Please can John's advice be etched on metal plates, and nailed to all
bodhrans ? ;-) [Cajons too]
Richard, (among whose dearest friends was once a superb bodhran player.
Just a few are out there.)
On 07/01/2011 09:41, [email protected] wrote:
Nice one John!
c
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Gibbons, John
Sent: Thursday, January 06, 2011 9:50 PM
To: Anthony Robb; [email protected]; [email protected]
Subject: [NSP] Re: Concertina Tuning
"Others may not like it but at least you'll be pleasing the most
important person in this whole process, namely yourself. Which is I
would argue is the main purpose of traditional music."
Pleasing everyone else in the room might be a priority for
some, as well!
I have heard too many so-called traditional musicians play to
please themselves (and nobody else) not to add this health warning.
You get them everywhere, but I recall the bloke who wound his
flute up to E flat because that's the key Matt Molloy played in,
though everyone else in the session was in D, and the one who
played faster than everyone else because it was more exciting.
I've been the latter one myself on occasion....
Think about how it sounds for the rest of the world, and you
will play better.
John
________________________________________
From: [email protected] [[email protected]] On
Behalf Of Anthony Robb [[email protected]]
Sent: 06 January 2011 18:19
To: [email protected]; [email protected]
Subject: [NSP] Re: Concertina Tuning
--- On Thu, 6/1/11, [email protected]
<[email protected]> wrote:
It's a case of trying and seeing what you like. The other way round
this would be for the piper not to play drones ... but I wouldn't
recommend that approach.
cheers
Rob
Sorry to disagree, Rob, but occasionally switching the drones off to
let other instruments provide the accompaniment can be
lovely. I would
also recommend learning and practising mainly on the
chanter alone. It
is the way I was taught and was the Colin Caisley way
presumably passed
on from Tom Clough. When Colin Caisley was chairman of the
NPS in the
60s the Society hired out a 'goose' (bellows, bag and
chanter only) for
people to try out the pipes.
Recently I came across an article, from the 70s I guess, written by
Paddy Maloney who suggests uillean pipers should learn on a
'goose' for
3 to 4 years before thinking about getting drones. The premise being
that the chanter is where the music is created and so needs to be
learnt before adding drones or regulators. He also extols the beauty
and effectiveness of playing parts of a piece on solo
chanter only and
then adding accompaniment be it drones or other instruments
to lift the
sound.
On a slightly related topic, people have commented on how
well in tune
the 3 beginner pipers in Windy Gyle Band play on the CD and have
suggested that some digital trickery might be involved. This is
absolutely not the case. All three have learnt to play on
chanter only
and two of them are now (after 3 years) beginning to add drones
occasionally.
The drones can add excitement like nothing else to the
pipes sound but
they can also mask some of the music at times. So my
message would be
follow your ears, try all the options and go with what
works for you.
Others may not like it but at least you'll be pleasing the most
important person in this whole process, namely yourself. Which is I
would argue is the main purpose of traditional music.
Cheers
Anthony
--- On Thu, 6/1/11, [email protected]
<[email protected]> wrote:
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