Music Books by Region of Origin

Musick’s Delight on the Modern Cittern is intended for the beginner seeking a collection of simple yet attractive tunes that are enjoyable to play; the more intermediate player desirous of widening their repertoire; and any player in want of a collection of tunes upon which they can build further. 

All tunes are presented in both notation and tablature, together with chords for an accompaniment, in GDGDG for cittern and GDAE for mandolin and octave mandola, plus two hundred and fifty chords each for GDGDG and GDAE. Bouzouki and tenor mandola players can also play these tunes via the tablature. 

From the age of knights, castles and courtly love; from the palaces and gardens of Renaissance Europe; and from the assemblies, playhouses and noisy streets of seventeenth and eighteenth-century London: Musick’s Delight on the Modern Cittern presents a repertoire spanning 600 years – as delightfully playable and addictive now as it was then.

101 excellent traditional dance tunes that, over the years, have been popular in the North-West of England. However, The tunes, were chosen and the settings were derived mainly from manuscripts to be found on The Village Music Project website, along with numerous traditional music books. All are listed inside. The tunes are relatively easy for the average player, are suitable for every instrument associated with traditional music and fall within the range of the D tin whistle, concert flute and D/G melodeon.

Although the cittern has a history spanning 500 years and several countries, like its cousin the Irish bouzouki, it is a relative newcomer to contemporary traditional music. Doc Rossi, a well-known citternist in both traditional and early music, has created this book for intermediate to advanced players who want to improve their technique, develop ideas and learn new repertoire. Guitarists can play all of the tunes in this book on the guitar by tuning C F C G C F, low to high, and putting a capo at the second fret. The lowest line in the tablature then corresponds to the fifth string. The CD features all the tunes played at a medium tempo.

Strum Together songbooks feature melody, lyrics, and chord diagrams for five popular folk instruments displayed together in an easy-to-use format. With this edition, you can play 47 Dylan classics on ukulele, baritone ukulele, guitar, mandolin, and/or banjo! This is a great resource for stringed instrument players who are ready to experience the fun of making music together. Songs include: All Along the Watchtower · All I Really Want to Do · Blowin' in the Wind · Forever Young · Girl from the North Country · Gotta Serve Somebody · A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall · Highway 61 Revisited · It Ain't Me, Babe · Jokerman · Just like a Woman · Knockin' on Heaven's Door · Lay, Lady, Lay · Like a Rolling Stone · Maggie's Farm · Mr. Tambourine Man · Quinn, the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn) · Tangled up in Blue · The Times They Are A-Changin' · and more.

Popular session tunes in Scotland. This latest volume comes by popular demand. Great tunes from new composers and old tunes that have stood the test of time to add to your Horo Gheallaidh collections 1, 2 and 3. This book is an essential addition to all fiddlers' Scottish repertoires.

Many of the tunes such as Aly's Watz, Doorus Mill, The Strayaway Child, The Cape Breton Fiddler's Welcome, Innisheer Milltimber King of the Mountains and many more, recorded on the best of Scottish albums.

While one of a kind is a hard rating to achieve at Mel Bay Publications, Kevin Allison has done it with The Ceilidh Dance Book. A ceilidh is a traditional Scottish gathering where people share songs, stories, music, and dancing that is very much alive today. In Scotland, there are hundreds of ceilidh bands, each of which has their own trademark tune sets, making it possible for a man in a kilt to make a living as a performing musician. This book not only provides 85 Scottish tunes in sets as they might be used in a ceilidh event ”it also offers detailed, beat-by-beat descriptions of the dance steps for twenty-four dances! From The Highland Scottish to The Mooncoin Jig, with this book in hand, you'll be able to both play in the band and step to the music with the locals. The kilt is optional. Arranged for mandolin or fiddle with suggested chord backup, in standard notation only.

This 4-volume teaching series continues to be enormously successful and popular. It aims to stimulate young players in particular, with all the new technical and musical ideas introduced one by one in a lucid and logical fashion.The light hearted illustrations by Peter Nuttall and Gerald Garcia are another attractive feature of the series.

Progressive Guitar Method For Young Beginners: Book 2 introduces five new notes (E, F, G, D and F#) and five simplified chord shapes (G, D7, C, G7 and D).

Progressive Guitar Method ForYoungBeginners: Book 2 contains very easy arrangements of over 20 songs and introduces the student to eighth notes, eighth note strum patterns and dotted quarter notes.

Songs include Pop Goes The Weasel, ForHe's AJolly Good Fellow, Michael Finnegan, The Muffin Man, London Bridge and many more.

Fiddle and bagpipe tunes from the Scottish Highland repertoire. "The Fiddle Music of the Scottish Highlands". Famous bagpipe composers such as Donald MacLeod, George MacLennan, Peter R. MacLeod, Willie Lawrie and many more are represented in these volumes as well as contemporary tunes by present day pipers, fiddlers and accordionists (Bobby Macleod,Freeland Barbour, Addie Harper etc) who are all producing tunes in Highland bagpipe style. This is the music that has been popularised by such leading bands as Alasdair Fraser’s Skyedance, Capercaillie, Burach, Daimh etc and toured worldwide to represent Scottish music in all corners of the world. Most of these tunes are not available in fiddle settings in any other publication.

