Easy tunes (mostly) for you to learn
and enjoy playing along to during these tricky times.

In 'normal' times I teach mandolin, bouzouki and guitar. Obviously, that's not possibly right now. However, when I do have classes and students I often prepare new music for them so I decided to keep producing resources to encourage them to stay interested in their mandolin playing.

  • FREE traditional music resources designed for the budding mandolin player.

  • Learn to play with other musicians - prepare your mandolin pals for a session once this virus is dealt with.

  • Think of these resources as kits for small string groups and classes.

  • Guitarists and bouzouki-ists might also learn a few tricks.

  • A selection of audio files will help you learn the tunes

  • A PDF document/book that you can print out or view on your computer or device. These resources are laid out for the convenience of solo players, tablature readers and especially for small groups who may want the tunes and parts presented in different forms. YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO PRINT OUT THE LOT - just pick the pages that are useful to you, or better still just view them on a screen and save a few twigs.

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TUNE OF THE WEEK


Lord Glencairn's Quickstep
(NOTE: this is first try at a mix. Maybe it deserves more time - not had time to do the PDF yet but you can still view or print the notation images.)
(click name to play)30/07/2021 This should have been number 35, and should have been in last week, but lots of things have limited my time, such as some getting out in some decent (for Scotland) weather. I too need to get out more, especially at any sign of the sun. This version above is the 'BIG MIX'. These 'BIG' mixes are a quick attempt to give some idea as to how to play the tunes with other people. A wee arrangement does no harm. This is quite a tricky one (noticeable - I too need to practice these tunes). This stuff is produced using technology, but nearly everything is 'played'. Thanks to my old pal Kenny for the great spoons playing.
Aidan Crossey has release the second edition of his 'The Irish Mandolin Tunebook' which is a great resource for the budding trad player. Indeed, the whole site is vital for anyone interested in the mandolin in Irish music. LINK HERE
(click to play)Someone asked me about this track. I played it on a south american instrument, the cuatro. The 'tune', a reel, makes a brief appearance and refers to an Irish tune (I can't remember the name). The rest is a 'jam'. Remember that, jamming? This isn't something that happens much in our tradition but some people are dabbling in it.

(Click to play)
This is the four polkas I posted recently. If they are too fast just use Windows Media Player to slow them down It's easy to do and there's no change of pitch.
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