Golden Brown on guitar, fiddle and mandolin

Here’s my rendition of The Stranglers 1982 singie, Golden Brown.  I remember this coming out while I was still at school.  A lot of the kids at school felt betrayed by the distinct change of direction of the punk band.  Known for snarling out punk classics like...

Old Joe Clark – Old time American tune

This tune was originally a North American traditional song.  The lyrics are thought to be inspired by the 19th century Kentucky mountaineer Joseph Clark and versions have been recorded by the likes of Woody Guthrie, Cowan Powers and the Kingston Trio. Many verses have...

John Ryan’s Polka on Tenor Ukulele

I’ve recently been enjoying working out Irish tunes on my tenor ukulele.  It’s tuned GCEA, like a concert ukulele.  But, the G string is an octave lower. For a guitarist, this sounds like the four thinnest strings on the guitar (standard tuned), with the...
Ingonish – Irish Jig video

Ingonish – Irish Jig video

My version of the jig, Ingonish on fiddle.  For years I’ve been wrongly calling this tune Up Sligo and have only just discovered my mistake.  In fact, I came to the realisation between making the video and writing this article, which explains why it says Up...
Video – Rose in the Heather, Irish Jig

Video – Rose in the Heather, Irish Jig

This is my version of The Rose in the Heather, a traditional Irish Jig in the key of D major, which is popular in sessions everywhere.  I’ve always loved playing this smooth, melodic jig, ever since I first came across it at a North London session many years...