Kyle Creed Clawhammer Banjo Master is a collection of clawhammer banjo tablature as played by Kyle Creed, with modern interpretations by Bob Carlin and Dan Levenson. This book is the first in a series of transcriptions of tunes from the old masters 'in this case, Kyle Creed 'who gave definition to our style of old time clawhammer banjo playing. The repertoire, presented in tablature, is intended to be a starting point for your journey through the old time music world. As such, each piece is presented in multiple arrangements, both on the page and through the online audio. Includes access to online audio recordings that are for the most part played at a learning tempo and are close to the written notation but not exact in all cases.

CLEARANCE

The Portland Collection, Volume 2 is a continuation of the music in the first Portland Collection, and its format is identical to that of the earlier book. Volume 2 contains 322 jigs and reels from the Portland, Oregon contra dance repertoire–all music that arrived in Portland since the tunes were collected for the first book in 1994-95. Again, Irish, Scottish, Québécois, Appalachian, and New England genres are represented. The tunes are both traditional and recently composed, from local treasures to national contra dance standards. There is an extensive commentary on every tune including stories about the tunes from their composers. There are chord suggestions, a discography, a bibliography, and more. The tunes and their histories were collected from many local contra dance musicians who generously gave of their time and talent to help us expand on the music in Volume 1.

This book introduces fiddlers to 3rd position in a fun and exciting way by using well known Scottish tunes as the examples. It is a very popular book and can be used in on its own or in conjunction with a non-Scottish 3rd position book if supplementary fun material is required.

Also included are some pages of 2nd position tunes to widen the interest in the uses of position work in fiddle playing and enable the players to tackle some of the material from Scott Skinner’s "The Scottish Violinist" book and tunes from the "Session" books, some of which include position work.

The Banjo Play-Along Series will help you play your favorite songs quickly and easily. Just follow the banjo tab, listen to the audio to hear how the banjo should sound, and then play along using the separate backing tracks. The book includes access to audio tracks online for download or streaming featuring Playback+, a multi-functional audio player that allows you to slow down the audio without changing pitch, set loop points, change keys, and pan left or right. This volume includes: Banks of the Ohio · Cotton Eyed Joe · Cumberland Gap · Eighth of January · Liberty · Man of Constant Sorrow · Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms · Wildwood Flower.

It's now over 30 years since Shaskeen first formed and are still going strong. Over the years they have made many albums; more session tunes from 2 of them can be found in this book. With chords, photographs, copious notes etc..

101 Tunes: Core repertoire for English pub sessions, country dances, ceilidhs, barn dances and hoe downs. Only 14 notes required to play all 101 tunes. With guitar chords.

Twenty one of your favourite Irish songs, arranged by Gary Meisner for accordion.

This book is the ideal primer for anyone wishing to participate in an "Irish session". This musical gathering is apparently quite different than a blues, jazz or bluegrass jam session in that it is customary at Irish sessions to play in tight unison with the other musicians, adapting appropriate tempos, rhythms, and ornaments in an attempt to fit in with the "groove". The "Irish Session Tune Book" features 300 reels, hornpipes, polkas, slides, and slip-jigs written without chord symbols for the

Accurate and extremely clear guitar transcriptions, comprehensively notated in tablature from ex-Albion Band guitarist Keith Hinchliffe, taken from his album of 19 tracks of tunes by the renowned Irish harper Turlough O'Carolan. Soundtrack available.

The Whistle and Sing! handbooks were designed by the author, Eamon Jordan, with a dual purpose; to offer modern arrangements of the more tuneful songs, airs and dance music of Ireland and to write these down from actual players in a simple setting which beginners could approach with confidence, and the more experienced players would elaborate upon.

A collection of the dance music of Ireland: jigs, reels, hornpipes, long dances and marches. An introduction on the history of Irish music. Tips on playing with an authentic feeling. New settings from the playing of Michael Coleman and the Sligo fiddle masters.

A treasury of 100 airs and dance tunes suitable for all instruments selected on sheer melodic strength. All forms of Irish music are represented here in roughly equal proportions - a reflection of the fact that most musicians will want to try their hand at any Irish piece and most performances will usually include a mix of dance music, ballads, slow airs, Carolan tunes etc..

A further selection of 100 airs and dance tunes suitable for all instruments selected on sheer melodic strength.

25 of the very best Irish songs and dance tunes including Sheebeg and Sheemore, Danny Boy and Slievenamon arranged for easy piano, keyboards, harp, accordion and most melody instruments.

110 of the best tunes in any tin whistle player's repertoire, specially chosen and arranged by Claire McKenna, one of Ireland's top players and teachers. Graded by difficulty for everyone from beginner to advanced. Soundtrack available.