Irish Bouzouki

The Complete Irish Bouzouki App by Declan Plummer

noreply@blogger.com (Irish Bouzouki) — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 09:04:04 +0000

Declan from Top Score Music Academy made a new web-app. In this video he shows how it works and what it can do. Have a look for yourself. If you tried it please comment what you think about it.

What is an Irish Bouzouki, Video by N.K. Forster

noreply@blogger.com (Irish Bouzouki) — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 08:59:53 +0000

Nigel Forster is a well known Luthier who lives in New Zealand. For a long time he worked with Stefan Sobell and he learned a lot at that time. In this video he tells lots of interesting things about the Irish Bouzouki. Afterwards you can see some videos where musicians play his instruments.

This video covers:
— Where the Irish bouzouki came from, and is it really English?
— The Sobell design: carved arched top, curved back, long scale
— Tonewoods: what works best for the instrument?
— The common tunings.
— Cheap vs expensive: why most affordable bouzoukis never sing, and what to actually buy if you're starting out

Lesson Beeswing by Johannes Broborn

noreply@blogger.com (Irish Bouzouki) — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 14:10:46 +0000

Johannes Broborn made a new lesson on how to play the Richard Thompson song Beeswing. This song is often heard in sessions.

Here are the lyrics to the song:

I was nineteen when I came to town, they called it the Summer of Love
They were burning babies, burning flags, the hawks against the doves
I took a job in the steamie down on Cauldrum Street
And I fell in love with a laundry girl who was working next to me

Oh she was a rare thing, fine as a bee′s wing
So fine a breath of wind might blow her away
She was a lost child, oh she was running wild
She said "as long as there's no price on love, I′ll stay
And you wouldn't want me any other way"

Brown hair zig-zag around her face and a look of half-surprise
Like a fox caught in the headlights, there was animal in her eyes
She said "Young man, oh can't you see I′m not the factory kind
If you don′t take me out of here I'll surely lose my mind"

Oh she was a rare thing, fine as a bee′s wing
So fine that I might crush her where she lay
She was a lost child, she was running wild
She said "as long as there's no price on love, I′ll stay
And you wouldn't want me any other way"
We busked around the market towns and picked fruit down in Kent
And we could tinker lamps and pots and knives wherever we went
And I said that we might settle down, get a few acres dug
Fire burning in the hearth and babies on the rug
She said "Oh man, you foolish man, it surely sounds like hell
You might be lord of half the world, you′ll not own me as well"

Oh she was a rare thing, fine as a bee's wing
So fine a breath of wind might blow her away
She was a lost child, oh she was running wild
She said "as long as there's no price on love, I′ll stay
And you wouldn′t want me any other way"

We was camping down the Gower one time, the work was pretty good
She thought we shouldn't wait for the frost and I thought maybe we should
We was drinking more in those days and tempers reached a pitch
And like a fool I let her run with the rambling itch

Oh the last I heard she′s sleeping rough back on the Derby beat
White Horse in her hip pocket and a wolfhound at her feet
And they say she even married once, a man named Romany Brown
But even a gypsy caravan was too much settling down
And they say her flower is faded now, hard weather and hard booze
But maybe that's just the price you pay for the chains you refuse

Oh she was a rare thing, fine as a bee′s wing
And I miss her more than ever words could say
If I could just taste all of her wildness now
If I could hold her in my arms today
Well I wouldn't want her any other way

Tradtab.com - Tabs, Tuner, Chords for Irish Bouzouki and other stringed instruments

noreply@blogger.com (Irish Bouzouki) — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 10:56:39 +0000

A website with thousands of tabs for tunes. Comes with a tuner and chord shapes, abc-converter and scales. Just put this on your homescreen on your phone and you have instant access to these features.

You can find it here.

This is the tuner

and some scales

Jig Picking Technique: Lesson by Guy Millward

noreply@blogger.com (Irish Bouzouki) — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 11:59:38 +0000

This is a lesson for beginners how to play Jigs. He leads you through a lot of well thought exercises. You might want to look for his other videos on youtube too.

