AlBrown’s seven thousand, six hundred and twenty-one comments

If you click on my user name and look at my profile, you will find an article I wrote on accompanying Irish music. It includes a brief and simple discussion of the most commonly used modes in the music. It might be useful as a starting point. more…

Good one, Johnny! more…

The popularity of specific tunes seems to ebb and flood over time. People play the heck out of them, get sick of them, stop playing them for years, and then someone says, "remember those old tunes we used to love?" and they start playing them again. Since... more…

Simple is better. Play the tune clearly and with feeling, and let the melody speak for itself. more…

If public venues keep falling through, take turns hosting the session in each other's kitchens. Sometimes the old ways are the best ways. more…

Get a Clarke. Cheap, with a nice, chiffy sound. Not too piercing, so you blend better with others at the session. And when I was learning, I found it easier to transition between octaves on the Clarke. I've played a lot of whistles over the year, but keep... more…

Can't help you with sheet music, but yes, she is a mighty good fiddler. more…

As scary as some folks might find this thought, I suspect that drumming came first... more…

I just dip the mouthpiece in Listerine. more…

Never play a tune so fast in practice that you end up practicing making mistakes. Slow and steady wins the race. more…