop series on Patreon. First he offered a course for beginners, I wrote about that some time ago. In January he startet his second Tiers for intermediate players. As I had a bit time lately I enrolled his second Tiers and am really impressed. So far I looked a 3 Workshops. 

He starts with the Jig "Banished Misfortune". No explanation about Jig Rhythm here because it is explained in the first Series. He follows the melody of the tune with the chords. Not too difficult but sometimes a bit challenging.

The second Tune he offers is the reel "The Boys of Malin". This time a different technique, a plucking technique. This leads a bit in direction of Eoin O'Neil or even Alec Finn. It gives an easy start to learn this technique. I hope there will be more workshops to come to develop this technique.

In another Video  he talks about "Relative Pitch" and offers some exercises to bring chords to a scale. A very basic technique which helps a lot find good chords for accompanying tunes.

Now I'm curious what else is to come.

If you want to learn to play the bouzouki better try these lessons by Luke. At the moment there seems to be an offering for half the prize in the first month, so better try soon. 

Check it out here:

On youtube you can find some short clips as introduction. For example here: https://youtube.com/shorts/IslhBtBTfSM?si=plu9T-PCU18-0ZIz

Piaras Ó Lorcáin - talented young bouzouki player and Singer

Piaras Ó Lorcáin is a 22 year old bouzouki player and sean nos singer and farm worker.  I just recently discovered him. What a voice he has! He did not make any recordings as far as I know but there are some videos on youtube and instagram.

The Valley of Knockanure live from Kinsale

Tijn Berends - Bouzouki learning material

 I once met Tijn at a workshop weekend in Texel, Netherlands. He's a fine bouzouki player and teacher. A few weeks ago he started posting some videos of tunes which he plays through, but without any explanation. So you have to figure out everything by yourself. This might be useful for advanced players.

Tbh I prefer instructional videos like those by Robin Jones where he teaches the tune bit by bit and then gives tips for ornamentation. But it might help to slow down the videos and watch them bit by bit to learn the tunes.

This is Calliope House

The Sally Gardens

The Kesh Jig

The Silver Spear

 

The Kerfunken

The Wind that Shakes The Barley

The Humours Of Glendart

The Bucks Of Oranmore

Daoiri Farrell - Paddy's Green Shamrock Shore Tab

Recently Daoiri gave a live concert on Facebook. One of the songs he played that evening was Paddy's Green Shamrock Shore. I tried to tab the Intro and first verse of his arrangement. Capo 1st fret.

Here's the video:

This is what the tab looks like. You can download the full tab here.

Lyrics

{t:Paddy’s Green Shamrock Shore}

{st:Daoiri Farrell}

From [D]Derry quay we sailed a[G]way 

[D]on the [C]twenty-[G/B]third of [D]May

We were [G]taken on [Am]board by a [D]pleasant crew, 

bound [Am]for A[G]meri[C]kay

Fresh [G]water [Am]there we did [D]take on, 

five [C]thou[G]sa[D]nd [G]gal[D]lons or [C]more        

In [D]case we’d run short going to New [G]York 

[D]far a[C]way from the [G]shamrock [D]shore. 

So fare thee well sweet Liza dear
and likewise to Derry town,
And twice farewell to me comrade boys
who dwell on that sainted ground
If fortune it ever should favour me
or I to have money in store
I’ll come back and I’ll wed the wee lassie I left
on Paddy’s Green Shamrock Shore

Well we sailed three days and we were all seasick,
not a man on board was free
We were all confined unto our bunks
with no one to pity poor me
No father dear nor mother kind
to hold up me head when t’was sore,
Which made me think more on the lassie I left
on Paddy’s Green Shamrock Shore

Well we safely reached the other side
in three and twenty days
We were taken as passengers by a man
and led round in six different ways,
We each of us drank a parting glass
in case we might never meet more,
And we drank a health to Old Ireland
and Paddy’s Green Shamrock Shore

Here's a longer versi0n Daoiri sometimes sings:

{t:Paddy’s Green Shamrock Shore}

{st:Daoiri Farrell}

From [D]Derry quay we sailed a[G]way [D]

on the [C]twenty-[G/B]third of [D]May

We were [G]taken on [Am]board by a [D]pleasant crew, 

bound [Am]for A[G]meri[C]kay

Fresh [G]water [Am]there we did [D]take on, 

five [C]thou[G]sa[D]nd [G]gal[D]lons or [C]more        

In [D]case we’d run short going to New [G]York 

[D]far a[C]way from the [G]shamrock [D]shore. 