The Gander In The Pratie Hole - Irish Bouzouki Lesson - Part A by Guy Milward

noreply@blogger.com (Irish Bouzouki) — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 11:54:12 +0000

Guy Milward is a new name to me. Here's a lesson how to play the A-Part to the Jig The Gander In The Pratie Hole. He learned it from Macdara O'Faolain. The Tab and notation can be found on his website

His free lessons can be found here

Lesson: Andy M. Stewart-The Rambling Rover by Johannes Broborn

noreply@blogger.com (Irish Bouzouki) — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 11:43:40 +0000

Johannes Broborn uploaded his second lesson, this time he shows how he plays the Rambling Rover, a well known song written by Andy M. Stewart, the former lead singer of the Scottish band Silly Wizard.

Andy also recorded some solo albums which are worth listening to. He was ill for a long time and died some years ago. He left us a lot of beautiful songs. If you can get hold of one of his songbooks (I think there are two out there) don't hesitate buying them.

Here's Johannes' video:

Here are the lyrics and the chords I play, might be different from the ones Johannes uses

{t:The Rambling Rover}

{st:Andy M. Stewart}

{soc}

[D]Oh, there're sober men aplenty,

[D]And drunkards barely twenty,

There are m[G]en of over [D]ninety

That have [Em]never yet kissed a [G]girl.

But give m[D]e a ramblin' rover,

A[D]nd fair Orkney down to Dover.

We will r[G]oam the country [D]over

And togeth[G]er we'll [A]face the[D] world.

{eoc}

I[D]'ve roamed through all the nations

T[D]a'en delight in all creation,

And I've tried a[G] wee sensation

Where the c[D]ompany, did prove[Em] kind.

And when p[D]artin' was no pleasure,

I[D]'ve drunk another measure

To the go[G]od friends that [D]were treasure

For they a[G]lways are[A] in our [D]minds.

{soc}

[D]Oh, there're sober men aplenty,

[D]And drunkards barely twenty,

There are m[G]en of over [D]ninety

That have [Em]never yet kissed a [G]girl.

But give m[D]e a ramblin' rover,

A[D]nd fair Orkney down to Dover.

We will r[G]oam the country [D]over

And togeth[G]er we'll [A]face the[D] world.

{eoc}

T[D]here's many that feign enjoyment

F[D]rom merciless employment,

Their am[G]bition was this de[D]ployment

From the [Em]minute they left the [G]school.

And they s[D]ave and scrape and ponder

W[D]hile the rest go out and squander,

See the w[G]orld and rove and [D]wander

And are [A]happier as a rule. [D]

{soc}

[D]Oh, there're sober men aplenty,

[D]And drunkards barely twenty,

There are m[G]en of over [D]ninety

That have [Em]never yet kissed a [G]girl.

But give m[D]e a ramblin' rover,

A[D]nd fair Orkney down to Dover.

We will r[G]oam the country [D]over

And togeth[G]er we'll [A]face the[D] world.

{eoc}

I[D]f you're bent wi' arth-i-ritis,

Y[D]our bowels have got colitis,

You've gallopin'[G] with bollockitis

And you're[D] thinkin' it's ti[Em]me you died,

If you bee[D]n a man of action,

T[D]hough you're lying there in traction,

You will [G]get some satisfa[D]ction

Thinkin', [G]"Jesus, a[A]t least [D]I tried."

{soc}

[D]Oh, there're sober men aplenty,

[D]And drunkards barely twenty,

There are m[G]en of over [D]ninety

That have [Em]never yet kissed a [G]girl.

But give m[D]e a ramblin' rover,

A[D]nd fair Orkney down to Dover.

We will r[G]oam the country [D]over

And togeth[G]er we'll [A]face the[D] world.

{eoc}

Luke Ward - Irish Bouzouki Lessons - The Congress Reel in different Capo positions

noreply@blogger.com (Irish Bouzouki) — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 11:20:07 +0000

This is a really helpful lesson by Luke Ward. Oftentimes you have to accompany a set of tunes where you have to change capo positions. To avoid this you might want to be able to play in different keys. The Congress Reel is in A-Dorian. You can play it without capo, with Capo at 2nd position playing in G-Dorian, with Capo at 5th position playing in E-Dorian and in 7 position playing in D-Dorian.

