WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS ARE SAYING
Below are comments from musicians from around the world who are already using Ten Years of Tunes; we will add further comments as we receive them. If you would like to add your own comment, please email us at dustybanjos@hotmail.com.
For a comprehensive review of the book (and of our CD "Live at the Crane"), from Virginia, USA, click HERE.
COMMENTS
"The book is excellent. Suitable for teachers, students and all levels of musicians. Well laid out. Good variety of repertoire and an added extra with sheet music and ABC notation. Well done!"
Enda Seery, Co. Westmeath (whistle, flute) - www.endaseery.com
"This is a fantastic book, it’s very easy to follow it with the music sheets and the lettering, not to mention all the nice comments about past events.I would suggest that this book should be the bible and any one teaching Irish music should use it with your permission of course.I know that a lot of hard work has gone into compiling this book, but I’ll treasure my book for years to come. One now has a choice to pick out tunes that they if you cannot learn by ear.
Mary and Heather thanks for the enjoyment that you brought to my Thursday nights music lessons. A job well done. Fantastic."
Mairtin Clancy, Galway (accordion)
"For me this is more than just a collection of great tunes and sets that I hear & play regularly with my friends in Galway, it's also a photographic memory of some of the best times with some great musicians that I met through Dusty Banjos. I now live in Sweden, and have introduced a lot of these sets to my new musical friends over here, knowing that when they eventually make it to Galway they will be instantly welcomed, and feel right at home, playing sets from this great book.
Congratulations Mary & Heather, and keep up the great work!!"
Catherine, Gothenburg, Sweden (accordion)
"I'm teaching tunes to local musicans in my home village in France and we all find the book very useful.
The great advantage of this book is that the tunes in it are actually played in Galway and Connemara.
For people who've never been to Ireland, it's great to know that the musicians you'll meet when you come on a holiday to Galway will play those tunes with you.
It's very handy not to have to photocopy every time the tunes. We can also choose on the spot from the book what we want to play.
Another great thing is that the tunes come in sets, including sets which are played commonly in sessions in Ireland.
"Ten Years of Tunes" is a fantastic tool for us."
Julie Christaud, Tournay, France (flute) - www.musiqueirlandaisetournay.com
"I have found your book "Ten Years of Tunes" an invaluable support in developing my own music skills. Heather and Mary's love of traditional music really shines through on each page as the wide variety of tunes in the collection are all clearly labelled, with notation included, supporting the beginner, intermediate and advanced player alike.
This book will appeal to anyone with a love of traditional Irish music and I would highly recommend it as a key addition to every musician's collection."
Maura McNamara, Clarinbridge, Co. Galway (button accordion)
"This book is much more than just a tunes book.. It contains a story of 10 years, and so many notes being played by different people, nationalities, and instruments, in different places and events.. Dusty Banjos is a beautiful project which is conducted by very special people. Thanks, Mary & Heather for putting all of those memories together.
I enjoyed the book very much!"
Yifat, Israel (flute)
"This book is fantastic.
It's great having all my notes on variations in one place rather than pages all over my apartment.
Also saves me faffing about on Youtube and Tunepal again and again.
Peace has also broken out amongst colleagues in regard to having some standard notation.
This book is even better than I hoped. Best 25 quid I ever spent.
Well done guys!!!"
Diarmuid, Clare (Accordion)
"This book "Ten years of Tunes" is a wonderful book in many ways: The tunes listed give a comprehensive collection of jigs, reels, hornpipes and other Irish tunes. It is clearly arranged and is made durable with strong paper for the pages and a handy spiral binding. And on top of that it is full of lively pictures of sessions, mostly made by session members. The book is completed by beautiful pictures of the Connemara landscape and animals made by Heather Greer.
All together Dusties "Ten years of Tunes" is a great help for me to learn more new Irish tunes and to keep the ones I know in mind! Thank you Mary and Heather!"
