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.

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

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

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

- a tune caught between a wrack and a hard place perhaps.

There are a few versions of this tune but I could only think of this one just now.  I still have to think of the other tunes which are on my list to play here but my thought processes are running very slow these days.

I don’t know much about it, except for what the notes are.  I suppose that’s a start.

I was a bit distracted by an infant with a new set of noisy birthday presents but hopefully the tune recovers sufficiently frequently to make it possible to pick up.

Anyway.  I was asked for “The Lads of Laois”, so here it is / they are, unleashed.  I think I was asked for a nice version.  I never really had a nice version so I had to record a nasty one.

I listened back to the start of this recording through my computer’s speakers and it sounded as if the tune was being played underwater on a trombone but maybe once it has been hung out on the web for a while it’ll dry out a bit.  I’ll record the other tunes on my list once I find the list.

This is also known as “The Cliff Hornpipe”.  Whether that’s the Cliff of “Summer Holiday” fame, I don’t know.

There’s a touch of a farting in the bath sound about it.  Maybe it’s more of a windpipe than a hornpipe.

(This version is vaguely like the one in Ceol Rince na hÉireann Vol. 3 - No. 208)

This rendition is more sheepish than extraordinary but most of the notes are there.

I don’t know what key it should be in.  Here’s a go at it in D minor and then A minor.  I heard something once about dropping a piano down a coal shaft and getting A flat minor.

Instead of a jolly seven here I think I have a fairly happy seven and a mildly miffed number 8.  The overall recording quality is a bit dodgy here and the sound of the sean nós shouting infant in the background maybe doesn’t help things too much (no infants were harmed in the making of this post).

One reason I’m so slow about posting tunes these days is that I can’t remember the names of any more of them.  I got this one by asking  Mr.Google about the name I was given.  He seems to call it ‘The Girls of Farranfore’.

There are a few versions of this knocking about.  This is more or less like the one in O’Neill’s Dance Music of Ireland.

I don’t know whether you need a special type of fig for a kiss; “can I have a fig please; one of those ones you use for … ?” and if so is it the same sort which helps with the digestive processes.  Maybe just typing this little ‘f’ word will ease the blockage in my tune posting pipeline.

I must go now and post some Santa cards.

Hopefully the tune is more straightforward???

I didn’t know it so here’s just a rough guess as to what the dots at www.snowonthehills.org (http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display.php/8535) say it goes like.

I’ve a couple more to do too and I’ll get around to them as soon as I find where I tied the knot in my hankerchief.

(See CRÉ 3 uimh.145 for more reliable version.)

I know it’s meant to be bad luck stealing or interfering with thorn bushes in the wild.  Hopefully na daoine beaga don’t take such a dim view of thorn thefts from tomes.

Never could add up (or hit a high ‘A’ - worried about hiatus and all that stuff).

I used to think the title of this tune has something to do with petrol stations.  I then learned a bit (a very little bit) about spelling.  Any quasi-judicial activitles that used to occur round here tended to be located at the back of petrol stations rather than in front of them in any case.

This one used to be played by Con Cassidy. I should maybe let lazy dogs lie and not try to rush them. The tune bit me in a few places on this occasion for not following that advice but time constraints and all that these days …

(25/08/08 - apologies - this isn’t the Lazy Dog Highland - Marin is right.  When I get time I will get this sorted out.  The dog looks sort of comfortable here though).

The request referred to the “lovely flowing style” of a certain well known flute player.  I’m afraid I can only do stumbling but the tune can still hopefully be learned from here.

I learned it years ago as the “Flying Rockets” / “Robert Emmett’s Flying Spaceship”.

As is the case with sunsets (I think they require the sun to be in the sky at the start of the setting process), I haven’t heared tell of this tune for a long time.  I hope I’ve remembered most of the notes.

Hopefully this version is slightly less “inspired” (though it’s still a bit shabby in parts).

There is a lovely tune called “The Rolling Wave”.  I hope this is like it but I’ll not bet on it.

Neither tunes’ names nor names of tunes ever made much sense to me.  Hopefully this cat’s / Kit’s / whatever you please sir’s, apostrophised journey won’t lead to an ‘astrophe.

