Here I’m playing a really popular Irish jig, Garrett Barry’s jig — fiddle players will really enjoy learning this tune! In this video I am just playing through my version of the tune, but if this tune video proves popular then I will make a full tutorial of this tune with my suggestions for ornamentation, bowing and so on.
It is a well known tune that you will hear in traditional Irish sessions all over the world. If you would like to learn this great Irish jig with me on the fiddle, check back for a full tutorial soon, or sign up to my mailing list to be notified when I post the full lesson.
Garrett Barry’s jig – fiddle lesson
The tune is named after, and probably written by, Garrett Barry, who was one of the last great travelling uilleann pipers, from Inagh in County Clare. He was born during the Great Famine, and lost his sight as boy. He died in 1899.
Here is a video taking you through one of my favourite jigs, by the great Paddy Fahey, Paddy Fahey’s jig #4. You’ll also find my transcription of the sheet music below as well. If you find the video useful, please do subscribe to my Youtube channel for more tutorials.
In this tutorial, we will learn a Scottish reel on the fiddle, a tune which is also very popular in Irish sessions. This reel is called Frank’s reel, and was written by fiddler and tune writer John McCusker.
It is a really fun tune to play with a slightly funky rhythm in the B part, which is worth taking some time to get right.
In this tutorial, I’ll play the whole tune through for you, and then break the tune down slowly, so that you can work out the melody.
This is an intermediate level tutorial, aimed at fiddlers who already have some experience of learning tunes by ear. You may need to repeat sections of the video until you are familiar with how the tune goes.
I hope you enjoy learning to play this Scottish reel on the fiddle.
In this 30 minute fiddle tutorial, I’ll take you through a popular Irish polka on the fiddle, called The Britches Full of Stitches. You’ll learn the tune first, and then some ways to add some spice to your playing of this great tune.
This is a really popular session tune, which you can include in any set of polkas. It goes particularly well at the end of a set. In this lesson we will learn the tune in the key of A major, but you’ll also here it played in G major as well as other keys. I just happen to think it sounds best in A – really bright and bouncy!
We’ll start out by learning the melody, by ear, working phrase by phrase. We’ll discuss polka rhythms, and some ideas for practicing them. Then we’ll learn some simple bowing patterns to make the tune flow a little better. Then for improving and more advanced players, we’ll discuss some possibilities for ornamentation, chords, and so on. We’ll finish by looking at a possible variation for the melody in the B part to really jazz things up!
I really hope you find this lesson useful, and that it sets you on your way to playing this Irish polka on the fiddle. If you enjoy this tutorial, please do subscribe to my channel, and sign up for my mailing list, for updates on new lessons and other information.
In this beginner Irish fiddle tutorial I take you slowly through the Irish jig Out on the Ocean, so that you can learn to play it by ear.
This in-depth tutorial is meant for those who are just starting to learn fiddle tunes by ear. Maybe this is the first tune you’ve learned this way! So I take it very slowly, bar by bar (or ‘measure by measure’) giving you plenty of time to practice each phrase before moving on. It is best watched with fiddle in hand, so that you can play along.
Out on the Ocean is a well known double jig (meaning it has an A and B part, each repeated). It is frequently played for Irish (and Scottish) sessions and ceilidhs. It may be related to a Lowland Scots tune “Rock and a Wee Pickle Tow,” once a women’s spinning song. But it is now well established in the Irish repertoire, and has been a commonly played tune since at least as far back as 1903 when Francis O’Neill collected it and included it in his seminal collection of Irish tunes, Music of Ireland: 1850 Melodies.
(If you are already more experienced at playing tunes by ear, you may find this beginner Irish fiddle tutorial a little slow. If so, I recommend some of my other fiddle tutorial videos for intermediate players, which will go through tunes a little more quickly).
Below you’ll find sheet music for Out on the Ocean, if you would like to read along as you follow the tutorial. There are two versions here – the top one is just the melody as I would normally play it. Other players will have slight variations on this. The second version (bottom half of the page) includes some suggestions for bowing and ornamentation that you could use when playing this tune.
If you find this Irish jig fiddle tutorial helpful, please do subsribe to my Youtube channel, where I’ll be posting more Irish fiddle tutorials including tune tutorials, tips about ornamentation, bowing, tricks for good practice and more.
For other beginner Irish fiddle tutorials, and tips on all aspects of Irish fiddle playing, take a look at my other Youtube videos
