Thanks to those who came to slow session in September! My presentation about Clare was a resounding failure! But that's only because I wasn't sure how to prepare. I knew I should have started with a county less familiar to me than Clare. I had way to much to say and didn't want to bore people with it, so it pretty much ended up being a kind of pathetic little thing.
In any case, I want to say thank you to those who came for giving some thought to the differences in style and repertoire of two ceili bands whose recordings we listened to. I'm still formulating my thoughts on that, and will continue to research and prepare a little presentation for later in the year. I do promise that Kerry night will be much more fun and better organized! I also know that a few people are planning to bring some sheet music for some slides and polkas we've worked on in the past or that they've been working on over the last few months. It should be fun to look at that, as well as learn about some of the other well-known musicians, singers and storytellers from that beautiful county.
If you went to Irish 2000, I hope you had a more relaxed and less fragmented time than we did! I will say that we had a blast collaborating with Bairbre McCarthy in the couple of sets we did, and we hope to do of that in the future. With Bairbre's permission, I'll be posting one or two of the pieces we did together on our myspace page soon. We also met a friend who plays accordion and had a nice little session, even with the rock stage blasting in our ears. A few real trad tunes always make the day, in my opinion.
In the meantime, have a grand remainder of the weekend. I'm going to take a nap now!
The Trad
9.21.2008
9.09.2008
How can I possibly have summed up Clare music for you? I am a total nut job!
Dear Friends,
I started writing a blog about six times -- I have the drafts in my blogger to prove it.
I went from writing sort of a serious essay giving all this history about the county and the instruments and blah blah blah to giving you my little history of where I started and where I am now to basically name dropping and calling it good. I'll give you the name dropping in a minute, but I wanted to share a bit of a response from one of our sessioneers.
John and I have been corresponding a bit about various things (we both took Randal's class at Arts Week), and we've both studied with Patrick Ourceau and Laurel Martin, so I asked him what his thoughts were on Clare music. Here's what he said (apologies, John, for not asking in advance if this is ok, but I like what you had to say):
"Hilary,
My first real exposure (knowingly) to Clare music was also through Martin Hayes - I think it was The Lonesome Touch CD. I grew up in NYC and was fairly familiar with the sound of the NYC/Sligo style. I was really taken with that Martin Hayes CD - the pace, the dynamics, the sparse but tasteful ornamentation, all made it much more interesting than just dance music. I then went on a hunt for other examples of Clare music. I quickly hit upon Patrick Ourceau's CD with Gearoid. That sealed it for me. That was the sound I was hearing in my head and trying to emulate (largely unsucessfully). An added bonus is my brother plays concertina.
I was thrilled when I learned that Patrick was coming up to Troy and holding workshops and lessons. He pointed me in the direction of a lot of the older players - Paddy Canny, An Historic Music of Irish Music with Paddy Canny and PJ Hayes (one of my favorites), Bobby Casey, the Paddy in the Smoke CD, Willie Clancy, etc...
The pace, the phrasing, the intonation (neutral notes), ambiguous modes (think Paddy Fahey) all make it sound more ancient to me. I still really like the Sligo style - from Michael Coleman and James Morrison to Tony DeMarco and John Carty, but the typical Clare style really intrigues me.
Have fun tomorrow night. Hopefully I can catch up with you and Eric in October.
John McD"
He's right, there's great spirit and joy in the Sligo/New York music, too, no doubt! I have my favorites, too.
As to Clare music, there's a certain lift and rolling pulse to it. As I've read in discussions about local and regional styles all over, I'll say, "I can't describe it, but you'll know it when you hear it."
Fintan Vallely says of Clare music, in his book "The Companion to Irish Traditional Music", "The slower tempo of Clare style allows the player to concentrate more on the melodic aspects of the music. The bowing is more fluid, and extensive use is made of left hand ornamentation such as rolls. Frequent distinction is made between music from the west of the region and that from the east. The West Clare style is represented by the fine playing of Bobby Casey, Junior Crehan, John Kelly, Patrick Kelly, and Joe Ryan. The East Clare style is very much associated with the playing of Paddy Canny, whose wonderful music has been an inspiration to many, including those who play in other styles."
