Tune Circle

If you play an instrument and like fiddle tunes, come join us for the Tune Circle, usually every 3rd Saturday, usually at the Hyattstown Mill, right before the Song Circle. See the homepage for this month’s times and location.

If you’ve been to fiddle jams, you know they come in many varieties, and with different customs and unwritten rules (or sometimes written).  We never know exactly sure how our Tune Circle will shake out (it depends who shows up — come and help shape it!), but it’s always relaxed and friendly for all abilities and all ages, and most of all a good time.

Irish? Old Time? Bluegrass? Something else?  All play all-the-time, or take turns?  Fast/slow? Allowed instruments?

We’ll start out by going around the circle and each player will suggest a tune (passing is OK).  If enough people know it, we’ll play it.  See the list below for a starter (reading is just fine if you don’t know the tune).  We’ll add to this as we go. The person calling the tune sets the tempo, and gets to call whether it’s all-play or hybrid (all-play through once, then trade to who wants to take one).  We’ll adjust based on how many are in the circle.

Non-traditional instruments are OK, as long as you can play with the group and aren’t louder than the rest (electrics must be turned down, percussion played quietly). We’re not going for purity, but we want to have fun playing music we love.

If you have a copy of the Fiddler’s Fakebook, bring that, but if not don’t worry. We don’t have to stick with only tunes from that book.

Tunes (Updated August 2023)

Here are a few tunes to start out with.  I’ll have some printed copies to share.  If you have some tunes you’d like to play, it’s good to bring some copies in case not everyone knows them (and send them to me and I’ll put them up here).

Got a lot more tunes in the book now.  I’ll bring a few copies but if you want your own, you can print one for yourself.

Single Tunes

  • Abe’s Retreat
  • Amelia’s Waltz
  • Angeline the Baker
  • Arkansas Traveler
  • Ashgrove
  • Ashokan Farewell
  • Blackberry Blossom
  • Bonaparte Crossing the Rocky Mountains
  • Carolan’s Welcome
  • Cold Frosty Morning
  • Coleman’s March
  • Cousin Sally Brown
  • Da Slockit Licht
  • Devil’s Dream
  • Dill Pickle Rag
  • The Eighth of January
  • Fisher’s Hornpipe
  • Flatworld Waltz
  • Golden Ticket
  • Grey Owl
  • Harvest Home / Haste to the Wedding
  • Hunting the Buffalo
  • Hole in the Wall
  • The Irish Washerwoman
  • Jeff Sturgeon
  • Jerusalem Ridge
  • The King of the Fairies
  • The Kesh Jig
  • Lark in the Morning
  • Liberty
  • The Lover’s Waltz
  • Maison De Glace
  • Mayden Lane
  • Metal Man
  • Midnight on the Water
  • Morgan Magan
  • My Cape Breton Home
  • Old Joe Clark
  • The Old Grey Cat
  • Ookpik Waltz
  • Over the Waterfall
  • Peacock Feathers
  • Planxty Fanny Power
  • Planxty Irwin
  • Prayer for Ukraine
  • Pretty Little Dog
  • The Quail is a Pretty Bird
  • Queen of the Earth, Child of the Skies
  • Ragtime Annie
  • Red Prairie Dawn
  • Red Wing
  • The Rose Tree
  • Sailor’s Hornpipe
  • Saint Patrick’s Day
  • Sellenger’s Round
  • Sheebeg and Sheemore
  • Sligo Creek
  • Sonny’s Mazurka
  • Spanish Waltz
  • Steve’s Celtic Aire
  • The Star of Muenster
  • Staten Island
  • Steciak’s
  • Stone’s Rag
  • Tater Patch
  • Vals-Clog Gillemette
  • Wagoner
  • Waynesboro
  • Wind That Shakes the Barley
  • Westphalia Waltz

Sets

  • Balsam Breeze / Moonbird Waltz
  • The Banshee / Cooley’s Reel
  • Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine / John Ryan’s Polka (Dum Dum)
  • Chinquapin Hunting / Benton’s Dream / Sadie at the Back Door
  • Coleraine / One-Horned Sheep / Old Favorite
  • Deidre’s Fancy / The Butterfly / Foxhunter’s Jig
  • Evalina / Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss
  • Julia Delaney / Saint Anne’s Reel / Growling Old Man and Grumbling Woman
  • To Keep the Sea Orc Fed / The Quarry Cross / Ballydesmond
  • Maggots in a Sheep’s Hide / Raccoon Ate the Snake / The Girl I Left Behind Me
  • March of St. Timothy / Mairi’s Wedding / Scotland the Brave
  • Poppies & Corn / Nixon’s Farewell / Nail That Catfish to the Tree
  • Red-Haired Boy / Catharsis / Drowsy Maggie
  • Saute de Lapin / Doctor Doctor
  • Seneca Square Dance / Squirrel Hunter / Dancing Bear
  • Shenandoah Falls / Whiskey Before Breakfast / Old Joe Clark
  • Swallowtail Jig / Swinging on a Gate / Gallopede
  • Swallowtail Jig / Tenpenny Bit Jig / Lilting Banshee
  • Waterbound / Ice House
  • Slieve Russel / Kerry Polka
  • The Lucky Trapper / Bull Moose / The Wind That Turns the Mill

Here’s the whole book to print.

Handy Chord Chart of lots of tunes