The Best Order to Add Ornamentation to Irish Fiddle Tunes

[@HannahHarrisCeol]

What specific tunes would you like ornament tips for? I'll reply back with suggestions!

[@cheesecurd100s]

I'm just trying to get better at the common irish ones like Kesh Jig and Coolys Reel, but am stuck in my classical habbits. Also having a bit of struggle making the butterfly sound okay. My dream is to be able to one day to be able to play Dowds Favorite

[@HannahHarrisCeol]

@@cheesecurd100s you've got this! Kesh has a lot of good places for rolls, but you can also try cuts first especially on the starting note of both A and B parts. Cooley's is definitely a good one for cuts as well when you have two Es or two Bs in a row.

[@PWL1371]

I'm working on Swallowtail. Being a very older beginner some help on how to dress this tune up would be very appreciated.

[@HannahHarrisCeol]

@@PWL1371 absolutely! You could add a cut or a flick using a G 3rd finger on the E at the end of the A and B parts (D string). I usually put it between the 2nd and 3rd E. If you're comfortable playing rolls, you could roll the D-C#-D pattern any time it comes up, or alternatively you could take the C# out and cut with 4th finger E there (this is all A string). Also sliding up to a 1st finger B or F# on your A and E strings is a nice effect!

[@VilleValo300]

Morrison's Jig and The Butterfly Jig please !! excellent video! bravo!

[@spockb1186]

Great Demonstration, Hannah. I fiddle too, and wish wed meet and fiddle some tunes together.

[@HannahHarrisCeol]

Thank you! You never know, it could happen! :D

[@JuliaGoldman]

Thank you for sharing all your tips and knowledge! Your explanations are so clear and straightforward. :)

[@HannahHarrisCeol]

You are most welcome, Julia! I'm very happy to hear this -- and welcome to the Fiddle Tip Vault :D.

[@eugenemurphy3991]

Wonderful tutorials very much appreciated. Clear concise and very encouraging. (an Irishman learning Irish fiddle in Africa) 😊

[@HannahHarrisCeol]

Thank you so much, Eugene! I'm so happy to hear that -- where in Africa?

[@newt702]

Thank you for all the videos Hannah. You have helped me improve a lot!

[@HannahHarrisCeol]

That's music to my ears to hear! Any fiddle tip areas you'd be interested in exploring in the coming months?

[@dougnickerson]

I have been trying to add a roll to the F#’s in the Gaitlee Rangers

[@silvio76504]

Thanks for your fantastic lesson🎶👌

[@HannahHarrisCeol]

My pleasure! So glad you enjoyed!

[@dhritikonwar6668]

Informative video

[@HannahHarrisCeol]

For Bucks of Oranmore: lots of bowed triplets on open strings, and then play around with different ways to dress up the A in the 3rd part and the F# and E in the 4th part because you're hitting them so much. Some options are the noted triplet, grace note, slide or a bowed triplet.

[@dougnickerson]

Slowing down the tune to the speed that you can currently play the ornament is a great idea

[@HannahHarrisCeol]

Thanks Doug! It can certainly feel tedious, but really does help in getting the timing down when you do speed up the tune.

[@juliaohmusic]

Love the video!

[@HannahHarrisCeol]

I'm so glad to hear that! Thank you!

[@davidgunter6106]

I’d love some ideas for The Tenpenny Bit!

[@HannahHarrisCeol]

Nice choice! So any time you have a B-A-B pattern in the A part or an A-G-A in the B part, you could either roll that or you could do a lead-in grace note to start that pattern (D-B-A-B) or (B-A-G-A). The B part will actually come out more like a cut because you have the A in the pattern before. But play around with those! Some open A string drones in the B part would sound neat too.

[@mariaosullivan3610]

Hi I was wondering if you had any suggestions for the slow air 'Marbh Luimní'

[@HannahHarrisCeol]

Hi Maria! I don't play this one, but it looks like a gorgeous tune! With slow airs, I'd usually add in a lot of left hand ornamentation and double stop chords, with less of a focus on bowed ornaments. Some cuts, grace notes and noted triplets would be lovely, especially in the bars that stay on a B or D for the full measure. Definitely play around with how much and how little you add in each time through!

[@iandonohue7257]

as a baby fiddler.. what tunes should be in the toolbox before I could try to sit in on my first session?

[@HannahHarrisCeol]

Ooo you may not like this answer Ian, but it depends on the session! I would check out a session near you and ask some of the players what their go-to sets are. Some standard ones are Kesh Jig, the Ballydesmond polkas, The Butterfly. I'd even just have 2-3 sets you're really comfortable leading and then take notes on tunes you don't know but want to learn. Let me know if you have any follow up questions :)

[@vio4jesus]

The Lilting Fisherman (aka….the Kerryman’s Daughter) in C (Eileen Ivers version)…. what ornamentation is used on the open E string to G, the open E string to A. Is it just a bowed triplet?

