The Best ITM Tune-Learning Tutor

Welcome to Slowplayers.org!

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Slowplayers.org is an on-line tutor for the traditional music of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Galicia, England, and beyond.  Originally dance music, when played well it will make you want to dance.  To get the right lift you have to begin by playing the tunes slowly.  Thus, Slowplayers!  As community music, its natural habitat is a group of musicians. So, if you can learn the tunes in a group setting, all the better.  Still, however you learn the music, to get the most out of the tunes you learn you’ll eventually need a group of people, and a session.  That’s where the music comes alive!

Like-us-on-FacebookPlease Support this Project: This website is a labor or love. So, please consider supporting the work put into it with a paypal contribution — using the button in the upper-right side of the page.  Also, please like us on Facebook.  Thank You!

Support Your Music Community: If you love this music please take the time to support it in your community. Play the music whenever you can, and go see those who play it well!  

The Kansas City Learning Sessions:

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We have a learning session in Kansas City, MO, which was my inspiration for revamping the inimitable Michael Duffy’s original slowplayers.org website. For more general information about what we offer click here.   For the current learning session agenda, click here. For more information about The Kansas City School of Irish Music click here. For a brief history of the website Slowplayers.org click here.

 NOTE

I higmistakes are proof of tryinghly recommend that you learn from the MP3s provided, and NOT from the sheet music or ABCs. I decided not put up any midi renderings of the tunes as you can find them elsewhere, and you can get them from the ABC anyway with various free software programs.  As for sheet music and ABCs, they are only good for bare bones of the tunes, but you will not get close to anything like the real feel of Irish music from them.  You will need to do a considerable amount of listening to players ensconced in the tradition who play the tunes at full speed.  As you’ll sometime hear the same tune played in different settings, you’ll need to keep your ears on their toes!

Remember, despite the priority some untutored folks give to dots and sticks on lines, there’s no such thing as a definitive setting!  As Zina Lee has written, “The different settings are a large part of what keeps Irish traditional music so interesting and alive.”


The information on this site is under copyright protection. 

I maintain all intellectual property rights to this site in its entirety.

Any redistribution of this material for profit is illegal, strictly prohibited, and seriously frowned upon.

© 2020-2021 Slowplayers.org

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15 Comments

  • ROBERT BELLAH
    Posted December 11, 2019 at 2:47 pm | Permalink

    Thanks for this!

  • Posted May 23, 2018 at 3:11 pm | Permalink

    You might like our slow session page http://wellington.session.nz/slowsession/

  • Edward Charles Montgomery
    Posted November 21, 2017 at 2:43 pm | Permalink

    So glad I found this site. Thank you from Nebraska!

  • Peter Roberts
    Posted November 1, 2017 at 9:11 am | Permalink

    Lovely site. Thank you for all the time and effort.
    I am trying to learn this tune by ear.
    Is there any chance you could play it super super slow ?

    • Posted January 5, 2018 at 10:45 am | Permalink

      Which tune are you focused on Peter?

  • Christopher Ian Tynan
    Posted April 27, 2016 at 7:25 pm | Permalink

    Is there a way that we could put recordings of us playing up on songs that don’t have mp3’s?

  • Posted August 9, 2014 at 6:12 am | Permalink

    Eddie, you are helpful to us slowplayers at every turn and this website is another example. You give direction and resources that make it possible to step into Irish and get started. This site pulls it all together. You are incredibly dedicated to giving us the launch we need – thank you for all you do for us!!!

  • Gordon Bearss
    Posted June 18, 2014 at 8:08 pm | Permalink

    How very usefull. For learning tunes or having
    a list of titles or sound files to help come up
    with the next tune to play at a session. I am going
    to learn “Christmas Eve” tonight.

  • Sabrina Hubert
    Posted May 22, 2014 at 5:15 pm | Permalink

    Thanks for your inspiration and all your efforts! And thanks for your patience with us “newbies”. We’ll get there with your instruction.

  • Jim Windels
    Posted May 18, 2014 at 8:21 am | Permalink

    Good job Eddie! Thanks for all the hard work.

  • Donna Brown
    Posted May 14, 2014 at 4:05 pm | Permalink

    This is a truly amazing site. All the stories are terrific. These are wonderfully clear recordings too! Many thanks for your hard work and attention to detail.

  • Colleen aka "Nicki Joy's Mom"
    Posted May 12, 2014 at 7:40 pm | Permalink

    Nice job, sir. This feels inspiring by making play accessible.

  • Maria Morton
    Posted May 2, 2014 at 2:50 pm | Permalink

    Great resource! Thanks, 40-Coats!

  • Colleen Kennedy
    Posted April 17, 2014 at 2:58 pm | Permalink

    I love this site!!! Full of great information! Thank you.

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