Luke shows necessary chords and how to accompany the Congress Reel using these shapes.
By becoming a patreon on his site you'll have access to all his fantastic lessons.

You might also have a look at the website of his band Tempest here

Here's a short snippet from the lesson:

TOPSCORE Music Academy - Irish Traditional Music Practice Tool

noreply@blogger.com (Irish Bouzouki) — Sun, 21 Jun 2026 13:14:47 +0000

Declan Plummer of TopScore Music Academy has launched a new helping tool. There is a similar feature available on youtube, I think I wrote about it some time ago, but Declan tries to take the idea a little bit further. His tool is not finished yet and within the next 5 days or so you can get it for free. After that period you'll have to pay 5 Pound for it.

You'll get it for free if you subscribe to TopScore Music academy and write an E-Mail to Declan.

Declan writes:

A quick reminder that the App is free for you guys in the community only until 27 June, so if you're interested let me know, and also encourage anyone else to join the community and they'll get it free too, but only if they ask within the next week!

Here's a quick demonstration video I made just a minute ago.

Enda Scahill - How to get sooo good

noreply@blogger.com (Irish Bouzouki) — Sun, 21 Jun 2026 12:51:02 +0000

OK, in this video there is no bouzouki at all. But I'm pretty sure every bouzouki player can benefit from what Enda is showing in this video. It's all about learning in chunks. Have a look and you'll know.

Alan Murray & Finn Magill - The Bank Of Turf

noreply@blogger.com (Irish Bouzouki) — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 14:30:12 +0000

Have I actually told you that I particularly like the way Alan Murray plays the bouzouki? Well, a few weeks ago I asked Luke Ward if he could do a lesson on Alan Murray’s playing style. In his generous way, he actually did two lessons – one on a reel and one on a jig. You can get these on his Patreon page. Do you remember, I mentioned his patreon a lot of times now. It’s really worth becoming a member there. He’s now got nearly 30 fantastic lessons there, so there’s plenty to learn.

The jig he chose was ‘Australian Waters’, a tune I wasn’t familiar with and hadn’t heard at sessions before. But afterwards, Finn and Alan play the jig ‘The Bank of Turf’, which you often hear at sessions. The tune starts at 40:19 in the video. So I thought I’d have a go at writing down Alan’s accompaniment for this tune. I’ve written out the first and second rounds in Tabledit. (It's a fine app for MAC/PC to write Tab for stringed instruments)

You can download the tab here and here.

And if you like my work please consider to buy me a drink or two.

Gabriel McArdle & Fintan McManus - Willie Rambler, Tab of Intro and first verse

noreply@blogger.com (Irish Bouzouki) — Thu, 21 May 2026 14:52:46 +0000

What a beautiful song, wonderful sung and played.

These are the lyrics I found at Mudcat.org (Not the lyrics Gabriel McArdle sings!)

When I was young and foolish, my age being 24,

I left Lough Erne's lovely banks. To England I sailed o'er.

'Twas there I met a lady gay of honour and renown,

And of her I did ask the way to famous London town.

"What would you take, young man," she said, "along with me to stray?

And we'll talk about old Ireland and Lough Erne another day.

I have ranches down in Texas. I have horses by the score;

And I'll take you down the Rio Grande. It's far from Erne's shore."

"Oh, no, kind lady. Pardon me. Your wealth I do disdain.

I'll go with you another day your fond love to maintain.

There is no night nor hour bright is half so fair as you,

But Erin's fens and plains and glens to leave them I would rue.

"How could I leave Lough Erne's banks where my young Molly dwells?

Your mansions and your castles are to me like prison cells.

Were you ever on Lough Erne's banks when the sun is setting low,

With the purple of the heather and the moon a fiery glow?

