Again, coming from an oldtime/bluegrass mindset, I’d like to use as an example one of our “genre heroes”: Doc Watson. (Who I’m taking my kids to see this Saturday!)
Doc is generally considered to be the most influential flatpicking guitarist of American fiddle tunes that ever lived. He is an icon of country/folk/bluegrass. But Doc’s early years included stints playing rockabilly guitar (electric) as well as any number of folk-based styles on multiple instruments, as well as acapella and group singing. He found his path through exploration (and innate genius) and spawned a style which is rooted in tradition, and in fact is now a vital part of the tradition. He wouldn’t call himself “pure drop”, or whatever the equivilent expression is around these parts, but he knows he’s building within and upon an established tradition.
Exploration is good as long as it doesn’t compromise the sources of inspiration, IMHO. And when ventures don’t pan out, you can always backtrack.
Well, this is exactly the kind of thinking that tends to irritate me, and I would guess most others like me who are seriously trying to play Irish Traditional Music outside of Ireland. It’s not so much that the “explorers” are exploring, but rather that they generally tend to say stuff like “I/we play some Irish music too” to their friends/neighbors/audiences, which tends to make said friends/neighbors/audiences think that what the “explorers” are playing really is Irish Traditional Music, when of course it’s not. What it is is tunes that happen to be of Irish origin being played in some mongrel style. And that’s not a commentary on the musicality of what’s being played, either. Sometimes “exploration” can result in good music (from an objective sense), other times not. But it never results in Irish Traditional Music - and if anyone thinks it does, then that compromises the music I and others are trying to play. That’s what offends people like me. We get called “purists”, and maybe we are, but all we’re trying to do is keep our music from being compromised and diluted.
You might say “Where’s the problem? What’s being compromised? Who’s being hurt? Why can’t we all just get along?” Well, the net effect of the dilution of the meaning of Irish Traditional Music in the eyes of the public is that when I and others sit down in a pub to play ITM, we are frequently faced either with listeners (in varying stages of drunkenness) who request that we play some tune or song that they think is ITM (but of course is not), or some musician who thinks that just because they know a few Irish tunes in some mongrel style on their instrument, they are playing ITM, and therefore they should be able to sit in with us. This puts us between a rock and a hard place. If we don’t warmly embrace them, we’re labeled as snobs, and if we do let them sit in, our session is ruined. Perhaps a minor irritation in the grand scheme of things, but in the end our music has been compromised nonetheless.
The clueless listeners can be forgiven (unless they’re very obnoxiously drunk) as they have no way of knowing better. Even many people in Ireland haven’t a clue about their own traditional music. But it’s hard to forgive those who call themselves musicians and perpetuate the myth that they are playing ITM, becuase they should know better. And I have to say, bluegrass musicians are some of the worst offenders in this regard. (And classical musicians. And jazz musicians. The rockers generally leave us alone, though, as there’s no place handy for them to plug in…)
Thus endeth my rant du jour. Now, back to your regularly-scheduled “exploration”.
I agree with you 100%, crookedtune. And the one other thing I think is important is to RECOGNIZE the tradition that came before and not bill oneself as a pure example of that tradition if one isn’t. Oooh, I hate that; as far as I’m concerned it’s false advertising.
Our band has just gotten a few gigs at both Bluegrass and Irish festivals, but it’s because we’re a novelty act and in truth, we present ourselves as such. We NEVER say we’re a Bluegrass band or an Irish band. I think the latest term we’re using is “greengrass”, but we’ve also said “interpretive Celtic” or “twisted Bluegrass” or “alternative something or other” or whatever.
We’re under no illusions that we’re anything but what we are – and even though we’re not 100% sure what that is, we know it happens to be an amalgam of a whole lot of stuff that came before.
Yes, but that’s the listener’s own problem to deal with. The same thing happens when a drunken bluegrass fan requests “Rocky Top” and thinks he’s listening to pure traditional mountain music as handed down by the elders. T’ain’t so, but they don’t care.
I hear your plea to maintain traditions, and I don’t think we are very far out of alignment. You strive to work fully within a tradition, whereas Cathy and I dabble, and admit to it freely, without representing our work as “the real thing”. There’s a place for both as long as we’re all honest.
Yes, I’ve seen something like this attending sessions staffed by
good musicians, pretty skilled in ITM, who wanted to
play the music close to the traditional bone, as it were,
and were faced with people wishing to join in who
really weren’t yet alive to it. If you welcome them, there’s
something valuable lost, if you don’t, then you appear
to be a snob. I’ve learned not to try to play with such groups.
But crooked tune did say that exploration is OK if it doesn’t
compromise its sources–so perhaps he is alive to this too–
and some of the explorers are certainly adept at ITM.
I guess there is an inevitable tension between people who
have got to the center of something and know its worth,
and folks who haven’t got there yet or don’t aspire to go.