So our friend John is really on the money when he says: "The pace, the phrasing, the intonation (neutral notes), ambiguous modes (think Paddy Fahey) all make it sound more ancient to me." Mr. Vallely couldn't have said it better!
I agree with them both. When I think of Clare music, I think immediately of a certain sound, exemplified by the recording he references, one we lovingly call "The Four Smiling Champions", that features a great set of reels called "The Taproom Set." It features that pulse, those "in-between" notes, and more. You want that Clare sound to the max? Dial up the Tulla Ceili Band. It's that rolling lift times a million.
As to players, I think very first of Paddy Canny, Bobby Casey, PJo Hayes, Peadar O'Loughlin, Junior Crehan; of Dennis Liddy and Michael Hynes (great CD called Waifs & Strays); I think of Martin Rocheford, an East Clare musician who played many instruments; Micho Russell of Doolin (whistle and great singing); of Kitty Hayes (concertina); of Pat O'Connor (The Green Mountain); of John Canny (accordion); of Josephine Marsh (accordion & fiddle); of the MacNamaras -- Mary and Andrew; of Tola Custy (fiddler from the famous Custy family); sure and John's right about pipers: Willie Clancy, Garrett Barry, Ronan Browne, Peter Laban, even Johnnie Doran of Wicklow, whose notation on the back of a photo said, "I was welcome anywhere I went. My favorite counties were Kerry, Clare, Mayo.....My best counties were Clare and Galway." He spent a good bit of time in the west of Ireland, although he lived the life of a Traveller and spent many days on the road from Dublin to Waterford.
Now, as an example of "but you said that Clare music doesn't sound like that!", let's take a stroll over to the "K" section -- The Kilfenora Ceili Band [the only ceili band, incidentally, to win three All-Ireland championships in a row (1993, 1994 AND 1995!)], has a completely different, entirely more bouncy and almost "sligo-ey" style. I can't explain it. I don't know why.
Tomorrow night I'll play you a few tracks from Tulla Ceili Band and Kilfenora Ceili Band -- after all, what's the music for but for dancing. I'm interested to hear your reflections on the county and the music, and we'll also work on a few tunes from one or the other of the bands. I've been poking at our session tune list to see how many tunes are identified with the county or were popular tunes for the sets. I'll let you know!
Or maybe you'll let me know! The whole point of this exercise is just to get familiar with some musicians from the area, and to hear a sampling of the style and of the tune choices!
See you tomorrow!!!
The Trad
I started writing a blog about six times -- I have the drafts in my blogger to prove it.
I went from writing sort of a serious essay giving all this history about the county and the instruments and blah blah blah to giving you my little history of where I started and where I am now to basically name dropping and calling it good. I'll give you the name dropping in a minute, but I wanted to share a bit of a response from one of our sessioneers.
John and I have been corresponding a bit about various things (we both took Randal's class at Arts Week), and we've both studied with Patrick Ourceau and Laurel Martin, so I asked him what his thoughts were on Clare music. Here's what he said (apologies, John, for not asking in advance if this is ok, but I like what you had to say):
"Hilary,
My first real exposure (knowingly) to Clare music was also through Martin Hayes - I think it was The Lonesome Touch CD. I grew up in NYC and was fairly familiar with the sound of the NYC/Sligo style. I was really taken with that Martin Hayes CD - the pace, the dynamics, the sparse but tasteful ornamentation, all made it much more interesting than just dance music. I then went on a hunt for other examples of Clare music. I quickly hit upon Patrick Ourceau's CD with Gearoid. That sealed it for me. That was the sound I was hearing in my head and trying to emulate (largely unsucessfully). An added bonus is my brother plays concertina.
I was thrilled when I learned that Patrick was coming up to Troy and holding workshops and lessons. He pointed me in the direction of a lot of the older players - Paddy Canny, An Historic Music of Irish Music with Paddy Canny and PJ Hayes (one of my favorites), Bobby Casey, the Paddy in the Smoke CD, Willie Clancy, etc...
The pace, the phrasing, the intonation (neutral notes), ambiguous modes (think Paddy Fahey) all make it sound more ancient to me. I still really like the Sligo style - from Michael Coleman and James Morrison to Tony DeMarco and John Carty, but the typical Clare style really intrigues me.
Have fun tomorrow night. Hopefully I can catch up with you and Eric in October.
