Mid tempo tunes

[flares2]

So I've been on the UPs a few months now and I'm hitting a spot where Airs are getting boring, wanna play something with a little more speed, but a lot of reels and jigs are played much faster on UPs than on GHBs and seem to be outside my ability for now. So what I'm looking for is the middle ground. It seems all I can find is SLOW Airs and Reels and Jigs. Are there any tunes equivalent to a March? And if so, is there a decent list of "newbie tunes" that aren't extremely easy?

[PJ]

Many of the Irish traditional marches are played in jig time. Hornpipes are an excellent way of learning technique (ex. triplets and rolls) as they are generally played a more relaxed.

YOU DECIDE YOUR OWN TEMPO. There's nothing wrong with playing a jig or a reel slowly. Session players seem to have only one speed - flat out. But to really get to know a tune, you have to take your time.

Listen to Brian McNamara's first solo CD, A Piper's Dream. He really takes his time with the tunes on that recording. The Chieftains have a version of the Strayaway Child that they play very slowly. Very nice. The Bothy Band play the Maids of Mitchelstown as a slow reel.

[outofthebox]

I think that jigs are the best choice for beginners. There are so many great ones with simple melody lines that are very rewarding to play. All you need to do is find a jig that you like - but instead of playing at 6/8 time, slow it right down to 3/4 which is waltz time. There is no rigid timing in Irish music - so you needn't feel bound to play at the (often turbo-charged) speeds you hear on recordings. Just play at your own pace to begin with, then you can gradually raise the tempo as your dexterity improves.

[flares2]

Thanks for the tips guys. I understand that of course faster music needs to be learned slow. My main concern was that I wouldn't be able to play up to speed. And who wants to bust tail for hours and hours just to be able to play a tune half way.
I agree though that it seems Irish music for the UPs has a lot more room for expression than Scottish tunes for the GHB. Any easy jigs come to mind that would be good for getting me moving? I've been working on Kesh Jig and I think it sounds just as good slowed down a bit.

[outofthebox]

The Coppers and the Brass would be a nice jig for you to try.

[djm]

Get Heather Clarke's UP tutor and/or the NPU DVD courses. They provide a variety of tunes and are graduated for progressive learning. With millions of tunes out there, asking everybody for a "next" tune is like a crap-shoot: you may like it, you may not, you may be ready for it, you may not be, etc.

djm

[marc]

Listen to Mick O'Brien doing Kitty Lie Over (The Praties are Dug and the Frost is All Over). It's really a pretty jig, and nicely paced. I can actually play it pretty fast, but prefer it slower. The Gander in the Pratie Hole also sounds nice at a more relaxed tempo, too. Condon's Frolics, and more...

But really, almost any. The only jig I can play that I don't like played more slowly is Paudeen O'Rafferty. For some reason that wants to go fast (and I can't do it nicely fast, so I'm still learning it).

But as others have said, play what pace sounds good to you.