I’ve noticed over the years how some well known players polarise opinion amongst those of us involved with itm
for instance, some regard paddy keenan as godlike in his virtuosity, expressiveness and ability to improvise, whilst others find his playing vulgar and tasteless - also liam o’flynn gets mixed reactions, some people think he is too controlled or clinical, lacking passion, whilst others like me love his playing ( i think his technique is immaculate and i think he has great control over the tone he gets out of then chanter)
Personally I am very fond of matin hayes’ playing when he actually gets stuck into a tune but sometimes i find him a bit slow in getting going
I thought maybe people could share their verdicts on the great and the good in irish music, and what they personally think, especially if what they think is at odds with what is generally held to be the case
A controversial topic there. I’m normally inclined not to comment on professional musicians. There are some whose playing I personally can’t stand. There’s one that I’ve more or less indicated that I don’t like on another C&F forum. But I probably shouldn’t have done so, and I don’t want to name any others.
Professional musicians have a living to make, and probably get sniped at all the time. Fortunately they know nothing about what I do for a living, so they can’t snipe at that. I’m inclined to let them be.
It is possible and quite easy to express a genuine opinion without sniping.
If it doesn’t come naturally then I would recommend some training in how to communicate.
Many years ago I did a course in “Assertive Communications Skills” (as opposed to Aggressive or Passive or Defensive Communciations) and it helped me a lot.
Of course I have a long way to go but, still, I have never had a professional musician (and I know many from all types of music) who sniped at me for an opinion I expressed about their playing. A lot professionals I know actaually seek feedback from the Listeners.
I much prefer the particular players!
I find the general ones much to inexact.
Music polarizes because it is very subjective and it effects us on an emotional level. The most well-known players polarize us more than lesser-known simply because we have (mostly) all experienced a reaction to them - positive or negative - and can discuss them in a forum, or over a beer. For eg, some of us are comforted by and enjoy technical prowess, and get uncomfortable with looser, inexact playing. Conversely, some of us find too much technical prowess cold - the more perfectly executed, the “colder” it seems, perhaps the less human.
Most good players, of course, bridge these two, but that - again - is a matter of opinion, and how their playing (well, any playing, really) affects us is primarily a gut reaction; everything after that is rationalization. So, two player who should elicit identical responses - they play in the same style, regionally, areroughly the same generation, etc., will still strike us, individually, differently, even though we may like them both. Throw in someone who chooses to deviate from their roots - even just a bit - and you will get reactions both strongly in favor of or strongly against that person’s music, either on their instrument, the tune, or whatever.
In short, ITM isn’t as homogenous as it feels like it should be.. The more players, even of the same material, the more variety.
thanks everyone
i certainly wasn’t out to impugn anyone’s ability as a player - i am actually a great admirer of keenan, the first time i saw him i could not believe what i was seeing and if i had seen his playing transcribed i would have said that nobody could possibly execute those finger movements so quickly and cleanly - with o’flynn i just love how beautifully controlled and nuanced his playing is, the way he alternates between legato and tight, and on and off the knee - i think he is a master technician but that he plays with great feeling too, and he definately doesn’t leave me cold - i personally feel very privileged to have seen the two of them at close quarters in small venues