I searched but couldn’t find this addressed.
I’m a beginner flutist (flautist?). When playing ITM, is it kosher for the flute to drone? If so, do you drone on the same tonic note the entire song? Sounds good to me, but what do I know?
Thanks for any wisdom.
John
In ITM, the flute is a melody instrument. So, it should be playing the melody.
Assuming we’re talking about traditional session playing, I’ll second that.
Sessions are not performance settings, and any kind of droning, harmonizing, improvisations or the like by a lead instrument is not kosher. The flute is very much a lead instrument.
Support instruments, such as guitar, bouzouki, etc., have a little more freedom in that area.
If you’re playing for yourself, playing along with recordings, etc. … go crazy. Practice long tones.
If you’re playing in sessions … Any kind of harmony will earn you the evilest of evil eyes, the deadly drochshúil that makes your hair fall out and your Guinness turn to lemonade.
Unless you really know what you’re doing. Even then, less is more.
(More or less).
Wow - I’m increasingly getting the impression that (some) US sessions are very stuffy, “purist”, hierarchical affairs! It just isn’t that hung up this side of the pond - even in Ireland (though my experience there is admittedly limited). Whilst I wouldn’t advocate too much of it or doing it very obtrusively, I think finding the drone note or a “moving drone” pattern to play along/intersperse with the phrases you’ve “got” in a sesh while trying to pick up a tune on the fly is perfectly acceptable, and it can also be a way of (contributing to) accompanying songs. I have certainly suggested it to learners as a way to start to get in to session playing. I can also think of circumstances where I have accompanied a solo melody player (in a tune neither I nor anyone else present knew) by providing a drone or rhythmic drone (with breath pulses), kind-of in lieu of pipes drones, throughout to good effect and appreciative comment. But as in all aspects of session playing, fit-to-context discretion, manners and sensitivity should govern what you do.
I know some very well respected players who will enter a tune by droning the root note, generally until the get to the next time the A or B part starts, and then join in on the melody. I wouldn’t make a habit of it, or drone through multiple parts of a tune, but it does add some interesting color to things. Also, when the fiddlers are going down to notes that a whistle can’t hit, I will drone a low D or E until they get back into the range where I can rejoin them.
But it is not a substitute for knowing the tune. If you don’t know the tune, don’t be afraid not to play. There is nothing wrong with taking a break, when people do, the session breaths, different mixes of instruments give it variety. A session where everyone tries to play on everything, even tunes they don’t know, becomes a muddy mess of sound.
If you stick around this forum, you’ll find that it’s mostly the flute players who drone on, on and on, often endlessly… Usually about M. Flatley.
Well, you know, I can see how it might appear that way. And some of my non-ITM music friends DO feel that way about our session. My view is that it’s very hard to keep it traditional — there’s always somebody with a guitar and a song, often good but usually not, who wants a bit of attention. We’ve had every type of instrument, and tons of “noodlers”. We even have a guy that comes weekly and sings a couple of sea shanties. Our response has been to allow those folks some time, but to keep the bulk of the session controlled and structured. That means dance-tempo tunes get played in the traditional way, with lead instruments playing straight melody. Tunes you don’t know, you don’t play.
Many of us have never been to Ireland, and don’t profess to know how it’s done there. We’re just doing what we feel works best for us.
In confidence, I flatl(e)y deny that calumny!
All keyed up and nowhere to go?
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
HmmmmmmmHmmmmmmmHmmmmmmm HmmmmmmmHmmmmmmm…
Ireland might be a good place to go if you happen to like watching your droning flute sailing out of the pub over the half-door.
Rob
Tis advertised in Boston, New York and Buffalo,
500 brave sailing men a whaling for to go,
singing blow he winds in the morning,
blow ye winds, hi ho,
Haul again your running gear
and blow ye winds hi ho.
I can sing many more if you are interested. OK, here’s
one I like. Do you mind if I play my keyboard?
Not sure I get your point, Doug. Our shanty singer is a good guy, and we all like him a lot. We’ve got an old guy who sings IRA rebel songs, and a woman who likes to sing Irish-inspired tin pan alley stuff. Great, go for it! Our venue is very welcoming to all.
It’s just that during our Irish trad session, about 3-6 on Sunday afternoons, we do our best to keep it to only that. Doesn’t seem too unreasonable to me.
If you can get some circular breathing going, you can drone on the flute as much as you like. Not the most interesting thing you can do on a flute, and unlikely to make much impact at a session. I’d like to see what would happen if everyone at the session did the same.