I know it’s really a long shot…but…has anyone transcribed or seen a transcription or midi file of The Dreaming of the Bones by Davey Spillane and Sinead O’Connor? It’s a most excellent lament/air!
Thanks!!
Hey man,
Haven’t you heard? No saying the “S” word around here! =;^)
He totally dissed the Undisputed you know…
Loren
As a relatively new member of this commuity, I don’t know of the specific circumstances of any dissing of of “the Undisputed One…” by the “Unmentionable One.” The “Unmentionable One” is, from what I have personally read, a pompous, arrogant, conceited ass. This, of course, is just my opinion, and doen’t officially represent the view of the Chiff and Fipple Message Board.
Having said that, I have to agree, that there are a number of tunes on the Sea of Dreams CD that are excellent. I have been working on the Dreaming of the Bones, Inagh, and My Heart Will Go On song/tunes for some time. There is a snappy little riff in the middle of the Inagh piece that sounds really cool, and is fun to play. Unfortunately, John, I do not know them well enough to pass on some kind of transcription. I might be able to workout a transcription of the “snappy little riff” I mentioned above. If I do, I will pass it onto you. Otherwise, I suggest you just keep listening to the nasty Mr.S’s CD over and over and until you can hear every note of the tune in your head apart from the CD.
Blaine
Speaking of the Unmentionable one… Has anybody listened to his new CD (a duet with a famous fiddler whose name I forgot). It is said to be pure trad. Is he really capable of playing “the real stuff”? I remember Peter Browne saying he wouldn’t want to hear DS play trad tunes at all.
Christian
Christian,
Hmmm, I’m surprised to hear he’d even consider playing anything he didn’t “Make” himself, that includes tunes =;^)
Loren
Indeed the CD is called “Forgotten Days” and he plays with fiddler Kevin Glackin. This is the track list:
- Pigeon On the Gate - Within A Mile of Dublin
- Fermoy Lassies - Stean Packet
- Lark In the Morning - Pipe On the Hob
- Farewell to Connaught - Cornie Is Coming
- Lucy Campbell - Trim the Velvet - The Abbey Reel
- Cul Fada Reel - Ravelled Hank of Yarn
- The Trip Over the Mountain
The Golden Eagle - The Rights of Man - The Lord Gordon’s Reel
- Cailleach an airgead - Ceannaghan Ban
- Green Fields of America - The Geese In the Bog
- Taim in arrears - Hardiman the Fiddler
- Port na bPucai
Now what do you think of that? Might become a favorite “play-along” CD. I won’t bother to buy it (“A place among the stone” cured me once and for all).
Interesting, but I won’t buy it either. Sea of Dreams and his treatment of Dale cured me.
I’m sure someone on the list will buy it and give us a little review…
Loren
Before I start, get your waders on.
I won’t debate the merits of Spillane’s music. Taste is taste. I like Sea of Dreams and I’m not embarrassed to say so. I can appreciate everyone not having my discerning tastes 
(Kidding) I was appalled and disturbed by the unsociable note Spillane sent to Dale. Totally uncalled for, and a shot in his own foot.
I’m posting to share an anecdote. I was at a music venue awhile back and saw an unannounced guest performer who has impeccable credentials as a trad performer. I commented to a fiddle player sitting next to me. He said he knew the guy but he had a reputation for a very sharp tongue and a mean spirit in his treatment of other musicians. He said he’d never buy one of his cd’s. This performer is frequently spoken of with reverence on this board, and, I guess, with justification. I have to admit the fiddler’s comments left an impression on me and I’ve never bought any cd’s by this guy. I have zero tolerance for meanness (unless there is a sincere apology. And afterward, I’m wary). I don’t want you to have the same association and ruin your enjoyment of his music.
Now my little philosophy…Tunes attach associations to them. I remember where I was and what mood I was in when I was learning and practicing a particular tune years ago. The slow air I played at my dad’s funeral will always be that tune. I still play it, but with a special reverence. I’m careful where I play, and with whom. If it’s a bad setting, I’ll remember what occured the next time I play the same tune. (Kind of like smells.) I’m big on deliberately attaching good associations to tunes. This weekend, I sat on a sand dune overlooking the ocean at Point Reyes (north of San Francisco) and played Kitty Come Down From Limerick and Monaghan’s Jig, among numerous tunes. The day started out foggy, then a mild breeze cleared a growing patch of blue sky that changed the sea from gray and dark green to blue and sparkling. The blue sky travelled toward us also shifting the colors of the sand dunes and the lingering fog down the other end of the beach. I played till my butt was sore. (longer than 15 minutes, I confess)
I like to think the music has a spirit independent of us mortal players, just like we have souls. I’m not too sure. Our souls are tied to our physical being and music doesn’t exist without the performers. It grows out of cultural experiences, good or bad. I’d like to think that good music comes from a good heart. Good or bad, it comes from a feeling heart. Things are never black or white.
Tony
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and life experience with us Tony.Misguided words tend to have a domino effect and I for one try not to let gossip stick'.Succesful Australians are often victims of the tall poppy syndrome´but I suspect its more universal than this and I hope other forumites will resist the urge to pry any names from you. Mike
I’ve always liked his “Mike Hammer” books!