"The fair in Enniskillen is the greatest fair of all,

Where the cailins are the fairest and the boys are straight and tall;

So I'll bid adieu to Texas, too. I'll see it never more,

For I'm going back to Ireland and lovely Erne's shore."

And here's the tab to the Intro (you can download the whole pdf here):

And today I tabbed the first verse. I had lots of trouble to put in the lyrics in Tabledit, so they may not be at the correct places. You can download the full pdf here.

There's a mistake in the tab, in Tacet 11 the chord has to be G!

The Lowlands Of Holland - new lesson by Robin Jones

noreply@blogger.com (Irish Bouzouki) — Thu, 21 May 2026 11:58:02 +0000

Robin Jones's new lesson is online. His version of "The Lowlands Of Holland" is based on the version of Ye Vagabonds. You'll learn a melodic variation and the rhythmic accompanyment of the song. Also lots of other stuff, so check out part 2 on his website.

Luke Ward - Irish Bouzouki Lessons - Golden Eagle Hornpipe

noreply@blogger.com (Irish Bouzouki) — Thu, 21 May 2026 11:54:09 +0000

A new video Lesson by Luke Ward is available on his patreon site. This time it's a hornpipe, The Golden Eagle. Learn a complex rhythmic accompanyment with colourful chords. Here's a sample with Brendan Mulholland on flute.

Jim McGrath, Shane McAleer, and Fintan McManus - The Knocknaboul Polka

noreply@blogger.com (Irish Bouzouki) — Thu, 21 May 2026 11:34:57 +0000

This is a fine example of Polka accompanyment. The tune is in G, so you could play it with capo on 5th fret with D chords, but Fintan plays without capo in G. So this is a good example to practice playing in G.

I tried to tab the accompanyment. As the first half is not complete I inserted the first part of the second round through the tune. You can download the whole pdf here.

Farewell To Whalley Range (Michael McGoldrick) - Slipjig accompanyment by Declan Plummer

noreply@blogger.com (Irish Bouzouki) — Thu, 21 May 2026 10:59:37 +0000

Every Tuesday Declan Plummer (TopScore Music Academy) sends a live stream on youtube where he tries to find out accampanyment to a certain tune. This week he picked up the slipjig written by Michael McGoldrick called Farewell To Whalley Range. A beautiful tune written in F#m. To play the accompanyment place the capo on 4th fret.

This is the short video in which Declan shows the accompanyment which he came about. I made a tab so it is easier to follow. This is the A-Part. You can download the whole pdf here.

Finger Exercises by Vincent Fogarty

noreply@blogger.com (Irish Bouzouki) — Mon, 11 May 2026 15:18:00 +0000

This is an old post but I think these exercises I got from Vincent Fogarty are worth to try them.

Back in 2019 I got in contact with Vincent Fogarty, a bouzouki player from Tipperary, Ireland. Some yeas ago he recorded an album with a band called The Red Wellies. I'm not sure if it is available somewhere.

At the bottom I will include some videos of the Red Wellies.

Vincent sent me some short video clips in which he shows some finger exercises. He kindly allowed me to post them here, too. Many thanks, Vincent!

He writes about these exercises:

These are exercises I did every day for about six months about 25 years ago. They are challenging but the results are well worth the work. The idea is to start slow and get the notes clear and in time. Keep your pick tight to the string don’t make your movements too big. This will do wonders for your pick and finger coordination. The exercises can be done as four finger three finger or two finger using any end of the fretboard as the start. Starting yesterday I’ve decided to do these again over the next few months. If you think they would be good to post then do so that’s fine by me. Good luck with them.

Clip No. 1

He writes about this clip:

In the first clip I have my capo at the 7th fret. I start with my pinky on the 15th fret of my highest string Start with a down stroke then an up stroke then down then up etc. alternating. Tab is. 15-14-13-12. When you get to fret 12 place your pinky finger on fret 14 then play from there in descending frets/notes. Tab 14-13-12-11 etc until you get to your capo. Then March your fingers back up the frets to 15. Then descend on the next highest string starting with your ring finger on the 14th fret. Pay attention to your picking here. Then descend on that string then the next string then the next string. Then you can start on the lower course and work your way high.

