15 Most Common Tunes @ Your Local Session

The Sporting Pitchfork · Sun Dec 10, 2006 5:37 am

At the suggestion of Uilliam over on the piping forum, I've decided we ought to compile a list of the 15 tunes most commonly played at local sessions.

So, to start things off, here are 15 tunes you'd be likely to hear on a Friday night at the Alberta St. Pub in Portland, Oregon. (If any other people from Alberta St. wish to make additions or corrections, please do so.)

1.) Sweeney's Dream
2.) The Dawn
3.) The Humours of Ballyloughlin
4.) Master Crowley's (well, that's 4 tunes, I think)
5.) An Phís Fhliuch
6.) Rodney's Glory
7.) The Humours of Tullycrine
8.) The Black Mare of Fanad
9.) The Silver Spear
10.) Mullin's Fancy
11.) The Hag at the Churn
12.) The Maids of Mt. Kisco
13.) Maud Millar
14.) The Maid Behind the Barrel
15.) Trim The Velvet

dfernandez77 · Post by **dfernandez77** » Sun Dec 10, 2006 12:36 pm

Here's a kickstart:

Question for Session Players - Top Six Session Tunes
http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=38052

And quick results:

A list of the current Top 15 would be dandy as well.

Congratulations · Post by **Congratulations** » Sun Dec 10, 2006 1:09 pm

My local session is pretty bad (I think I'm the only person who plays IrTrad exclusively, the rest of them play mostly Old Time or Bluegrass

), but we play these just about every session:

Road to Lisdoonvarna / Swallowtail
Rights of Man
Boys of Bluehill / Harvest Home / Off to California
Flowers of Edinburgh
Morrison's
Wind that Shakes the Barley
Connaughtman's Rambles
Kesh
Whiskey Before Breakfast
Scotland the Brave (the bar-goers like it)

And, we play several waltzes, as well:

Ashokan Farewell
The South Wind
Margaret's Waltz

It's normally a fun time, anyway.

flutey1 · Post by **flutey1** » Sun Dec 10, 2006 1:53 pm

I'm really bad with names of tunes, but these are some of the ones I can think of off hand

Jimmy Ward's Jig
Fred Finn's
The Blarney Pilgrim
George White's
Toss the Feathers
The Silver Spear
The Mountain Road
Maids of Mount Kisco
Galway Rambler
Out on the Ocean

cheers,
Sara

peeplj · Post by **peeplj** » Sun Dec 10, 2006 2:22 pm

Also just naming them as I think of them:

Road to Lisdoonvarna / Morrison's
Off to California / Harvest Home / Boys of Bluehill
The Traveller / The High Reel
The Vandalism Set (Banish Misfortune / Smash the Windows / Off She Goes)
Blarney Pilgrim
My Darling Asleep / Connoughtman's Rambles
The Morning Star
Mason's Apron

And many other fine tunes.

--James

dyersituations · Post by **dyersituations** » Sun Dec 10, 2006 2:39 pm

Some off the top of my head:

-Dusty Windowsill/Cliffs of Moher
-Old John's Jig/Mug of Brown Ale
-Swallowtail Jig
-Taylor's Wedding
-Jim Ward's Jig
-Earl's Chair/The Wedding
-Punter's Graveyard
-The Mountain Road
-Silver Spear/Banks of Ireland

At one session I have been going to, there seems to be a lot of contra dance stuff. Some of it is good, but I have my limits.

-Casey

FJohnSharp · Post by **FJohnSharp** » Sun Dec 10, 2006 5:45 pm

Kesh Jig
Silver Spear
Sally Gardens
John Ryan's Polka
Rakes of Mallow
Connaughtman's Rambles
Donnybrook Fair
Banish Misfortune
King of the Faeries
Fanny Powers
Butterfly
Road to Lisdoonvarna
Lonesome Road to Dingle (Brosna)
Dingle Regatta

for starters

The Weekenders · Post by **The Weekenders** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 1:09 am

Where's Rocky Top? Nyuk.

jsluder · Post by **jsluder** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 8:27 am

The Weekenders wrote:Where's Rocky Top?

Tennessee.

Ro3b · Post by **Ro3b** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 8:32 am

The one that goes diddly dum dee dum, de dum dee diddly dum dee dum dee.

The one that goes dumpity dumpity dum, dee dumpity dumpity dumpity.

The one we play after the one that goes dum dee diddly dum dee dum dee dum dee diddly.

The one that's off that album by that guy who played with those other people (but he plays the one that goes dumpity dah dee dumpity dumpity after it, and we usually go into the one that's kind of like that one, but different).

The one I'm too cool to play.

The one we got tired of and didn't play for a while, but then started playing again.

The one that has that thing in the second part.

The one we know the third part to that nobody else plays.

The one that really should have an F natural in it, but only half of us play it that way and a fight happens every time we play it.

The one everybody else besides me is too cool to play, but they humor me.

The one we can't ever play when that guy comes to the session because he screws up the chords and it sounds awful.

