Wow...

[upiper71]

I disagree as well..no disrespect.
I’m a big fan of Mikie and his playing, and it’s very wonderfully played..simply put!

Daryl Mc

[Eldarion]

I think Mickie Smyth’s chanter work doesn’t particularly appeal to me, I sometimes find it a little on the bland side. His reg work is very fancy though, and thats what I think of when someone mentions his name.

[patrick_Jacob]

@djm

I don’t want to dis Mikie, and I don’t mean to upset anyone here, but to my uncultured ears, Mikie’s chanter playing suffers greatly when he goes for the regs. That’s not to say that I am not impressed with his reg work, but to me there seems to be a real drop in how well he plays on the chanter when the regs come out.

It seems to me (and this is only my opinion) that real mastery of the regs would require that you be able to maintain the same level of quality playing on the chanter when you add the regs into the mix.

djm

Mikie is not playing great on this one. But he’s a human too !
I think he was a bit experimenting on the moment. But I think he is realy “The Master of the Regs”.
When the regs become more and more complicated, the chanter work becomes less technical, but not suffering. It’s impossible to do it all together when you play the regs in this style. (People who don’t believe me: try it !) But thats no problem the result is very musical. I know some people prefer a more simple style of reg playing (Tast). Thats realy a lot easyer (Like the sample of the brilliant piper Mick O’Brian) Then its possible to do a lot more with the chanter. It’s a choise you have to make.
But I also think a lot of pipers are showing off with a lot of effects, only playing the chanter and a bit of drones. But for me thats realy showing off…to fancy for me.

Mikie has made the regs more populair and has created a new dimension for the regs. But when you hear Mikie wihtout regs, his chanter is going brilliant.

For me Mikie is a great teacher and even a greater person (But he isn’t tall at all )

@oliver

Also there’s some pipers who speed up when they start to play the regs in a tune and Mikie doesn’t really.

I know what you mean Oliver

[oliver]

@Eldarion

I think Mickie Smyth’s chanter work doesn’t particularly appeal to me, I sometimes find it a little on the bland side. His reg work is very fancy though, and thats what I think of when someone mentions his name.

Then it’s a matter of taste, but Mikie can do whatever he wants with a chanter, even things you’d never ever think about, as simple as that.

[oliver]

@patrick Jacob

@oliver

Also there’s some pipers who speed up when they start to play the regs in a tune and Mikie doesn’t really.

I know what you mean Oliver[/color]

I’m sure you do, Patrick !

[Eldarion]

@oliver

Then it’s a matter of taste, but Mikie can do whatever he wants with a chanter, even things you’d never ever think about, as simple as that.

Of course its a matter of taste, did I indicate otherwise? I just felt compelled to give a dissenting opinion while the groupies are going all ga-ga

[patrick_Jacob]

@oliver

@patrick Jacob

@oliver

Also there’s some pipers who speed up when they start to play the regs in a tune and Mikie doesn’t really.

I know what you mean Oliver[/color]

I’m sure you do, Patrick !

Thats the difficulty playing the regs. But who doesn’t know it ? But it’s a lot better now, at last.
(Oliver , See you at the belgium tionol ?)

@Eldarion

Of course its a matter of taste, did I indicate otherwise? I just felt compelled to give a dissenting opinion while the groupies are going all ga-ga

Groupies ??? Mikie could wish it was true
But he has some fans , thats true.

Groeten,
Patrick

[oliver]

@Eldarion

@oliver

Then it’s a matter of taste, but Mikie can do whatever he wants with a chanter, even things you’d never ever think about, as simple as that.

Of course its a matter of taste, did I indicate otherwise? I just felt compelled to give a dissenting opinion while the groupies are going all ga-ga

Sorry, but I’m not going ga-ga as you seem to think, it’s just plain admiration for a piper who deserves it. You have the right not to like his piping of course. The point I was making was just Mikie knows the thing inside out, that’s all.

Patrick, we’ll definitely meet at the Belgian tionol.

[BZH29]

Hello Olivier,

Dont loose your temper as soon as you disagree with someone about Mickie !

Everybody knows he is a great piper ! But , for " The downfall of Paris" he simplify the chanter’s playing for a great perform with the regs ; it’s évident , but what he he is playing with the regs is far to be evident ! IMHO … Now , I think Mickie is one of the greater of the moment .

Je te souhaite un bon tionol pendant que nous serons avec David Power , Alain et Patrick…

[PJ1]

Mikie Smyth did an interview on the Bloom of Youth in 2006 or 2005 in which he mentions that he got the Downfall of Paris from Geoff Wooff.

[PJ1]

Here’s another Mikie Smyth clip (also on the YouTube thread):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciMZlFPdK8c

Sounds like he was having a little difficulty with his tenor reg. Still sounds great.

The only thing I notice about his chanter playing once he starts playing the regs is that he tends not to pop the chanter as much, understandably, in my opinion.

[Kevin_L_Rietmann]

I have a tape of Geoff playing the Downfall where he explains that he turned the Downfall into a 6/8 march, “in an attempt to learn to play the regulators…so much for that!” It comes out a bit like Willie Clancy’s playing of the Chanter’s Tune, which was also chock-full of regging, I bet he got that from Rowsome. Sounds like something Leo would do.
The stuff of Mikie at the Dutch pipers’ website I like quite a bit. Other places he seems a bit restrained perhaps. Very clean chanter player, you can really tell it’s him after only a few bars too, which is to be admired. Great pipes he has as well, that helps with all the keyboarding.

[patrick_Jacob]

@PJ

Here’s another Mikie Smyth clip (also on the YouTube thread):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciMZlFPdK8c

Sounds like he was having a little difficulty with his tenor reg. Still sounds great.

The only thing I notice about his chanter playing once he starts playing the regs is that he tends not to pop the chanter as much, understandably, in my opinion.

I was there, but didn’t noticed someone recorded it. Mikie doesn’t use poping a lot. thats true. It’s his style.
But Poping with regs… oei thats not really perfectly in tune together. I think thats why !
Don’t do it myself either.

And yes he had some reg problems at that concert.

Groeten
Patrick

[carel]

this guy is so jazzy

Groeten
carel

[patrick_Jacob]

@carel

this guy is so jazzy

Groeten
carel

Groupie ???

(sorry, kon het niet laten)

Patrick

[PJ1]

@Kevin L. Rietmann

The stuff of Mikie at the Dutch pipers’ website I like quite a bit.

Here’s the link:

http://www.nvup.nl/

You have to click on Soundfiles

There’s also a good interview with Mikie on the Bloom of Youth which you can find through uilleannobsession.com at the following link. He plays a few tunes live, including a very nice version of Miss Monaghan. He also explains and demonstrates how he gets his G drone to work:

http://www.uilleannobsession.com/links_radio.html#bloomofyouth