Haven’t yet had a chance to post the previous sets mentioned. Yet, yesterday morning a particular mood came over me and I made a recording of Jacquelyn’s First, a single reel, and Roscommon Reel. I also found the time to tab out Dunford’s Fancy, a tune by the Waterboys.
Here is the mandolin (tab) tablature and sheet music for the above mentioned tunes.
Here is the recording of Jacquelyn’s First and the Roscommon Reel.
PS- You’ll notice on the tab for Jacquelyn’s First, it says “capo 1st fret”. I started playing it a half a step higher at first on the octave mandolin.
This weekend, I was left alone. With nothing to do and no one around, I decided to spend the weekend with my octave mandolin. Originally I set out to make a little recording of O’Keefe’s Slide with some non-standard back up chords. However, the recording just kept going…and going…and going.
Here’s something I call O’Keefe’s Strawberry Slide.
Enjoy!
Next up:
I found some old recordings of a practice D. Murray and W. Byers and myself preparing for the AB-Tech Benefit Gig the first year we were asked to play.
I’ll be posting two sets. Out of the Ocean/Morrison’s/Mug of Brown Ale and Garret Barry’s/Hag at the Churn/Rose in the Heather.
Had an excellent time jamming at the Swannanoa Gathering last night. Got to see some old friends, meet some folks who read this blog (That was fun!). Before I knew it, I looked at the clock and it was 12:58 in the morning!
Stu (octave and mandolin player) pulled out Devanney’s Goat, which I learned with him in David Surrette’s class two years ago (and promptly forgot the week after). He’s inspired me to learn it and commit it to memory this time. I’ll have it for next year Stu!
Anyway, looking forward to more playing with new and old friends this week. In the meantime, here is a recording of two tunes that are great paired together. It’s just the octave mandolin and a metronome. Enjoy!
PS- If you read this blog often, send me a note and I’d like to find you on Facebook. I enjoy meeting people who benefit from this little project. Thanks for all your support.
This counter melody was composed by Jim Magill. His wife, Beth, and I played a little gig in Hendersonville a month or so back, and she played this lovely counter melody on her flute while I played the tune on mandolin. Before she packed up to attend the Swannanoa Gathering, I was able to get a copy of the music to tab out. Ideally, I aim to create a recording of both these parts for the youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/ashevillemandolin.
Jack of the Wood July 7th, 2013 — Irish Session — Sean, Ryan, Billy, Doug, Lynn, & Shannon
Four years ago I contacted Tom about building an octave mandolin. We talked about it briefly, but then I didn’t have the funds at the time to pull the trigger. Turns out, that at the same time I was talking to him, another fellow was too. He even wanted the same scale length and wood choices. So Tom went ahead and cut out the top, neck, back and sides for two octave mandolins. He build the mandolin for the other guy, and had the pieces of the second mandolin hanging around his shop.
Fast forward to two months ago. I contacted Tom again. My work is going well, and I had some extra funds. He said, all I have to do is put it (the pieces) together!
I picked it up yesterday and couldn’t be happier. It’s got a rich tone and good volume. The scale length 21 3/4 is perfect for me. It allows me to play chords when I don’t know the tune, and play the melody easy enough when I do. Here is a quick sound clip, playing the Far Away Waltz and the Ten Penny Bit.
Tom is a fantastic, professional and timely builder/artist. The instrument was done a few days before the estimated completion, and the fit and finish are gorgeous.
After a few years of creation, I’m happy to announce that the Asheville Celtic Mandolin Collection is now available for purchase. A 20% portion of all profits from this book will go to the Swannanoa Gathering Scholarship Fund.
Standard Notation, Tablature and Chords for the Celtic Mandolin
Asheville Celtic Mandolin Collection Front Cover
Tabbed and Arranged by W. R. Kurczak
Fifty haunting and hypnotic Celtic fiddle tunes arranged for mandolin. The tunes are set as you would find them in a local irish trad session. The sheet music is in tablature and standard notation with chords. Includes reels, jigs, slip jigs, and waltzes. Excellent for mandolin, fiddle and tenor banjo players. Also includes a bonus section of 14 Celtic flat-picking guitar arrangements in standard tuning and DADGAD.
