Thanks so much for your kind words and for stopping by :) there is a little bit of reverb added, but what you’re hearing is most likely the natural resonances of the banjo head - the top of the banjo is just like a drum skin, pulled tight, and it’s that which resonates and gives the notes their volume and characteristic banjo sound. Hopefully that makes sense! Thanks :)

@CelticFrets Yes, that makes sense. I didn't realize that the stretched skin not only increases, but actually sets a different resonance pattern than wood top instruments. Very nice.

Thanks Alastair! I love this tune, really beautiful and fits the guitar nicely!

Hi Charlie! That’s awesome :) Thank you so much for the kind words :) have you tried playing along?

Thank you! I love this tune :)

Thanks :)

Dammit, you’ve rumbled me 😜

you haven't an ear for music if you think it's the same tune

@@proche5133 Just kidding 😅

Good question! It’s always amazed me how similar and yet how different tenor banjo and 5 string banjo are - especially cause of the different playing styles. I’ve never played claw hammer myself, so it’s a bit of a dark art to me - maybe check out the banjo player Dan Walsh. I’ve heard him play Irish tunes claw hammer and do a great job of it! Sorry I can’t be more help! Happy picking! Or claw-ing!

@CelticFrets thanks 👍

Given that jigs are in 6/8 time, the first thing you need to do to play jigs in clawhammer style is alter your rhythm to match the jig rhythm. You might also try retuning your 5th string, to whatever note comes up most often in the melody, or to the root note of whichever key you're playing in.

Thanks :)

Thank you very much :) the titles are also in the description with timecodes if that’s helpful? Thanks!

Haha I’m pleased you like it :)

@CelticFrets Flatpicking is the only way to play Irish tunes on a guitar it gives it the drive it needs finger picking is ok for other styles just my opinion.

@@galwaytribesman9289 I know exactly what you mean - this is my favourite way to play tunes on guitar. It's all about that drive!

Thanks Emmet :)

It’s a great tune isn’t?! That B part is such a finger twister! But well worth it :) thanks for stopping by!

Thanks :)

Thank you :) hadn’t realised there was an American connection there! Thanks for the suggestion!

Thanks :) very kind of you to say

Awesome! Thanks so much for the info :)

This is a Fylde Orsino and I love it! I’d definitely recommend checking out Fyldes. For Irish session stuff you’ll not want anything too small, this is around the size of a dreadnought which works quite well. Lots of players use 13 gauge strings for a deeper bass - I did that for years but it came back from the workshop recently with 12s on and I’ve been loving how playable they are and they sound great!

It’s an Ashbury - nothing particularly flashy, but it’s done me proud!

Thanks for the kind words :)

Hey! Thanks for the kind words :) I guess it's my own arrangement of a favourite tune! I'm in DADGAE tuning here, which I use a lot! If you're interested, there's a transcription available of this arrangement in the "Top 10 American Irish Tunes" tunebook linked in the description! Thanks! John

Standard mandolin tuning - GDAE :) hope that helps! Thanks :)

They’re also presented alongside the manuscript notation which can be useful if in doubt!

Hahaha good luck in your search :) thanks for the kind words :)

🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

Awesome! I’ll try and keep them coming :)

Thanks for the kind words :) pleased you like it!

It seems the jigs video is generally more popular! I guess counting to three is easier than counting to four - maybe that’s why my jigs are better 😜

Agree. Cooley's is way too fast. Relax.

@@brendanmurphy4866 Hey! I've always thought it's really cool how you can pretty much play these tunes at whatever tempo you feel like (unless you're playing for dancing of course!). It always surprises me how different a tune can feel at a different speed. I'd recommend taking a tune you know well and trying it at a drastically different lick, it can be a lot of fun! The way I play them pretty much reflects how I feel on the day - the day I recorded Cooley's I'd probably had a lot of coffee! Sorry it's not the tempo you like, but it's probably a pretty accurate reflection of how I was feeling that day, and as far as I'm concerned that's what it's all about :)

Thanks! :) It’s a lovely tune!

Haha feel free to get the ball rolling ;) thanks! :)

Thanks so much :)

Thanks so much :)

Haha I prefer to focus on the prettier stuff ;)

Thanks so much for stopping by and for your kind words :) I’ve always found the movement of music around the world fascinating as well - particularly Irish tunes! I’ve just released a tunebook exploring the shared traditions which you can find in the video description, maybe that’s something you’d be interested in! Thanks again :) John

Thanks very much :) it is a great tune!

I think they’re phosphor Ernie Ball 12s. I was usually team 13 but these got put on when it was in for a service and I really like them!

Thanks :) pleased you enjoyed it!

Always the way! One of the trickiest things about running the channel is tracking down the names of the tunes! If you remember them let me know :) thanks!

@@CelticFrets Found them! Donald Blue + Sleep Soond Ida Mornin’. Your tune being the first tune of the set

@@darraghgoggin848 Great tunes! That's a mighty set! Maybe we'll get to play them together one day!

@@CelticFrets for sure! Uploaded my first tune in years today!

@@darraghgoggin848 Sounds great! Those triplets are crisp as fresh snow 👌 Awesome work!

Thank you for the kind words! Great you're a mandolin player too! If you ever fancied a lesson just fire me an email :) thanks!

Thank you very much! :)

It’s a classic! Hope you enjoyed my version :)

Great! I can never believe how many ways there are to play these tunes! It’s a huge part of what makes them so fun I think

Hey! Thanks for checking in :) like it says in the description… These are the top 10 Irish reels according to The Session. Do you agree? Which one is your favourite? Which ones have I missed out? I’m thinking of doing an ‘Alternative Top 10’ video based on your suggestions in the comments below, so don’t hold back! I never said “best”, and my favourites are just my favourites - everyone’s will be different! :) What’s your favourite?

@@CelticFrets Farewell to Erin, Cup of tea... Greetings from Hellas.

All great tunes!!! I haven’t played a couple of them in a while, I’ll have to dust them off next time I sit down to play! Thanks for checking in :)

I had no idea! I just picked it up in a session! Thanks for letting us know :)

@@CelticFrets yes, I wrote this tune. I'm cool about its use, as long as people credit me with the composition...

@@SandyMathers Quite right! I've added a note in the description - thanks for the tune, it's a favourite of mine!

Absolute belter of a tune!!!

Thank you! It’s one of my favourites!

Hey! Thanks for stopping by :) it’s a classic!

Go raibh maith agat! :)

​@@CelticFretsFadhb ar bith 😉

Hey, this performance is in DADGAE tuning, which is my preferred tuning for playing Irish music, but I can write it out in standard tuning for you if you'd like :) in fact, I could do both for you so you can explore them both and see what you like. Just send me an email on the address at the start of the video and we can get it sorted, thanks! :)

Thanks Tim! :)