Traditional
music in Ireland is music that has been passed on from one generation
to the next mainly by listening and learning rather than written
form.
It
is no longer confined to Ireland but is played in all parts of the
world.
Some
‘traditional’ music is being composed today and this
will be passed on to the next generation.
As
a result of it being learned ‘by ear’, new versions
of the tunes are constantly being introduced so it is ever changing.
As
well as learning the tunes from the local musician in the past the
student also learned a style of playing.
As a result musicians in different parts
of the country played in a particular way that was unique to that
area.
Now
that CD’s, tapes, radio and television are available in all
areas the styles in the various regions are no longer as obvious.
Young musicians listen to different styles
of playing and copy one they admire.
Much
of the music is now available in written form as a result of collections
of tunes being published.
It
is more popular in country areas rather than the bigger cities.
Most
musicians play for the love of the music and do not get paid for
it.
When
a group of musicians gather together to play it is called a ‘session’.
The
most popular instruments are the fiddle,
uilleann pipes, accordion,
concertina, flute,
tin whistle and the
banjo.
The
most common tunes played at a session would be reels
and jigs and hornpipes.
Slides and polkas may also be played.
