Welcome to GreyLarsen.com

 

Welcome to
Grey Larsen's
Irish Tune Bank

 

Already familiar with the Irish Tune Bank?

Click here to proceed directly to the Vault.

What is the Irish Tune Bank?

An online repository of traditional Irish Tune Packets.

What is a Tune Packet?

Three downloads, wrapped together in an easy-to-download ZIP file:

  1. Grey's musical transcription of a traditional Irish tune (as a PDF file), with suggested ornamentation, variations, and breathing spots for flute and whistle players.
  2. A recording (an MP3 soundfile) of Grey playing that tune, exactly as transcribed.
  3. Grey's commentary (a PDF file) on the tune, including its background, and insights on how to play it well.

Enter the Vault now to:

  • View and download three free Tune Packets
  • View other free offerings
  • Purchase additional Tune Packets for $2.49 per packet.

With tune packets, you can:

  • Expand your traditional Irish repertoire. These tunes are not just for flute and whistle players.
  • Improve your playing style and increase your fluency in the language of traditional Irish music.
  • View and download three free tune packets.
  • Get four free informational articles.

Always available for free download

Three free Tune Packets:

  • The Steam Packet. - Single Reel. Based on the playing of Willie Clancy (1918-1973), the great uilleann piper from Milltown Malbay, Co. Clare.
  • The Bank of Ireland. - Single Reel. A well-loved session tune.
  • Contentment Is Wealth. - Double Jig. Based on fiddler Hugh Gillespie's (1906-1986) 78-rpm recording from 1939.

Four informational articles by Grey Larsen:

 

File Formats for Downloads

The Transcriptions and The Commentaries are Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) files. You will need Adobe's free Acrobat Reader to open and save these files.

Get Acrobat Reader Don't have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader?
Click here to get it.

The recordings of Grey playing the tunes, exactly as transcribed, are available in MP3 format.

We find that The Amazing Slow Downer (ASD) is an extremely useful tool for learning music by ear, and for transcribing music. You can slow down the music, as well as isolate a challenging passage. It is great for practicing, for playing along with recorded music at your own pace, tuned to your instrument. We have found that Tech support has been excellent and prompt, often coming from Rolf Nilsson himself, the author of the software.

ASD slows down (or increases) the speed of the music - between -50% and +400% time-stretching - without changing the pitch. Change the pitch in semi-tones - at full or lower speed. Adjust the pitch in cents (100ths of a semi-tone) to suit your instrument. It does all this in real-time - just insert a CD and press the play button. It also slows down MP3, AIFF and WAV files on your computer in real-time. And it lets you set up loops, so you can identify a certain passage of music and have it automatically repeat. The sound quality is excellent.

Follow the links below to try out and order ASD through our website. If you like it and buy it through these links, we will get a sales commission and you will be supporting our continued work. Thank you!

Download the Amazing Slow Downer below:

We ask that you encourage others to buy their own tune packets, instead of copying yours. Hopefully our prices are low enough to make it affordable to almost everyone.