Suggestions for Em Air/Lament

[system]

@PJ

@The Whistle Collector

Do you have a website to go to where I can get all of that information?

I don’t know of any particular website. I learned basic music theory in school. I found that the DADGAD Irish Guitar book written by Sarah McQuaid gives a good explanation of theory, particularly scales, modes and chords.

Cool, I should be taking that soon in school. I can’t wait for that class. Thanks for the info, you too MTGuru.

[system]

@boyd

The Dear Irish Boy

is about as traditional and old an E minor air as you could get


EF# G3 F#E F#B2 AF# E2 F#ED3
EF# G3 F#E F#B2 AF# E2 F#EDE2
EF# G3 F#E F#B2 AF# E2 F#ED3
EF# G3 ABB e2d BAG 3(EF#G) F#2 EDE2

is the first half (from memory)

Its on recordings…I think it’s on “The Drones & Chanter” for instance
Someone will know which one of the 2 CDs…

Boyd

I know it is an air, but is the same song where this woman’s love goes off to war and never returns? That is an extremely sad song, it might be the one you are talking about.

[rorybbellows]

There is a difference between dissonance and being out of tune.With a well tuned chanter playing with drones tuned to D, you have the dissonance of the E and Csharp and the consonance of the A and G.With that same chanter playing against drones tuned to E all you have is dissonance and out of tune.

RORY

[NicoMoreno]

@rorybbellows

There is a difference between dissonance and being out of tune.With a well tuned chanter playing with drones tuned to D, you have the dissonance of the E and Csharp and the consonance of the A and G.With that same chanter playing against drones tuned to E all you have is dissonance and out of tune.

RORY

Agreed 100%. I think tuning drones to E for an Eminor tune is absurd, myself, and that’s exactly why.

Dissonance is great. But then I love major 2nd and 9th intervals. And 7ths of all sorts!

[PJ1]

Have a listen to Liam O’Flynn playing the “Humours of Barrack St”. It’s on the Bill Whelan CD, the Seville Suite. He plays a C chanter against D drones (same as playing a D chanter against E drones). His playing sounds perfectly in tune to me.

[jqpublick]

I’d like to thank everyone for the suggestions. So… thanks, folks.

The director, in a sharp (but not entirely unexpected about-face) has decided that “March of the High King of Laois” is exactly what he wants. (He heard me warming up with it.) So that’s what I’ll be playing. Now I have several new laments/airs to add to my repertoire. They’re recording the show, so if everything goes well I’ll be able to put something up on the clips and snips portion of this fine extra-physical establishment.

I did try playing Em tunes against the drones and to my surprise they sounded good. Interestingly, it depended entirely on the tune whether or not the drones sounded good with it.

On a completely seperate note (har, har. Get it? It’s a musical word-play. My goodness, but I kill me.) I’ve just recently started trying the 2nd 8ve f or g trill (wiggly right forefinger while the note is sustained) and it seems to me that if I open the f hole first, then it sounds like a trill on the f, whereas if I open the g holes it sounds like I’m trilling on the g. Is this just me, or do other players have that perception as well? Even more important, does the audience?

Mark