Selected Solo Mando Tunes

"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)

This is Robin Bullock's solo mandolin arrangement of the old time fiddle tune supposedly played by Joe Coleman on his way to the gallows. There is a nice moving line in the bass near the end of this tune that is worth the wait.  I was lucky enough to get a one-on-one lesson from Robin on how to play it.  I still can't perform it as masterfully as he does, but I'm working on it!  Thought it was an original tune by Coleman but it's just a reworking of the Irish Trad tune/song  "The Irish Jaunting Car."

Coleman's March (in DDAD)

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)

Even though this is an old time tune, people at my Irish Trad session used to play this lovely waltz at the end of the evening.  It seemed to return us from the distant places we'd been to on the Emerald Isle and elsewhere, planting us back in our home soil.  I didn't know the tune, and would often pack up and stroll out of the pub with it caressing my mind.  It lilted about in my head the whole time I was walking home, and many a night was still with me when I drifted off to sleep.  

Midnight On The Water (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

O'Carolan's stab at a "concerto" composed in response to the popularity of continental competitors.

O'Carolan's Concerto

One of my all time favorite jigs.  Impossible to be in a bad mood playing this one.

Cuil Aodha Jig

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

This lovely tune (the title translates as "the light that has gone out") was composed by Shetland fiddler, Tom Anderson, who was inspired by the scene of the lights going out one by one in his village as he departed.  He thought of how many people had moved away and how few people remained.  He had in mind as well the recent death of his wife.  The tune was played at Anderson's funeral.

Da Slockit Light

Lilting tune.  Fun to play fast or at a nice, slow pace.  Original titles of this tune were variations of "Girls for Sale," so Francis O'Neill renamed it "Tobin's Favorite" in honor of Chicago fiddler, Adam Tobin, who apparently had a fondness for the tune.

Tobin's Favorite

"And since it falls unto my lot,
That I should rise, and you should not,
Then pour to me the parting glass,
Goodnight, and joy be with you all."

The Parting Glass (Octave Mandolin)

Lovely barndance I learned from the inspirational playing of Marla Fibish, recorded on a new acquisition - a Collings MT (2014).

The Gypsy Princess

Spirited song that makes for a spirited tune.

Cunla

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).

Selected Solo Mando Tunes

Mostly Mandolin