Mark Evans
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Posts posted by Mark Evans
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Wendy, I can't make the quote thing work either.
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Hello Herman!
I play Irish EC. There are a number of EC/Irish addicted to this site. I'm sure you've read Jim Lucas posts. He'll catch up to you here I'm sure..but check out the recorded links page and you'll find a number of his excellent examples of EC/Irish. Also Danny Chamberland (does a lot of other rep too) all top drawer and very different...come to think of it all the EC/Irish on the site is dead on (those two were just at the front of my cluttered mind).
Funny, but in playing Irish I listen more in my head to the flute, whistle and fiddle. There are a couple of tunes I want to approach with an Anglo "bounce", but it's just for fun. The Anglo is another beast altogether which I played as a youngster (I always felt limited until discovering EC).
Ornamentation is potentially limitless on an EC. Steal from every instrument you hear including your own style on wooden flute.
Being addicted to an instrument that is neither fish nor fowl in Irish music gives you a lot of room to do your own thing. 
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Dunno Stephen, I think you've kicked over the caldron now and the end of it's gonna be you wearin' that hat and jinglin' while squeezin' out a tune er two!
I could show up with my fez, green vest and Monkey Power button.
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Thank you David, Morgana and Wendy!
The tribe got up and I now know it's the work computer that's not right. The new beastie played everything at A+440 spot on without regard to format...Halleluia!
By the way, Danny Chapman's version of Captian O'Kane's is drop dead beautiful. He transposed it from E minor to A minor. Such a haunting quality and the captian lost about 30 pounds in the process.
Now to have a conversation with the ITS guys at the job site..."God, not him again...!"
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Thank you David. I shall give it a try with this computer as soon as the rest of me tribe awakens. My work computer also plays sound files from the music review C.Net page under pitch as well.
I was a bit unhinged yesterday. There is a beautiful version of Captain O'Kaine jig on EC that inspired me to take out my EC to have a little fun with a duet...ugh, the pitch. Things went downhill from there.
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Have been again at these wonderful recordings...question:
What's up with the pitch? Nothing is coming across at A=440. I'm a techno-dolt of the first order and am just able to manage turning my computer on without a problem, so could someone explain so's even I can understand.
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Point taken Stephen!
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Okay, so what about a really cheep one like those Morelli boxes you see on ebay by the drove? I have wanted to mess around with one but think the Horner price range is a bit much for a lark. Wonder would it emit a stench as well?
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Have mercy please! I'm trying to do alittle work here before lunch and all this has made me hungry.
Each Christmas a friend from Gottingen (sorry, I don't know how to make this machine do an umlaut) sends us Baumkuchen. This year it did not arrive. I suspect Home Land Security confiscated it and of course devoured it! Otherwise I would have some here and put an end to this C.Net induced hunger!
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Chris, bravo on your recovery! You must be very determined and strong (of course, you are a concertinist
).I sing in elder care facilities and many of those afflicted with Alzheimer's who are non communitive otherwise sing loudly all the verses of the songs they knew in their youth. It is a humbling experience and I leave feeling I've received more than I gave.
On the recovery issue: A good friend had a stroke 1994 (ended a very nice career as an orperatic mezzo-soprano). She could not talk and was severely affected on the left side. She could however sing and communicated with folks a la recitative! Just last year she gave a splended recital to a sold out Jordon Hall here in Boston. I wept throughout the whole event.
The human mind...astonishing!
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Wendy,I've wanted to email (sometimes I feel I intrude with an off-net communication although I love getting them) for the address and to complement you MP3s (you made me cry for joy). I'm still gonna.
Morgana, I used to "do" Alexander for my singing years ago. Was a very helpful experience. Glad you brought that up. There are a couple of Alexander folks at the job site. Think I'll just chat them up at lunch today. Thank you.
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I sold my Wheatstone in 1988 for graduate school. I was devoting myself to Bel Canto singing and had not played reqularly for a few years before that (stupid to give up one musical love to work on another).
Was given a Morse Albion for my birthday and man those fingers just went right back to it! Long forgotten tunes just keep springing into my hands. I'm a much older feller but now play the beast better than I did as a young blade.
I also agree that just putting an instrument down for a bit can have positive effect on ability. Hadn't played my banjo for a full month when I pulled it out last night with some friends...great! However, not putting the Tina down ever again (goes to work with me every day). Welcome back!
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Thank you Chris,
I think we can agree that we are both members of the Sound Trolls Union. Unless sound amplification is done very well, it is abhorent and when possible avoided.
"Dah Boys" and I played a bit today and all had been thinking the same thing I was: Don't muck around in pubs requiring amplifcation. Problem solved.
Besides there was this cat that kept walkin' up to me screeming "you play the (expletive deleted) outta dat xylophone!" At 51 I'm well past finding any charm in that (expletive deleted).
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Looking for ideas on amplification:
My little band from time to time plays a bar gig where a little amplification is needed. I've seen adverts on the Button Box web site for a concertina microphone system but have questions about volume control between taking a lead and playing back-up.
