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

 

Big Book of Irish Songs

Big Book O Irish Songs from Hal Leonard

This time of year, everyone wants to be a little Irish and if you are playing local pubs and coffee houses, you might want to have a few Gaelic ballads on your set list.  Your audience will appreciate your inclusion of them even if they aren't Irish just based on their beauty alone.

Now while "When Irish Eyes are Smiling" is a lovely sing-along, there is so much more to Celtic music than that.  You would do well to look into the history of many of these songs which oftentimes were written in homage to the wealthy landowners from whom Irish peasants rented.

Playing the Harp & Guitar - Saint Patrick's Day Parade

Therefore many of the songs in this genre are not necessarily love songs as one might think.  More than that they were written out of respect and awe of people occupying a certain station in society. 
Think of how an artist renders his patron in a painting.  Very flattering!  In other words the one who pays the piper calls the tune.  Traditional Irish Folk Songs like Garryowen are used as a Bagpipe March and have patriotic lyrics.

Wake Songs are also another type of Irish music that might be misunderstood.  A parting glass and an Irish Wake was part of the experience of many who would leave Ireland never to return to friends or family.  Needless to say, these are very moving compositions.  Hal Leonard's Big Book of Irish Songs for Piano Vocal & Guitar offers lyrics and guitar chord diagrams in standard notation.  Not all are Folksongs but quite a few are from Tin Pan Alley such as those written by George M. Cohan (Mary's A Grand Old Name & Harrigan) The songs are alphabetically ordered for easy access and the book itself folds quite flat for your music stand or piano.  This is NOT a Fake Book so be prepared for multiple chord changes on the guitar.  Well worth the effort if you want to get the full flavor of each song.

Drum Major leading a band of Pipers playing Garryowen.