Fleadh Tunes For The Flute Overview

  • 13 lessons teaching how to play 13 popular Irish tunes.
  • Progress at your own pace, pause & repeat videos.
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  • PDF sheet music & mp3’s to download & keep for each tune.
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  • Access our Entire Course Catalogue for Every Instrument.
  • Library of over 150 popular Irish tunes to practice along with.
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  • Community Forum of students and teachers, all friends with a love of Irish music.
The Fleadh Cheoil (literally translates as “feast” of music) is an Irish music competition organised by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann. There are county, provincial and ‘all-Ireland’ levels of competition that take place in Britain, North America and Ireland. These all lead to the grand final ‘The All-Ireland Fleadh’ which takes place in Ireland each August and is truly a feast of Irish music, both for musicians and audiences that flock to it in their thousands. Fleadh Tunes for the Flute teaches suitable tunes for competitors at the Fleadh, however, it is also for any flute player who wants to learn Irish tunes best suited to the flute.

By the end of this course you will have knowledge of appropriate Fleadh competition tunes and an understanding of how to approach the topic of air playing. The course has 13 lessons, broken into 3 to 4 tutorials each, where tunes are taught phrase by phrase.

Course Structure

Fleadh Tunes for the Flute begins with simple dance tunes and slow airs and then evolves into a progressive study of ornamentation, variation, phrasing, tempo, rhythm and tone. When dealing with ‘slow airs’ the main focus will be on the phrasing, momentum, appropriate ornamentation, use of expression and, most importantly, the history and background to the airs and accompanying songs, words and translations. So not only do you get the opportunity to learn the tunes but also the rich cultural backdrop to each.

The traditional Irish tunes taught are:

The Fair Haired Boy
Dan The Cobbler
The Evergreen Hornpipe
The Boys Of The Lough
Amhrán Na Leabhar
The Gallant Boys Of Tipperary
The Fairy Hornpipe
Captain Campbell’s
Lament For Tom McHale
The Clare Jig
Wounded Hussar
Kit O’Mahony’s
The Swallow’s Tail

 

Your Tutor
Majella BartleyAll Ireland champion flute player, Majella Bartley, hails from Corcaghan, Co. Monaghan. She is a respected flute and fiddle teacher, tutoring at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance as well as at national and international summer schools and workshops such as Scoil Eigse, Fiddle Festival of Wales, Kilkenny Celtic Festival and the British and North American Convention of Comhaltas. She holds the TTCT (Teastas i dTeagasc Ceolta Tíre) traditional music teaching diploma awarded by Comhaltas and is now a tutor and lecturer on this course. She is also a qualified adjudicator and has adjudicated many competitions including the All-Ireland Fleadh. Read more.

Detailed questions and discussion on the course can be found in the Community Forum, available to paying members only.

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Fleadh Tunes For The Flute Lessons

Level

The Fair Haired Boy

Fleadh Tunes For the Flute Lesson 1

  • A Minor
  • Level 3
  • Melody
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Ornamentation: Rolls, Taps, Cuts, Bounces

Jig

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Dan the Cobbler

Fleadh Tunes For the Flute Lesson 2

  • D Major
  • Level 3
  • Melody
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Ornamentation: cuts, bounces, rolls

Jig

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The Evergreen Hornpipe

Fleadh Tunes For the Flute Lesson 3

  • D Major
  • Level 3
  • Melody
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Embouchure, Melodic Variation, Short Rolls (Half Rolls)

Hornpipe

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The Boys of the Lough

Fleadh Tunes For the Flute Lesson 4

  • D Major
  • Level 3
  • Melody
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Reel Rhythm: Phrasing and Breathing. Variation

Reel

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Amhrán Na Leabhar

Fleadh Tunes For the Flute Lesson 5

  • E Minor
  • Level 3
  • Melody
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Appropriate ornamentation to use when playing slow airs

Slow Air

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The Gallant Boys of Tipperary

Fleadh Tunes For the Flute Lesson 6

  • D Major
  • Level 3
  • Melody
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Ornamentation: Cranns

Jig

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The Fairy Hornpipe

Fleadh Tunes For the Flute Lesson 7

  • D Major
  • Level 3
  • Melody
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Throat Articulation and Cranns

Hornpipe

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Captain Campbell’s

Fleadh Tunes For the Flute Lesson 8

  • D Major
  • Level 3
  • Melody
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Rhythm, Breathing and Strength using the Diaphram. Variation.

Reel

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Lament for Tom McHale

Fleadh Tunes For the Flute Lesson 9

  • A Mixolydian
  • Level 3
  • Melody
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Ornamentation and Vibrato for Slow Airs

Slow Air

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The Clare Jig

Fleadh Tunes For The Flute Lesson 10

  • A Minor
  • Level 3
  • Melody
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Majella introduces ‘ti-ka-ta’ tonguing in this lesson

Jig

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Wounded Hussar

Fleadh Tunes For the Flute Lesson 11

  • A Minor
  • Level 3
  • Melody
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Phrasing and Breathing in Slow Air Playing

Slow Air

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Kit O’Mahony’s

Fleadh Tunes For the Flute Lesson 12

  • G Major
  • Level 3
  • Melody
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Hornpipe Rhythm and Swing. Bounces!

Hornpipe

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The Swallow’s Tail

Fleadh Tunes For The Flute Lesson 13

  • A Minor
  • Level 3
  • Melody
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Study of the ‘ti-ka-ta’ triplet, ornamentation and variation

Reel

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