John McD"
He's right, there's great spirit and joy in the Sligo/New York music, too, no doubt! I have my favorites, too.
As to Clare music, there's a certain lift and rolling pulse to it. As I've read in discussions about local and regional styles all over, I'll say, "I can't describe it, but you'll know it when you hear it."
Fintan Vallely says of Clare music, in his book "The Companion to Irish Traditional Music", "The slower tempo of Clare style allows the player to concentrate more on the melodic aspects of the music. The bowing is more fluid, and extensive use is made of left hand ornamentation such as rolls. Frequent distinction is made between music from the west of the region and that from the east. The West Clare style is represented by the fine playing of Bobby Casey, Junior Crehan, John Kelly, Patrick Kelly, and Joe Ryan. The East Clare style is very much associated with the playing of Paddy Canny, whose wonderful music has been an inspiration to many, including those who play in other styles."
So our friend John is really on the money when he says: "The pace, the phrasing, the intonation (neutral notes), ambiguous modes (think Paddy Fahey) all make it sound more ancient to me." Mr. Vallely couldn't have said it better!
I agree with them both. When I think of Clare music, I think immediately of a certain sound, exemplified by the recording he references, one we lovingly call "The Four Smiling Champions", that features a great set of reels called "The Taproom Set." It features that pulse, those "in-between" notes, and more. You want that Clare sound to the max? Dial up the Tulla Ceili Band. It's that rolling lift times a million.
As to players, I think very first of Paddy Canny, Bobby Casey, PJo Hayes, Peadar O'Loughlin, Junior Crehan; of Dennis Liddy and Michael Hynes (great CD called Waifs & Strays); I think of Martin Rocheford, an East Clare musician who played many instruments; Micho Russell of Doolin (whistle and great singing); of Kitty Hayes (concertina); of Pat O'Connor (The Green Mountain); of John Canny (accordion); of Josephine Marsh (accordion & fiddle); of the MacNamaras -- Mary and Andrew; of Tola Custy (fiddler from the famous Custy family); sure and John's right about pipers: Willie Clancy, Garrett Barry, Ronan Browne, Peter Laban, even Johnnie Doran of Wicklow, whose notation on the back of a photo said, "I was welcome anywhere I went. My favorite counties were Kerry, Clare, Mayo.....My best counties were Clare and Galway." He spent a good bit of time in the west of Ireland, although he lived the life of a Traveller and spent many days on the road from Dublin to Waterford.
Now, as an example of "but you said that Clare music doesn't sound like that!", let's take a stroll over to the "K" section -- The Kilfenora Ceili Band [the only ceili band, incidentally, to win three All-Ireland championships in a row (1993, 1994 AND 1995!)], has a completely different, entirely more bouncy and almost "sligo-ey" style. I can't explain it. I don't know why.
Tomorrow night I'll play you a few tracks from Tulla Ceili Band and Kilfenora Ceili Band -- after all, what's the music for but for dancing. I'm interested to hear your reflections on the county and the music, and we'll also work on a few tunes from one or the other of the bands. I've been poking at our session tune list to see how many tunes are identified with the county or were popular tunes for the sets. I'll let you know!
Or maybe you'll let me know! The whole point of this exercise is just to get familiar with some musicians from the area, and to hear a sampling of the style and of the tune choices!
See you tomorrow!!!
The Trad
9.04.2008
*Sigh* Where did summer go?
Dear friends,
Why am I blogging at 6:00 am? I took a Claritin D and now I'm awake. I've been awake since 3:30 this morning. I've been thinking about the end of summer, and about school starting up again, and about the slow session, of course!
As we wave goodbye to summer, we also wave goodbye to that fantasy of free time: long, sunny summer afternoons swinging our feet in the lazy brook or those short, but sweet nights of all-night tune fests in some dingy bar or at someone's backyard barbecue. Remember those dreams of accomplishment we all had? [I'm going to learn a tune a week all summer long....I'm going to buy and learn a new instrument...I'm going to hike the Long Trail every weekend this summer....I'm going to read War & Peace before Labor Day...] Yeah. Right.