So [D]fare thee well, sweet Liza [G]dear [D]

and like[C]wise unto [G/B]Derry [D]town

And [G]twice fare[Am]well to my [D]comrade boys 

that [Am]dwell on that [G]sainted [Am]ground

If [G]fortune shall [Am]ever [D]favor me, 

and [Am]I do have [G]money in [C]store

I’ll go [D]back and I’ll wed the wee lassie I left 

on [C]Paddy’s green [G]shamrock [D]shore. 

Oh at [D]six o'clock on that [D]morning fair 

our [C]anchors [G/B]we did [D]weigh,

The [G]sun shone [Am]down on Ben[D]evassa’s rocks, 

how [Am]splendid [G]he did [C]play,

And green [G]castles, [Am]ancient [D]fort and church, 

oh it [Am]made my [G]heart so [C]sore,

But these [D]memorys still I will hold very dear 

when I‘m a[C]way from the [G]Shamrock [D]Shore.

And then at [D]12 o'clock on that [D]evening fair 

we [C]passed out [G/B]Malin [D]Head,

And then [G]Inishtra[Am]hull far [D]on to the right, 

it [Am]rose of the [G]ocean [C]bed.

But a [G]grander [Am]sight we [D]all did see there, 

that I [Am]never had [G]seen be[C]fore

It was the [D]sun going down between sea and sky, 

far [C]out from the [G]Shamrock [D]Shore.

We sailed three weeks, we were all seasick, 

not a man on board was free

We were all confined unto our bunks 

and no-one to pity poor me.

No father dear nor mother kind 

to lift up my head, which was sore

Which made me think more on the lassie I left 

on Paddy’s green shamrock shore. 

We safely reached the other side 

after fifteen and twenty days,

We were taken as passengers by a man 

and led round in six different ways,

Then each of us drank a parting glass, 

in case we might meet no more

And we drank a health to old Ireland 

and Paddy’s green shamrock shore. 

Brent Matusik - Comparism Bouzouki vs. Octave Mandolin

Brent Matusik tries to compare both instruments. This is a discussion which is often heard. And what is the difference between Octave Mandolin and Short Scale Bouzouki? Well ...

Look at the video and maybe afterwards you might be a little bit more confused? 
In my opinion it is all about the tuning you use. Call it whatever you want.

New Bouzouki course for beginners - Luke Ward

 

Luke Ward, bouzouki player from Belfast just released a beginner's course on Patreon. It consists of 12 individual lessons where he covers first chords, some easy accompanyment ideas for the different modes (D, Dmix, Dm). After that he shows basic strumming patters to accompany reels, jigs and hornpipes. He finishes with 3 videos where he shows accompaniment ideas for each of the three tune types. Whereas the reel (Mountain Road) and jig (Humours of Glendart) accompanyments are very rudimental the hornpipe (Off to California) pattern has got an easy bass line and some more chords in it. 

If you are a beginner to the Irish Bouzouki you might consider taking a months membership for 16$ (without VAT). That's a fair price. It's easy to unsubscribe at any time. If you exercise every day you might be able to finish the course in around 4 weeks.

I hope Luke will consider to make a more advanced course like this in the near future.

Here's the link to the course:
https://www.patreon.com/c/IrishbouzoukiwithLukeWard

Roadie Tuner 3 - Is it worth it?

The Roadie Tuner is an automatic tuner for stringed instruments. I was curious if it would work with the bouzouki. As it was a lot cheaper on Black Friday I bought it via Amazon to give it a try. 

If you want to know more about it look here.

There's an app that goes with it where you can specify your preferred tunings. For GDAD you have to build a new instrument which only takes a few minutes. You even can take a photo of your instrument if you like.

I first tested it on my guitar tuned DADGAD and it worked fine. Tuning went fast with no problems. So I really was impressed at first time.

But then I tried my Foley ... and my Fylde and another Foley and another bouzouki. What should I say, tuning with a standard digital tuner is much faster and more accurate. I tried it several times and never got a correct tuning. So I can't recommend it for Bouzouki, although I think the idea is good. But 139€ is a lot of money for a device that screws your pegs just like your fingers can.

The video I did is not very professional and I did not edit the process of tuning to show how long it takes and how strange the device sometimes works. 

As a result I'll definitely send it back. Maybe I'll give Roadie 6 a second chance ;-)

Most watched posts on my blog during the past 12 months

These are the most watched posts on my blog during the past 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?

And 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. If you have anything to contribute to this blog please feel free to get in contact.

Bouzouki Tutorial - The Little Drummer, Daoiri Farrell live version

 Brent Matusik just published a new tutorial video on youtube. Here he shows how to accompany the song The little drummer as played by Daoiri Farrell. 