Clip No. 2

He writes about this clip:

In this clip I play a four note exercise that moves vertically on the fretboard. When you get to the bottom series of 15-14-13-12 you put your pinky on fret 14 which moves your hand one fret then you descend vertically. When you get to the top 14-13-12-11 you place your pinky on the 13 fret and this moves your hand forward again etc.

Clip No. 3

This clip refers to video 2. Vincent writes about it:

This is what my right hand looks like. Start att of the exercises with a down stroke.

Clip No. 4

Vincent writes about this exercise:

This exercise is a linear moment that also descends and ascends.

Clip No. 5

Vincent writes about this exercise:

This exercise is good for developing finger strength and control of your pinky. It’s a two note run starting lower and ending at the fifteenth fret.

Clip No. 6

I did this as a three finger exercise. It also has a linear movement. I’ve also moved the capo to fret five so as to have more fretboard. As I move I also alternate fingers. Pointer finger ring finger pinky frets 689. Then I move too the next lowest string and use fingers pointer middle finger and pinky on frets 7810. I alternate this pattern as I descend and ascend.

Clip No. 7

Vincent writes:

Hi Frank the last clip is my right hand. I’m trying to show how tight I keep the pick to the strings.

The clips I sent will help with your speed but they are more so directed at pick/finger coordination.

The Red Wellies:

Here are some videos I found on youtube:

The Red Wellies play Dr. O'Neill's and Tom Billy's at a house concert in Atlanta:

Beanie Odell -Fiddle Duncan Wickel -Fiddle Vincent Fogarty -Bouzouki

Carter Center farmers market, freedom Parkway

A set of favorite reels:The Road to Garrison (composed by Maurice Lennon-also commonly known as The Godfather);House of Hammil (Ed Reavy);Hounds of Letterfrack (might really be Martin O'Connor's Clog)

New CD: Tracy Ryan & Ryan O'Donnell - Fairy Island

noreply@blogger.com (Irish Bouzouki) — Sun, 10 May 2026 13:10:00 +0000

Tracy Ryan & Ryan O'Donnell live near Newport in County Tipperary. Tracy is a singer and plays Flute and Whistle, Ryan plays Banjo, Bouzouki and Guitar. Together they recorded an album full of beautiful songs and tunes with lots of bouzouki on it.

You can listen to 3 songs on bandcamp, where you can buy it also.

Here's a little teaser of the album:

And another video I found on YouTube:

And another one:

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

Inisheer Lesson by Robin Jones

noreply@blogger.com (Irish Bouzouki) — Fri, 08 May 2026 06:46:00 +0000

Robin Jones just release a new lesson for bouzouki. The well known tune Inisheer in a beautiful arrangement. You can watch Part 1 here. Part 2 can be obtained from his website. If you subscribe for a monthly fee you get all his previous videos for free which is a fantastic offer.

The Session Trad Tune Explorer

noreply@blogger.com (Irish Bouzouki) — Wed, 06 May 2026 17:23:00 +0000

Did you ever have a tune in mind but forgot it's melody? This is a fast helper for you. Open the website and type in the name of the tune. You'll get a picture of the first 3 bars of the tune. From there you can start playback and listen to the tune or open the whole notation.

Ye Lovers All - Tutorial by Kevin Elam

noreply@blogger.com (Irish Bouzouki) — Tue, 05 May 2026 12:58:00 +0000

Kevin Elam just posted a Lesson in which you can learn his accompaniment to the Song "Ye Lovers All", an emigration song which has been sung by a lot of artists.

