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The other thing that tends to happen all the time to people just in the first couple of years of learning tunes is the inability to play a tune that someone starts off ,unless they know the name of it.

 

It changes eventually but is so frustrating 'I know this one but what is it called?'

 

Sharron

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What happened to me a lot when I began playing hammer dulcimer, especially old time or Appalachian music, was I would be playing the A of one song and the B of another. I would catch on, and I stopped getting confused after a relatively short while. But I remember this as being very frustrating.

 

I either don't know enough concertina tunes to be confused or I play such different tunes that I can easily keep them separate.

 

Helen

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Just wait Helen, then you will find that one tune's few starting notes will lead you into a few other tunes just to confuse you :blink:

 

It happens to me more and more often now I have a few tunes under my belt.

Mind it makes tunes easier to learn too as you recognise snippets and patterns.

 

What's Appalachian music like? I don't know if i have ever heard any or not.

 

Sharron

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Oh goody, Sharron, I was sooo hoping I could get confused on yet another instrument.

 

Appalachian music, well I'll give you a better description tomorrow. I'm exhausted, but just had to check this site. Many people say that this type of music has its roots in Irish music. (Probably some Scottish music also.) I play mainly the mountain music of West Virginia. Some of it is ballads. Also waltzes.

 

I'll try and give a more coherent reply tomorrow. ;)

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:o Hi Sharron and everyone,

 

Well, I was at an all day workshop, left, was 16 miles away and realized I didn't have my purse. Went back and was all over for an hour and then TA DA, it was found. So, I am traumatized, but very happy. But too dimwitted now to say something about Appalachian music.

 

How about emailing me your address, if you would, and I will send you a copy of some music. And if anyone else is interested, please send me your address. It won't be me playing it. So you are safe.

 

Helen

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:lol: Okay Sharron,

 

First, I'll have to find a link. Then I will be glad to post it. This type of music seems to attract low tech people among my friends. I'm sure there are tons of hi tech people playing it, I just don't know them.

 

So, give me a chance and I'll post. Also, if I can figure out how to scan into the computer, I could send you some written music.

 

Hope you are having fun with your music.

 

Helen

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:o Hi Sharron,

 

Well, I found some links. Not the best, but a start. I'm sure other people know a bunch of good ones. Try www.stg.brown.edu/projects/davenport/LIZA_JANE_PART_1.html

I think I did something wrong, doesn't it become blue when you have the right site? This will give you the notation for the first part and will take you to the second part. I also got the second part to play, after a delay, but not the whole tune to play. If you go back to Davenport, you get a blurb about him. I don't know him, I was just trying to get music.

 

www.appalachianmusic.net/ plays music when you open that is very representative of the genre. I did not like the site because it had a lot of ads. The link site on it was particularly good. When the ads come up, hit the X box. Hitting the remove this ad section takes you to a different ad.

 

I'll keep looking. Also, I'll find out how to scan in some music for you. I hope.

 

Your lo tech but still trying friend,

Helen

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  • 2 years later...

I'm pleased to say we've started an English musiic session here in Toronto. Prior to this it was Irish or lump it.

 

What we're doing is working up a selection of 20 tunes that we all know as the foundation of the session. Once we have these well learned we will then add about the same number again. One more experienced musician has recorded CDs of the tunes and also provided copies of the written music. Everybody is working from these and we add 2 or 3 new tunes between each bi-weekly session. At present we're doing this at someone's home but once we feel it has a strong foundation, we plan to move it out to a Pub. Hopefully around February/March. Once we're at the pub it will revert to the usual session format. The only rule we have is no Irish tunes. This is because there are plenty of places in Toronto to play Irish.

 

Thye rule that will be added when we move to the pub is no sheet music. Everybody has been pre-warned that this is coming so hopefully there'll be no surprises.

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Nice idea Paul. Hope it takes off. It's an uphill battle playing English tunes and singing English songs in Montreal, but you have to do your bit :) Looks like I'll be shipping my dogs to the UK from Toronto sometime in December. If I can find a time to overlap with your session maybe you can point me at the music?

 

Great to see you over the summer by the way. Singing on the Subway was something I'll remember for quite a while.

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Samantha the next session at The George will be the 5th December about 8-30 ish the room under the Gallery.Look foreward to seeing you there.It is about five minutes from London Bridge Station on the left up the High Street.

