Important:
You're much better off learning tunes by ear, but if you need a little help, click on the name of a tune below for the sheetmusic. Participants are welcome to bring sheetmusic with them to the Slow Session.

Please do not think of our Slow Session (or this website) as "music lessons" - it's not our intention here to teach you the "proper" way to play your instrument. The Slow Session is designed mainly to help players become comfortable playing Traditional music with other players.

Also, when listening to the recordings below, keep in mind that our idea of "Full-speed" is not something that's written-in-stone by any means. You'll find different tempos everywhere you go.


Note to "Rhythm" players (Players that play the chords instead of the melody):
Please keep in mind that just about all of the chord progressions posted here are very generic; you should experiment with finding your own chord progressions and rhythm patterns. Most importantly, listen to recordings of accomplished Irish rhythm players whenever you can, to get ideas on how to develop your own unique style.

Note to "Melody" players:
You'll notice that the melody instruments in most of the recordings on this page use very little ornamentation. This lack of ornamentation is intentional, so that beginning players can get the feel for the melody, instead of being confused by extra embellishments that aren't actually part of the melody. As your playing improves, you should add ornamentation as you see fit. Your goal is to make the music your own, not to exactly copy someone else's playing style. To get ideas for ornamentation, listen to recordings of accomplished Irish melody players whenever you can!

Printing Hint:
If you find that the edges of the sheetmusic are cut off when you print it, try it with your printer in "Landscape Mode"
(Sheetmusic may not match recordings exactly)

Recordings marked with an *asterisk* were recorded live at one of our Slow Sessions!