feis tunes

[daikon]

Would anybody out there in Cafeland be able to suggest a list of the most popular tunes for accompanying Irish dancing?

My 5-year-old daughter's best friend has become quite involved in the Irish dance scene and now my daughter want to try it too. We, the parents, thought it would be fun to learn 10-20 tunes (hornpipes, jigs, etc.) that are commonly playes at feis (pron. "fesh"), the Irish dancing competitions.

Also, does anyone knows of good recordings that would allow us to hear how these tunes are played for dancing. From the little I've been able to gather, there appears to be some distinction between how tunes are played for dance accompanyment vs. the typical jam style.

Thanks in advance.

[mikeyes]

Tony Nother is probably the best North American feis musician (http://www.irishrecords.com/tonynother.html) and is highly respected for his strict tempos and his relationship with the dancers. I'd start out by getting his CDs and then consider taking his class at the Milwaukee Irishfest summer school.

I played with Tony at the last Milwaukee Winterfeis on the championship stage and it was a blast. It is a lot of hard work, and you have to keep strict time at that level.

There ar two types of tunes you have to know: the standard tunes which include hornpipes, reels, and several types of jigs including slipjigs and the set dances which are prescribed by the dance association. For your little girl I don't think she will do something like "St. Patricks Day" yet, but in order to be a complete feis musician you will have to learn them. I don't have the list in front if me but there are around 15 to 20 of the set dances and the tunes are set each year.

As for the other tunes, anything that is easy for you to play and in the categories mentioned above can be used as long as you keep to the tempo ranges that are prescribed at each level.

So you see there is a lot to being a good feis musician and expert musicians are welcomed to the feisanna (sp?) and even paid! Go to http://www.oireachtas.com/ for more information.

Mike Keyes

[mikeyes]

It's feisianna, by the way.

Another source of music is http://www.geocities.com/irish_danci...ing_Music.html but if you google "set dance" or "irish dance" you might get a lot more.

Mike Keyes

[Jim M.]

As for the other tunes, anything that is easy for you to play and in the categories mentioned above can be used as long as you keep to the tempo ranges that are prescribed at each level.

I haven't played at the level of Mike, but the dancers I've played with usually didn't care what the tune was as long as they knew whether it would be a reel, jig, or hornpipe. I found that generally we played a good deal slower for dancers than we would for an instrumental performance or session.

[mikeyes]

Here is a start:
http://www.celticorbis.co.uk/tunecontrlpage.htm

Mike Keyes

[daikon]

Thanks for the relplies. I've checked out the recommended sites. I think I'll start with the Tony Nother CD's and get myself a new metronome (I'm convinced my QuickTime one has been dropped too many times).

I'll check out the Fiddler's Fakebook and the TabEdit archives to find the tunes. Edited: I just checked the website in the previous post. Incredible! Thanks.

I'm also trying to figure out how we would split up duties in our "ensemble". We have a guitar, fiddle and me on mando. I figured guitar would be mostly downbeat rhythm and the fiddle would be melody. I would also play duet (w. fiddle) or solo on melody.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but there doesn't seem to be as much emphasis on the upbeat as in bluegrass. Is there a unique rhytym role for a mando or would I just keep time with the guitar?

Thanks again.

Mike Novak

[mikeyes]

You might consider plaing the tenor banjo too. The beat should be on the beat and not a backbeat as the dancers cue off of you. Tempo is all important as the dancers usually practice to a CD and are used to strict tempo. So no bluegrass chops <G>

Tony has a cheap little credit card size metromone that he keeps right on his accordian and refers to all the time. In addition, you can keep music in front of you if you need it, this is not a session.

Duets and solo are very common as you can use microphones too.

Mike Keyes

[daikon]

You might consider plaing the tenor banjo too.

I've branched off from some of the links mentioned here and have found a treasure trove of information.

Regarding the tenor banjo, my preliminary research shows that the "Irish" tuning is GDAE, like an octave mando (one octave below mando). Is this correct? If so, that's great since I wouldn't have to learn new fingerings.

Also, is the tenor banjo usually played with a pick (like a mando) or fingerstyle like a standard banjo?

This is mostly just curiosity at this point since I'd get kicked out of the house if I showed up with a new instrument.

Thanks again.

Mike Novak

[mikeyes]

Mike,

The tenor is played with a pick but there are stylistic differences and you may have to learn a new fingering style, but this is the subject for another list (http://www.thesession.org) You can buy a decent instrument for $350, however.

[otterly2k]

Daikon-I have a cheap (!) old tenor I'm looking to get rid of if you want to give it a try before investing real $ on it. A beater, but playable, and open back so not overpoweringly loud. If you're interested, email me.
KE