Uploaded April 2019 | Updated September 2026, 19 minutes ago
Here is a fiddle duet and trio arrangement of the Irish air, "Morgan Megan" (sometimes it's called "Morgan Magan" or "Planxty Morgan Megan"). This arrangement is available in my new "15 Irish Fiddle Airs - Duets and Trios" music book of melodies by the blind Irish harper, Turlough O'Carolan.
Signed physical books are now available in my music store's website:
bit.ly/15IrishFiddleAirs
I also have a digital downloadable book version available:
bit.ly/15IrishFiddleAirsPDF
An unsigned physical book version is available on Amazon:
amzn.to/2Yzkrra
(This is an Amazon Affiliates link. I earn a commission without any extra cost to you when the above link is used to make a purchase.)
I think the song Morgan Megan sounds like a very "developed" Irish air. It's almost as though both the A and B parts tell an elaborate story about someone. It is also a Carolan tune that I don't hear as frequently. I'm guessing that might be because the song is fairly long and a lot to learn by-ear, but it's a really pretty song and worth the extra time practicing! (Plus, I have written out the sheet music in my book, so you won't have to play it by ear! =) ) To me, a lot of Carolan songs sound a bit "Baroque."
I really really really struggled coming up with this arrangement. I think it was the hardest song for me to write the two harmonies for. Every time I created a harmony, it seemed to overpower the melody and turn it into a completely different sounding song. After lots of back-and-forth with tons of ideas, I think I finally settled on harmonies that are interesting to play, and not too overpowering of the melody. Si Bheag Si Mhor was another song where I found it difficult to create two harmonies that weren't too overpowering. However, Morgan Megan was definitely the song that took the longest to work out the harmonies.
I think arranging is one of those things where you can constantly question your harmony choices and edit arrangements forever. Even now, I wonder if I could have made my harmonies better -- although I think I'm happy with what I came up with. =) I learned that playing the parts together on a piano helped me see what I had written with a different perspective. I'm definitely going to continue to do that in the future! I think it's kind of odd how arranging while only keeping the violin in mind can kind of create a "harmony tunnel vision" of sorts. Seeing the black and white keys of a piano helped me think a bit more outside the box whenever I got stuck working out a new part of a harmony.
Some viewers wanted a song with just the violin, so hopefully you guys like this one! ^_^
Thank you for watching, and Happy Spring! =)
~ Katy
------------
Music store website:
goldenaspenmusic.com
Artist portfolio website:
katyadelson.com
Download/stream my "Tune Collection" album:
fanlink.to/TuneCollection
Download/stream my "Ghost Ship" single:
fanlink.to/GhostShip
Hashtags:
#Violin #Carolan #IrishMusic #Fiddle #KatyAdelson #Music #Trad #Baroque #MorganMegan #FiddleTune #TurloughOCarolan #Planxty
Software and equipment used:
Full list of all my basic violin equipment:
katyadelson.com/about/violin-equipment-and-recommendations
Violin gear:
Violin: 1899 Ernst Kreusler “Copy of Antonius Stradivarius” violin from Germany
Bow: CodaBow Luma
Strings: Evah Pirazzi Violin Strings (with a ball E)
Rosin: Salchow Rosin
Shoulder Rest: Bonmusica Shoulder Rest
Software used (for Macintosh):
Garageband for attempted sound mixing
Final Cut Pro for video editing
PicMonkey.com for the ending cards
Plugins for sound effects (I have A LOT to learn in this department!):
East West plugins – Spaces
Camera:
Canon 70D + 18-135 mm kit lens
Sony RX100 V
Microphone for audio recording:
Blue Woodpecker
Here is a fiddle duet and trio arrangement of the Irish air, "Morgan Megan" (sometimes it's called "Morgan Magan" or "Planxty Morgan Megan"). This arrangement is available in my new "15 Irish Fiddle Airs - Duets and Trios" music book of melodies by the blind Irish harper, Turlough O'Carolan.
Signed physical books are now available in my music store's website:
bit.ly/15IrishFiddleAirs
I also have a digital downloadable book version available:
bit.ly/15IrishFiddleAirsPDF
An unsigned physical book version is available on Amazon:
amzn.to/2Yzkrra
(This is an Amazon Affiliates link. I earn a commission without any extra cost to you when the above link is used to make a purchase.)
I think the song Morgan Megan sounds like a very "developed" Irish air. It's almost as though both the A and B parts tell an elaborate story about someone. It is also a Carolan tune that I don't hear as frequently. I'm guessing that might be because the song is fairly long and a lot to learn by-ear, but it's a really pretty song and worth the extra time practicing! (Plus, I have written out the sheet music in my book, so you won't have to play it by ear! =) ) To me, a lot of Carolan songs sound a bit "Baroque."
I really really really struggled coming up with this arrangement. I think it was the hardest song for me to write the two harmonies for. Every time I created a harmony, it seemed to overpower the melody and turn it into a completely different sounding song. After lots of back-and-forth with tons of ideas, I think I finally settled on harmonies that are interesting to play, and not too overpowering of the melody. Si Bheag Si Mhor was another song where I found it difficult to create two harmonies that weren't too overpowering. However, Morgan Megan was definitely the song that took the longest to work out the harmonies.
I think arranging is one of those things where you can constantly question your harmony choices and edit arrangements forever. Even now, I wonder if I could have made my harmonies better -- although I think I'm happy with what I came up with. =) I learned that playing the parts together on a piano helped me see what I had written with a different perspective. I'm definitely going to continue to do that in the future! I think it's kind of odd how arranging while only keeping the violin in mind can kind of create a "harmony tunnel vision" of sorts. Seeing the black and white keys of a piano helped me think a bit more outside the box whenever I got stuck working out a new part of a harmony.
Some viewers wanted a song with just the violin, so hopefully you guys like this one! ^_^
Thank you for watching, and Happy Spring! =)
~ Katy
------------
Music store website:
goldenaspenmusic.com
Artist portfolio website:
katyadelson.com
Download/stream my "Tune Collection" album:
fanlink.to/TuneCollection
Download/stream my "Ghost Ship" single:
fanlink.to/GhostShip
Hashtags:
#Violin #Carolan #IrishMusic #Fiddle #KatyAdelson #Music #Trad #Baroque #MorganMegan #FiddleTune #TurloughOCarolan #Planxty
Software and equipment used:
Full list of all my basic violin equipment:
katyadelson.com/about/violin-equipment-and-recommendations
Violin gear:
Violin: 1899 Ernst Kreusler “Copy of Antonius Stradivarius” violin from Germany
Bow: CodaBow Luma
Strings: Evah Pirazzi Violin Strings (with a ball E)
Rosin: Salchow Rosin
Shoulder Rest: Bonmusica Shoulder Rest
Software used (for Macintosh):
Garageband for attempted sound mixing
Final Cut Pro for video editing
PicMonkey.com for the ending cards
Plugins for sound effects (I have A LOT to learn in this department!):
East West plugins – Spaces
Camera:
Canon 70D + 18-135 mm kit lens
Sony RX100 V
Microphone for audio recording:
Blue Woodpecker
