The Ships in Full Sail

Jewels of the Ocean

Jewels of the Ocean by Allan MacDonald

Swinging on the Gate

Willie Coleman's

Thanks to my back-up singer!

Where Lilies Bloom

Here's a fun polka I learned from a Cheiftains album. Thanks to Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh for convincing me that Polkas are actually cool.

Brushy Run

This. Is a big day. I am posting my final addition to my New Tune a Day project. Since my last, I've graduated with my Masters degree, published my thesis, gone on vacation to Thailand where I swam in the sea, rode elephants, cavorted with tigers, and ate my weight in pad thai, came home, packed up all our stuff, and moved to Colorado.

Here's my final NTAD.

Tommy Peoples

I learned this reel off of an Altan recording. Tommy Peoples is a great fiddler and his tunes are gorgeous as well. This reel is quite simple and easy to learn.

Road to Errogie with Leslie Anne Harrison

May I introduce Leslie Anne Harrison on wooden flute! She and I toured together when I subbed in for New Time Ensemble's fiddler during their 2011 New England tour. She's a fantastic musician and super awesome person. Here's a reel she learned today! I joined in on the second go-around. Also make sure to check out Folk Ragoût, an Irish/Breton duo she plays in with Fred Pouille.

Lady MacDonald's

Here's a reel I learned from Oisin MacDiarmada. He taught it at a workshop and I just listened to the recording today.

The Banshee

Here's an old reel I learned off of a Bothy Band album.

The Clare Reel

Here's a tune I have always loved and finally sat down and played.

The Fox in Town

Here's a reel from Brendan Mulholland, Paul McSherry, and Brendan Hendry's album "Tuned Up." The fiddle is tuned up a half step.

The Liffey Banks

Here's a nice old reel in G. I love the melody, especially the opening phrase. I learned this particular version from a Téada recording.

Wolves a Howlin'

Another tune I learned straight for the source of all that is good: youtube. This is an old time tune in G tuning that I learned from a video of Rayna Gellert.

An Buailteoir Aerach

Here's a reel from the same set as the last tune I learned (The Enchanted Lady) on Caoimhìn Ò Raghallaigh and Mick O'Brien's album Deadly Buzz. I dropped the strings down a major third to play along with the recording.

Paddy Fahey's

Galway fiddler and composer Paddy Fahey doesn't name his tunes, so there are several dozen tunes floating around the world now, all dubbed Paddy Fahey's. Here's one of them, a jig I learned of Yvonne and Liz Kane's album Side by Side.

The Shoemaker's Daughter

Ed Reavy writes excellent tunes. Here's one of his reels in G. I learned my version from a youtube video and from a collection of Ed Reavy's tunes in abc that my friend Jim,,, sent me.

Newt Payne's Tune

Here's a pretty tune for you. I learned this from a video of Adam Hurt and Stephanie Coleman and another video of Rhys Jones and John Herrmann. I love the B part. Also, oddly, it's played AAABBB.

Say Old Man I Want Your Daughter

I'm so grateful for youtube.  More than half of the tunes I've learned so far have come from videos on youtube.  This one came from a video of Stephanie Coleman and Adam Hurt playing live somewhere in the UK.  The tune is cool, open tuning, and crooked.

Waltzing with Lilly

This is a tune written by a friend of mine, Joe Morales, who plays guitar and claw-hammer banjo.  He wrote this one for his wife.  He taught it to me today.