Outside of the wonderful trad and trad hybrid music where does the whistle fit in?
The question comes to mind from a James McNally CD I just picked up. I dig the Afro Celt stuff so I went ahead and picked it up.
It’s not for me. He’s playing instrumental versions of pop songs where the whistle takes the lead melody. To me it comes across a bit silly. The arrangements have a big part to do with that. It’s very New Age sounding stuff.
I have my own ideas about what to do with the whistle in my own music. Still I’m curious to hear how others use the whistle outside of traditional style music.
Can anyone recomend and give comments on recordings that would fall into the “other then Trad” format?
I love the whistle and realize that it can walk the New Age line, but that genre is a little scarry for me.
I’ve heard it said that the
CD you mentioned was overproduced,
which is what I thought of it.
I don’t know this stuff, but hopefully
this one isn’t representative.
I wouldn’t be scared of “new age” music.
Bear in mind that NOTHING written in our time will be allowed to bear the “classic” label… everything gets thrown into the new age category, deserving of it or not.
I’m a fan of pianist Robyn Spielberg, and her CDs can only be found in the new age section… and I don’t consider her to be a new age musician by any stretch of the imagination.
I would call her a classic pianist, but she mainly plays her own compositions.
Most of the Irish musicians get stuck in the “world music” section of music stores, but I’ve seen Davy Spillane and several other whistle players in the “new age” section before.
Don’t sweat labels being stuck on your music… and don’t be afraid of new age, you’ll find that the whistle goes very well with many of the new age tunes.
Anna- I guess we are kinda on the same area here, I do lots of old time mountain music, coming from where I do, how could I not. Am currently working on figuring out “Billy in the Lowground”
On 2002-02-28 23:01, cowtime wrote:
Anna- I guess we are kinda on the same area here, I do lots of old time mountain music, coming from where I do, how could I not. Am currently working on figuring out “Billy in the Lowground”
It’s interesting that old time music is very conservative about new instruments. Irish music has assimilated (more or less) tenor banjo, bouzouki and cittern, guitar, etc. (etc. means I can’t think of anything else right now except electric bass in Lunasa). Irish music also uses a much wider variety of instruments. Old time sticks mainly to stringed instruments with the occasional exception of harmonica. There have been a few recordings of old time stuff with whistle or flute, though, mostly by Chris Norman. A friend and I have recorded some stuff but it’s not available.
Raindog is right. It seems that any music which does not fall squarely into the Pop, Easy Listening, or C&W category (especially instrumental music, “Celtic” music, and progressive rock) is automatically placed in the “New Age” bin of the record store (which is often also combined with Jazz). This leads me to wonder, is there really such a thing as New Age Music, or is this just the record companies trying to advertise to New Age people?
I don’t think the phrase “New Age” has any real meaning - it may have at one time but I don’t think so anymore. When I hear “new age” I think of that whole quasi-spirutual movement that seemed to be so popular in the 1980’s because it was an easier “substitute” for genuine spirituality (oh dear, I’m gonna get flamed for that one).
I once read an interview with Loreena McKennitt about this issue - she thought it was a real problem for her because people could never find her CDs in the record shops. Sometimes they were in the “new age” category, sometimes in “folk”, sometimes in “world music”. I suppose that’s what happens when something crosses the lines of predetermined boundaries.
Gary, you won’t get any flames from me or Loreena! Loreena does not consider her music to be “New Age”. Neither do I, especially after “Mummer’s Dance” made such a decent showing on the pop charts!
If you want to try something that really blurs boundaries (and I think, sounds very cool), try Nightnoise. The guitarist and lead female singer are from The Bothy Band (I don’t want to butcher the weird Irish spellings). I find it very hard to describe without confining it to inadequate categories. You’ve got acoustic guitar, metal flute, violin/fiddle(?), cello, piano and…whistle. It’s kind of moody stuff, has a jazzy feel, but clearly Irish trad influenced. The whistle parts are great. I’d recommend At the End of the Evening, A Different Shore, Parting Tide as good representative cd’s. Some of the music reminds me of an updated rendition of slow airs.
Tony
I’m using the term “New Age” as an iconic discription. It’s still a label, I know. It was just the nicest way I could think of to discribe the McNally CD.
I’m into a bunch of stuff that is thrown into “New Age”. Its just the touchy feely stuff that creeps me out. It’s like a step beyond Muzac.
What I’m looking for is the Hendrix, or Zappa of whistle. Something fresh and different.
Maybe I’m just old,But I have to agree with ya..Some of this “New Age Music” really sounds strange to me, Kari has a disc (Cant remember the name offhand) and all they play and sing are the same 5 phrases accompianed by this semi hypnotic instrument passages.
Very wierd
Dan
On 2002-03-04 04:07, jackorion wrote:
What I’m looking for is the Hendrix, or Zappa of whistle.
You know Jack, I’ve been throwing the idea around for a while now to record Purple Haze with just tinwhistles… complete with distortion and all the other necessary effects!
Seriously, I once saw a comedian with an electric ukulele play it very convincingly… I still laugh when I think about that!
I’m certain that it could be done… the question is should it be done?
I wanted to post something on this thread, but I’m too busy trying to play along with my Enya cd’s and reading The Celestine Prophecy. Maybe another time.
On 2002-03-04 06:40, jim_mc wrote:
I wanted to post something on this thread, but I’m too busy trying to play along with my Enya cd’s and reading The Celestine Prophecy. Maybe another time.
YHBT-HAND!
No doubt you also have one of those soothing little indoor “peace and tranquility” fountains that you gaze at whilst you burn incense to get in touch with your “inner child” whilst kneeling at your shrine to Shirley MacClaine
Raindog, you have to record that and put it on C&S site. Maybe we could start the http://www.WW.com “Wierd Whistle” site. I’ll put up “Watermelon in Easter Hey”.
I have an LP of a Kazoo big band. It’s insane. It will also make you insane. I do wish it was a New Age Kazoo big band though.
Until then I’ll be rubing stones, after my therapy session of course.
it’s interesting. I really don’t notice a problem in the music stores around me mixing celtic music into New Age. I am lucky, both music stores I populate (Borders and HEAR music) have acutally sections for Celtic music. Also when I think of new age, it brings to my mind Enya, and Nervana and such. Also fom some strange reason it always bring’s to mind tibetian monk chanting
Caryn
PS forgive about spelling errors-too lazy to spell check
