slower celtic tunes

[guitarlifter]

I'm building up a repertoire of songs to play at coffee houses, festivals, etc. I have a good number of faster and mid tempo tunes, and finding more doesn't seem to be a problem. But I would like more slow tempo tunes. I'm really liking Celtic songs, especially minor sounding ones. Anyone have suggestions for tunes that I could look up and learn? Thanks!

[Seter]

MacPherson's Farewell
Neil Gow's Lament for his 2nd Wife

[OneChordTrick]

How about a couple of my favourites:

Farewell to Whisky
Da Slockit Light

[guitarlifter]

MacPherson's Farewell
Neil Gow's Lament for his 2nd Wife

Thanks! Those are perfect!

[foldedpath]

Here are a few from the last St. Patrick's Day gig, to slow things down between the faster sets:

Autumn Child
Far Away (waltz)
Hector the Hero
Brian Boru's March
Carolan's Welcome
Planxty Fanny Power

[Caleb]

Morgan Megan, Hewlitt, O’Carolan’s Quarrel with the Landlady, all by O’Carolan. Any intermediate player could be enjoying these by the end of a focused afternoon.

[Dacraw54]

The Cliffs of Dooneen, Only your rivers run free - both as instrumentals. The Downfall of Paris, Roisin Dubh, Si Beag Si Mor, The Southwind, Limerick's Lamentation, Glory O to the Bold Fenian Men, The Croppy Boy, The Battle of the Somme, Planxty Irwin, Planxty Brabazon, The Crested Hens. The Women of Ireland (this was used as a Waltz in the Robin Hood movie with Cate Blanchett) but is more usually played as a Slow Air.

[John Kelly]

Have a search for Scottish Slow Airs and fiddle tunes by both Niel and Nathaniel Gow or James Scott Skinner. Ronnie Aim's beautiful Heroes of Longhope, Wild Rose of the Mountain, The Hills of Lorne, Leaving Lochboisdale, Innisheer, tunes by O'Carolan for Irish tunes.

I have many examples on my Youtube page and the link is below.

[Simon DS]

Songs:
Leaving of Liverpool
Will you come to the bower?
Spancil Hill
those are probably minor sounding enough... :)

[mandroid]

Waltzes?

[sblock]

Among the slower Irish tunes, I happen to like these a lot:

Star of the County Down
Road to Lisdoonvarna
O'Carolan's Concerto
Si Beag, Si Mhor

[foldedpath]

Waltzes?

The waltz format isn't exactly traditional "Celtic," although slow airs are often flattened out into 3/4 metered time as a sort of pseudo-waltz.

The "Far Away" waltz I listed above isn't Celtic either, it's a recent New England contra dance tune. Also known as the "Shrek Waltz" because it was licensed for that movie. Celtic or not, the tune has migrated into quite a few local Irish trad sessions on this side of the pond, so I think it fits the general theme.

[themandocello]

Polkas and Slides tend to be slower than say reels and jigs, some slip jigs are also slower.

Slip Jigs:
The Butterfly
Kid on the Mountain
Bridegroom's Delight

Slides:
Road to Lisdoonvarna
The Old Favourite
Star Above the Garter

Polkas:
All the Way to Galway
Britches Full of Stitches
As I Went Out On The Ice

[Dacraw54]

Irish Mazurkas are a medium tempo 3/4 tune (accent on the 2nd beat) that can also be played at a Waltz Tempo (accent on the first beat): Sonny Brogan's, The Irish, The Kerry, John Doherty's, Shoe The Donkey,

[Bob Clark]

I don't actually know the tempo this one is meant to be played at, but it sounds good slow: Spalpeen Fanach. (Feel free to correct me if it is meant to be fast, but it is a lovely melody played slow).

[JCook]

My Lagan Love is a fine Irish tune that goes well slowly. You can try some of the "fast" tunes at a slow tempo also, and many of them may work well that way.

Jack

[foldedpath]

My Lagan Love is a fine Irish tune that goes well slowly. You can try some of the "fast" tunes at a slow tempo also, and many of them may work well that way.

Very true!

I play two reels as slow versions on flute -- "Maids of Mitchelstown" (following the classic Bothy Band slowed interpretation), and a slow version of "The Morning Dew" reel, based on a guitar version I heard on a John Doyle recording.

Two tunes already mentioned -- "Road to Lisdoonvarna" and "Star of the County Down" -- are fast tunes in their original settings, but sometimes slowed down for effect.

[Mark Gunter]

I like this Norman Blake Medley for a slow-to-moderate piece. I think two of the three at least have Celtic origins:

Loch Lavan (Leven) Castle
Santa Ana's Retreat
Cattle In The Cane

p6mDQl0Nge8

[Simon DS]

I like this Norman Blake Medley for a slow-to-moderate piece. I think two of the three at least have Celtic origins:

Loch Lavan (Leven) Castle
Santa Ana's Retreat
Cattle In The Cane

p6mDQl0Nge8

Nice one!
Here's the thread with .abc/pdf TAB etc for Loch Lavan (Leven) castle:
https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/group.php?do=discuss&discussionid=1524167415

[Bren]

Faraway Grandchild by mandolin cafe poster Dagger Gordon is a lovely slower tune with a minor theme.

The Dark Island is one of the best known "slow minor key" Scottish tunes.

I've heard some lovely guitar arrangements of "the Duke of Fife's Welcome to Deeside" that would adapt well to mandolin and suit your restaurant gigs.

Check out Dan ar Bras and Duck Baker's versions.

[ptritz]

You might want try browsing through O'Carolan's tunes. He composed a lot of tunes, and almost any one you pick will sound very nice at slow to medium tempos.

[guitarlifter]

Have a search for Scottish Slow Airs and fiddle tunes by both Niel and Nathaniel Gow or James Scott Skinner. Ronnie Aim's beautiful Heroes of Longhope, Wild Rose of the Mountain, The Hills of Lorne, Leaving Lochboisdale, Innisheer, tunes by O'Carolan for Irish tunes.

I have many examples on my Youtube page and the link is below.

Thank you!

[Caleb]

Morgan Megan, Hewlitt, O’Carolan’s Quarrel with the Landlady, all by O’Carolan. Any intermediate player could be enjoying these by the end of a focused afternoon.I wrote Morgan Megan, but I meant Sheebeg Sheemore, a really wonderful tune I play in D and run together with Hewlitt. Morgan Megan works well in G and ran together with George Brabazon’s 2nd Air. O’Carolan tunes are great for mandolin.

[Chuck Leyda]

Lots of great tunes here. Let me add The Wren and After the Battle of Aughrim.

[darylcrisp]

wow, great thread, I also like slower celtic tunes and the replies are amazing.

check mandolessons.com, he has some there, I like his version of Si Beag, Si Mhor

[Rob Ross]

I'm very fond of The Clergy's Lamentation, but almost no one I've played with knows it. It's attributed to O'Carolan, but some folks aren't sure. I learned it off a Horslips album, they play it through slow, then again at double time. Sounds very nice on a mandolin.

[Dagger Gordon]

I would make a distinction between slow airs and 'slower' tunes.

Harp tunes are good on mandolin, which of course takes in the O'Carolan stuff. I particularly like Morgan Megan, but try Planxty George Brabazon (aka Prince Charlie's Welcome To The Isle Of Skye).

There is a lot of much more contemporary harp music out there now, written by the likes of Savourna Stevenson, Ailie Robertson or Corina Hewitt. Worth checking out.