Forget Me Not

Seamus Connolly, a 10-time All-Ireland fiddle champion from County Clare, and Laurel Martin, a former prize pupil of Seamus and a highly respected teacher of Irish fiddling herself, have made Irish music thoroughly accessible to beginners and more advanced players alike in Forget Me Not: 50 Memorable Traditional Irish Tunes. The book’s tunes are printed in basic and then in more ornamented notation, one after the other, and they are accompanied by two compact discs of playing, also in simple and then more-ornamented settings. This refreshing approach by Connolly and Martin enables individuals to learn and master the tunes at their own pace and interest level by sight, sound, or both, with one reinforcing the other for maximum retention and refinement. Complete with background notes on the tunes and a foreword from famed County Clare button accordionist Tony MacMahon, this impressive, practical, all-in-one package presents jigs, reels, hornpipes, marches, set dances, and slow airs in a way that’s distinct from any other collection that’s available today. It’s a handy source of great Irish tunes and an invaluable resource for developing technique, something musicians can return to again and again for both instruction and enjoyment.