I’ve been playing a few tunes, some of which I can now do without the notes in front of me, but they are just simple jigs etc.
Now I’ve started to learn Fe Ra Huri by Omnia. I’ve got the first bit in my head now, and am slowly working through the next section. I’ll only get it into the next octave while I’m out lurking somewhere quiet in my van, but it’s nice to concentrate on one tune, to gradually feel there is a difference in playing as I learn. It’s interesting too to record the first effort, and occasionally record as I play it better. It shows progress…or lack of it.
So…what are you all learning to play at the moment?
I’m slowly working my way through the session tunes at the online academy of irish music and tunes in O’Neill’s. Working on “Whelan’s Jig” and “Drowsy Maggie” at the moment
That’s one of those tunes, isn’t it? Seán 'ac Donncha always used to ask us for that one. Not sure if it was because he liked it or because he wanted to see we’d be any good with it on the pipes (probably a bit of both but mostly the latter). There are two fairly distinct versions, the O’Neill’s one which Paddy Breen played on the whistle and the piping one. I presume you’re following the Planxty version. There is a group of tunes that some people would suggest you should aim for an imitation of particular animal sound on the chanter. Someone once showed me how to put the Gander in the second part of the Gander in the Pratie Hole, honking the hard bottom D, which also works for tunes like the Geese in the Bog and tunes like that. In this one it is the yelping and howling of the dogs. A few days spent with Tommy Reck drove home how the old pipers did that, Ennis did that sort of stuff as well. It’s a bit of a neglected aspect of Irish music these days but when done wit ha bit of restraint and can be very evocative, there’s great humour in it as well.
Yes again. Planxty’s The Well Below The Valley record (and the Éamon De Buitléar & Ceoltóirí Laighean record An Bóthar Cam that I bought that same day) was my introduction to traditional music in 1975. Both are still touchstones for me.
What an incredible experience to be treasured, never to happen again! Would love to see how they did it.
I’ve always thought his version of The Fox Chase was the definitive one.
What an incredible experience to be treasured, never to happen again! Would love to see how they did it.
Just being in the company of good players, having a chat play a few tunes informally, you can’t beat it really for insight. There’s a lot of things you can’t learn off youtube or from tuition. I remember someone, Ronan Browne I believe, saying how modern sean-nos singers seemed so aware of all their ornamentation and twiddly bits where the older generation just sang and put things in more naturally. Classic reply a friend of mine gave when asked what he thought of the young players 'they sound like they’ve been taught’. But I suspect there’s a generation coming who will have their technical work done early, leaving them free to fully explore the musical aspects, armed with instruments working well, and a few really great players will emerge from that.
Reck did record it as well, for O’Riada’s musical heritage thingie. I can dig that out if you want it.
Like the old time apprenticeship, the student learnt by watching and listening, picking it up naturally.
Nowadays it’s more technical in colleges and it’s not as well taught…whatever it is.
Sounds exactly the same as you are saying about playing, hearing and seeing experienced players and the natural emotions etc put into the tunes will always sound different to being told online or wherever how to do it.
Not learning anything in particular, but I do have 7 or 8 that I run through on a regular basis, play some others when I feel like it, but I’m not into ITM myself.
So mainly old folk tunes - I like Scottish, some American, some English, some Irish - a right old mixture.
I’ve got the first part of Fe Ra Huri by Omnia, but it looks as though there are a few extra notes in the tabs I’ve got a screenshot of than there are in the actual tune.
I’ve watched another whistle player on You Tube and sorted out most of the extra notes. Because he’s not speaking English I’m having to just watch the notes he uses and keep reversing the video bit by bit to get them all.
I did keep watching Omnia play it…but kept getting sidetracked by how the lead singer/whistle player’s trousers, belt etc is slung down round his hips.
I still seem to be learning all my tunes… For some reason I can never say ‘right, that’s that tune done’, and I envy those that can. I slowly improve on a tune for a while and when I am ‘getting there’ I record myself playing and hear lots of things to improve… A while later I will play it some more and think of changes and variations, and the cycle starts again. Am I doing something wrong?
I also found a podcast out of Indiana or Illinois maybe, an hour featuring music related to the Celtic Colours festival… last tune on the podcast is the full version by Rodney. Do you think I can find it again? Nope. I have it saved on my computer at home though, will look it up.
Finished learning the Morning Thrush after hearing it at a session a few weeks ago. I’m loving Grace Kelly’s whistle version (the ornaments are fun as heck!) but for session playing, Mick O’Brien’s seems like the standard:
A lovely tune, to be sure. The video of young Mick was very nice; to me, you can hear the bird singing from the flat set more so than a concert pitch set.
