Ptarmigan

Looks very nice indeed. Do you have any sound files or videos of this Concertina in action, to tempt us even more? Cheers, Dick

While I agree that a group of musicians gathered to play music, many of them reading from the written notes, is more of a social gathering than a session, I just can't imagine a session without a bit of banter & crack, nonsense & rascality between the sets. In the best sessions, I find these to be an essential part of the whole session experience & they really do help to drive the whole thing along. As well as some crack every now & then, I find that the very best sessions usually involve some interaction, to a greater or lesser degree, with any really enthusiastic punters who are located within close proximity to the action. Yes, a session is mostly about the music, but in my book, there has to be just a little more to it, for it to be 1st class. In other words, a session without a bit of banter & crack here & there, just sounds far, far too clinical, a bit like Sex without the foreplay ....... & the cigarette afterwards! Cheers, Dick

Thanks for the encouragement folks ... much appreciated. Cheers, Dick

Thanks Michelle, good to know I'm not the only Dog lover in here. Oh & yes it is a new iMac, which came with the new iMovie & Garage band, both of which I'm only just starting to get used to, but having lots of fun in the process. Cheers, Dick

Thanks Dirge, but the fact is, it really is all so easy to stick together, on iMovie .... & fun too! As for the dogs, I've always had a Dog nearby & just can't imagine coming home to a house without that great Dog welcome, whether I've been away for 2 days. .... or 2 minutes. Cheers, Dick

My new Rode stereo USB Mic arrived today! So, of course I had to try it out this evening & this is the result of my first feeble efforts. The Maids of Feakle Cheers, Dick

Rathlin Air & Reel, composed by Uilleann Piper ~ Peter Browne! Played here, on Anglo Concertina, Flute, Whistle & Guitar. iMovie strikes again! Cheers, Dick http://vimeo.com/35854011

All I can say is ....... Phil Cunningham has a lot to answer for!

Well, this is part of the problem really isn't it, because, when it comes to what I think of as Irish Music, I see the word "The" being used in an all encompassing way. So, instead of separating out all those little factions you described, instead I include all those into the one large tradition & include much more, for example the many Scottish tunes which have found their way into the standard repertoire of so many players today, as well as the many tunes, especially Hornpipes, from the N . E. of England that are so much a part of it all, plus so many excellent tunes composed more recently, by musicians who are part & parcel of The Tradition, but just happen to live over in North America. So, given that The Tradition is so all encompassing, I just can't understand why anyone would exclude the Ancient music of Ireland, simply because it had been written down, especially as it was home-grown, composed & played by Irish men & women in Ireland. In other words, why welcome tunes from other countries but turn your back on your own tunes. If we do that, should we then exclude any more modern tune, simply because it has been written down too, in a book or manuscript. If you did that, I suspect you'd end up with a rather small repertoire. Also, by that same token, do you then automatically exclude anyone, who is not able to learn by ear & can only learn tunes from the written note? The way I see it, any Ancient Music that a traditional player learns today is usually learned by ear anyway, so what's the difference between that tune & any other, which he learns by ear from whatever source. After all, most of the Scottish & Irish repertoire we play today has been written down somewhere, with many tunes forgotten for a while & then learned again by new players who are familiar enough with The Tradition, to be able to play them in an appropriate way. So I don't think the main reasons for ancient Irish Music being excluded from mainstream sessions are, to do not with snobbery or ageism or the fact that they've been relearned from written music at all but, more to do with the fact that these tunes are just not fast enough for session players today. In other words they're just not Cool enough, so I believe the real reason is to do with speed, so if they were all fast & funky, I think we'd hear them being played at most sessions. This is also why Slow Airs like the Derry Air are frowned upon at Trad sessions. Do a funky, syncopated re-mix job on the Derry Air & see how long it takes the young trendies to play it at every session. Anyway, when we sit here, on the island of Ireland & play Planxtys, Slow Airs & sing irish Ballads on a Saturday night, as well as the Jigs & Reels & use instruments like English Concertinas & Northumbrian Pipes, as well as Harps, Fiddles, Banjos & Flutes, I'm afraid we shall continue to regard it all as part of The Tradition, regardless of the what the purists might think. It is worth remembering perhaps that, in the early days, Comhaltas tried to draw very narrow lines around what they felt Irish Music should be & in the process excluded much of the absolutely wonderful music of Donegal & Kerry, just because much of it had it's early origins, the rhythms at least, in Scotland & Europe, what with the Polkas, Flings & Barndances etc. Thank goodness they did eventually wise up, see the folly of their ways & accept that these tunes were of course all part of the rich & varied musical tradition of Ireland, as are the Ancient Tunes of ireland itself. Cheers, Dick

Well Steve, I can certainly vouch for that little beauty! Cheers, Dick

I'm curious. As they say, the devil is in the detail, but for a £5,000 starting price, are these ends really made of solid Silver, or just Silver plated, or the usual Nickel? After all, elsewhere on eBay, you have to be very, very careful how you describe antique items you are trying to sell. Two days ago, her indoors had money refunded, when an item she bought in good faith as a Bronze, turned out to be just made of Spelter. Cheers, Dick

Ah yes, a pair of real master musicians, those two, although I find that Cello version hard to beat. Cheers, Dick

A couple of years back, I recorded these two Old Time musicians, over on holiday here in north Antrim, from the U.S., playing Winder Slide & a few other tunes, in the kitchen of a local curfew Tower ... as you do. Of course, this'd only help you, if you are an ear player. Interesting though, to see the rather unorthodox style of Clawhammer Banjo playing used here & that very relaxed, two finger grip on the Fiddle Bow. Cheers, Dick