Karin Stilo, Elmstein, Germany (violin and tin whistle)
"Hi Mary and Heather many thanks for your latest masterpiece Ten Years of Tunes. I really am impressed I think the book is very well laid out. I'm learning the banjo and find the script ABC are very easy to read. Many thanks again."
Mark, Skerries, Co. Dublin (banjo)
"The book is brilliant, but unfortunately, I found a few mistakes where you're maybe not to blame for, but thesession.org is to blame for. Some of the keys you added with the tunes are not correct, but I know this is a known issue with thesession.org.
Other than that I have no remarks what so ever as I'm even using some of your sets in our sessions :) "
Gerry, Co. Cork (fiddle, mandolin)
"I am delighted with the new book, although I have not yet made as much use of it as I might. The text gives just about as much theory as the likes of me “needs to know”.
With 400 tunes now on offer it is probably time to produce a few more of those ‘tutor CDs’ which as a feeble “scratcher” and would be ear player I found the most important and useful adjunct to the original Dustys’ book.
When I attend Willie Clancy and other music schools, I always recommend the Dusty book, CDs and sessions to aspiring traditional musicians as the most effective and enjoyable way to acquire a few tunes."
Beannachtai,
Aongus Mac Cana, Gaillimh, (Organ Bheil – Harmonica)
"I would just say that I bought the great book "Ten year of tunes" a few weeks ago,it has to be the best book I have ever got, to me it is the bible. Every tune in the book is so well laid out and very easy to understand, what a book thanks."
Norman Kelly, Tuam, Co Galway (banjo)
"The book is lovely. It is very useful for learning new tunes and going over the old tunes. I play the tin whistle and flute. I have in fact learned new tunes since I got the book. Very satisfied with it."
Colette, Galway (flute, whistle, fiddle)
"Thanks a lot having sent the book ordered very soon. The book is very nice and I found a lot of new tunes. Only one suggestion: could you improve the bookbinding (Too many pages or too small binding?)."
Very kind regards
Jacques Deborde, Tournay, France (flute)
"Without this book , you may as well whistle in the dark!"
Kevin Boatman, Galway (guitar & vocals) - www.Jock-of-All-Trades.com www.GalwayTransport.info
"Congrats Mary and Heather! It's great to have all the tunes we play in one place, and the photos/press clippings/flyers etc. give a good sense of Dusty's history over the past ten years too."
David, Galway (whistle, mandolin)
“I found this book very clear and concise with helpful information on how to use the enclosed information, I particularly liked the way they are laid out in sets it makes it easy to learn complete sets as they're played in Galway”.
Tony McLaughlin, Galway (mandolin, guitar, vocals)
"I find 'Ten Years of Tunes' brilliant as it has such a vast number of tunes.
I have been learning tunes for years and have had three or four books plus
lots of sheets of music, so it is great to have it all in the one book. And if
you don't know how the tune goes, you can just look up YouTube to hear how it goes
and you will have the music to play along to it. Thanks Mary & Heather for all your hard work.
It is Brilliant".
Bridie McDonagh, Galway (concertina)
"Fantastically put together book of tunes. Lots of useful musical theory/explanations at the front. As for the tunes, so helpful for remembering the old sets, and brilliant for having a setlist at hand at any time. Thanks Mary and Heather!"
Brendan & Sara McDermott, Waterford, Ireland and Seattle, USA
(Guitar & Banjo, Fiddle)
"The great Irish tunes in this book are beautifully presented by Mary and Heather, the arrangements and the musical notation are easy to understand and are accessible for all levels of musicians. The book is not just a book of tunes but a chronicle of the development of Dusty Banjos; a welcoming, warm haven for musicians".
Mags, Galway (Fiddle)
“Hi Mary & Heather. Just to tell ye the book is by far the best music book I’ve seen and I’ve bought a lot of books. I got one for a friend and he loves it. And I have another musician who wants one, so please bring one Thurs eve. Keep up the great work!”
Geraldine, Co. Galway (banjo)