This are the lyrics I found here 

Little Drummer, The

Sheet Music (and more information about this song)

One fine summer's morning, both gallant and gay,
Twenty-four ladies went out on the quay,
And a regiment of soldiers it did pass them by,
A drummer and one of them soon caught his eye.

He went to his comrade and to him did say,
"Twenty-four ladies I saw yesterday,
Oh, but one of them ladies she has me heart won,
And if she denies me I'm surely undone."

"Go to this lady and tell her your mind
Tell her she's wounded your poor heart inside.
Go and tell her she's wounded your poor heart, full sore,
And if she denies you what can she do more?"

So early next morning this young man arose,
Dressed himself up in a fine suit of clothes,
With a watch in his pocket and a cane in his hand,
Saluting the ladies he walked down the strand.

He went up to her and he said "Pardon me,
Pardon me lady for making so free,
Oh my fine honored lady, you have my heart won,
And if you deny me I'm surely undone."

"Be off little drummer, now what do you mean?
For I'm the lord's daughter of Ballycasteen.
Oh, I'm the lord's daughter that's honored, you see,
Be off little drummer, you're making too free."

He put on his hat and he bade her farewell
Saying: "I'll send my soul down to heaven or hell.
For with this long pistol that hangs by my side,
Oh, I'll put an end to my own dreary life."

"Come back little drummer, and don't take it ill,
For I do not want to be guilty of sin,
To be guilty of innocent blood for to spill.
Come back little drummer, I'm here at your will."

"We'll hire a car and to Bansheer we'll go.
There we'll be married in spite of our foes.
Oh, but what can they say when it's over and done,
But I fell in love with the roll of your drum?"

Daoiri Farrell Trio - Live concert

This is an extract of a concert of Daoiri, Mark Redmond and Robbie Walsh in Spain. It can also be found here. 

00:00 Zoological Gardens 05:32 The Hag in the Blanket - The Road to Lisdoonvarna (jig) - The Boy on the Hilltop 09:27 Tippin it up to Nancy 12:21 Paddy's Green Shamrock Shore 18:08 The Dark Slender Boy 22:23 The Blue Tar Road 27:12 Rakish Paddy** 29:02 Bodhrán Solo 30:42 The Creggan White Hare

Daoirí Farrell Trio (Daoirí Farrell, vocals and Irish bouzouki. Robbie Walsh, bodhran vocals and effects pedal. Mark Redmond, vocals, whistle and bagpipes)

Andy Irvine - Live in Büdingen 10.11.2024 Encore

 Now this is the encore Andy played. Also the setlist. But he did not play My heart's tonight.

Andy Irvine - Live in Büdingen 10.11.2024, second set

This is the second set Andy played in Büdingen.

 

Andy Irvine - Live in Büdingen, 10.11.2024 first set

Last weekend I had the pleasure to see Andy Irvine live in Germany. He was in a fantastic mood and really enjoyed the nice audience. This is the first set he played there.

Unfortunately the camera made two files of the recording near the end of the song. Here's the second part of the set.

Michael Eskin - 50 Trad Irish Session Tunes for Bouzouki

 Michael Eskin programmed the abc transcription tools which help musicians to convert abc to tab. He found a way to publish pdf files of tunebooks, in which you not only see the tab, but by clicking on the title it opens a player where you can listen to the files. What a great helping tool this is. 

Here is an example from his website where you can try these features.

https://michaeleskin.com/transcriptions/50_Irish_Session_Tunes_GDAD_3Mar2024.pdf

Bouzouki Tabs in GDAD - ebook

 By chance I found this ebook which  contains a lot of tabs for bouzouki in GDAD. It cost €9.90. If you are looking for some tabs you might have a look at it. 

https://www.tenor-banjo-tabs.com/bouzouki-tabs-in-gdad.html

Here's a list of songs and tunes included. Seems to be a lot of them ...

Here's an example page:

Joe Bane's Barndance - Matt Heaton Arrangement

In their January Session Matt and Shannon Heaton played Joe Bane's Barndance, a tune I really love. As we are invited to play a few tunes at a wedding of a good friend we decided to play this tune. So as a preparation for the event I tried to tab Matt's version. I tabbed the first and second round through which are slightly different. First line accompaniment (Capo 5), second line melody (no capo).

Tune starts at around 6:00

If you'd like the whole tab as pdf please write an email and I'll gladly send it to you. You can contact me by clicking on "about me" on the right side.

Rachel Reid, Charles Monod & Alan Reid - The Attic Sessions

 What a performance! Three Reels: Kiss the maid behind the barrell, Humours of Ballyconnell, The Monaghan Twig on Concertina, Fiddle and Bouzouki.