Lesson 90. Thousand Farewells

Occasionally Tony will pick up a tune that just seems to feel so natural to play, so easy on the fingers, it rolls off the musical tongue so to speak. This is one of those tunes. It’s eerie but it’s as if Ryan composed this for guitar. It’s the perfect range for the guitar, played between a Low A and …

Gerry GaffneyLesson 90. Thousand Farewells

Lesson 88. Scatter the Mud

“Scatter The Mud” is a tune sometimes played in E Minor but this version is in the more common A Minor (Dorian mode). Tony has arranged this version for Open A tuning (EAC#EAE) but we have included a version in standard tuning for those who wish to stick with the standard tuning.

Gerry GaffneyLesson 88. Scatter the Mud

Lesson 87. St Patricks’ Day

The tune is in jig time (6/8) but is a set dance and is played considerably slower than normal jig tempo. However, other than tempo, all the “rules” that apply to jigs apply to this tune.

Gerry GaffneyLesson 87. St Patricks’ Day

Lesson 86. Saddle the Pony

A very well known tune, so much so that it is played by musicians outside of the Irish music genre. the standard key is G, but Tony transposed it to A Major on the banjo, then started playing it on the guitar in Open A major tuning and came up with this arrangement. The book also includes a version in …

Gerry GaffneyLesson 86. Saddle the Pony

Lesson 78. Castlebar Races, and Mouse in the Mug

These two tunes are both in G Major and coincidentally have the same three notes at the beginning. The first part of Castlebar Races is played in open position, the second part almost entirely in third position; that is the first finger is positioned at the third fret. It is also used to play any F# notes (2nd fret, 1st string). Where …

Gerry GaffneyLesson 78. Castlebar Races, and Mouse in the Mug