A Spanish traditional tune in 5/8

[Spaniard_Johnny]

Hello

 

This is my second message here, so I'll introduce myself again. I'm from Madrid (Spain), an unusual place for playing concertina, but anyway I like a lot these little boxes. I play by ear, mostly european repertory (not Irish) and Spanish traditional music that I like to arrange for my concertina in a sort of rythmic style (or something like that) My instrument from several years ago is a cheap Hohner 20b anglo concertina, but I'm saving money for a good 20b vintage one... I think it will arrive in a few months at home.

 

Here you can see a video of me playing "El buey" (The ox), from Zamora, in West Spain. Is a traditional 5/8 pipe and tabor tune arranged by me, because the pipe and tabor are my main instruments from many years ago. I hope to upload more music for concertina, is an instrument that I like a lot. I hope you like it!

 

[Priscilla]

Really beautiful! I enjoyed it so much. Wish I could play that well. Lovely song! Thank you for posting it. Very pretty concertina too!

[Tradman]

It's a pretty tune, but I don't hear it in 5/8 the way you're playing it. It sounds more like triple meter. I can hear in my head clearly how it could be in 5/8 (3+2) but somehow that isn't coming across in the video.

[Marien]

Nice tune!

Could this tune be for the same kind of dance as the 5/8 tunes that I heard in Vitoria Gasteiz (Basque country) and Berga (in Catalunia)?

Marien

[David Barnert]

Hello, Juanma.

 

Fancy meeting you here.

 

We have exchanged messages on the Pipe & Tabor list.

 

I've never seen any other familiar names from that list here.

[Spaniard_Johnny]

It's a pretty tune, but I don't hear it in 5/8 the way you're playing it. It sounds more like triple meter. I can hear in my head clearly how it could be in 5/8 (3+2) but somehow that isn't coming across in the video.

 

Hello Mark

 

I think that the problem is that is difficult for me to mark clearly that rythm in the harmony of the melody, is easier to do it with my tabor. I've written the tune in abc, also is my little contribution to this great forum and website.

 

X:1
T:El buey
R:Charrada
C:Tradicional
A:Zamora
O:Spain
M:5/8
L:1/8
Q:1/4=180
K:Dm
| z2ag2 | f2ef2 | g2ag2 | fd2d2 |
 d2ag2 | f2ef2 | g2ag2 | f3 f2 |
 f2ag2 | f2ef2 | g2ag2 | fd2d2 |
 a3 a2 | g3 e2 | f3 e2 | d4 z1 |
|:d3 a2 | a3 a2 | g3 g2 | a  f4 |
 d3 f2 | e3 g2 | f3 e2 | f d4 :|
 d3 f2 | a2aa2 | g2gg2 | a2ff2 |
 d3 f2 | a2aa2 | g2gg2 | a5 |
 d3 f2 | e3 g2 | f3 e2 | fd4|
 d3 f2 | e3 g2 | f3 e2 | d5 |
| z2ag2 | f2ef2 | g2ag2 | fd2d2 |
 d2ag2 | f2ef2 | g2ag2 | f3 f2 |
 f2ag2 | f2ef2 | g2ag2 | fd2d2 |
 a3 a2 | g3 e2 | f3 e2 | d4 z1 |

 

 

Nice tune!

Could this tune be for the same kind of dance as the 5/8 tunes that I heard in Vitoria Gasteiz (Basque country) and Berga (in Catalunia)?

Marien

Marien, this tune belongs to a different pipe and tabor tradition (and dance) that survives in the west of Spain, near the portuguese border. We have there lots of 5/4, 5/8 and 10/16 examples.

This melody is for a stick dance from Cañizal, a little town of Zamora province, and is still played with gaita y tamboril (pipe and tabor).

 

David, nice to find you here! I realise that pipe and tabor and concertina have something special.

 

Juanma

 

(Edited for adding the data about the stick dances)

Edited February 28, 2010 by Spaniard_Johnny

[Marien]

Hello Juanma

Is there a site with Pipe and Tabor tunes on the internet?

Marien

[Spaniard_Johnny]

Hello Juanma

Is there a site with Pipe and Tabor tunes on the internet?

Marien

 

About West Spain traditional tunes for pipe and tabor I invite you to my website, www.tamborileros.com You'll find there about 250 midi files and explanations about the traditional rhythms that are commonly used.

 

Juanma

[SteveS]

Hello Juanma

Is there a site with Pipe and Tabor tunes on the internet?

Marien

 

About West Spain traditional tunes for pipe and tabor I invite you to my website, www.tamborileros.com You'll find there about 250 midi files and explanations about the traditional rhythms that are commonly used.

 

Juanma

Juanma

 

Thanks for the link to your website - I really enjoyed hearing you play.

 

Steve

[ocd]

Juanma,

 

In your site there is a recording of yours with chifla and salterio. What is the salterio?