The one that other guy always starts despite the fact that he can't play it; sometimes we bail him out, but other times nobody joins in and we let him twist in the wind for a while. It's great fun.

The one we play whenever anybody we don't like comes to the session because they're sure not to know it.

The one we're all too cool to play, but we play it anyway with a sort of hip ironic attitude.

Paddy Fahey's.

Pat Cannady · Post by **Pat Cannady** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 10:31 am

Lessee, after giving it some thought:

The Pipe on the Hob (2 part D version)
Tom Harte's Jig
Willie Coleman's Jig
The Stack of Barley
The Stack of Wheat
The Plains of Boyle
Cronin's (HP)
Chief O' Neill's Favorite
Down The Broom
The Gatehouse Maid
The Red Haired Lass
The Humors of Tulla
The Skylark
Roaring Mary
Lucy Campbell
Toss the Feathers

Honorable mention: The Woman of the House, The Bucks of Oranmore, The Chicago Reel (why not? It's great if you put a little vehemence into it), Lafferty's, Fred Finn's, The Dairy Maid, The Lady On The Island, The Clogher Reel, The Green Groves of Erin, Sean Sa Ceo, The Jolly Tinker, The Longford Tinker, others too numerous to mention.

Cathy Wilde · Post by **Cathy Wilde** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 11:08 am

Ro3b wrote:The one that goes diddly dum dee dum, de dum dee diddly dum dee dum dee.

The one that goes dumpity dumpity dum, dee dumpity dumpity dumpity.

The one we play after the one that goes dum dee diddly dum dee dum dee dum dee diddly.

The one that's off that album by that guy who played with those other people (but he plays the one that goes dumpity dah dee dumpity dumpity after it, and we usually go into the one that's kind of like that one, but different).

The one I'm too cool to play.

The one we got tired of and didn't play for a while, but then started playing again.

The one that has that thing in the second part.

The one we know the third part to that nobody else plays.

The one that really should have an F natural in it, but only half of us play it that way and a fight happens every time we play it.

The one everybody else besides me is too cool to play, but they humor me.

The one we can't ever play when that guy comes to the session because he screws up the chords and it sounds awful.

The one that other guy always starts despite the fact that he can't play it; sometimes we bail him out, but other times nobody joins in and we let him twist in the wind for a while. It's great fun.

The one we play whenever anybody we don't like comes to the session because they're sure not to know it.

The one we're all too cool to play, but we play it anyway with a sort of hip ironic attitude.

Paddy Fahey's

That's just about the best description ever. And it's perfectly universal! Thank you!

Jayhawk · Post by **Jayhawk** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 12:14 pm

Ro3b wrote:
The one that goes diddly dum dee dum, de dum dee diddly dum dee dum dee.

The one that goes dumpity dumpity dum, dee dumpity dumpity dumpity.

The one we play after the one that goes dum dee diddly dum dee dum dee dum dee diddly.

The one that's off that album by that guy who played with those other people (but he plays the one that goes dumpity dah dee dumpity dumpity after it, and we usually go into the one that's kind of like that one, but different).

The one I'm too cool to play.

The one we got tired of and didn't play for a while, but then started playing again.

The one that has that thing in the second part.

The one we know the third part to that nobody else plays.

The one that really should have an F natural in it, but only half of us play it that way and a fight happens every time we play it.

The one everybody else besides me is too cool to play, but they humor me.

The one we can't ever play when that guy comes to the session because he screws up the chords and it sounds awful.

The one that other guy always starts despite the fact that he can't play it; sometimes we bail him out, but other times nobody joins in and we let him twist in the wind for a while. It's great fun.

The one we play whenever anybody we don't like comes to the session because they're sure not to know it.

The one we're all too cool to play, but we play it anyway with a sort of hip ironic attitude.

Paddy Fahey's

That's just about the best description ever. And it's perfectly universal! Thank you!

Well, not totally universal, we don't play Paddy Fahey's in my neck of the woods.

Eric

PS - I'm not 100% sure there is a true top 15 list, but here are some common one's in KC:

Maudebawn Chapel
Silver Spear
Mountain Road
Christmas Eve (well, I start it frequently so it's on my top 15 list)
Humours of Tulla
Kid on the Mountain
Ward's Jig
Mist Covered Mountains
Banish Misfortune
Tatter Jack Walsh
Tripping Up the Stairs
Maid Behind the Bar
Star of Munster
Congress Reel (I think that's the name)
Cup of Tea
I'm sure I'm forgotten a ton we play frequent...many of which I can't ever remeber their names.

Dr Funkenstein · Post by **Dr Funkenstein** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 4:00 pm

Ro3b wrote: The one that goes dumpity dumpity dum, dee dumpity dumpity dumpity.

You mean "Cathal McConnell's"?

Cathy Wilde · Post by **Cathy Wilde** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 5:28 pm

Ro3b,

Do you do the one you know the third part of that nobody else does AABCBC or AABBCC? That guy who recorded that album did it AABCBC, but So and So heard Such and Such play it AABBCC in Ireland .....