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Interesting to note that in a lot of cases, the two sides of the division aren't actually as far apart musically as either side might have thought (and as some on either side wanted). I've posted...

I like to use them.

As John said, for most of the Irish repertoire, first position/open strings are fine. In fact, they're probably more desirable to a lot of people than their closed position equivalents, as a certain...

Mary Bergin - "Feadóga Stáin 1" and "Feadóga Stáin 2".

Especially the first one - Mary Bergin's sublime whistle playing in combination with one of the definitive Irish rhythm sections, namely...

Fortunately, I don't need to visualise things that I can touch - I process tactile information well, so I can play instruments and drive cars. Parking, however...:(

Funny how different people's minds work in very different ways to achieve similar goals. I have very, very poor visualisation skills. My "mind's eye" is practically blind. It manifests itself in many...

Gosh. I started playing music about 30 years ago when I was sent to tin whistle lessons for a while. My music teacher didn't teach us to read staff notation. She taught some of the kids by just...

There was that, and then some! Moving Hearts in full flight were/are a formidable force. No wishy-washy, misty, mystical vagueness about them at all.

As a wry nod towards the advancing age profile of the band and audience, Dónal Lunny announced that set (The Lark) by saying that anyone who needed to go to the bathroom should do so before it...

His sister wasn't a banjo fan, then...? :)

He's a great talent. I saw him sing with the Hearts once at a reunion concert in the Point Depot in the early 90s. Among the songs he did that night was...

Hi Eddie.

Going by the website, all the currently publicised dates are for this side of the Atlantic.

Where did you see them during the Mick Hanly's tenure?

P

Went to see Moving Hearts last night for the first time in a couple of decades or thereabouts. A great gig - master musicians and true professionals in the best sense of the word.

The recent...

My ear (both of them, in fact!) would agree with you there, Dan.

The solo tradition (or soloist + accompanist) is one thing, but when it comes to bands, the rhythm section is at least as much a...

Thanks for the information Kevin. To be honest, even before this emerged, the only way I could ever see myself going to another De Dannan concert would be if I invented a time machine and travelled...

Tim Bowen has nailed it all in his post. Once you've started a given tempo, that's it.

The band might feel that it's too slow or too fast but the audience more than likely won't notice. If the...

Oops - spoke too soon! Won't be there tonight myself, due to work pressures, but there will be a session.

Hi Robbie,

I'm late into this thread, but in case you happen to be still checking in here while in Ireland, I do a session in the Crane in Galway on Monday nights so if you're in the...

"Ceilteach" would be used to denote all the celtic peoples, the term "Gaelach" (i.e. Gaelic) refers to the grouping of Scotland, the Isle of Man and Ireland.

The Irish word for Celtic is "Ceilteach", but it's not a word native Irish speakers would use very often. It's more part of the academic vocabulary than day-to-day vocabulary.

..for what we Irish did to the bouzouki...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gHvATmUsSg

Me neither. And for everyone's sake, it's probably just as well that I can't when asked that question...

I may have told this story before, but I actually once had a guitar player sit down behind...

I've been playing Irish music for 30 years and have been playing accompaniment (guitar and bouzouki) for about 20 of those and definitely, "First, do no harm" is something I believe in very firmly. ...

You have my sincerest sympathies, Mike. I sometimes miss playing music full-time for a living, but St. Patrick's Day is one day that makes me very glad I switched careers. I even got someone else to...

I spent a couple of years playing every Tuesday night in the Lisheen in the 90's. It's no longer the Lisheen and it no longer has music. It's still a pub (now called the Living Room) but it's one of...

If you're coming through Galway, check out The Crane Bar and Tigh Chóilí. Music every night (and also Sunday afternoon) in both. Tigh Chóilí has evening sessions (kickoff around 5-ish) most evenings...