How many tunes do I need to know before going to a session?

Ask the organiser whether learners are welcome and whether there is a repertoire list. There is no fixed number that guarantees you can join in. Learning a few tunes the group plays gives you a practical starting point.

What order should I learn these tunes in?

Start with a tune you recognise and can hum. Out on the Ocean, The Merry Blacksmith and Off to California offer a jig, reel and hornpipe to compare. The separate five-tune beginner guide gives a suggested learning order.

Are these the same tunes in every session?

No. Players, regions and individual sessions have different repertoires and settings. This list selects 20 tunes from TradTab’s library; it is not a survey of how often they are played.

A tune I keep hearing is not on this list. Where do I get tab for it?

Search the full library by title and alternative names. If you have ABC for the setting you want, paste it into the converter and choose your instrument. Signed-in conversions also sync to My tabs.

How fast should I be able to play them?

Practise at a speed where you can keep the rhythm steady through the whole setting. Listen to the pace of the session you plan to join and ask about a slower group if needed. A BPM number only makes sense when its beat unit is specified.

Repertoire

20 Irish session tunes with free GDAE tab

Choose a tune your local session plays, then use the tab and slow playback to learn one phrase at a time. These 20 library selections cover reels, jigs, a slip jig and hornpipes. Each link opens a specific setting.

By TradTabPublished 6 August 2026Updated 29 September 2026

Musicians playing at an Irish traditional music session

Tunes to explore: 20 linked library settings
Types: 9 reels, 6 jigs, 1 slip jig, 4 hornpipes
Tab tuning: GDAE; use the converter for GDAD
First step: Listen to the setting before learning it

Choose a setting you want to learn

This is TradTab’s selection from the existing library. It is a starting list for practice. Local repertoires and versions vary, so listen to the musicians you plan to play with before choosing your next tune.

For a recorded reference, explore Comhaltas’s Foinn Seisiún recordings and its tune index. Those resources offer repertoire to compare with the names you hear locally; the 20 choices here remain an editorial selection.

The linked pages show notation, GDAE tab, playback and the ABC source. Tenor banjo, mandolin and octave mandola in GDAE share fret numbers. A GDAD bouzouki needs different top-course frets: paste the ABC into the converter and select bouzouki.

Start with one tune

If you have no local list yet, listen to Out on the Ocean, The Merry Blacksmith and Off to California. They give you a jig, a reel and a hornpipe to compare. Choose the melody you can most easily remember.

The five-tune beginner guide offers a separate learning order with a specific practice aim for each setting. You can work through that sequence before returning to the larger list.

The reels

The key column follows the linked setting. Check its notes and accidentals; a key label may not describe every phrase.

Nine session reels, with tab
Tune	Key	Practice focus
Drowsy Maggie	Em	Loop a short phrase and keep the repeated notes even.
The Merry Blacksmith	D	Work through one phrase before joining the two parts.
The Star of Munster	Ador	Slow the player when practising string crossings.
The Musical Priest	Bm	Listen to the full setting and map its repeat signs.
The Wind That Shakes the Barley	D	Keep the pulse steady when the melody crosses a string.
Miss McLeod's Reel	G	Learn the opening phrase by ear, then check the tab.
Rakish Paddy	Dmix	Listen for C-natural in this D-mixolydian setting.
Toss the Feathers	D	Compare this version with the one your session plays.
The Swallow's Tail	Ador	Keep the note lengths even before adding ornaments.

The jigs

Listen to each linked setting before learning it. Your local session may play a different version.

Six session jigs, with tab
Tune	Key	Practice focus
Out on the Ocean	G	Count two groups of three in each 6/8 bar.
Saddle the Pony	Amix	Check the setting: this version is labelled A mixolydian.
Haste to the Wedding	D	Join two short phrases without speeding up at the repeat.
The Blarney Pilgrim	G	Listen for the joins between parts before learning them.
Banish Misfortune	D	Compare the written accidentals with the playback.
The Lark in the Morning	Em	Check the title and melody: tune names can cover different settings.

The slip jig and the hornpipes

Listen for the change from the slip jig’s three groups of three to the hornpipes’ even-time pulse.

One slip jig and four hornpipes, with tab
Tune	Key	Practice focus
A Fig for a Kiss	Em	Count three groups of three in each 9/8 bar.
The Boys of Bluehill	D	Listen to a player for the hornpipe rhythm as you learn the notes.
Off to California	G	Keep the pulse moving through the phrase endings.
The Harvest Home	D	Practise a difficult bar together with the bar after it.
The Rights of Man	Em	Play the melody steadily before adding decoration.

Find a tune outside this list

Search the full tune library using the title and any alternative name you know. Historical sources and approved player contributions can contain different settings under similar names. Listen before assuming a search result is the version you want.

If the library does not contain your setting, paste ABC that you are entitled to use into the tab converter. Select the instrument, press Render and listen back. The source-collections guide explains how to find older editions.

Conversion runs in the browser. Recent conversions are kept on the device; when signed in, new conversions also sync to My tabs. Keep a separate copy of edits you want to preserve.

Learn a phrase before joining a set

Listen first. Play the whole setting and notice the repeat signs. Hum a short phrase before reaching for the instrument.

Slow one phrase. Use the playback speed control and repeat a few bars. Read the tab lesson if the strings or fret numbers are unfamiliar.

Keep the pulse steady. Join two phrases at a speed where the difficult bar fits comfortably. Use the metronome separately to check the pulse.

Listen at the session. Ask which setting and key the group uses. Join the tunes you know and listen during unfamiliar ones. Agree a set with the other players before starting it.

FAQ

Questions about session repertoire

Ask the organiser whether learners are welcome and whether there is a repertoire list. There is no fixed number that guarantees you can join in. Learning a few tunes the group plays gives you a practical starting point.
Start with a tune you recognise and can hum. Out on the Ocean, The Merry Blacksmith and Off to California offer a jig, reel and hornpipe to compare. The separate five-tune beginner guide gives a suggested learning order.
No. Players, regions and individual sessions have different repertoires and settings. This list selects 20 tunes from TradTab’s library; it is not a survey of how often they are played.
Search the full library by title and alternative names. If you have ABC for the setting you want, paste it into the converter and choose your instrument. Signed-in conversions also sync to My tabs.
Practise at a speed where you can keep the rhythm steady through the whole setting. Listen to the pace of the session you plan to join and ask about a slower group if needed. A BPM number only makes sense when its beat unit is specified.