Mandolin Tablature Includes:
Attfield’s Lament ~ Banish Misfortune ~ The Banshee ~ The Blarney Pilgrim ~
Bunker Hill ~ The Choice Wife ~ Creeping Docken ~ Cup of Tea ~ Devanney’s Goat Dinny O’Brien’s ~ Dunmoore Lasses ~ Dusty Windowsills ~ The Earl’s Chair ~ Gallagher’s Frolics ~ Give Me Your Hand ~ Hag at the Churn ~ Hardiman the Fiddler Have a Drink With Me ~ Humours of Tulla ~ Inisheer ~ Islay Ranter’s Reel ~ Jim Ward’s ~ Joe Cooley’s ~ Lady on the Island ~ Last Night’s Fun ~ The Maid Behind the Bar ~ The Maple Leaf ~ The Merry Blacksmith ~ The Miller’s Maggot ~ Mist Covered Mountain ~ The Musical Priest ~ Na Ceannabhain Bana ~ The Noon Day Feast ~ Off to California ~ O’Keefe’s ~ Old Bush ~ Otter’s Holt ~ Peter Byrne’s Fancy ~ Poor Old Woman ~ Porthole of Kelp ~ Return from Fingal ~ The Reverend Brother’s Jig ~ Roscommon Reel ~ The Scholar ~ Sergeant Early’s Dream ~ Silver Spear ~ The Solstice ~ The Stonesmith ~ Trip to Durrow ~ The Wise Maid
Asheville Celtic Mandolin Collection Back Cover
Bonus Guitar Tablature Includes:
Attfield’s Lament ~ Banish Misfortune ~ The Blarney Pilgrim ~ The Choice Wife ~ Cup of Tea ~ Gallagher’s Frolics ~ Hag at the Churn ~ Islay Ranter’s Reel ~ Joe Cooley’s The Maple Leaf ~ Mist Covered Mountain ~ Na Ceannabhain Bana ~ Otter’s Holt ~ The Scholar
Enjoy!
I will aim to start making youtube video recordings of some of these tunes to play along with as well.
Mandolin Playing at the White Horse in Black Mountain. Spring 2010
I’ve gotten back to the Mandolin Tablature Book project recently. 12 more tabs with standard notation and chords have been added to the compilation, which brings it up to 35 or so at present. I may have 10-20 more to go!
Anyway, at the session at Jack of the Wood last week, Doug (Tenor Banjo) played The Scholar, and it sounded like an enjoyable tune. So I started to learn and tab it out. One thing led to another, and as I was surfing youtube to find clips, I found 2 other great tunes that I wasn’t aware of yet, and 2 I like playing but never got around to tabbing. Here they are:
Here are two new tunes with chords. One I learned from a fiddler at our Hendersonville, NC session. The other from a tenor banjo player from the Asheville, NC session. Click on the links for .PDFs.
I’m currently working on creating and collecting a number of Irish Celtic Trad Tunes to publish in book format. It will include numerous tunes with tablature, standard notation, and suggested chords for accompaniment. If you have any suggestions for a tune or two you’d like to see in this book, comment on this post. Leave the name of the tune and maybe a link to a youtube recording if you can, so I can hear it.
A portion of the profits of this endeavor will go towards the Swannanoa Gathering Non-profit. Tax-free contributions to to the Doug & Darcy Orr Music Fund and/or for our Youth Scholarship fund are welcome and may be made online on the donation form.
A few months ago I was asked to play at a benefit for the AB Tech Culinary School in Asheville at the end of April. I arranged a trio, of myself on mandolin, a flautist (Will) and a banjo/bazouki player (Doug). All decked out in our suits and ties, we played two hours of irish music amidst the aroma of some of the best locally inspired recipes in the world.
One of the sets Doug had suggested was Bunker Hill with Trip to Durrow. It worked out nicely, and you can see the tab, standard notation, and chords below:
Asheville Mandolin 