Throwing something positive into the mix today rather than getting worked up about other topics.
Been playing on weekends for a coupla years with a not completly obsessed fiddler who I call the third Weekender. He likes the trad but always wants to do stuff his way sometimes without knowing what “their” way is.
At least six or seven times, I have put on “The Star Above the Garter” cd by Julia Clifford/Dennis Murphy to make some musical point to him over the past year or so.
On Saturday night, the light finally came on in his brain. We had been workin’ on the Ballydesmonds and I try and play it like they do on the record, with a combination of C nats and C#s on the first polka. So I put the disc on and we listened to the whole set of three. As they drew to the last A, leaving the tune sitting in a minor tonality, Roger sighed with wonder. Proceeded to ask me where he could get that record.
Finally. He gets it.
Many of you are in bands, I bet, and try to illustrate points by recordings of the masters. Don’t give up, I am here to tell ya. It can finally sink in. Now I got a fiddler who wants to play more like Julia Clifford…
Yesss.
Now if I could get the zoukster in the WhiskyTones to play polkas a bit slower…Packing the same cd in the music bag for tonights practice.
The band I’m working with has had an ongoing issue with this re: one of the now former members. We tried and tried, and he’d say things like, “It can’t be done”, etc. He finally left on his own. We would have rather kept him on, but he wasn’t interested in changing his approach to suit the idiom (trad, if you didn’t know). Believe me, we were as contructive and enabling as humanly possible. I envy you, Weeks.
What I for got to mention is that there is an upside to my own case in this: now the band is freer and the lift and energy are much more on target than before. It all worked out in the end, after all.
Last night my friend and I were playing cards (ah yes, the wives were playing too). While we were waiting for the ladies to take their turn, he picked up my guitar and started strumming. Well, he was finally playing something other than the blues, so I picked up my low d and started ad libbing. … It was wonderful! We talked about working something up and playing it at open mic night down at the local coffeehouse. So, in essence, I’ve picked up a guitar player! … and boy, was he heavy!
‘The Star Above the Garter’ is a truly great CD in my opinion and I’ve been looking for an opportunity to say how good it is—not that I doubted for a minute that others knew about it.
I wonder if others know about another CD featuring Julia Clifford and Denis Murphy: ‘Kerry Fiddles’ on Topic. This has the aditional attraction of Padraig O’Keefe as well. Perhaps not as polished a record but great.
I’ve been promoting a Kerry CD over on the ITM board. I’d better be careful or people will start making ‘Kerryman’ jokes about me. OK, that’s how my post got to be vaguely OT.
I was wondering.