I’ve put 2 tunes on today as it being the twelfth of July, there are lots of other flute players and their friends clogging the streets of Belfast and causing businesses and places of entertainment to close. This gives me a lot of time to spend in the house this sunny Saturday.

I was asked to play this reel and here’s my attempt to oblige. Séamus Ennis’s father wrote the tune and there’s a great rendition of Séamus playing available on a CD. I think youtube even has a video of the same performance.

My attempt at picking through the tune is far from what the real thing is but at least it’s in ‘D’. (I had to find some good point to refer to).

Here’s a very common hornpipe. I’m sorry about the sound. I listened back to it (I normally don’t) and it sounds as if I recorded it in a particularly cavernous public lavatory. May it was the same one in which some 1970s record companies used to record their traditional music LPs.

I think Paddy O’Brien wrote it.  It was probably a lovely tune when it left his fingers first … like they say in Belfast about the Titanic - “it was all right when it left here”.

I’ve put the apostrophe before the last “s” thinking that this tune was the property of a single salt.

If anyone listening is fussy about tune versions then this particular one will probably send them straight to www.vexed.com.  Hopefully most other people will either like or ignore as they prefer.

Here’s a reel which I was asked to play. I’m not writing a disclaimer with the “Iwas asked to play” bit. It’s just that I’m so glad to have been asked that I can’t help but mention the asking in the posting.

I used to think this was a new fangled sort of a tune but the likes of Willie Clancy played it and Francis O’Neill has it in his collection from 1907 (I missed the centenary balloons anuraidh).

Here’s my Friday evening go at it anyway. (The name makes me think of taking leaves intravenously. I’ve (y) more chance of taking leave of my ….).

Anyway, here’s a sort of run at it.  I hope there are only 3 parts in the tune.  That’s certainly all there are here.

Maybe this rendition will offend someone out there into learning the tune properly.  I’m away out now to get wet and educated.

Here’s another tune I was asked to post. Posting ponies; is that like Pony Express are are they just post ponies?

Anyway, I’m never too sure of the first part but that wasn’t the focus of the query to which I’m trying to respond here. I hope I haven’t forgotten about any parts either. It’s a good job that the latter bits (another equine apparatus related term) hadn’t too many low notes as on finishing the tune I noticed that my foot joint (hoof?) had fallen off.

I hope that the tune is OK, though, and promise that no animals were hurt in the recording of it.

I vaguely remember being in a group once, many years ago, and “Mooncoin” was the polite one of the two names it had.  That’s my only connection with Mooncoins.

Here’s a reel I was asked to play. My postings of late have been about as frequent as my blacksmith sightings, merry or otherwise, but being reminded of this tune at least stirred me into a brief flurry of activity. This particular tune is very suitable for the flute and provides ample opportunity for anvilesque hammering sounds on the D notes. On this occasion I seem to have let most of these opportunities slip by but at least it’s nice to know that they will still be there the next time I try the tune.

I hope this version is OK.  My recall facility for tunes has been a bit vague lately.

I had to look this one up on the internet as I didn’t know it.  I hope my dot to note transfer has allowed the tune to arrive without being too scathed.

I think this tune is in B minor.  My bad spelling allows me to think of digging in the ground for stripy, stingy things (stingy as in needle-arsed rather than tight arsed) but that’s neither here nor there in the context of this tune.

(Sorry for using the ‘a’ word).

I played a three part version at the end of this recording.  I’ve heard three parts from a few people, one being Paddy Canny.  My problem regerding part 3 may be that in fact Paddy can whereas I canny play it but I thought I’d try anyway.

I have another reel which I’ve been asked to play but I think I’ll need to excavate a particular tape recording before I can chance the second half of it.  I’m off now to look for a shovel.

I think this is the number two variety of Martin Wynne reel.  I’ll have to get round to recording at least one other so as to bring about a Wynne Wynne situation.

(This tune had a helium fit earlier. If it is still all Pinky and Perky tomorrow I’ll record it again. In the meantime I’d recommend slowdown software).

(26/01/2008 - I’ve rerecorded the tune now.  The only problem may be that I’ve forgotten some of it in the meantime).

I think this one is close to the version that John Doherty used to call “Mooney’s Reel”.

I know a different version of this tune which I’ll maybe try once this one I’ve woken up from this one

 I’m not sure about the two names this reel gets called by.  I suppose when someone wasn’t able to remember one of them then the other sprang to their mind as an obvious alternative.