 

Thanks,

ocd

[Chris Drinkwater]

Juanma,

 

In your site there is a recording of yours with chifla and salterio. What is the salterio?

 

Thanks,

ocd

 

I think the salterio is a form of dulcimer, either hammered or plucked.

 

Chris

[Fergus_fiddler]

Juanma,

 

In your site there is a recording of yours with chifla and salterio. What is the salterio?

 

Thanks,

ocd

If you don't mind, Juanma :

 

 

That's a salterio - or one of the instruments so called, I think the english word is psalter -.

 

As Chris pointed they can be hammered, plucked and some of them bowed.

 

Cheers,

 

Fer

[ocd]

I think the salterio is a form of dulcimer, either hammered or plucked.

Chris

 

Sounded bowed to me.

 

ocd

[David Barnert]

It's a pretty tune, but I don't hear it in 5/8 the way you're playing it. It sounds more like triple meter. I can hear in my head clearly how it could be in 5/8 (3+2) but somehow that isn't coming across in the video.

Hello Mark

 

I think that the problem is that is difficult for me to mark clearly that rythm in the harmony of the melody, is easier to do it with my tabor. I've written the tune in abc, also is my little contribution to this great forum and website...

Interesting. I also had trouble hearing the video in 5/8, and now that I've heard my computer play the tune from the abc it still sounds like 3/4. This means, of course, that Juanma is playing it just fine and we have trouble hearing the unusual rhythm.

[Tradman]

It's a pretty tune, but I don't hear it in 5/8 the way you're playing it. It sounds more like triple meter. I can hear in my head clearly how it could be in 5/8 (3+2) but somehow that isn't coming across in the video.

Hello Mark

 

I think that the problem is that is difficult for me to mark clearly that rythm in the harmony of the melody, is easier to do it with my tabor. I've written the tune in abc, also is my little contribution to this great forum and website...

Interesting. I also had trouble hearing the video in 5/8, and now that I've heard my computer play the tune from the abc it still sounds like 3/4. This means, of course, that Juanma is playing it just fine and we have trouble hearing the unusual rhythm.

 

I play pieces in 5/8 and other additive rhythms all the time. They are quite common in the Balkans and southeastern Europe as far as Armenia. I also play a charrada and I even sing some English songs(and at least one American one)in 5/4. I have no trouble hearing the rhythm. Check out

for a tune in 5/16 on concertina. I would believe that an abc converter has trouble with an additive rhythm. I don't know how the converter works, but as written, there is no indication of the meter being other than triple except for the M: 5/8 notation. I think somehow there has to be a distinction in the uneven lengths of the individual notes which does not appear in abc.

[michael sam wild]

Nice spanish tune I like the sound, a bit like a medieval reed instrument like a shawm?

 

Reminds me a bit of Brian Boru's march

[Spaniard_Johnny]

It's a pretty tune, but I don't hear it in 5/8 the way you're playing it. It sounds more like triple meter. I can hear in my head clearly how it could be in 5/8 (3+2) but somehow that isn't coming across in the video.

Hello Mark

 

I think that the problem is that is difficult for me to mark clearly that rythm in the harmony of the melody, is easier to do it with my tabor. I've written the tune in abc, also is my little contribution to this great forum and website...

Interesting. I also had trouble hearing the video in 5/8, and now that I've heard my computer play the tune from the abc it still sounds like 3/4. This means, of course, that Juanma is playing it just fine and we have trouble hearing the unusual rhythm.

 

I play pieces in 5/8 and other additive rhythms all the time. They are quite common in the Balkans and southeastern Europe as far as Armenia. I also play a charrada and I even sing some English songs(and at least one American one)in 5/4. I have no trouble hearing the rhythm. Check out

for a tune in 5/16 on concertina. I would believe that an abc converter has trouble with an additive rhythm. I don't know how the converter works, but as written, there is no indication of the meter being other than triple except for the M: 5/8 notation. I think somehow there has to be a distinction in the uneven lengths of the individual notes which does not appear in abc.

 

I like a lot your 5/16 tune... very beautiful. In the first minutes of this video

you can see me playing a 5/8 tune with a vulture wing bone pipe and my tabor. We are playing during a traditional party outside the wine caves in a village in Castile. Also you can hear the dulzainas (folk shawms).

 

Juanma,

 

In your site there is a recording of yours with chifla and salterio. What is the salterio?

 

Thanks,

ocd

 

The salterio is played together with our tabor pipe, the strings are tuned by pairs and are beaten with the stick. In the middle ages was known as the "chorus". In example, if I play a G pipe, the strings are tuned CGCGCG. Here you can see a video:

 

Juanma

[Tradman]

I like the charrada you are playing on chiflo with all the percussion very much. The rhythm is crystal clear and the music feels like it's dancing.

 

Mark

Edited March 1, 2010 by Tradman