Selected Solo Mando Tunes

Tunes from Ireland and Scotland (mostly) flat picked on an Eastman AC 320 B, Martin D-28 Custom, or Kalamazoo tenor guitar.  Nearly all tunes are played in C9 tuning (CGCGCD) with the capo placed on various frets.

Celtic Guitar

"O wail for the mighty in battle, / Loud lift ye the coronach strain,/ 
For Hector the Hero of deathless fame, / Will never come back again."

Lovely tune mourning the death by suicide of the Scottish war hero Hector MacDonald (a.k.a., "Fighting Mac.)"  Most versions I have  heard seem to me to be a bit over-the-top sentimental, but I find in the music a thing of much sterner stuff.  
My Petersen octave mandolin has a top made of fir which is a very unusual wood.  It gives this tune a dark, rich tone that suits it well.



Hector The Hero (Octave Mandolin)

Awesome 4-part jig on guitar (flatpicked).  Understandably associated with the great Arty McGlynn who launched a whole generation of Irish flatpickers.   Guitar is in C9 tuning (C,G,C,G,C,D).

The Humours Of Ballyloughlin

At a post-concert session, I had the enormous pleasure of playing with the great piper Paddy Keenan.  When it was my turn to kick off a tune, I launched into "The Yellow Wattle" in dead man's tuning playing it pretty much as I do here (actually did it a bit better that night).  I started out on just 2 strings, then added the high D the second time through, then finished by hitting the low D a good bit.  Each time I added a string, he glanced my way with a raised eyebrow.  At the end of the tune he turned to me and said, "How many strings you got on that thing, anyway?!"  I was later told that was a high compliment among old school Irish Trad players, and I got it from one of the greats.  It is a treasured memory.

The Yellow Wattle (DDAD)

I was introduced to this beautiful piece by Cyril O'Donoghue through the playing of the wonderful mandolinist, Marla Fibish, who does it more justice than I ever could.

The Parting

Lively jig.  I play it a lot at a local session and it always gets a positive response.  I don't think it is possible to hear this tune without taping a foot.

The Humors Of Bandon

I recorded these 50 tunes, broken down into three playlists, to introduce anyone new to Irish traditional music to tunes commonly played at Irish sessions.  Recorded over the course of two evenings, these recordings are far from perfect, but can give a beginner a place to start.  The tunes are played at "listening" speed.  I would recommend listening to a tune until you have it in your head (or can hum it, sing it, etc.) then pick up your instrument and play it at a speed that is comfortable for you.  I hope anyone who finds these recordings is helped by them, and finds the enormous joy I have found in Irish Trad.  Cheers.

14 Behind The Haystack

12 Sean Bui

10 The Boys Of Bluehill

09 The Connaughtman's Rambles

08 The Lilting Banshee

06 Gander In The Prattie Hole

04 The Merry Blacksmith

01 Egan's Polka

I recorded these 50 tunes, broken down into three playlists, to introduce anyone new to Irish traditional music to tunes commonly played at Irish sessions. Recorded over the course of two evenings, these recordings are far from perfect, but can give a beginner a place to start. The tunes are played at "listening" speed. I would recommend listening to a tune until you have it in your head (or can hum it, sing it, etc.) then pick up your instrument and play it at a speed that is comfortable for you. I hope anyone who finds these recordings is helped by them, and finds the enormous joy I have found in Irish Trad.   Cheers!
Tunes are sometimes played in sets as follows:
Egan’s Polka / The Silver Spear
The Concertina Reel / The Merry Blacksmith
The Black Rogue / Gander in the Prattie Hole / My Darling Asleep
The Lilting Banshee / The Connaughtman’s Rambles
The Boys of Bluehill / The Harvest Home
Sean Bui / Calliope House
Behind the Haystack / Donnybrook Fair
The Wind that Shakes the Barley / Drowsy Maggie
Blackthorn Stick / Saddle the Pony / Out on the Ocean
The Humors of Glendart / Have a Drink on Me
The Rakes of Kildare / The Tenpenny Bit / Scatter the Mud
The Mist Covered Mountains / The Cliffs of Mohr
The Road to Lisdoonvarna / The Swallowtail Jig
The Staten Island Hornpipe / Chief O’Neill’s Favorite
The Earl’s Chair / The Virginia Reel / The Wise Maid
Patsy Geary’s / The Tar Road to Sligo
The Pipe on the Hob / The Hag at the Churn
The Congress Reel / The Star of Munster
Swinging on a Gate / Father Kelly’s
Garrett Barry’s / Banish Misfortune
The other tunes may be played as parts of sets, but are often played on their own.




