Category: Current Classes

• Dance by Ear – Folder of Spring Showcase Tunes
• Playlist – Apple Music
• Youtube Playlist
• Step creation and Improv Elements
• List of Imrpov elements
• 2025 May Dance by Ear Playlist
• Tune Template

	Monday	Wednesday	Friday
7:30 AM PST	Dance by Ear Learn the tune	Dance by Ear Keep Her Lit Woodshed & build steps	Dance by Ear Speed & Craic

• Many a Wild Night – This tune is from a set that Sliabh Notes plays. Sliabh Notes is Matt Cranitch (fiddle), Dónal Murphy (accordion), and Tommy O’Sullivan (guitar). The set is: Many a wild night / John Walsh’s polka / Daly’s mill. The Daly’s Mill is in the spring student showcase file as well.
• In our class recording I ment to be talking about this tune as the Sliabh Notes set of tunes that Portland has been playing. Also Desi Wilkinson is not in this band he is in the band Cran – which I also used for teaching for years and around the sametime that I was working with the Sliabh Notes album. I discovred both of these albums when I was in Ireland studying for my masters and both Matt and Dessie were around the college doing their PhD work at the same time I was there. Chemo brain at it best, sorry about that!
• Cran – Black Black Black – 1998
• Sliabh Notes – Gleanntán – 1999
• Both of these albums were my go to albums during that time and when I fist started teaching Sean-nós in America in 1999.

---

Many a Wild Night – Here is a rought rhythmic layout of the tune.

A PART		A PART		B PART		B PART
A	1	A	1	A	1	A	1
	2		2		2		2
	3		3		3		3
	4		4		4		4
A	5	A	5	A	5	A	5
	6		6		6		6
	7		7	B	7	B	7
	8		8		8		8

---

---

• The Blackthorn Stick – download the recording
• The Blakcthorn Stick on the session.org
• Apple Music Playlist – you can add version that you like. I also found a reel with the same name. It’s a fantastic tune! Worth exploring that tune as well.
• Youtube Playlist – you can add to this list as well.

---

The Blackthorn Stick

Here is a rough outline of the rythmic patterns in the tune. Even though there are higher notes and other things happening with the tune I am seeing 4 rythmic paterns that are repeated and are the start of creating simple steps with this pattern. As we play more with the tune we will hear more and add more varation in tone to match the tune.

A PART		A PART		B PART		B PART
A	1	A	1	C	1	C	1
	2		2		2		2
B	3	B	3	D	3	D	3
	4		4		4		4
A	5	A	5	A	5	A	5
	6		6		6		6
B	7	B	7	B	7	B	7
	8		8		8		8

---

---

Trip to Sligo – download tune

Learn the tune

Keep Her Lit

Speed & Craic

The Congress Reel – download tune

---

Learning is at the end of class I think

Concertina Reel – Learning is a the beginning of class.

Learn / Woodshed

Keep Her Lit