I’m new to your forum, but noticed a recent and VERY long thread that seemed to evolve into a discussion of traditional vs new trends and I thought I’d pipe in with a redirection on the topic in general:
I’m a rather out of control fan of the work of Troy Donockley (Yorkshire area), and am completely captivated by the compositions he’s been creating with his UPs (He plays a full set of Dave Williams D), Overtons, and a vast array of other instruments (Troy say’s it’s 8 if you count the kazoo).
Troy has made it clear that he’s enamoured with the instrument and he is expert at all from the most traditional to his awesome “old age” (as he calls it) laments.
For those of you with the opportunity to get and hear them, his solo works “The Unseen Stream” and the lastest release, “The Pursuit of Illusion” include probably the broadest application of the UPs I’ve ever heard. To give them a shot.
Troy’s site includes a few sample tracks - listen to “the colour of the door” from his latest album and I think you’ll find the best example of his “tradimodern” pipes.
Steve, these sorts of recommendations work better if you include a link to the site you’re referring to, like: http://www.troydonockley.co.uk/
A word of warning for those who haven’t been there yet, the site is slow to load if you are on a modem line. The music itself is the worst sort new age drivel, with all the reverb, low whistles, and pseudo-celtic ambience one expects to encounter as background music at the local incense boutique.
Man! Wouldn’t it be nice if people like Davy Spillane could let a nice new talented artist learn the instrument without sinking in his Riverdance claws? This type of new age tripe is so last week! I only hope folks like Talbert St.Clare don’t take offense to cracks like this anymore, or the whole new age world and the pipers who support it will be lost to us all - OH THE HUMANITY! ROTFLOL!!
P.S. What’s with the scary little man on stilts on the opening page?? At least I think it’s stilts…
I just sit back in the world class spa O ’ mine , and listen to total new age tracks , that have , low wistle , sounds like paddy keenan clones , and native american love flutes , and west african bass drums , , then I will go to the sauna , and sweat it all out .
While there , I hear all the talented folks who were playing traditional music , and thanking them for paying there dues , and taking a risk , just to play what they loved in the music, and now they are at the top . So called , " new age music " has not superseded the traditional vien , even if it attains the height of elevator music , or , muzak . All the better , as the general public will have an access to hear the music , even If it is set in a way that is very basic , at least it is a start . Why resent the fact that talented musicians can earn a good living on the top 40 scene , when the music sounds good ?
tok ,
Hmm, seems that Steve’s website is Troy’s website. Could Steve be Troy? Shameless self-promotion! But aside from all that, Troy does sound like a pretty good piper… wonder if he plays any good traditional pipe?
Oh dear me, how bigs the bug up your ass? It sounds mostly like carefully composed ‘serious’ music to me. The pipes tend to make everything sound like new age drivel. If you can’t handle people making music and putting it out on the web go take up h******g or something. shaking head in disbelief
But then, I would say that wouldn’t I http://www.fianna.hu ,best viewed with a fast connection…
AlanB, what bugs me is that all through this fellow’s web site he insists that he is an uilleann piper first. So what do the samples on his web site reveal? Is it his reg playing that you find exemplary? - oops, he doesn’t actually play the regs, though he likes to photograph himself with a full set. Is it the subtle blend of his chanter and drones that he has achieved that you like? - oops! he doesn’t play his drones. Its all synth washes. Perhaps its his tight playing and incredible triplets you like? - oops! all he does is hold long notes with lots of vibratto, something easily within the reach of anyone who has been learning UPs for a couple of months. Maybe this guy can really wail on UPs, who knows, but there certainly isn’t any evidence on his web site.
As to serious music, well, aside from the strings, most of this stuff can be achieved with a synth and some sequencing software, which is how the majority of new age stuff is produced.
I believe that’s an Chinese imperial trooper from the Ching dynasty. Very Celtic, that.
Fair play DJM,
Should have said that in the first place (talking of bugs up asses, serious music was the term my teacher at college used when differentiating ‘classical’ idiom from everything else… Boy, the arguments we had.)
I suspect Alan’s point is that even contemplating getting worked up about this nonsense is less worthy of your time than, say, choreographing for earthworms.
Sorry. Didn’t catch your drift at first. Forums, like email, tend to smother the wiff of sarcasm. Must have my head up my butt, again. It is kinda dark in here …
Come on you guys, you’re always talking about the evolution of pipes and piping, and who knows where or what the sound of “Traditional Irish Piping” will be like 50 years from now, when it evolves into something quite different. Semantics aside… The Uilleann Pipes as a musical instrument, not necessarily playing Irish music.
There was Spillane’s explorations in Jazz, which I didn’t think was all that exciting.
More recently, there was that performance of Carlos Nunez (I think) and O’Flynn playing together with full orchestra at the Celtic Festival thing at Lorient… can’t remember what it was, but I thought having something to do with the pipers club in France. Now that was an arousing display… and didn’t sound “traditional” at all, very contemporary, and a decent example of the Uilleann Pipes as a musical instrument within an orchestral setting.
Per another thread about the heros of piping, it seems to me that should also include those who make attempts to broaden the appeal of this wonderful instrument, by taking new directions… which can’t help but point back to the source.
Elbogo, generally I agree with the intentions of your point, but referring back to the same thread you mentioned, at what point does it stop being UPs? If we take the current new age albums like pointed to by this current thread, the reality is that what was played on UPs did not need to be played on UPs. In other words, a UP chanter did not necessarily add anything that another bagpipe chanter, or wind instrument, or even synth patch, couldn’t have provided just as well.
So, if we are to dicsuss future musical directions, and if you want to include new age music in the discussion, I would have to ask at what point do UPs stop being UPs? There are many types of bagpipes, and many types of woodwinds. If you were to say that UPs are really only the chanter with no drones or regs, then can you really say you’re playing UPs? I don’t mind that people play other than ITM on UPs (e.g. Davy Spillane, Jerry O’Sullivan), but if you aren’t utilizing the full set, and taking advantage of the full sound of it can bring, then are you really playing UPs at all? There are lots of other ways to make a long whaaaa sound with vibratto. Is that all UPs are?
Not at all. I thought the snippets I listened to were rather ‘Michael Nyman’ish. Maybe not my cup of tea, but I could appreciate the structure as being a cut above ‘newageceltic’ music. I remember hearing a mad version of Rakish Paddy by a band called ‘You Slosh’ a long time ago, piper? none other than Troy Donockley, and that band had grungy guitar and rockin’ drums, he certainly tries things out (last I heard, he was working with Joan Baez? or maybe it was Maddy Prior?). I just think it’s unfair to judge someone on such a small example of their work. I did a sesh for a bloke a few years back and it was so painfully misguided, I never wanted to hear the finished product, and I, for sure, wouldn’t want to be judged by it. Took the cheque though
Just’ cos you can play them, don’t mean you have to!!
This type of new age tripe is so last week! 
I only hope folks like Talbert St.Clare don’t take offense to cracks like this anymore, or the whole new age world and the pipers who support it will be lost to us all - OH THE HUMANITY! ROTFLOL!!
turns , my head and coughs ,
(talking of bugs up asses, serious music was the term my teacher at college used when differentiating ‘classical’ idiom from everything else… Boy, the arguments we had.)
