What are you working on?

[Hunter]

I'm still just a beginner so I'm focusing on some "standards" to get my chops in order. I'm tinkering around with "The Silver Spear" at the moment.

Since I'm having a hard time getting to the upper octaves on this bamboo flute o' mine I recently purchased a whistle from Doc's site so I can get the hang of the sound and fingerings for the tune.

Soon enough I'll be butchering that lovely song on a brand new M&E flute! Can't wait!

[Stan]

Heathery Breeze, The Union Reel and The Knockabout Polka are my latest "finetuning" projects. Especially trying to clean up the double tonguing in the Knockabout. In a related area, working to solidify the
third octave on the quena.

[lesl]

I'm working on Lord Gordon the old way (hi Gordon ha!), Lady Gordon, Tommy Mulhaire's jig with Castletown Conners as the 2nd, 3 of the Joanie Madden "Invasion" quartet, and also trying to not use my pinky. :o And the Ballinakill's Pound Hill hornpipe.

Here's the Lord Gordon I mean, since its unusual. Only 2 parts.
X:1
T:Lord Gordon
N:this is the old way the Ballinakill band played the tune
D:Ballinakill Traditional players, Michael Coleman, Johnny Doherty, Séamus
D:Ennis (tr10 #2 on Forty Years); Kevin Burke and other modern players.
Z:Lesl
M:C|
L:1/8
K:D
dB|AD ED ADFB|AD ED FAd2|BE~E2 BE~e2|defd BAFA|
dz df efdB|AF~F2 A2 df|afef dBAF|EFGA B2:|
|:{b}ag|fAd {b}afAd f|{b}afdf a2 gf|gBef geba|g~g2a bafz|
afea fedB|AF~F2 A2df | afez dBAF|1 EFGA B2:|2 EFGA B4|]

[Gordon]

Hi Lesl - used to go by the name Lord Gordon, but never learned the tune.. Thanks for the ABC!

[Aanvil]

Current tunes I'm knocking about:

Martin Wynne's #2
Christmas Eve
Emily's reel
Abbey reel
Trim the Velvet
The Old Bush

[sbfluter]

I am working on "McGivney's Fancy Hornpipe". It is track 50 in
June McCormack's book.

That's a pretty tough one. I'n no good at those short rolls on A or B.

[Gabriel]

I decided not to learn any new tunes until the end of the year, but to work on the ones I know and to play them more beautifully and securely.

[mariajef]

i'm working of the following:

old bush
rakish paddy
jenny's chickens
the torn jacket
bell harbour reel
limestone rock

also need to work on the "b" part of last night's fun, would like to listen to a good version of it

jeff zajac

[dlambert]

an ed reavey tune called 'the highest hill in sligo' and a 3 part jig called 'sport'. also chipping away at 'the smiling bride' and a reel known by various names 'paddy goes to france' or 'the old maids of galway'

[O_Gaiteiro_do_Chicago]

The past week i've been putting time into...

Salamanca
Jackie Coleman's Favorite
Going to the Well for Water

Salamanca is a tough nut to crack, there are a lot of versions and I find it a little be more challenging to pick up. I found some notated versions(including O'Neil's), but none of them reflect what I hear locally, or on recordings. Also the dynamics of the tune are quite different than your typical reel, I think that's why it's one of my favorites.

[Aanvil]

The past week i've been putting time into...

Salamanca


Salamanca is a tough nut to crack, there are a lot of versions and I find it a little be more challenging to pick up. I found some notated versions(including O'Neil's), but none of them reflect what I hear locally, or on recordings. Also the dynamics of the tune are quite different than your typical reel, I think that's why it's one of my favorites.

There can be almost a hornpipey feel to it in some of the versions I have heard... and have.

[Jon C.]

I am working on "McGivney's Fancy Hornpipe". It is track 50 in
June McCormack's book.

That's a pretty tough one. I'n no good at those short rolls on A or B.

"Kid on the Mountain" isn't a easy tune either! Good luck!

[segv]

I've been flootin' and taking lessons for about a year now, but I realize how much more endurance I need in order to "carry" a set of tunes by myself. I find this much less of a problem when playing with other melody instruments. So that's what I'm working on. If I play alone and without breaks, I usually "hit the wall" at around 10min, so I'm trying to repeat that a few times a day, hoping to extend my reach eventually.

One of my favorite sets that I've been working on is Aggie Whyte's / The Bells of Tipperary as heard on the Mulcahy Family CD, track 14.

[ImNotIrish]

Currently I am working on a set of tunes off of Kevin Henry's cd: Dermot Grogan's/ Paddy Jim Frank/ The Old Swallowtail.
I've really been working on more new tunes for the banjo and fiddle...

[Cathy Wilde]

I've been working on tunes that aren't in D/G/Bm/Em or Am, or tunes that have accidentals, particularly F naturals: The Yellow Heifer (basically the Bunch of Keys sans C part), an Ed Reavy tune called The Whistler of Rosslea, some Paddy Fahy jigs & reels, etc. (the great Fahy's/Fahy's/Fahy's set )

And I'm once again hurling myself at the brick wall of The Girl That Broke My Heart, with mixed results -- it's OK if I go pretty slow, but my banjo pal has learned it now and slow isn't often in his vocabulary.

I've also gotten back on the Bb and have been playing Master Crowley's and The Connaught Heifer on that one -- Master Crowley's seems delightfully creepy low and slow.

I've also been doing a little bit of what Gabriel's doing, though I SHOULD be doing it more, or even exclusively like he is (snaps to you, Gabriel). It's amazing how badly I play the tunes I learned the longest ago.

Finally, because I don't have Gabriel's self-discipline, I'm picking at some great tunes Arbo gave me. Thank you, thank you, thank you Arbo!!!