I’ve been listening to Leo Rowsome a lot lately and can’t help but be increasingly enraptured by his regulator playing. At first it seemed so overpowering and monotonous, but after the 4th anf 5th time of listening to the CD I’m beginning to understand the complexity of what he is doing.
I played a few tracks to a friend who has a long history playing Jazz, Funk and who is also very well acquianted with playing Brazillian rhythms. It was the very first time he’d heard Leo Rowsome and he was absolutely gob-smacked (ie, dumb-founded, ie, blown away, ie EXTREMELY impressed) by the regulator playing.
The phrasing and syncopation was what blew him away. He then explained it to me in terms of laying 6/8 rythms over 4/4 timing etc in the way he learned to understand Brazilian rhythm. That all went straight over my head, but the point is, there’s much more to Leo Rowsome’s reg playing than first meets the eyes (ears)
Like the list i quit because it was filled (imho) with people that know everything better than the other guy and you’d get burnt for stating your opinion on the pipes?
BTW what was your point?
Leo’s playing gets you kicked off an email list?
My hero. I’m just listening to the clips of your playing on your website to remind myself of just how right you are. (because I know you like emoticons).
Really I hadn’t noticed on account of the CD I was listening to seemed to have him making quite full use of the entire ‘keyboard’, if you will. My mate’s jaw dropped on the occasions that an augmented chord was dropped in. My response was something akin to…'Oh..yeah…you can do that on regulators".
Anyway…I’d better say no more. I hadn’t realised making mention of Leo Rowesome was such a faux pas on this list - one which would start a flame war.
Speak on friend. Any discussion of the music is welcome at least to me. I honestly have no idea what those others are on about anyway. Don’t bother about Royce. He’s been kicked off of more mailing lists than the rest of us ever will. In short, continue any and all musical discussions. It will be a nice change of pace for these boards.
james
Anyway - back to the point of original discussion. I don’t have any regulators myself, even after ten or so years of piping - too expensive. I may never even get to see the shores of Ireland So all I can do is sit and listen in awe at how a piper such as Mr Rowesome and others mangage to manipulate their regs so well with such rhythm - and mostly in time too
Coming to like Leo Rowsome’s playing, for me, was the same as coming to like Bob Dylan - first time sounded bloody aweful; but, the more I listened the more it grew on me and now I can’t stop.
As a side note -
Dicky Deegan once told me in a pub here in Brisbane regarding listening to the master pipers such as Ennis etc. He said to listen to the piping, don’t concern yourself with whether or not it’s out of time or out of tune, just listen for what you can get out of the playing itself. Or words to that effect.
I did - with Ennis, Rowesome and now with every piper I listen to - even beginners. A whole new world of appreciation has opened up.
Cheers,
Yes, and then there’s still a few of us who suggest that playing in time and in tune are the two primary qualifications of a “musician” and still for instance, find most of what Bob Dylan did just plain annoying no matter how many times we are bombarded with it’s grating “brilliance.”
Yes, and then there’s still a few of us who suggest that playing in time and in tune are the two primary qualifications of a “musician” and still for instance, find most of what Bob Dylan did just plain annoying no matter how many times we are bombarded with it’s grating “brilliance.”
Having been a slide, dobro, and blues musician for most of my life my opinion is that playing in tune and in time is two of the primary qualifications of a robot. As a slide player, I’m constanty playing inbetween the notes and as a blues and folk singer I’m constantly singing around the beat, like most jazz musicians. For me Ennis outside of time constraints is what gives its great mystery and power. And personally I’ve always loved Dylan’s singing.
For me there are two pieces of piping that stand out as sheer mastery at its highest level. The first is Leo Rowsome playing the “Castles of Dromore”.
Its not that difficult to do, a fair dollop of hand-eye co-ordination and you’re away. But he makes it sound so easy and effortless. Just beautiful!!
the second is Rowsome, again, playing “The Independence Hornpipe”.
Now thats HARD! The perfect vamping throughout the second part is unbelieveable! The timing is pristene and the choice is chords is great.
It really is amazing to have that kind of control over an instrument that can be tempermental at the best of times.
Tommy
Add to that his set “Jenny’s Wedding/Lord MacDonald” - particularly the C part of Lord MacDonald.
On timing and in-tune-ness - my most depressing times playing in my band were when we employed finicky (spelling?) fiddle players who could do nothing but harp on about my bottom D or my top e or how I like to play ahead of the beat whereas I should be, if not ON the beat, behind the beat. We told him where to go only to employ another fiddle player who was no better. Granted, he new the tunes, and how to command a mean fiddle but he was NO MUSICIAN. There’s far more to being a musician than merely mechanical ability. I agree with Bill - robots can do that.
The thing I like about Leo’s regulator playing is his use of on and off the beat rythm ,not an easy thing to do in one tune,any tune ,and switch frae one to the other without interupting the flow of the melody.Thats what makes it so special.
I can hit the regs easily on the beat but have to think when I switch to off the beat,whereas most pipers I know are quite the opposite and have to think about on the beat…but play off the beat naturally.
Do I need to see a doctor.
Royce is right about playing in time and tune,and its a nonsense to suggest otherwise and shews a basic lack of understanding Irish Traditional Music.Even slow airs,where ye can have a lot of licence on expression and timing,still has phrasing.
If ye want to play out of time or out of tune go ahead, but don’t call it Robotic not to,that just seems like an excuse for crap playing and it sure aint good piping…
I see the biggest “Tit” on the forum has introduced Breasts to this thread..
Is it really necessary?
Slan Go Foill
Uilliam
Word!! Playing ‘between notes’ and ‘around beats’ is not playing out of time or out of tune. Bad playing consists of poor rhythm control and an inability ot distinguish whether you are dynamically controlled too and so on. And that is often a personal perspective.
I really find Leo to be a sort of ‘pop’ music of the pipes. more House than Drum n Bass, but can easily listen and enjoy (except for that bloody version of the Blackbird with the Ska guitarist), but I didn’t hear him playing for fun.
The hardest thing I’ve had to come to terms with is that I really don’t care for regs., but I am learning them, sweating over them when I could be doing something else more satisfying, but the ‘concertina player’ in me just won’t let go. Well, today anyway.
I hadn’t noticed on account of the CD I was listening to seemed to have him making quite full use of the entire ‘keyboard’, if you will. My mate’s jaw dropped on the occasions that an augmented chord was dropped in. My response was something akin to…'Oh..yeah…you can do that on regulators".
go ahead, but don’t call it Robotic not to,that just seems like an excuse for crap playing and it sure aint good piping…