Matt & Shannon Heaton

Home of the Tune of the Month Podcast

May TOTM

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The May TOTM is a lovely jig in D called "Wee Johnny." Matt relates his chordal accompaniment thoughts from last month's G Jig (Willie Coleman's) to the all-important key of D. Hope you enjoy, and looking forward to playing it with you in person sometime. Boston-ites can join Shannon for a live TOTM on Wednesday May 16, 7-8:30pm. Email Shannon at MattandShannonHeaton dot com for info!


May TOTM

(download)

The May TOTM is a lovely jig in D called "Wee Johnny." Matt relates his chordal accompaniment thoughts from last month's G Jig (Willie Coleman's) to the all-important key of D. Hope you enjoy, and looking forward to playing it with you in person sometime. Boston-ites can join Shannon for a live TOTM on Wednesday May 16, 7-8:30pm. Email Shannon at MattandShannonHeaton dot com for info!


April 2012 TOTM

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April is Willie Coleman's Jig month. Hope you enjoy this lovely G tune--ranging from low D to high b, there's great opportunity for resonance throughout your instruments! Matt offers some chord voicings to give backers a resonant (but not too clangy/cluttered) root chord. Thanks for visiting us at the Tune of the Month, gang!


Shannon Heaton: Irish flute, traditional singing, Sass





March 2012 TOTM correction

OK, so the March TOTM is the DUKE OF LEINSTER (I misnamed it the Peeler's Jacket). Please pardon my shoddy scholarship. Both tunes are quite good, though. So no deep harm here...

We had a great TOTM Club last night!
* We learned the April TOTM (Willie Coleman's Jig... stay tuned for this in April!)
* And we played the Duke of Leinster (FKA the Peeler's Jacket), The Maid Behind the Bar, and Morrison's Jig (the January TOTM).

If you are in the Boston area, please join us (next meetings April 18th and May 16th in Medford at 7pm). All instruments welcome! Email shannon at mattandshannonheaton dot com for info!

Shannon Heaton: Irish flute, traditional singing, Sass

March 2012 TOTM

HI, TOTMers!

Just in time for St. Pat's (and for the 3rd anniversary of the Tune of the Month!), here is The Peeler's Jacket. This is a great old reel in G Major, offered with some very simple ideas about melodic variation here. We'll be learning this tune LIVE at our TOTM Club (3rd Wed of each month for Boston-ites). For info email Shannon at mattandshannonheaton dot com. Any instruments welcome.

Matt & Shannon Heaton return for another duo TOTM installment next month. In the meantime, wishing you a very happy St. Pat's!

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Shannon Heaton: Irish flute, traditional singing, Sass

TOTM Club Starting in March for Boston musicians

Hello, TOTM'ers -

It has been fun to offer these free podcasts for fellow Irish players. And I am happy to continue them with Matt along for additional thoughts on harmonic accompaniment and rhythm. I hope you enjoy our Tunes of the Month, and I look forward to playing these tunes with many of you in sessions around the country.

For friends based in Boston, I am launching a Live Tune of the Month Club (a companion to these monthly podcasts). I will teach the tune of the month live; and then we'll launch into a session of former TOTM tunes.

I am running three classes on the third Wednesday of every month (March 21, April 18, and May 16... 7-8:30pm). Get in on the ground floor of this experiment! Email Shannon at MattandShannonHeaton dot com for more info and to secure a spot.

Shannon Heaton: Irish flute, traditional singing, Sass

TOTM February 2012

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Happy February from Matt & Shannon Heaton! This month we are in LOVE with hornpipes...a great way to tighten your overall rhythm and technique, since they can be quite intricate and force a disciplined rhythmic approach (no rushing!). Hope you enjoy Byrne's Hornpipe, a lovely tune in D, great for all instruments. Have a great month and see you in March for the next installment.


Shannon Heaton: Irish flute, traditional singing, Sass

TOTM January 2012

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Happy 2012! To start off the New Year, Matt and Shannon tuck into an old chestnut: Morrisson's Jig. They experiment with ways to make this oft violated jig a bit more elegant, via melodic intrigue (just a touch) and a more restrained harmonic palatte. Do let us know what you think!

Dec 2011 TOTM

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This month Matt & Shannon take on Joe Cooley's reel. This is a well-known eminor chestnut for good reason. Matt shares ideas on harmonic accompaniment, while Shannon unlocks ornamentation secrets for the first phrase of the tune.

November 2011 TOTM

Welcome to the second month of the NEW Tune of the Month!
This month, Matt & Shannon offer ideas about rhythm, style, and harmonic accompaniment for "The Otter's Holt." 
Hope you enjoy; and please send along requests/thoughts to Shannon at MattandShannonHeaton.com--your input builds this podcast!


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