It was recorded by Michael Coleman around 80 years ago. I don’t think he had a name for it. I’m not sure where this name came out of but it conjures up some interesting images though I can’t quite tell what they are of.

I don’t know what the “Rio” in question is. Maybe its just that the name sounds better that “The Reel of Lagan”.

I seem to have run out of names of tunes to post so I’m going to have to start ganning ainms for the next while.

I learned this jig from a piper who has an ainm - Robbie Hannan - but whose ainm for this jig escapes me just now. I was never sure just how the two parts of the tune got on with each other but sometimes I can sense an uneasy peace between them.

I’ll try the reel version soon.

I’ll try to think of something else to play between now and the Santa season’s epicentre.

Here’s one anyway.  I’m not sure whether the title refers to the said mountain’s hue or to its being made of recycled hills.  It certainly can seem on occasions to be a fairly recyclable reel.  It’s a nice one all the same and helps flute players to believe that tunes aren’t all that hard after all.

Here’s a reel which is as un-ainm-ated as I feel today having been at an over-crowded, over-priced and over-cooked Christmas (it’s barely even December) dinner last night. At least now it’s just an over dinner without a hyphen in pursuit.

Whatever about the name, I know enough about this tune to be able to say that I’m playing it in the key above its normal one. The present key is much easier on the flute than its G minor neighbour.

I have to go out into the rain now and listen to the shouts of the man who drinks beside the bus stop. He appears very placid in good weather but anticyclones seem to upset him. Hopefully the bus won’t be too long in arriving.

I played the tune in a big, empty room so each note probably repeats itself about ten times.  Just like my cooking.

One of my problems with playing this tune is that is seems to have far more notes than I do.  Another is trying to identify what these notes are and in which order they ought to come.  I tried looking at Reavy’s book “Where The Shannon Rises” to see whether his version would shed any light on the matter but this just reinforced my view that none of his tunes are normally played the way he wrote them.

Anyway, here’s an attempt at an average of the myriad settings of this tune which tend to be lurking about the place.

I’ve often had rain flowing down my back but that doesn’t normally inspire anything other than cursing.

I hope it’s a nice jig whatever its name is.

Oíche mhaith,

Michael.

Sorry for the higgledy-pigglediness of the posts over the next few days. I’ll tidy them up next week.

I stole my wife’s flute to play it here.  There could be a slippery slope here somewhere.

I think this tune is much nicer than my cooking. I’ve moved it up one from the G minor key some people play it in.

As for Mary’s taste in whiskey (or whisky) … what’s wrong with Power’s or Jameson’s? (apart from the paranoia they induce)

This is the 500th posting I’ve put on this site so I’m away for a lie down and to think of a few tunes for the next thousand.

This is a fairly popular tune which seems happy to have as much or little done to it is one may prefer.

In any case, here what remains of my recollections of it. I’m sure www land contains some less time-bevaguened versions.

‘E’s between the ‘A’s in the second part seem the ease the journey a bit.  Just a notion but it might sound normal enough in a crowded pub.

It’s worth getting hold of RTÉ’s CD “The Donegal Fiddle” to hear the late, great Mr. Byrne playing it.

It is a very popular tune and is on a lot of recordings.  Packie Duignan recorded a particularly nice version of it.

Here’s my attempt at remembering it.

I hope the tune survived my memory lapses and general inability to play at the moment.

I think I’m getting used to this new flute now.  I’m not quite so sure about being used to the recording levels to stop the Ps escaping from the MP3 files of it.

I’ll try again tomorrow.  I’ll call that Friday.

In the meantime I’d better go off and feed my hungry new flute with almond oil.

I’m playing it on a brand new flute here and I have also been eating chicken too recently.  I’m not sure that that is a perfect set of circumstances for flute playing but I hope the tune is decipherable amidst the lathe whirring and the distressed clucking.

This is also known as the Sweep’s hornpipe. Poor old Béal Feirste could do with a good brushing. Now that the whole town is a smokeless zone there are probably plenty of spare bristled implements with which to effect that very same cleanup.

It’s a great tune for the flute.

It took me about ten minutes to get anything even resembling a tune out of my flute this morning.  I’m sorry if this tune sounds excessively reluctant.

