Irish Eyes Are Still Smiling

St. Patrick's Day Jam Materials

With Saint Patrick's Day coming up you might want to add a few Irish songs to your gig or jam.  In fact, Bluegrass music is a direct descendant of Celtic music.  Many songs we like to do in Bluegrass are simply adaptations of old Irish Fiddle Tunes.  A few examples of Bluegrass tunes taken from Irish Seisuns are Old Joe Clark, Cripple Creek, The Girl I Left Behind, Soldiers Joy and Shady Grove. Other fiddle tunes like Leather Britches and Pretty Polly actually have Scottish roots.

Hal Leonard's Big Book of 75 Irish Songs!

If you listen to and play a few of these, you'll appreciate the Celtic heritage that is at the core. In fact, there are about 120 fiddle tunes that make up the average Irish Session repertoire whereas you can get away with about 50 for Bluegrass. Another difference is like Jazz, Bluegrass allows for each jam participant to "take the lead" in what's known as a breakdown.  Each player has the opportunity to embellish on the melody and add some fast licks and improvisation on the spot.

Musicians such as Merle Travis raised the breakdown to a highly sophisticated art form so much so that while traditional Celtic music does not allow for this, Bluegrass has flourished on its account.  There's something about having poetic license to create on the moment that appeals to the soul of most musicians.  There's something incredible about taking that break and doing something amazing with it!

Musicians Who Have Defined the Genre
When you think of Bluegrass, you have to list Bill Monroe, Earl Scruggs and Merle Travis among the first generation of artists who shaped the sound. Many Bluegrass artists hail from Appalachia among the Blue Ridge mountains where our Scottish, Irish and English ancestors first landed when coming to America.  The backbone of the music was Celtic but the flesh was shaped by a fusion of African (banjo) and uniquely American influences. 

Thom Bresh, son of  Bluegrass pioneer, Merle Travis

Today, punk rock fusion bands like Dropkick Murphys
have aggressive elements of traditional Celtic music blended in.  Ever checked out an Electric Autoharp? Have you ever heard a rock-bagpipe?  It's being done and it's fresh and exciting to hear what newer artists are coming up with.  They are pushing the limits of what we would recognize as core Irish & Scottish music. However, the challenge is to be true to who you are without simply regurgitating the same songs from the past.  Check out NewGrass too.

I think once you become familiar with the origins of a particular musical genre, there is no stopping what innovations you will come up with.  This St. Patrick's Day, take the time to play a few Irish tunes and see where they take you!

Playing our guitar and Autoharp at the Belmar, NJ St. Patrick's Day Parade

 

Belmar St. Patricks Day Parade

Dr. M. & band-mate Magda pose with a Little Martin Guitar and Oscar Schmidt Centurion Autoharp flanking Belmar's St. Patrick's Day Parade Deputy Grand Marshall, Janet McGrath. "Harp Hymns" entertained parade attendees on the Main Street parade route which numbered nearly 300,000!

SUNDAY, March 7, 2010 Main Street in Belmar...be there! Touted as one the largest St. Patrick's Day Parades and celebrations in New Jersey. Everyone will be there! Eclectic Sound will be on the ground, sampling Irish reels and fiddle tunes as well as all the excitement from the parade itself. Look for our tweets on Twitter, indicating locations of the best Irish pub music and jamming throughout the day. Busking was never this good!

The parade will be covered by Cablevision and re-broadcast on Channel 78. The Asbury Park Press will also have videotape footage from the parade at their website. Come out and meet us at the reviewing stand stage for some seriously rocking good times but with an Irish accent. Visit the Belmar, Lake Como St. Patrick's Day Parade on Facebook for parade details, routes and other helpful information. Check Twitter by searching #APPSTPAT to get our other parade photos and great places to hear Irish music in Belmar.

Be sure to check out St. Stephen's Green Publick House in Spring Lake Hts. for their Irish Seisiuns every Tuesday night from 7-10 pm. Getting to the parade is easy via the New Jersey rail system. Just take the train to Belmar and you are literally steps from the reviewing stand for the parade on Main Street. In fact the partying on the train is almost as fun as the parade itself! Dom's Pizza right next to the viewing stand stage on Main Street will again have their delicious St. Patrick's Day "green" pizza. Erin Go Bragh!

Photo Above: Magda & Dr. M. at the reviewing stand stage with parade organizer, Fran Griffin who is the creator of the Belmar Lake Como St. Patrick's Day Parade Official Group linked above.
Photo below: Proud Irish Drum Major leads the charge of kilted pipers during the parade this Sunday.