Vinny
PS And I hear he makes all of his own paper for them too!
OT,Vinny! Now that your B’day is past…how come your email won’t go thru??? It doesn’t actually bounce…just comes back undeliverable and I think the system is still trying to deliver it…got another msg yesterday! Gm
I have followed the forum quite closely for about 7 months but I am somehow unfamiliar with this incident involving the unmentionable one and Dale. It sounds rather unfortunate 
I didn’t keep a record of it, but the gist of it was Davey Spillane said he got wind that the Chiff and Fipple website had mention that he played an Overton whistle. He was adamant that he only played his own make of whistles and never played anyone elses. (He was apparently tracking down any internet references to him playing other peoples’ whistles.) No big deal, but he demanded in brusque terms that the reference be removed or else he would “take action.” It was the tone of the message that was offensive. That’s my memory of it.
Tony
[ This Message was edited by: Mark_J on 2001-09-10 15:21 ]
Thanks for the info TonyHiggins. Its most unfortunate that some people choose to act so discourteously (or worse) when a few kind words would get them what they want
It’s good to see we’ve proven we can be as unsociable as Spillane reportedly was. I remember the thread back then was a lot more acid-tongued than his request to Dale, and it seems it hasn’t stopped.
Here’s the original message from Spillane:
Hello Dale
Will you please clarify on your web page photo and other references to myself that I am playing low whistles that I manufacture myself.
Please remove any un-authorized references linking me to any other manufacturers.
Please ask me directly in future for the facts. If you require any further information, I would be glad to put the record straight. Please post on your website that I do not, and never have endorsed any low whistle manufacturer. Any claims by any maker that I play their instruments are false, and I intend to take action to stop all these claims.
I make all the instruments I play myself, and have done for many years.
All the best
Davy Spillane
And Dale’s feelings about it come across nicely in
http://chiffboard.mati.ca/archive/whistle/184/64982566418256.html
– which doesn’t seem particularly offended, although a short while later he seemed a little more so:
http://chiffboard.mati.ca/archive/whistle/181/82606492754935.html
Can’t say I blame a guy for defending his own business (since what better advertising for his whistles than his own playing?), and, well, I think there’s some serious misremembering going on, because he really wasn’t particularly rough on Dale in the message that appeared in the newsletter, although it’s pretty obviously a form letter, and you could certainly tell that Davy was a little frustrated with the general problem at that point (hence the “all these claims” bit).
And I doubt that Davy had intended for his note to Dale to be part of the public record, which would explain the “greetings to whistlers” part; I know I’ve written stuff privately that if I knew was going to be published I’d phrase differently (or at least take longer to compose), and including Davy’s message in the newsletter was a little questionable itself.
Maybe it’s time to stop demonizing and start enjoying the tunes.
- -Rich
[ This Message was edited by: Mark_J on 2001-09-10 15:22 ]
Hello, all.
Light hearted humor is one thing, but guys…I hate to say it, but this is getting to be a bit much. A relatively new member of the community asks an innocent question about some enjoyed music, and gets lambasted with an all-out AntiDavy crusade??? Is this what we’re about?
Nobody’s forcing anyone to spend time with the guy or buy his music. IF the guy really is a jerk, he has a right to be, and all of us putting him down isn’t going to change that.
So, if you like Davy and his playing, buy his stuff. If you don’t, don’t. 'Tis the American way. But could we please leave it at that? He hasn’t actually hurt anyone (has he?), and at risk of being rude, I’m a bit sick of hearing about the whole thing.
“Carrying a grudge is like drinking poison and expecting your enemy to drop dead.”
Just my humble opinion.
Tom
I’m with you Tom.You know, during last night’s session a friend of mine commented what a great player and inspiration D.S.is and I almost blurted out what I’d read on this thread a few hours before but I didnt, and after reading Rich’s account of the whole thing,glad I kept my mouth shut and my friends glowing oppinion intact.All this talk of boycotting etc is pretty childish and lets not forget that anyone who has helped to elevate whistle playing to the level he has achieved deserves some respect and a little forgiveness. Mike
Tom wrote:
““Is this what we’re all about?””
Who is “We”?
I’m a unique individual with my very own set ideals and ethics, not a part of some herd. I imagine many others here feel the same way.
Rich and Tom: While I whole heartedly support your freedom to disagree with the contents of this thread, it’s another thing entirely to try to shut it down. As many have asked in the past - “If you don’t like the thread, why not skip it?”
Certainly anyone here has every right to say, “I think you guys should lay off Spillane and here’s why”. However it’s another thing entirely to say that “Stop talking about this now.” or things to that effect. Once again we have the message board “Moral Majority” making morality judgements on what’t right or wrong to say, and how discussions should be carried on in this forum. Personally, I find that offensive. No matter how much I disagree with some of the threads here, I never feel I have the right to say “Jeeze, you people should shut up about this now” - which is exactly what you’ve both done, in (very) sligtly more polite way.
Unless no one breaks the rules, discussions on a topic should continue as long as there are people who still have something to say. At least that’s the way I understand the rules…
Loren
[ This Message was edited by: Loren on 2001-09-05 18:31 ]