Here’s a reel I think I heard from James Byrne who is a great fiddle player from Donegal. I’m not sure what scowling looks like (I’ve led a charmed life) so apologies if the attached image is erroneously selected.

This version is fairly close to the one on O’Neill’s book although my copy is very old and grubby and it can be hard to tell whether some of the black marks are notes or just scattered bits of dirt.

As part of a dissertation on Irish traditional music I am trying to find out what various musicians’ attitudes are to changes which have affected this music over the years. I am asking people to give brief answers to the two questions below. The answers can be in either English or Irish (the dissertation is in Irish). I don’t want people to spend too much of their time on them; a few lines would do. I’ll refer to the answers I get in the conclusions section of the dissertation.

If you are willing to write a couple of lines please email them to me (iflute@googlemail.com) or post them as comment on this post.  I have also asked for comments at http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/15024  and at http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=53095 (sorry for being greedy).

Many thanks,

Michael.

English version

“From 150 until 50 years ago Irish Traditional Music did undergo change and evolution but it is likely that a musician from the beginning of that period would have found little difficulty in playing with a musician from its end. The changes in the music over the last 50 years, however, mean that in some cases, that would not be the case for many musicians over the span of the last 5 decades.”

1) Do you agree with this statement?

2) Do you think that Irish Traditional music is in a better state than it was 50 or 150 years ago?

Leagan Gaeilge

“Ó Chéad bliain go leith ó shin go dtí caoga bliain ó shin, d’imir athruithe agus forbairt tionchar ar Cheol Traidisiúnta na hÉireann ach is dócha nach mbeadh deacrachtaí ró-mhór ag ceoltóirí ó thús na tréimhse sin ag iarraidh ceol a sheinm le ceoltóirí óna deireadh. De thoradh na n-athruithe a tharla maidir leis an cheol le caoga bliain anuas, áfach, ní bheadh sin fíor idir ceoltóirí ó thús agus ó dheireadh na linne seo a chuaigh thart”.

1) An aontaíonn tú leis an ráiteas seo thuas?

2) An gcreideann tú go bhfuil dóigh níos fearr ar Cheol Traidisiúnta na hÉireann inniu ná a bhíodh caoga bliain nó céad bliain is caoga ó shin?

I might have played this one on my plastic flute but I’m not sure.  I’ve been to Dublin and appear to have left most of my memory there.

(This is another plastic flute experiment)

Here’s this tune instead.  I think Bobby Casey used to play it.

I don’t think it’s played all that often but it is a comfortable tune for playing on a flute.

http://www.folktrax.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/menus/cassprogs/078.htm

(26/09/2008  The link above doesn’t work any more.  This one does: http://web.archive.org/web/20020605035813/www.folktrax.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/menus/main.html

A search on the page for 078 will then find the recording. It a fine recording of a great musician.  I hope it is still available.  The contact details on the site will hopefully lead you to it.)

This is yet another popular reel which I hadn’t remembered until now.

The stereo version of this reel is very popular in sessions.

I seem to remember this reel being quite pleasant and also quite popular in sessions.

I’ve been trying to be organised by recording tunes in advance and then posting them over athe subsequent days. This is OK when I have names for them but I’ve labelled this mp3 file as “ganainm17-18″ and I can’t really remember what it is. I suspect that it is a reel from which appears on pages 17 - 18 of the book “A Trip To Sligo”. If I’m right then it’s a good flute reel and the Trip to Sligo version comes from the playing of Colm O’Donnell (although I have neither access to the book or to a sound source to check). On the other hand it might just be Danny Boy or Nelly the Elephant. That mightn’t be so bad either as I’m probably posting too many reels anyway.

Wharever about its name, some of its notes are pleasant enough.

Here’s a nice hornpipe.  The second part is supposed to have a couple of D sharps in it but my flute wasn’t really convinced.

I’ll record The Maids of Castlebar as well when I get a chance so that the reference to McFarley’s being a version of it makes some sort of sense.

Here’s a popular jig dedicated to some semi fossilized plants which usually get thown on a fire.

I’ve played the first part single here. It maybe ought to be double, or maybe I would have been better leaving both parts out completely.

The name of this reel always reminds me of wallpaper.  I suspect I’m missing the point but I see more walls than birds or other flocking creatures in my daily life.