Irish Flute Tunes

*** New CD:  Harry Bradley and Michael Clarkson ***

The Pleasures of Hope - flute music from Belfast and Beyond

This recording is now available in Ireland at:

http://claddaghrecords.com/WWW/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=15&products_id=2887

and in the USA at:

http://www.ossianusa.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=ossian&Product_Code=01838-CD

and in the UK at:

http://www.allcelticmusic.com/music/d92ee386-d8e2-102c-967a-12313b000932/The%20Pleasures%20of%20Hope.html

Hello. This site contains recordings I have made as a source of tunes for people who play the flute, or other instruments for that matter. They are just versions of tunes as I remember them. My memory isn’t the best so some of the versions and the titles might be a bit astray but hopefully they’ll be of some use. I usually play the tunes once through slowly to make them easier to learn, then I have a bit of a run at them to give another view of them. I hope this approach is OK. If anyone has any comments, or tune suggestions, please get in touch (iflute@googlemail.com).

At this stage tune suggestions are particularly welcome as my “isn’t the best” memory has started to resist my attempts to plunder it for any more material. Thanks,

Michael.

(The tunes are split over a number of pages to stop the pages being too slow to load. To go to the next page, please click on Previous Entries at the bottom of the page, otherwise use the index on the left of the screen to navigate to a specific tune).

These tunes are now available via iTunes so you don’t even have to go through the displeasing process of accessing this site directly to hear them. Hearing the tunes may be hardship enough in itself.  I don’t really know what the iTunes caper means but a search for “Irish Flute Tunes” will point to where this stuff lives in iTunesville.  The URL via which to subscribe is http://irishflute.podbean.com/feed .  If that all made no sense to you then welcome to my world.

Slowing Down Tunes

Just in case the tunes on this site aren’t dull enough, you can slow them down using recent versions of Windows Media Player (I’m sure there are plenty of other ways of doing this too).

In Windows Media player click Now Playing at the top of the screen then pick Enhancements and then Play Speed Settings. There is a nice range of speeds displayed but I can only get the half speed one to work. That’s probably enough to be getting on with in any case.

Listen Now:

 Standard Podcasts [4:06m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download | Embeddable Player | Hits (8029)

I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a turnpike gate so I’m not sure what qualities one might have to get a reel named after it.

Anyway, here’s a tune called after such a gate.

Listen Now:

 Standard Podcasts [ 1:33m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download | Embeddable Player | Hits (536)

Here’s another request from long ago.  I don’t think the tune’s title refers to a domestic measuring tool.

Listen Now:

 Standard Podcasts [2:46m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download | Embeddable Player | Hits (346)

I was asked back in August to play this tune.  I’ve at least managed it before October ended.  The flute hasn’t forgiven me for spending a lot of the last hour playing a miniature version of itself (I think baby flutes have a special name but I’m always getting the ‘cc’s and ‘ll’s confused in the spelling) and blowing into a big flute has proved difficcullt - (it’s happenned again only worse).

Anyway, thanks Mary for telling me about this tune on 2nd August, and I hope it sounds OK.

Listen Now:

 Standard Podcasts [ 2:23m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download | Embeddable Player | Hits (301)

I was asked to record this tune so here it is, only a few days late.  I’ve always just known this tune from afar so if it sounds like I’m a bit unfamiliar with its finer points (like the notes and stuff like that) then that’s probably just because I am.

Like most of CL’s tunes, it’s a fine piece of music and might be strong enough to emerge intact from my mangling.

Listen Now:

 Standard Podcasts [ 2:48m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download | Embeddable Player | Hits (542)

Here’s a popular reel - so popular that it has taken me 3 years to think of it.

Listen Now:

 Standard Podcasts [ 2:07m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download | Embeddable Player | Hits (546)

I’ve been laptopless for a while so have hadn’t been able to post any tunes.   I now have a new laptop and it and an old flute have combined to record this not so new jig.  I’m not used to the recording level on the new computer so this post may only be audible to canine creatures.   Maybe they can be persuaded to bark a louder version out if necessary.

Listen Now:

 Standard Podcasts [ 1:50m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download | Embeddable Player | Hits (550)