The solution I have for a performance space I manage for my school (mid-19th century stone chapel with close to a perfect acoustic for unamplified music) is an installed Bose sound system. On the rare occation I've needed to amplify a performing group, we have a single microphone (shure KSM 27) that picks everyone up and allows individual performers the freedom to control their own volume level by moving closer for a solo or simply stepping back to decend into the texture of the ensemble. I've been very happy with the result...there.
I trotted out the single mic at a gig last month with "dah guys". The house sound system was questionalbe as was the sound guy. The results left us frustrated (great crowd of patrons but my enjoyment level was lessened over the techincal issues).
My solution is not to muck around in a place where that would be a problem ('cause I'm lazy an' don't wanna haul no sound equipment 'round nowhere and have a low tolerance for amplified sound issues anyhoo'). My compadres don't agree. They all have pick-ups on their instuments which I find are too present and utterly lacking in dymanic range control (they have as late not plugged in at my request). Lord, if you hooked anything like that up to my Tina or the Sunflower (my bluegrass banjo) the volume screeming forth would be horrible. I want to enjoy playing them, not spending my evening protecting the innocent from their earspliting onslaught. Nor do I wish to stand behind a forest of microphones and stands. They think I'm a bit of a troll on this issue.
Any advice?
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Ah Steve, here at C. Net ask and ye shall receive!
Love the button (actually I think I'll get a tee-shirt printed up with that logo fer me next bluegrass evening and see if anybody notices)!
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ooh-ooh eeh-eeh!
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Have just discovered this C.net recorded tune link. All I can say is that I am very moved by everyones performances. Thank you all. To share your music (most hidden and precious of our aspirations) with your thoughts here on C.Net...I'm blown away. I'm grateful...Bravi a tutti!
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Really...two fingers even on slow repeated notes? Dunno 'bout that. There's an even, steady quality with the single finger (not to be confused with what we locals call the Boston single fingered salute, a morning traffic greeting which I'm sure I'll be tempted to practice sortly on my snowy commute).
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My head now hurts. Perhaps politicians of all stripes could be invited into room 101, then take Jims suggestion and be done with the lot...coffee save me!
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Yes, the orchestras I have worked with have banned scent of any kind and recently floral arrangements on stage as well (a bass friend of mine will refuse to walk on stage if there is any such decoration present because this throat swells shut).
Little off topic but...the barn dances. I used to play for the Apple Chill Cloggers. Once a year they would give themselves a party in a large old farm house one of the members owned. Oh the dancing was wonderful and insane. I had no problem with the wood floors bouncing up and down (I wasn't holding the mortgage), but when the circular sway started...time to load up the box and scat. Poor old house. I'm sure it must be done in by now. Concrete floors indeed. Barbarity!
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I had a concertina sighting durning the Christmas season.
Was watching my favorite rendition of Dickens' Christmas Carol (Patrick Stewart as Scrooge) with the Kids. Low and behold, while the ghost of Christmas present is flying ole' Scrooge around England there in a quick lighthouse scene (where else) with a group of old salts singing a Christmas Carol being accompanied by a period EC, rosewood ends, green leather bellows and bellows papers mind you...and it looks like the cat is actually playing the beast (how did I miss this before?)! Got all excited and was told by my Gothic attired middle son. "get a grip Dad."
Well, it was still way cool to me. I guess I should be grateful he sat there with me and watched the whole film.
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Yes, you did know, but that scarry is pretty good too. Makes my lungs hurt to think of it
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Poaceae that sandwitch made me hungry!
I'm sure it's pre-conception on my part, but I am not very satisfied with my use of the technique on Irish tunes (again, the old dog and trick bit). Material from another tradition...who's ta' know! The guitarist in my Whatzit band sings a Merle Haggard song (in D, but I don't know the name), I've been using technique a lot on it (very bluesy)
.Control is a problem for me. I've started bringing the fingers together so that there is just the least bit of friction between them. Seems to help as it's now beginning to be possible to achieve the same rate of repeat speed with both hands.
Bruce, I'm wearing that CD out and agree almost every cut is wonderful. I've just gotten the first tune on cut 5 under my fingers at speed..Highlands. Much fun. I would love to see him perform live.
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Dave, I'm sorry the Cottage Inn was sold and that you will not have the Squeeze-In there. My first wife and I had our honeymoon in the cottage right next to the main building. We spent the summer working at High Hampton Inn. Every nice memories.
Good luck with your new venue
Hands Going Numb
in Ergonomics
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Just tried and "pooched" the whole affair...and me hands have gone numb as well! (along with me brain)
Thank you for your efforts Henk and Jim...but as the ITS guys here would gleefully tell you...I'm dumb as a sack o' hammers. Hopefully it is to my credit that I won't give up which is evidenced by my continued participation in the election process here in the land o' the free and the brave.
I've desperately wanted to add a few things to the recorded C.Net page, but have to wait for the students to come back so they can guide me through the process (well, actually do it for me). Now I'll have to play Tina for a little bit to make me feel better about myself.