Traditional Slow Airs of Ireland (Penny & Tin Whistle)

Rating:
Summary: the beauty of slow airs
Review: I have been playing these slow airs for a couple of years now. They provide an excellent introduction to a part of traditional Irish music that is often overlooked at sessions where you tend to hear and play reel after reel, along with a few jigs thrown in. Of particular interest is the accompanying double tape set that goes with the book. Here Tomas gives you the title, many in Gaelic(so non-Irish speakers can mangle them infront of their freinds) as well as providing some beautiful examples of sean-nos singing. In fact, itis this singing style that is the basis of the slow airs as many of the tunes do have lyrics which you can follow-up on. I had a particularly successful experience with Mo Ghile Mear, which my band perform regularly. The tunes can be played on any tradional instrument, with the tunes in D and G. One drawback of the book is that only the basic note structure is written out with very little room for interpretation which you will have to do yourself - preferably from reputable performances true to sean-nos style. This problem is also evident on the tape recordings as the notes are played strictly as writ without ornamentation and without any room for pulling the music around. Fortunately there are many recordings of these tunes that bring the written music to life. Enjoy their beauty!

Rating:
Summary: lesser known Irish Airs
Review: This is my favorite book of music for playing with my tin whistle(s). I am an intermediate player, and not fast, so slow airs are perfect for me. Many of the tunes are new to me and already I have grown to love the many melodies. The tunes range from a number of Carolan tunes to many traditional tunes, all of which have Gaelic titles. THere is no background information on any of them. I recommend this highly for whistle players who are beyond the beginnining, read music and want to learn beautiful melodies well suited to the instrument. Many other instruments I am sure could use this music book, but I have little background in music so will not render an opinion in this regard. THe subtitle to the book does say, "Suitable for All instruments."

Rating:
Summary: lesser known Irish Airs
Review: This is my favorite book of music for playing with my tin whistle(s). I am an intermediate player, and not fast, so slow airs are perfect for me. Many of the tunes are new to me and already I have grown to love the many melodies. The tunes range from a number of Carolan tunes to many traditional tunes, all of which have Gaelic titles. THere is no background information on any of them. I recommend this highly for whistle players who are beyond the beginnining, read music and want to learn beautiful melodies well suited to the instrument. Many other instruments I am sure could use this music book, but I have little background in music so will not render an opinion in this regard. THe subtitle to the book does say, "Suitable for All instruments."