Fifty Great Celtic Reels Vol. 1

by Gregory L. Mahan

Overview

Being continually featured in popular movies and music, Irish music is as popular as

ever.

Compiled by Gregory Mahan, an Irish whistler since 1995, this collection offers a wide

variety of reels, from well-known favorites such as Miss McLeod's, the Merry

Blacksmith, and The Silver Spear to tunes which may not be as well known at your local

pub, such as Rakish Paddy and the Humours of Scariff.

The sheet music in this book is suitable for any lead line instrument typically used

in Irish music, such as fiddle, flute, tinwhistle, and uilleann pipes. Also includes

notes on playing in the Irish style as an added bonus, as well as an updated introduction from his Celtic Jig series.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781477668610
Publisher:	CreateSpace Publishing
Publication date:	06/15/2012
Pages:	34
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.07(d)

About the Author

Gregory fell in love with the tinwhistle the first time he heard one. Driven to recreate the sound, he got his first whistle in 1995, and has been playing obsessively ever since.

He originally earned his chops in Houston, Texas, known for its large Celtic music scene featuring such bands as Clandestine and Instanpitta, as well as a 20+ year old Irish Session tradition. With the Texas Renaissance Festival close by, and being one of the largest Renaissance festivals in the country, Greg had exposure to more top notch musical talent, such as The Rogues (6 time Grammy award winners), the Gypsy Guerilla Band and more.

Greg formed his first band, Echoes of Ireland, in Houston in the year 2000. EoI featured a traditional sound with the tinwhistle as the lead instrument, accompanied guitar and bodhran (a type of Irish drum). The band quickly gained success and recognition in Houston, performing regularly in Irish pubs across the city, and was one of only two bands chosen to perform for Charles Sheehan, Consul General of Northern Ireland, on his visit to Houston for a Special Olympics Benefit in 2003. The band was also featured on KPFT's Irish Airs program.

After moving to Dallas, Greg formed the band Scotch-Irish to perform at the Texas Rennaisance Festival, as well as performing alongside artist EJ Jones during festival events. The band featured Greg on whistle and low whistle, accompanied by bodhran and fiddle. This dynamic trio cranked out high-energy dance music for 10 hours a day on the grounds of the Festival, and selling their self-titled CD.

Greg began performing weekly with the O'Dwyer Session Players, and was quickly recruited to play for F-Troupe, later to be known as Paddy Gone Wild. Paddy Gone Wild is a large céilidh-style band featuring a revolving retinue of musicians. Paddy Gone Wild released their first CD, The Greatest Hits, in 2008, prominently showcasing Greg's playing on much of the CD.

Greg can currently be found playing occasionally at Irish sessions in Northern Virginia.