Welcome to the Vault
at the Irish Tune Bank
There are no locks on the doors.
Everyone is welcome, anytime.
- What is the Irish Tune Bank?
- Sign-up here for the brief and to-the-point email notice, New Arrivals at the Irish Tune Bank. We'll let you know each time a new tune packet is added to the Vault, and we'll also send you an interesting Fact from Irish Music History. The ITB is young and its holdings are small at this early stage. Be the first to know of its growing treasury.
Here you will find the following options. Click on one of the options below to find out more.
- Four free informational articles
- Three free sample tune packets
- Tune packets for purchase
- Other useful links
1. Four free informational articles. These will answer many of the questions that may come up as you read through the tune transcriptions and commentaries in the tune packets, so please do refer to these articles.
These are free .pdf (Adobe Acrobat) files. Click the titles below for your free copies, and please share them with your friends. Please note: you must have Acrobat version 5.0 or higher to open these files.
- An Orientation to the Irish Tune Bank Transcriptions and Recordings
- Modal Scales in Traditional Irish Music
- A Guide to Grey Larsen's Notation System for Irish Ornamentation
- Advice for Flute and Whistle Players on Finding Good Places to Breathe in Irish Dance Tunes
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Don't have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader? Click here to get it. |
2. Three free sample tune packets. Each tune packet is in ZIP file format and contains:
- Grey's transcription of the tune
- His commentary on the tune
- And a soundfile of him playing the tune in MP3 format
Click each of the tune titles below to download these free tune packets.
- The Steam Packet. - Single Reel. What better packet than The Steam Packet, a great single reel. This setting is based on the playing of Willie Clancy (1918-1973), the beloved uilleann piper from Milltown Malbay, Co. Clare.
- The Bank of Ireland. - Single Reel. A well-loved reel, a must for a tune bank of course, and a popular session tune.
- Contentment Is Wealth. - Double Jig. The Irish Tune Bank's motto, and a great jig. This version is based on fiddler Hugh Gillespie's (1906-1986) 78-rpm recording from 1939.
3. Tune packets for purchase. Click on a tune title below to go to a page where you can listen to a sample of the tune, and then, if you like, purchase and download the tune packet. (This collection will be growing week by week.)
- Kitty's Wedding (Paddy Cronin version). - Hornpipe. This setting of the popular session hornpipe is based on Co. Kerry fiddler Paddy Cronin's 1952 78-rpm recording of the tune. He called it The Killarney Wonder Hornpipe.
- My Mind Will Never Be Easy - Slip Jig. A haunting and lyrical slip jig that dips in and out of shadow and light. It is in the unusual (for Irish music) E Aeolian mode.
- Kennedy's Haste to the Wedding. - Double Jig. A rare and unusual setting of a well-known jig from Michael J. Kennedy (1900-1978), the Northeast Co. Galway melodeon player, and one of my musical mentors.
- Last Night's Fun. - Single Reel. A great session favorite.
- Tell Her I Am. - Double Jig. A lovely jig, with a title supposedly based on sly comment by fiddler Michael Coleman (1891-1946).
- Touch Me If You Dare (Leo Rowsome version). - Reel. This setting is based on Dublin uilleann piper Leo Rowsome's (1903-1970) 1937 recording of the tune.
- Touch Me If You Dare (Peter O'Loughlin version). - Reel. This more angular setting is based on flute player Peter O'Loughlin's 2002 recording with guest fiddler Maeve Donnelly.
- Sign-up here for the brief and to-the-point email notice, New Arrivals at the Irish Tune Bank. We'll let you know each time a new tune packet is added to the Vault, and we'll also send you an interesting Fact from Irish Music History. The ITB is young and its holdings are small at this early stage. Be the first to know of its growing treasury.
- The Amazing Slow Downer. - An inexpensive software program that can slow down and/or change the pitch of the soundfiles (or your audio CDs), in real time. Very useful for learning these tunes by ear. Slow the tunes down if you like, and tune them to your instrument if necessary.
- Please send Grey your feedback on the ITB and, if you wish, post your comments for others to read.
- Contact Grey if you have questions that are not answered by the informational articles above.
- Grey Larsen's books on Irish music. Learn about The Essential Guide to Irish Flute and Tin Whistle, The Essential Tin Whistle Toolbox, and his other upcoming books.
- News from Grey Larsen. Sign up for Grey's all-purpose newsletter.