God bless Donal Lunny and the people he brought together to create beautiful music.

Hello, I have only ever played a Casey Burns keyless flute, which is great, but I’ve never tried a keyed flute. Does everyone eventually transition to a keyed flute, or do some folks stay keyless their whole lives? Can a person get good enough at half-holing that keys become unnecessary?

I'm an intermediate guitarist and I'm pretty good at standard accompaniment, mixing up mostly diatonic chord progressions, trying different voicings up the neck, the odd diminished passing chords here and there... I'm figuring out more and more about modes, and now I'm just trying to get it to the next level.

It's hard to say exactly what hurdle I'm at here to be honest. Whenever I'm sitting in sessions where there's another guitarist I find that what they're playing just sounds more interesting that what I'm coming up with. Lots of chords that I wouldn't use and can't easily identify. I have a feeling it's mostly suspended or augmented chords, less extensions, with good movement between them, but trying these chords myself I find that they just don't fit the tunes.

Does anyone have any resources/books on advanced trad guitar accompaniment?

I grew up with tons of traditional Irish music and going to Irish pubs (on the east coast of US) with my family. i ALWAYS remember clapping during the chorus buuuut i remember clapping three times in decreasing claps as the lines are sung. So it would be “no nay never” clap clap clap “no nay never no more” clap clap “no I never will play the wild river no more” clap, but ive only been able to find versions that do a single round after “no nay never”. Is there anyone else familiar with the more clap heavy version or is it maybe just my family?

I shouldn't have to explain why given yesterday's sad news:

A funny story about Irish bodhráns, a lively tune, and a song to sing along with—another moment from The Woods Tea Company at the Vergennes Opera House!

In this newly uploaded concert video, enjoy a bit of storytelling followed by a medley of O’Keefe’s Slide and Lord of the Dance. Whether you were there, caught the show on public television, or are discovering Woods Tea for the first time, we hope it brings you a smile.

Have a favorite Woods Tea concert memory? We’d love to hear it in the comments!

#WoodsTeaCompany #FolkMusic #IrishMusic #LordOfTheDance

Lots of people here learn from Enda Scahill's books and lessons, so I thought this might interest you. I'm part of Craic Machine, a Dublin project, and Enda plays on our new single "Someone Said My Name", released yesterday.

It's not trad: it's built on heavy electric guitars, and the banjo cuts straight through them instead of sitting in the background.

Listen: https://open.spotify.com/track/7hqA9aILJNFj9nOPTQRB38

The video: https://youtu.be/Ha6opNz73SM

Swallowtail of course! Cheers All!

Here is a quick take on the classic Irish hornpipe "Boys of the Blue Hill" on solo acoustic mandolin.

Recorded raw with no pickups or amplification—just the natural acoustic resonance and wooden tone of the instrument. I’m focusing on clean plectrum articulation and keeping that hornpipe bounce steady.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ItrG38QHJKM

Howye, I'm heading back to Ireland (to Dublin) after a stint in the US and looking for people to play with once I'm set up. Not sure where to start, it's mostly Craigslist over here believe it or not.

I went through the typical trad to folk punk to punk and now back around again to folk punk pipeline. Currently into the Wallopers, the Scratch, CLADA, and then a slew of punk bands from the 90s.

The Olllam, a band that fuses Irish traditional music with modern jazz and post-rock sounds from Detroit, is coming to NYC this November at LPR! Led by uilleann piper John McSherry, the band features Joe Dart (Vulfpeck), Michael Shimmin, Ross Ainslie, Seán O’Meara, and Joe Hetting. From partnering with GRAMMY-winner Zedd to collaborations with Belfast actor Anthony Boyle, the band continues to thrive. Their Celtic fusion blend brings together the past and present, and reinvents tradition. Come see their talent in action! Tickets on sale now: https://kyd.to/KdlE1lB6

Recorded completely dry and unamplified to highlight the natural transient snap of the plectrum, dynamic headroom, and authentic acoustic tone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ax00_5i5KVE

Here's my workflow for writing a Jig in Noteflight. I use a mandolin as it's easier to work with for this stuff compared to say a fiddle.

i’m making a special for my radio station, theme is freak folk and irish psyche through the years ! direct me to your favourites

A cornerstone of traditional bluegrass and fiddle repertoires, Salt Creek stands out with its signature Mixolydian shifts and relentless, driving pulse.

In this new session from the Acoustic Crossroads project, the focus remains strictly acoustic and unvarnished: crisp right-hand flatpicking, natural tonewood resonance, and steady rhythmic bounce—no electric layers, no synthetic shortcuts. Just the organic punch of traditional string music as it was meant to be played.

True musical craftsmanship starts with letting the raw instrument speak for itself.

Watch the full performance here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMWwgoPa8u4

Been annoying me for ages now!!!! Anyone know the tune let me know.

Trá Pháidin - An Béal Bocht

A quick acoustic snapshot of a classic Irish hornpipe, recorded live with zero studio tricks.

The goal: showcase the dynamic drive of unamplified acoustic playing and the natural swing of traditional plucked strings.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ItrG38QHJKM

Well lads! Experienced guitar player here, despite growing up in Ireland I never got involved in the trad scene. As I've gotten older and wiser, I've started to feel the call! As someone with no real background in trad, I was wondering if anyone could give some advice on getting started. Is it okay to just show up to a session and follow along? Or should I have a little repertoire in my back pocket before showing up? If so, are there any resources / playlists of tunes you can share?

Apologies if this has been asked a million times, I did a search and didn't find anything! If it's relevant, I'm based in Berlin now, I know there are a few regular sessions across the city.