This book is the ideal primer for anyone wishing to participate in an "Irish session". This musical gathering is apparently quite different than a blues, jazz or bluegrass jam session in that it is customary at Irish sessions to play in tight unison with the other musicians, adapting appropriate tempos, rhythms, and ornaments in an attempt to fit in with the "groove". The "Irish Session Tune Book" features 300 reels, hornpipes, polkas, slides, and slip-jigs written without chord symbols for the melody instruments commonly played in Irish Sessions. The author shares a wealth of melodies collected over the past 10 years, the majority learned by ear at Irish sessions: fiddle, accordion, tinwhistle, tenor banjo, mandolin, bouzouki, etc. Authentic ornamentation is suggested for each tune with the admonition that ornamentation may vary from region to region and chorus to chorus.
