Create a Fiddle Tune Book for Irish Sessions

Walking into an Irish session with a well-organized tune book changes everything. Instead of fumbling through your phone or a stack of loose sheets, you flip to the right section and there it is — the tune you half-remember, with the B part you always forget.

A good session tune book isn't just a collection of tunes. It's organized the way sessions work: by tune type, by key, and with sets grouped together.

Why You Need a Tune Book

• Quick reference. When someone starts a tune you almost know, you can glance at your book without pulling out your phone.
• Learning tool. Having tunes printed in order helps you practice sets the way they're played in sessions.
• Memory aid. Even experienced session players forget B parts. A book is there when you need it.
• Session-friendly. A book sits flat on a table. A phone falls over, runs out of battery, and distracts.

Collecting Tunes

Irish tunes are widely available as sheet music. Here are the best sources:

• The Session (thesession.org) — the largest collection of Irish traditional tunes with ABC notation you can export.
• ABC notation collections — convert to PDF using EasyABC, abc2svg, or similar tools.
• Tune books you own — scan pages from O'Neill's, The Fiddler's Companion, or other collections.
• Your own transcriptions — if you write out tunes by ear, save them as PDFs.

Organizing for Sessions

The best way to organize a session tune book is by tune type first, then by key within each type. This mirrors how sessions actually work — a set of reels in D, followed by a set of jigs in G.

Recommended chapter structure:

1. Reels — grouped by key (D, G, A minor, E minor)
2. Jigs — grouped by key
3. Hornpipes
4. Polkas
5. Slow Airs
6. Waltzes
7. Set Tunes — specific sets you play regularly

Building Your Book

Once you have your tune PDFs collected and named:

1. Open MakeMySongBook and upload all your tune PDFs.
2. Create chapter dividers for each tune type: Reels, Jigs, Hornpipes, etc.
3. Drag tunes into the right chapters and arrange by key within each.
4. Design a cover — "Session Tunes 2026" or "My Tune Book" with the fiddle artwork.
5. Generate the PDF. The table of contents lets you find any tune instantly by page number.

A Note on Session Etiquette

A quick word on using tune books at sessions. In most sessions, having a book is perfectly fine — especially if you're still learning tunes. A few guidelines:

• Don't read every tune from the book. Use it as a reference for tunes you're still learning.
• Keep the book below eye level. You should be watching and listening to the other players, not buried in sheet music.
• Don't start a tune by flipping to the page first. If you don't know a tune well enough to start it, let someone else lead.

Tips & Tricks

• Start with 30-40 tunes. Don't try to include every tune you know. Focus on the ones played at your local session.
• Add new tunes gradually. When you learn a new tune, add it and reprint. MakeMySongBook is free — regenerate as often as you like.
• Use chapter descriptions. Add notes like "Common session reels in D major" to chapter dividers.
• Print on thick paper. Session tune books get handled a lot. 100gsm paper holds up better than standard 80gsm.
• Consider a spiral binding. It lies flat on a table, which is perfect for sessions. See binding options.

Frequently Asked Questions