38 The Hag At The Churn

37 The Pipe On The Hob

36 The Tar Road To Sligo

34 The Wise Maid

31 Chief O'Neill's Favorite

30 The Staten Island Hornpipe

29 The Swallowtail Jig

28 The Road To Lisdoonvarna

27 The Cliffs Of Moher

26 The Mist Covered Mountains

23 The Rakes Of Kildare

19 Saddle The Pony

17 Drowsy Maggie

I recorded these 50 tunes, broken down into three playlists, to introduce anyone new to Irish traditional music to tunes commonly played at Irish sessions. Recorded over the course of two evenings, these recordings are far from perfect, but can give a beginner a place to start. The tunes are played at "listening" speed. I would recommend listening to a tune until you have it in your head (or can hum it, sing it, etc.) then pick up your instrument and play it at a speed that is comfortable for you. I hope anyone who finds these recordings is helped by them, and finds the enormous joy I have found in Irish Trad.   Cheers!
Tunes are sometimes played in sets as follows:
Egan’s Polka / The Silver Spear
The Concertina Reel / The Merry Blacksmith
The Black Rogue / Gander in the Prattie Hole / My Darling Asleep
The Lilting Banshee / The Connaughtman’s Rambles
The Boys of Bluehill / The Harvest Home
Sean Bui / Calliope House
Behind the Haystack / Donnybrook Fair
The Wind that Shakes the Barley / Drowsy Maggie
Blackthorn Stick / Saddle the Pony / Out on the Ocean
The Humors of Glendart / Have a Drink on Me
The Rakes of Kildare / The Tenpenny Bit / Scatter the Mud
The Mist Covered Mountains / The Cliffs of Mohr
The Road to Lisdoonvarna / The Swallowtail Jig
The Staten Island Hornpipe / Chief O’Neill’s Favorite
The Earl’s Chair / The Virginia Reel / The Wise Maid
Patsy Geary’s / The Tar Road to Sligo
The Pipe on the Hob / The Hag at the Churn
The Congress Reel / The Star of Munster
Swinging on a Gate / Father Kelly’s
Garrett Barry’s / Banish Misfortune
The other tunes may be played as parts of sets, but are often played on their own.



44 Banish Misfortune

Lively reel.  Sounds great on any instrument but really pops on the banjo.

MacArthur Road

Learn this one from The Chieftans who follow it up with The Old Blackthorn.  Don't usually hear the banjo featured in Chieftan recordings.

Within A Mile Of Dublin

Kickin' hornpipe by the great Terry "Cuz" Teehan that I love on the banjo played here on a borrowed Bacon and Day Silver Bell No. 1.  Thinking of getting one of these for the arsenal.

Cuz Teehan's

Excellent hornpipe named for the Chicago fire chief who preserved nearly two thousand tunes.  Always like to play this best on a banjo, in this case, a Bacon and Day Silver Bell No. 1.

Chief O'Neill's Favorite

Star Of Munster

Love this tune ... so full of energy, and four parts no less.  Also (originally) known as "An Phis Fluich" which has been translated in many ways, all of which are a bit on the racy side, so I'm going with the tame renaming.  Whatever you call it, it totally rocks!

O'Farrell's Welcome to Limerick

Heard Dervish kick into high gear with this jig on the heels of Coppers and Brass.  Sounds especially good to my ears on my "new" Bacon and Day Silver Bell No. 1 (1927).

Tatter Jack Walsh

Spirited jig with title that isn't always easy to call out in sessions!

I Buried my Wife and Danced on her Grave

Lively tune recorded on my long neglected Kalamazoo tenor guitar (1936).  Guitar is tuned D-D-A-D with a capo on the 2nd fret.

Hardiman the Fiddler - Tenor Guitar (DDAD)

Awesome Irish tune ("The Irish Jaunting Car") that legend has it was played in this form by an American fiddler on the way to the gallows, performed here on a Gibson-made Kalamazoo tenor guitar (1936).

Coleman's March - Tenor Guitar (DDAD)

Marvelously creepy jig made more creepy on a Bacon and Day tenor banjo.

Lilting Banshee

Spirited song that makes for a spirited tune.

Cunla

Another song that sounds great as a tune.  I usually play fiddle on this one but it really pops on my amazing vintage Martin Custom (D28).  Notes ring out forever!  Recorded on a Zoom H2n.

Rosin The Bow

Haunting tune that sounded especially good on my old Kalamazoo tenor.

Gallaghers Frolics - Tenor Guitar

First recording after a break following surgery on wrists and elbows.  One of my favorite tunes.  Played it on practically every istrument I have but settled on my trusty Gibson-made Kalamazoo tenor guitar (1936).  Appropriate music for the polar vortexes we have been enjoying lately to boot.

Cold Frosty Morning  (Tenor Guitar)

Lovely old tune about the universal subject of lovers being separated.  Flat-picked on a Martin custom.

The Blackest Crow

Classic tune on a classic instrument - my "new" Eugene Howard mandola (1890s).
THIS MANDOLA IS CURRENTLY FOR SALE AT BERNUNZIO'S UPTOWN MUSIC!

Rocky Road To Dublin

One of my all-time favorite jigs played on a 1916 Gibson A-1.

Banish Misfortune (DDAD)

My Love Is In America

McHugh's Jig

I am an amateur multi-instrumentalist with a passion for playing Irish Traditional Music on anything with strings (mandolin, guitar, banjo, fiddle, octave mandolin, mandola).  I also enjoy performing folk and old time music.  I created this page mainly as a way of sharing tunes with people interested in learning to play Irish Trad.  I play all tracks here in a way that I hope makes them accessible.  I play them musically, but simply, avoiding a lot of the repetition, ornamentation, or variation I might use if performing them publicly.  
I include here 50 common session tunes played on mando.  These tracks, broken down into three playlists, are intended to help anyone new to Irish Trad to pick up some popular tunes to enjoy playing at home, or better yet, at a session.  I also have lists for Irish banjo, Celtic guitar, O'Carolan tunes, and selected mando tracks of tunes people have especially liked.
 
For those interested in knowing what instruments I use:  
Guitar tracks are recorded with a Martin D-28 Custom (1984),  a Larrivee OM-02 (2019), a Larrivee D-50 (2003), a Kalamazoo (Gibson) tenor (1936), or an Eastman AC 320 B (2007).
Banjo tracks are recorded with an Epiphone Recording A (1928) or a Bacon and Day Silver Bell No. 1 (1927).
Mando tracks are recorded with a Gibson A-1 (1916), a Collings MT (2011), a Collings MT2 (2019), or an Eastman 605 (2009). 
Octave mandolin tunes are recorded with a Petersen Level 1 (2012).
Mandola tunes are recorded with a Eugene Howard mandola (1890s).
I use a Zoom H2n, and edit tracks using Audacity (cuts, fade outs, noise removal, amplification, compression, equalization).

Mostly Mandolin

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