[@HannahHarrisCeol]

Great question! You're talking about the start of the B part, yes? She's doing rolls there although you could certainly substitute bowed triplets in as a variation!

[@vio4jesus]

@@HannahHarrisCeol Thank you!! Sometimes, if you're not as familiar with the ornaments, it's tricky to hear on some recordings.

[@HannahHarrisCeol]

@@vio4jesus so true! Happy to help!

[@johnmc3862]

Kevin Burke rolls. 😊

[@HannahHarrisCeol]

Haha, John, I read that as "Kevin Burke rules" at first, so my first thought was "yes he does!" Is there a certain one you're thinking of?

[@melissapinkston4935]

How do you determine where to put an ornament? Is there a way to know where it is best to put one?

[@HannahHarrisCeol]

Hi Melissa, great question! If you're new to ornamentation I'd start out adding them in for quarter and dotted quarter notes. Eighths tend to go by a little quickly so any ornaments on those would be more like a cut, slide or quick double note pattern (which is one of the more advanced ornaments). Best thing is to play around with putting them in different spots too and finding which notes strike your fancy :).

[@melissapinkston4935]

@@HannahHarrisCeol thank you so much. I subscribed to your channel.

[@HannahHarrisCeol]

@@melissapinkston4935 you are so welcome, and thank you! I appreciate it. Any time you have an Irish fiddle question, let me know :)

[@Melvorgazh]

Ah, the Earl’s Chair. I tried to learn it with Mandolesson aka Baron but he plays it with triplets which is really hard for me. The Dick Caughan’s version had much less triplets.

[@HannahHarrisCeol]

It's so neat to compare the different versions! And then make up one for yourself using all the favorite influences :D

[@Melvorgazh]

@@HannahHarrisCeol Indeed. It’s not that I dislike triplets. They go great on the banjo. It’s more that for learning a new tune I reckon it’s much harder with them around. And prefer learning with a version with few triplets. The easiest version I found recently was by a Japanese flute player called Hatao; then Saturday Shannon and Matt Heaton made a slow session wich had the Earl’s Chair played really slow which was the very best for me for learning by ear. 🙂 I still have 1 or 2 notes of the B part to figure out tomorrow cause I am on a break today. Birthday Time. Making a hot air balloon in tissue paper. Also cause it’s a fairly small world in the Celtic trad even in the US would Valery Plested be a name that ring a bell by any luck? She used to play with Legacy and I loved their sound. She’s also a nice singer :) Kind Greetings to you Hannah, Sláinte! Tomás

[@HannahHarrisCeol]

I haven't heard of her, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time :D

[@Melvorgazh]

@@HannahHarrisCeol Sure. It’s here. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iZOkk6agdrN4b7c That band has 2 or 3 albums available for free on YT. But I am not sure you can watch it from the US unless you use a VPN app. She’s a good singer too and her Gaeilge is excellent. I like the sound of small bands too. :)

[@Melvorgazh]

Heyo Hannah and everyone else. Has anyone of you seen a video that explains the rolls, cuts and other ornementations of Irish trad on the giotár? Go raibh maith agaibh! Tomás

[@HannahHarrisCeol]

Hey hey! Thanks for your patience -- I'd highly recommend checking out Jim Murray. I believe he has some online tutorials!

[@Melvorgazh]

@@HannahHarrisCeol Ah, Jim! I know him from his videos and OAIM. I really like his style a lot. But I haven’t seen any video of him flat-picking. I just asked him in a comment on his channel. I hope he can help me a bit. Have a nice week, Hannah :) Mise le meas, Thomas

[@HannahHarrisCeol]

@@Melvorgazh Hope you have a nice week too, Thomas! Best of luck with the flat-picking!

[@Melvorgazh]

@@HannahHarrisCeol Thanks a lot, pal. Have a nice week too. ;)

[@mrneil2]

Currently working on “Julia Delaney” and “Lark in the Morning.”

[@HannahHarrisCeol]

Love both of those tunes, Neil! Definitely make use of open A and D string drones in Julia Delaney. I like to add some bowed triplets and noted triplets on the quarter notes occasionally. Lark in the Morning C part is great for practicing rolls on those F#s, as well as cuts and lead-in grace notes!

[@JustFiddler]

same

[@HannahHarrisCeol]

@@JustFiddler ooo now I'm thinking I should go live and do a tutorial for putting ornaments in both of these tunes! Would that interest you?

[@JustFiddler]

@@HannahHarrisCeol live is good too!

[@HannahHarrisCeol]

@@JustFiddler great! stay tuned :)