An envelope arrived recently from Mel Bay Publications. This fantastic book, 300 Gems of Irish Music for All Instruments by Grey Larsen was inside!300 Gems was published in 2013 and is a joining of two previous publications, 150 Gems of Irish Music for Flute and 150 Gems of Irish Music for Tin Whistle.
This collection features nearly 100 pages of melodies, all written in the treble clef.
The Table of Contents lists the tunes by 'type'.
* Jigs
* Reels
* Hornpipes
* Slip Jigs
* Hop Jigs
* Polkas
* Slides
* Set Dances
* Marches
* Harp Pieces, and, of course...
* Other
The index lists the tunes alphabetically by title.
What a great collection! Larsen includes 13 pages of instructions and tips on how to play the selections, including information on rhythms, Modes, musical terms, etc. He also often tells the source of the melodies, such as "based on the 1935 recording" or perhaps the name of the person he learned the tune from.
The tunes do not include chord symbols, giving you the option of choosing your own harmonies.
300 Gems sells for only $ 29.95 and is available from: www.greylarsen.com.com (and probably from your favorite sheet music store, too). You can buy it as an e-book or purchase the physical book if you prefer! You can also buy the MP3 download ($14.99) of all the tunes or order the 4 CD set ($19.99).
If you like to have Irish melodies at your fingertips, and enjoy learning new ones, 300 Gems is an ideal resource and addition to your music library.
