Song Book Recommendations?

[crickett]

Can anyone recommend some good thick trad song books with dots, lyrics and chords (if there is such a thing)? Thanks.

[SteveShaw]

If you can get hold of them there's a set of four paperback books published by Ossian Publications called Folksongs and Ballads Popular in Ireland. Each of the four contains the words, dots and chords for fifty songs. I reckon they wouldn't be expensive, even for all four, and they would get you off to a cracking start. You can get all four for fourteen quid from Amazon.co.uk but I can't speak for the US obviously.

[dsmootz]

I couldn't find them on Amazon USA, but they're available at $9 a pop at Ossian USA - here's the first:
http://www.ossianusa.com/Merchant2/merc ... e=00133-BK

[cboody]

I have a collection that is mostly put together of 50+ common tunes. If you contact me off list I'll be happy to send you a pdf file. I'm fairly sure the collection is not in copyright stuff.

[schlimmerkerl]

Some of these may be out of print. If so, look on www.addall.com
In no particular order—

"Songs of the Irish", Donal O'Sullivan. "Shamrock, Rose, and Thistle", Hugh Shields. "Songs of Cork", Thomas O'Canainn. "Songs of the People", Sam Henry (the hardcover is in two volumes, the paperback is abridged). "Bonny Bunch of Roses", Dan Milner, et al. "Stór Amhrán", Nóirín Ní Riain. "Irish Street Ballads", and "More Irish Street Ballads", both Clom O'Lochlainn (particularly good). "Amhráin Chúige Uladh", Clom O'Baoill.

There are more. Keep posting if these don't fill your bucket. Thank god you are not interested in the dance music…

[crickett]

Thanks to all for the great suggestions.

[buddhu]

Robert Gogan's book is good:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/130-Great-Irish ... 0953206831

130 songs with decent notes about many of them. Melody dots, chords and words.

Nearly all the song/ballad books I've seen, and I have about 30 of them, have pretty strange chord accompaniments. I've never found one where every song was fine out-of-the-box, and most of my books are full of corrections in ball point pen. The chords in some books I have were clearly selected by a lunatic.

Still, the chords in the Gogan book are better than average, and are mostly close enough to be tweakable to give an acceptable accompaniment.

[schlimmerkerl]

@ buddhu--

"The landlord has my hat and shoes
The tavern has me coat and britches
But i am free, when'e'r i choose
To have a snooze all in the ditches…"
-- It's Not the Day (Nil na lá)

On Topic Note: Yes, the Gogan is pretty good

[Ceili_whistle_man]

I have the set of four '50 Irish ballads' set from Ossian that Steve mentions. Not a set of books I would have gone out and bought for myself, they were a gift from my sister in Ireland.
I would take the suggested chords (for a lot of the songs therein) to be taken with a pinch of salt, some of them are just not right and would be downright confusing to someone who doesn't know the songs.
The chords suggested (and key) are very basic, and at times the chords are not above the word where they should be played, so they will only give a brief indication as to how to go about accompanying yourself when singing the songs.
I've just tried typing out a song (without success, the chords wont stay above the correct words??) from Vol.1 of the Ossian books to show the difference between what is in the book and what should be in the book in regards to chord progression. Ah well, here is a sound clip instead; first the book version playing the chord changes exactly as they are written in the book, and then another more 'chord progressive friendly' way of playing it. I picked out 'In Dublin's fair city', more commonly known as 'Molly Malone', as it would be pretty familiar to most people even without an ITM background. This is just one example, there are lots of not very good chord progression suggestions in these books.
I’m playing this ‘cold,’ no run throughs; it’s in G as it is in the book, not a key for me for this song, but here it is anyway;
http://www.box.net/shared/du7hbfet8u

I’ve often wondered who the bloody hell do they get to write out the chord progressions for all those ‘Popular Irish ballads” type books.
I’m with buddhu in thinking it was some lunatic.
I know it’s supposed to give a basic grounding to the song but why not put in a little bit more effort and get it right, surely the version I posted here couldn’t be any harder to play than the one in the Ossian books?

Any how, good luck in finding some books with a semblance of correct (chord) versions of the songs you are after.

(edit for typo)

[cboody]

Thanks for that horrid example of wrong chords. I too wonder sometimes about who puts the chords in the books. I do know one thing that happens, at least in U.S. publications: Editors stick in a strange progression somewhere and copyright the "arrangement." Now they have a copyright that can be enforced, and is obvious to spot. A disgusting trick to try to control tunes otherwise out of copyright. Grumble..grumble...posting.php?mode=reply&f=8&t=74173#

[Ceili_whistle_man]

Thanks for that horrid example of wrong chords

It’s not so much that the chords were ‘wrong’ in the first example cboody , G, C and D fit the song in regards to the key I am playing it in, it’s just that the chords are badly placed and there was no Em or D7 to give the song that ‘sad’ feel.

Editors stick in a strange progression somewhere and copyright the "arrangement."

I’m with you in your obvious dislike of the ludicrous “arrangement copyright” scam attempted by these clowns. I call it ‘The Monsanto method’ myself, as a ‘tip of the hat’ to attempts by Monsanto to patent a naturally occurring gene sequence variation in pig DNA.
Mmmm….I wonder if I could take out a patent on the Chords G, C and D being played in that order in any piece of music?

[Denny]

pigs?

Scarborough Fair

[Ceili_whistle_man]

pigs?

Yeah, I know, just a bit off topic.

[Denny]

tapirs maybe....

[Ceili_whistle_man]

Tapiring off I wuz......