Mel Bay's Irish Session Tune Book [Sheet music]

Cari Fuchs (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1997

This book is the ideal primer for anyone wishing to participate in an "Irish session". This musical gathering is apparently quite different than a blues, jazz or bluegrass jam session in that it is customary at Irish sessions to play in tight unison with the other musicians, adapting appropriate tempos, rhythms, and ornaments in an attempt to fit in with the "groove". The "Irish Session Tune Book" features 300 reels, hornpipes, polkas, slides, and slip-jigs written without chord symbols for the melody instruments commonly played in Irish Sessions. The author shares a wealth of melodies collected over the past 10 years, the majority learned by ear at Irish sessions: fiddle, accordion, tinwhistle, tenor banjo, mandolin, bouzouki, etc. Authentic ornamentation is suggested for each tune with the admonition that ornamentation may vary from region to region and chorus to chorus.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

A native of New York, Cari Fuchs grew up with traditional dances of all kinds, as well as studying modern dance and piano (classical music). She lived for a time in Boston and in Europe before settling in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where she raised two children and practiced clinical psychology professionally. In the 1970s Cari resumed traditional dancing in the form of American square dancing and contra dancing, and English and Scottish country dance. Attending festivals and jams became a family lifestyle, as her children learned guitar and fiddle, her husband played banjo, and Cari focused on hammered dulcimer. In the '80s her grown children moved to Boston, so Cari would frequently travel there and join in sessions and dances. Cari primarily taught herself to play traditional instruments, including hammered dulcimer, concertina, and button accordion, although she did participate in occasional summer workshops and folk music/dance weekends. She and her band, All Strings Considered, play predominantly Irish traditional dance tunes, along with Scottish/Cape Breton, French Canadian, and homegrown New England melodies.

Product Details

• Sheet music: 128 pages
• Publisher: Mel Bay Publications, Inc. (July 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786625422
• ISBN-13: 978-0786625420
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,926,049 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Go with one of the O'Neill collections for a start -, May 26, 2006

By 

Tamnaceol (Lancashire, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mel Bay's Irish Session Tune Book (Sheet music)

If you are a beginner or even somewhere in the limbo of middling, this isn't a collection for you. Yes, the list of tunes is composed of session standards, but having played through everything here I have mostly found myself putting notes besides tune titles to the effect of "better versions elsewhere", and those 'betters' include the standards and standard collections of Captain Francis O'Neill, unadulterated. I am particularly fond of "Gems", and I like the oddity of "Waifs", though not for starters, and there is "Music of Irleand", but not Krassen's take on it...

More recent collections, series, worth considering include Ossian's "Irish Session Tunes" books, the 'David Taylor' collections, "110 Ireland's Best" series, "Mally Presents...100-", the recently revised "Irish Traditional Fiddle Music" by Randy Miller, and another I highly recommend for its variety of tune forms and for beginners or anyone ~ "Matt Cunningham's Dance Music of Ireland". This book I'm slating, the "Irish Session Tune Book", is on my shelf with loads of others, but it isn't one I reach for often or one that I recommend. I find aspects of the notation to be confusing, and as said previously, and you can take it as 'subjective', I'm not fond of the 'versions', preferring O'Neill in every instance...

Your most important tool is your ears, give them as much exercise as you can, listening, and don't be shy to carry a recorder into your local session, after asking if it's alright, practice being a good audience first, to learn their particular 'ways' with the music... But keep that basic respect, consideration and appreciation in tact, it is as much a part of the passion to listen as it is to play, and to be social in the interaction. Don't be shy to ask for help, most of us have a passion for it that includes helping others. We do have a vew grouches amongst us though, myself included. Take advantage of every opportunity you can to learn from others and use these skeletons of the music only as a basic guide. The real joy is in sharing, learning from others and doing it with others. There's the craic... Good luck...

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Session tunes, September 14, 2005

By 

Christopher - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mel Bay's Irish Session Tune Book (Sheet music)

This book is clearly notated, easy to read, and has a wide selection of common tunes in jig, slip jig, slide, polka, hornpipe, and reel time. In each tune is provided some limited suggestion as to variation and ornamentation. I play some of these tunes differently, but doesn't everyone?

Books are helpful to have around, and also a fun source for new tunes on rainy days or when practicing. Get a copy of the latest O'Neill's. Ryan's Mammoth Collection is also helpful, the Fiddler's Fakebook another one, the Northern Fiddler if you can find one, etc. There are numerous Scottish collections in a similar vein. There is also a ton of Irish music in abc format on the web, but you can usually find this book at the local music store, since it is published by Mel Bay.

La la la la.. go play some music.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good, Solid Collection of Irish Fiddle Tunes, April 5, 2011

By 

Elan Chalford "Fusion Fiddler" (Palm Harbor, Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mel Bay's Irish Session Tune Book (Sheet music)

The other reviewers seem to be taking the review opportunity as a chance to show they are better than the fiddlers who buy this book and use it. Which means they are better than me.

I can accept that. What I have found is that these tunes are good versions of popular tunes. They also feature popular variations in the same tune.

I've enjoyed using the book as a resource to get started on a tune that I heard on an album. Since I read music well, it's just easier and faster than learning by ear.

In the process of picking up a new tune, I will typically change it a bit to suit what I like to do when I play.

Yes, O'Neill's is the bible of fiddle tunes. But many newer tunes are not there.

I strongly recommend this collection.