Hope, I might be wrong, but if I were you, I'd delete this thread & post it instead, over on the Buy and Sell section, next door, where it might perhaps get just a little more attention. Cheers, Dick

Yes I know Chris, but this was just my first attempt to record with Garage Band & the Mic on the iMac is, I think, mostly designed for voice. I haven't worked out how to connect a real Mic to my iMac yet, so hopefully when I do, it'll do a better job. I also had the Concertina track's sound level way down low. Anyway, with a bit of luck my next effort will be a little more successful. Cheers, Dick

Well of course we all know that the best Irish Reels, all started out in Scotland! As for the Ancient & the Modern Irish Music, I don't think one's better than the other, I just think there's a place for both ... all part of life's rich tapestry! Cheers, Dick

Well done, very tasty indeed. Those Duet machines must surely be the closest thing to a church organ & sound like the perfect tool for arrangements like this ... unfortunately, I only have one Thumb & 4 Fingers on each hand. ...... you're not from Norfolk are you,Dirge? By the way, as always, we were asked to sing Danny Boy at the session here in Bushmills, last night, not surprising really as Limavady & Derry/Londonderry is just over the hill. However, our Bushmills Ballad Session is not like most Irish Sessions, but more about that, later. A few years back, we played at the first Danny Boy Festival in Limavady, entering a competition that year which was designed to promote the ancient music collected by Edward Bunting. Entering into the spirit of the event, we were the only ones to actually compete in period costume & one of the few groups to play only ancient tunes. Sadly, many folks just played modern Irish tunes, which to me, missed the whole point of the exercise. I was particularly keen to take part though, given that, unlike so many Irish Music enthusiasts, I really do enjoy playing the Ancient Music of Ireland as well as all the Jigs & Reels, but sadly, you don't get many opportunities to play them in sessions, at least without attracting some very strange looks. In fact, many trad heads I know don't actually regard the Ancient Music of Ireland as being part of The Tradition at all, which is something I've never really fully understood. Of course, for far too many musicians, especially the younger ones, playing Irish Trad is all about playing the most complicated & difficult Reels, as fast as possible, so I can see how the often more melancholic, very early melodies, just don't appear on their radar at all. Anyway Dirge, what I'm getting at is, in most Irish Sessions over here, you'd probably be chased from the premises & barred for life, for even suggesting to play Danny Boy. However, at our Saturday night session anything goes & in any case, for me, a good melody will always be a good melody & this is a truly great one, which I never mind playing, or listening to, especially when it's played as well as you play it here ........ so goodonya! Cheers, Dick

Inspired by David Hansen's lovely multi-tracked Emma's Waltz yesterday, I decided to have a crack at it, using Garage Band, on my new iMac & this is the result: Josefin's Waltz I just used the system's Mic, but I suspect I could get a much better sound quality, if I could only work out how to connect my own stereo Mic to my iMac. By the way, I'm playing my Aeola Baritone / Treble & my Sobell Mandolin. Cheers, Dick

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. The fact is, I got a new iMac from Santa & I'm having lots of fun, learning how to use iMovie. I'm also starting to play around with Garage Band. In fact, I recorded a Concertina {Baritone / Treble} & Mandolin {Sobell} duet myself today, just using the built in Mic & this is the result. I'm sure, once I find out how to attach my good Stereo Mic to the Mac, I'll get far better results. Josefin's Waltz Cheers, Dick

Sorry folks, all's well now ....... I've just fixed that wonky link! Cheers, Dick

Two of my own wee tunes, The Witch of Glentow & The Black Nun, played on a 26k C/G Jeffries. Just for the record, the Witch of Glentow was a recluse, who lived just outside Ballycastle here & is said to have been murdered by two local youths, who both died mysteriously within a year of her death. Bonamargy Friary is supposed to be haunted by the Ghost of the Black Nun, Julia McQuillan, who lived there alone after the Friary fell out of use, in 1641. The story is that the Black Nun was murdered on the steps leading to the upper floor of the Friary. The Black Nun Cheers, Dick

Good point hjcjones, which reminds me .... Does anyone remember Yehudi Menuhin's excruciating attempts at Irish Fiddle with Frankie Gavin? Cheers, Dick

Perhaps we could liken this to other pursuits, so for example, how comfortable would you be climbing the North Face of the Eiger, with someone who was reading the Beginners Guide to Rock Climbing, as he climbed? Or, how popular would a referee be at a Football or Rugby match, if they were constantly referring to the Rule Book? The way I see it, bookwork is what you do at home to prepare yourself, so it's not surprising really, when folks who have spent years & years diligently doing their homework, frown on those who apparently couldn't be bothered being better prepared. I wouldn't dream of dropping in on my local orchestra, in my T Shirt & Jeans & expect to be allowed to just sit in at the end of the line, without Music & just busk along with the symphony. Or, put another way, would you take a knife to a gun fight? Frankly, if you are trying to read the dots & learn the tune, as it is being played at a session, then it's highly unlikely that you will be adding anything of any real value to the overall sound. In fact, it is far more likely that you will be to a greater or lesser extent, destroying the sound, at least for those sitting next to you. As Henrik has already pointed out, all you get in a book is a skeleton, so anyone trying to play the skeleton of a tune they don't even know, at session speed, is probably going to be leaving a few bones out in the process. Leaving beginners sessions aside, the way I see it, a real session should be the pinnacle of a traditional musicians aspirations, so it's only when they have mastered a number of tunes that they should even be thinking of joining in. For what it's worth, I've found that, during the past 40 years that I've been going to sessions, musicians with common sense & good manners, always do their homework ..... at home. When in Rome ...... Cheers, Dick

Rick Epping, in the thick of a couple of Irish Reels, on English Concertina & Harmonica. Cheers, Dick

The same one? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyNxgXdapI4&fmt=18