These are the lyrics as sung by the Chieftains

Ye lovers all both great and small
Who dwell in Ireland
Oh I pray you pay attention
Whilst I my pen command
It was my father's anger
That drove my love away
But I still have hopes
We'll meet again in North Americay

My love he was fair and handsome
And to him I gave my heart
Ah but little was our notion
That we would ever part
It was in my father's garden
That this flower it did decay
But I still have hopes twill bloom again
In North Americay

Now I did not want for money
Kind fortune on me shone
So out of my father's castle
I took five hundred pounds
It was in the town of Belfast
My passage I did pay
And then set sail across the sea
To far Americay

Now the captain's wife was kind to me
As you may understand
And she kept me in her cabin
Until we reached dry land
It was in the town of Quebec
We landed on the cay
But I knew not where to seek my love
In all Americay

Now I being sick and sore and tired
Well I went into an inn
And it was there I found my William
The lad I loved within
He took me gently by the hand
And to me he did say
Oh I never thought I'd see your face
In North Americay

Now I hear this couple has got wed
As you may understand
And I hear they live quite happily
In a town they call St. Johns
And the money that she took from home
Well in gold she paid it down
And they think no more of Ireland
Nor Enniskillen town.

More Information on Mudcat.org

Steeplechase - CD Release Concert

noreply@blogger.com (Irish Bouzouki) — Sun, 03 May 2026 12:26:00 +0000

Steeplechase are Hanz Araki (flutes, vocals), Zach Bauman (bouzouki), Sam Vogt (guitar, whistle), and David Lofgren (bodhrán).
This is a video of their CD release concert from May 1st 2026.

You'll find more information about the band here.

This is what they write about their album "Far From Home" which is available as vinyl, cd and download from their website:

"From the Pacific Northwest comes a new album of traditional Irish and Scottish fare, Far From Home, the debut from quartet Steeplechase. Recorded at Sage Arts, truly a cathedral to music in Arlington, Washington, Far From Home is a self-produced ten track collection of songs and sundry dance tunes performed on Irish flute, penny whistle, Irish bouzouki, guitar, and bodhrán. The album was engineered by Jordan Cunningham, and mixed by legendary guitar-player and Lúnasa founding member Donogh Hennessy in Dingle, Co. Kerry.

Steeplechase (Hanz Araki, flutes, vocals; Zach Bauman, Irish bouzouki, vocals; Sam Vogt, acoustic guitars, low whistle; David Lofgren, bodhrán) played to their strengths and set out to create an album that hews closely to their live performances. They are at home with the music of Scotland and Ireland and feel no pressure to reinvent the wheel. This philosophy comes from a deep well of respect for the generations of musicians who came before them. This album is both a message of gratitude to their many influences as well as a contribution to this beloved genre."

Killeagh (Kingfishr) - Irish Bouzouki Lesson - Robin Jones

noreply@blogger.com (Irish Bouzouki) — Sun, 03 May 2026 12:07:00 +0000

Robin Jones did a tutorial on how to play Killeagh by Kingfishr. Lovely accompaniment with melody lines. Part 1 is for free, Part 2 can be obtained from his website.

Sam Cormier’s reel - Accompaniment by TopScoreMusic Academy Declan Plummer

noreply@blogger.com (Irish Bouzouki) — Sat, 02 May 2026 15:03:00 +0000

Once a week, every Tuesday, Declan Plummer of TopScoreMusicAcademy, brings his live stream on youtube where he tries to work out an accompaniment to a tune he hasn't accompanied so far. The latest tune he worked on was Sam Cormier's Reel, composed by Denis Lanctot.

He always uses Video recordings by Fiddler Olivia Barrett. She plays this Reel in E, which seems to be the key in which Denis Lanctot composed it, although it seems that most musicians play it in D.

Here you'll find the short version of Declan playing Whistle and Bouzouki

This is the whole video, it's very long but it's interesting to watch how he developes his accompaniments.

This is the video of the final run through all the ideas, but without the melody played so you can listen to the accompanyment.

I made a tab out of his ideas which you can download here. First Line Melody from thesession, second line Declan's accompaniment.

Luke Ward - Man Of The House Reel - Lesson

noreply@blogger.com (Irish Bouzouki) — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 08:31:00 +0000

A new Lesson by Luke Ward on YouTube. The Man Of The House in Em played with Capo on 2nd Fret.

I posted more of his videos here if you might want to have a look

The tabs can be found on his patreon site here.