Hi, When I started off, just last year, I already had a few pdf-s full with Hungarian bagpipe tunes (I am Hungarian, so that¹s my main interest). So I had a go at them, some are really easy. Obviously they are good because of the similar drone system, I wonder whether there is any non-Hungarian stuff out there on the web? I assume bagpipes are more popular than HG, so there might well be.
Cecilia On 9/1/07 22:20, "Melissa Kacalanos" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Jim, (and hi to everyone in hg list land) > > > > I realized I could have summarized my advice in my last email by advising you > to first work on some simple hg tunes that are meant to be played on hg. > That's a much easier starting point than attempting tunes that would be better > on a fiddle, and might even be impossible on a hg. That wouldn't have helped > you with this particular performance, though. > > > > Advice about drones vs. chords is one thing, but my main advice to you is to > find some other hg players to learn from. I guess that's what this list is > for, but real live people are even better than email. > > > > If there aren't hg players around, it might sound strange, but you could take > drum lessons (particularly if your hg has a buzzing bridge.) I started off as > a drummer, and the rhythms I learned, and the sense of rhythm I developed, are > very valuable to me as a hg player now. > > > > I had a very similar experience to yours last summer, in which I was working > with extremely talented, professional musicians and a composer who > unfortunately composed stuff for me that was physically impossible to play on > a hg. (She wanted things like lots of rhythmic buzzing bridge, but she didn't > want to hear the drone string the bridge is on. That sort of thing.) > Fortunately, I had the experience to know what was possible and what wasn't, > so we eventually came to a musical agreement, but it took a lot of explaining. > It would have been awful if I'd been in the same situation with less > experience, since I wouldn't have been able to tell explain things to the > composer. > > > > Enjoy your hg, and get good at it fast, since it sounds like you're in demand. > > > > Melissa > > > james kruse <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >> >> Wow, >> >> Thank you very much for the response. that was exactly what I was looking >> for. The hurdy gurdy is my first instrument and I am just begining to learn >> what music, keys at whatnot are all about. I live on Orcas Island,WA where >> just about anything can happen. Including a bare bones beginner being pared >> with a couple of musicians that play 100 concerts a year world wide. The >> violin my gurdy played with was built in late 1600's Italy. I had no idea >> what I was doing and just listened to them. >> >> >> >> I must say though, It was a huge learning experience to go on stage and know >> there would be no backing up. Rehearsal were no problem, but during >> performances I could not hear well and had to watch her play. It was my first >> experience playing along with someone else. I don't even know how to count. I >> had the advantage of watching her bow, much like a baton. I also learned how >> to cotton my strings so I could get a clear note on the entire range, I >> practiced so much I ended up changing the cotton every day. >> >> >> >> Thanks for pointing out the difference in drone instruments and other stuff.I >> had no idea on that . >> >> >> >> The father of the woman I played with was concert master for seattle for the >> last 25 years and recognized how new I was to the instrument. He loves the >> Hurdy Gurdy and encouraged me to continue. >> >> >> >> Thank you again on your comments, >> >> >> >> Jim >> >> >> >> >> >> >> Melissa Kacalanos <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> >>> >>> Hm. Some tunes just aren't meant to be played on hg. Many tunes, I suspect >>> like this one you mention, just wouldn't work with a constant drone on any >>> note, whatever the note is. In your example, your trompette and petit >>> bourdon are playing a constant open E chord. Then whenever your open chanter >>> sounds (which it almost inevitably will, between some notes) you're playing >>> an E minor chord. I suspect that if this worked at all, it did so by making >>> the whole tune seem like it was in E minor, so people couldn't hear the D >>> major-ness of the first part. >>> >>> >>> >>> Actually, how do we know it really switched from D major to E minor? That >>> might just be the interpretation of these musicians, who are trained to >>> think in terms of key changes and chord progressions all the time instead of >>> drones. Maybe if one of us drone-based people heard it, we would just say, >>> "Nice tune in E minor, and I like how the dissonance at the beginning >>> resolves in the middle." >>> >>> >>> >>> Or, if they wanted to keep the D to E shift, in a situation like this, I >>> might have turned my drones off for the beginning, and then turned on a >>> drone in E at the change. This makes for a nice dynamic change as well as a >>> key change. This only works if the changes don't come too fast or >>> frequently, though. >>> >>> >>> >>> But in general, I don't like to waste my efforts trying to get my hg to play >>> tunes with certain key changes or chord progressions, which would work much >>> better on a piano or violin or something. What hgs are good at is playing >>> tunes that work well with drones. This includes, besides the vast world of >>> early and traditional hg music, tunes from drone-loving traditions from >>> around the world. That includes bagpipe tunes from Sweden to Morocco to >>> Bulgaria, much Indian music (which often uses a tambura to provide a drone), >>> and much Arabic and Turkish music (which often use plucked string >>> instruments with both drone and melody strings). That's a lot of music. >>> Let's not get greedy and try to play music that sounds better on piano or >>> violin. >>> >>> >>> >>> Melissa >>> >>> >>> james kruse <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >>> >>>> >>>> Hello, >>>> >>>> A couple weeks ago I was playing a street musician in a local adaptation of >>>> A Christmas Carol on Orcas Island, wa. I am both a begining hurdy gurdy >>>> player and musician. The individual I was paired with is a (very patient) >>>> professional violinist. >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> One of the songs was a jig and started out in e minor and switched to d >>>> major. I had no idea what to set my drones to, and consulted her & her >>>> husband who is a professional pianist. Neither are familiar with the hurdy >>>> gurdy but both are top notch musicians and finally they decided that I >>>> should tune my minstrel gurdy as follows. the petit bourdon should be B, >>>> the chanter G, and the trompette E'. This was not their first choice, but >>>> were taking into consideration the tension allowances of the strings I had. >>>> >>>> It ended up sounding kinda cool. >>>> >>>> Has anyone else out there tried this sort of arrangement? >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> Jim Kruse >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> Anthony Shostak <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >>>> >>>>> Hi, folks. >>>>> >>>>> I'm sure this has come up before, but I'm wondering what your collective >>>>> wisdom is regarding G/C or D/G for playing Irish and related tunes? It >>>>> seems straightforward enough to play out of G/C, using the upper rows of >>>>> keys and capos for the drones, but with much of the repertoire fitting >>>>> well on pipes and flutes that don't go lower than D, perhaps D/G would >>>>> wind up being a bit easier and fit within the range of the instrument >>>>> without too much octave shifting. Or is it really just a matter of >>>>> making a choice and sticking with it? >>>>> >>>>> Best, >>>>> >>>>> Anthony >>>> >>> >>> >>> __________________________________________________ >>> Do You Yahoo!? >>> Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around >>> http://mail.yahoo.com >> > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > http://mail.yahoo.com
