i have a one question… has anyone see that someone use stombox or porch board for playing irish music ( some guitar player or some melody player..)? with use of those devices we want to emphasize rhythm because we haven’t bodhran player. i know it isn’t very traditional, but i just ask …
marin
No need for percussion in order to emphasise rhythm:
[quoteNo need for percussion in order to emphasise rhythm][/quote]
i agree with you 100 % ( and harry and michael are, with marcas o’murchu and desy adams my most favourite players), but i ask more in contex of outdoor payed gigs, with audience not so oriented to traditional music, so you must bridge gap between traditional music and rock oriented audience …
and trust me, i am really fan of pure traditional music ( specially northern musc), but in this case i want to sell our music better … at my home i could play always what i want ( and i do )…
maybe it isn’t right comparation but: michael flatley’s show are more or less 100% commercial, but his flute album is 100% traditional. he made his show to earn money and flute album for his soul … two different approach from same person …
marin
In one of my bands, we’re sometimes using a stomp box with a bass drum sound sample on stage. Has to be played really tight on the beat in order to work properly, otherwise it just sounds stupid. And you don’t want the typical rock music bass drum sound, sounds stupid, too. Some EQing gets you a nice bassy drum sound that can work to animate people for clapping or whatever. However we don’t use it often, as it rapidly gets annoying when used too much.
Fine example! Not sure how I’ve never come across either player before.
Illustrates the point quite nicely, I’d say.
To the OP : Is a major factor in how you go about your music selling records, though? I suppose music means different things to different people, however, you might have picked the wrong genre of music, if that’s your goal!
It’s your music, and as you said, you know it’s not traditional. In a session type setting that would be a big no-no, but this is in a recording setting, and it’s your own album, so it should be about what makes you happy musically. It shouldn’t matter if everyone on this forum gives it the thumbs up or thumbs down. It’s your album. Do you think it makes the music sound better to your ear?
Personally, I think it’s not necessary, and in most cases I think it could actually detract heavily from the music. I’m not very familiar with stomp-boxes, though. But, none of us here can hear how you are going about it, and how you’d use it in the music. Hearing how two instruments are used together is much more effective than hearing what is used together, in determining how suitable it would be, at least for a record.
It’s up to you though, and what fits the direction you want to take your music, and what makes you happy. That’s what should affect your choice, rather than the opinions of others.
Something to keep in mind is that in the opinion of many people on this forum, what is good music, and what sells, can be polar opposites. Are you wanting to know what sounds good to us, or what would probably sell records? Two very different things that would bring very different answers from many people who are on the forum, I’d say.
thanks for answers so far …
gabriel, i agree mostly with you… i think to add stomp box on some sets to change sound and to more animate public ( as you said before…). i think that same story is more or less with didgeridoo, interesting sound but you can’t play it on every set, because it become boring very fast …
Sirchronique , i think that you miss the point… i don’t need long discusion about what i aim with my music , direction i want to take with my music ,etc …
as i said before i think to use it for PAYED OUTDOOR GIGS, therefore not for recording, just normal, plain gig on outdoor space …
and as i said, in my house or in a session i will play pure traditional music, without and other modern devices …
my question is simple: has anyone seen using of stombox in irish music, and what do you think about results … with your aproach, we will go very soon off the topic…
btw: this video clip is made to show what we play … http://youtu.be/Nkp3wVFDVFY
I recently saw a French Duo (“Outside Duo”, Guitar and Fiddle) on a big open air stage using a kickdrum machine (only pedal and pickup). It certainly helps the audience to clap along in the right spots. I don’t see why you shouldn’t try something similar when hiring a bodhran playing roadie is out of the question.
Do you have a video of that? I’d be interested.
The reason I’m asking is that I’m guessing that the video you linked to is the sort of stuff you play for your gigs, and which you feel needs the extra percussion, rather than the “pure traditional music” that you might play at a session. Maybe I’m just not understanding, and it’s just a different culture over there, but I still don’t think outdoor gigs do need percussion. Well, they don’t here in the UK or in Ireland. And that is directly relevant to your original question, my answer to which is that no, I’ve never seen anybody use a stompbox or porch board for Irish music.
I suppose I’m confused, because what you’re playing on the video doesn’t sound like it’s meant to be Irish music to me. And I really can’t imagine Irish music with a stompbox.
Some years back I saw John Skelton and Matthew Olwell do a wonderful set with flute and one of those percussion box (“cajon box”?) things.
Matthew’s a terrific dancer so he basically replicated a lot of the dance rhythms on the the box; the result sounded like someone dancing on a good tight wooden floor. Combined with John’s super-rhythmic flute playing, it was inspired stuff!
If you can make a thing with wires replicate that, more power to ya. 
(tho’ it might be less technically troublesome to just drag around one of those quaint analog boxes)
Nope, haven’t ever seen either one of those.
Does the porch board come with a John Keogh plugin?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_uiInAcPij4
If so, I want one!
BTW, does anyone else think this belongs in the ITM Forum? I mean, like, you know - there’s nothing about flutes to it.
Does “ITM” “need” percussion? Does it need guitars? Does it need ballads? Does it need amplification? All these questions are quite meaningless, at least in the context of Marin’s OP. He didn’t ask for that kind of discussion. If the lads feels their performance would benefit, they should try it, I think.
It doesn’t seem to be about ITM, so I’m unsure. The Pub?
I made it about flutes - or at least I tried - with my first post on this thread. I guess it could always drift flutewards …
The original question appears to have been answered. Time to move on - Mod.