I wish you every success with your session Paul,but do not create too many rules, a relaxed and open session on the basic principles is what is required.Musicians take music to our session, but only to remember how the tune goes and then it is usually disregarded.If a new player comes to your session and plays a bit of Irish music you have to encourage them to come back again,so be relaxed about it and join in.

We play mainly English, French, Breton, but we are not strict about it.

Do not forget the Session swap idea ,record your session and post it to someone who attends a session elsewhere.It is great listening to a session from many thousands of miles away and you can learn some fantastic tunes from this idea.

Al

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Hi Robin. That was a good ale wasn't it? It was partly the influence of Stone Monkey and yourself plus an earlier visit from Greensleeves and the band Crucible that made me decide that an English session was needed here. I'll send you the list by e-mail.

 

Alan, thanks for the good wishes. I agree with you about the rules. Those will be the only two. From there I can see that it has to be handled carefully. A friend here, new to the folk scene but a keen new concertinist, had us rolling about laughing when he told us about turning up at a very serious Irish session with his English concertina. He then proceeded to get out his music stand - under the glare of an organiser not known for his sense of humour. When it came to his turn, he proceeded to play (from the music) a nice Scottish tune. He was 'politely' informed that they didn't play Scottish music.

 

What we want to avoid is the session being taken over by Irish music and then we're all back to square one. I don't know if it's because I grew up England but I get much more pleasure out of these tunes after a few years of struggling along with the Irish tunes.

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I'm pleased to say we've started an English musiic session here in Toronto. Prior to this it was Irish or lump it.

 

Paul,

 

We've been doing pretty much the same thing down here in Texas, starting last winter. We've got about fifty tunes known communaly now, and add one or two each week. We started with tunes lifted from old Flowers and Frolics albums and from the Lewes Arms tune book, but by now we've worked in a few old time Texas waltzes and string band tunes, as well as a few French (and even a few Irish) tunes; they mix well. I still love to play and listen to Irish music, but won't drive to a session for it; it is too painful. Irish music is made for playing (thoughtfully) around the kitchen table, in my humble opinion...noisy crowded pubs with careless showboats and of course the inevitable bodhrans spoil it more often than not, at least around these parts. Our more anglo-american mix seems to work well, and the tunes are pretty easy for the most part. We don't try to exclude occasional Irish tunes...there are too many lovely ones to want to do that...but bodhrans need not apply.

 

We started the English thing as a weekly practice/session, but are beginning to play outside of that for an occasional pub visit or dance. But ours is a minority opinion...the Irish sessions are larger and will likely stay that way. To each his own!

 

If anyone is headed out this way, come on a Tuesday and send me an email for location.

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And is at happens, a Celtic Jam (primarily Irish and Scottish) has just started at the P&G Cafe in Duvall, WA.

 

Every Tuesday from 6:30-8:30pm (and there will be a session this week). I'd really like for the session that is down the street from my house to thrive, so if any of the Puget Sound area C.Net'ers are in the area and would care to take a break from Thanksgiving prep, this would be a great week to do so...

 

((And no, I'm not organizing this one... I am still trying to figure out how to have the NWSI in the Snoqualmie valley though))

 

--Dave

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now we've worked in a few old time Texas waltzes and string band tunes, as well as a few French (and even a few Irish) tunes; they mix well.

In England it is quite common to hear French and even Swedish tunes in an "English" session. English players aren't fussy - if a tune has the right feel, they'll play it (as an aside, this openness has resulted in a much higher percentage of recently composed tunes being played than in comparable Irish sessions, I believe).

 

I often quote the words of the late and much missed Mick Brooks. At the start of a session he was leading he said, "This session is for tunes from anywhere on the map that isn't green!". Well, of course, the odd Irish tune crept in, but if it's got the right feel, who cares?

 

Chris

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It's interesting that you say that about newly composed tunes. There is agreat Canadian writer named Brian Pickell who is producing some superb traditional style tunes. There is a book (possibly two) of these and there are a few classics in there. One is a Waltz called 'Waiting for Emilie" another one is ' Sourgrass and Granite"

 

Here's the web page. Unfortunately, no concertinas.

 

http://www.brianpickell.com/music/theband.php

 

Edited to correct the tune names and add a site url

Edited by Paul Read
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