Back to reality. Some of you have kids you just stuck on the school bus for the first time this school year. Some of you are just lamenting the loss of long, sunny days and early Fridays. Some of you are just so buried in work you didn't notice it was September. I notice that school buses sometimes slow my progress to work. I have to plan around them. Other than that, I'm kind of envious of the kids: they get to go school shopping (I love supplies!), and get new clothes, and get a fresh start. I believe in "New Year"s, as you know. I look at your birthday as the beginning of your personal new year; and of course I love making New Year's resolutions on January 1 that I know I'll never keep! But, somewhere in my head I have this visual of the calendar as a sort of a racetrack. It's an oval, and it always starts in September for me. Someone just waved that green flag, and I'm all GO!
Whether your experience matches any or all of the above, we all have this in common: shorter days, crisper weather and long, cool nights are a veritable breeding ground for sessions, tunes and musical fun! Let's have our own special Slow Session New Year's! At this month's slow session, I want to feature a little tribute to my favorite county: Clare. We're gonna learn a set of reels (either from my favorite Ceili band, The Tulla, or maybe a reel from East Clare and one from West Clare). We'll go back to the hornpipes The Peacock's Feathers (in dmin and dmaj), and there must be a great set of jigs we can do.
In preparation, I'm doing a bit of research on Co. Clare, and I think I have a handle on the music from there, but there are so many ways of doing things and so many opinions, that I'm trying to pull something together to share with you. I'll be putting my thoughts up here early next week, before the session...
Why am I blogging at 6:00 am? I took a Claritin D and now I'm awake. I've been awake since 3:30 this morning. I've been thinking about the end of summer, and about school starting up again, and about the slow session, of course!
As we wave goodbye to summer, we also wave goodbye to that fantasy of free time: long, sunny summer afternoons swinging our feet in the lazy brook or those short, but sweet nights of all-night tune fests in some dingy bar or at someone's backyard barbecue. Remember those dreams of accomplishment we all had? [I'm going to learn a tune a week all summer long....I'm going to buy and learn a new instrument...I'm going to hike the Long Trail every weekend this summer....I'm going to read War & Peace before Labor Day...] Yeah. Right.
Back to reality. Some of you have kids you just stuck on the school bus for the first time this school year. Some of you are just lamenting the loss of long, sunny days and early Fridays. Some of you are just so buried in work you didn't notice it was September. I notice that school buses sometimes slow my progress to work. I have to plan around them. Other than that, I'm kind of envious of the kids: they get to go school shopping (I love supplies!), and get new clothes, and get a fresh start. I believe in "New Year"s, as you know. I look at your birthday as the beginning of your personal new year; and of course I love making New Year's resolutions on January 1 that I know I'll never keep! But, somewhere in my head I have this visual of the calendar as a sort of a racetrack. It's an oval, and it always starts in September for me. Someone just waved that green flag, and I'm all GO!
Whether your experience matches any or all of the above, we all have this in common: shorter days, crisper weather and long, cool nights are a veritable breeding ground for sessions, tunes and musical fun! Let's have our own special Slow Session New Year's! At this month's slow session, I want to feature a little tribute to my favorite county: Clare. We're gonna learn a set of reels (either from my favorite Ceili band, The Tulla, or maybe a reel from East Clare and one from West Clare). We'll go back to the hornpipes The Peacock's Feathers (in dmin and dmaj), and there must be a great set of jigs we can do.
In preparation, I'm doing a bit of research on Co. Clare, and I think I have a handle on the music from there, but there are so many ways of doing things and so many opinions, that I'm trying to pull something together to share with you. I'll be putting my thoughts up here early next week, before the session...
Trusty Companion and I were talking last night about how different musicians we love, and how they're all from different places around Ireland. Then we got talking about their different styles. You know how three people can play the same reel and put the emphasis in a different place and come up with a completely different sound? Also, people from different places will choose different types of tunes to play.
Trusty and I thought it might be fun this "school" year to have a little special focus area for our sessions. So, here's what we're thinking: September is Clare, October will be Kerry (slides and polkas! Yay!), November will be Donegal, and December will be Sligo. Hold on! Slow down! Don't freak out! This doesn't mean we'll only be playing tunes from that region. It just means I'll give you some classic sets of tunes and maybe we'll have a listen to some recordings along with our regular session sets and round-robin playing...
Another thing I'd like to encourage this year: stories and songs. If anyone wants to present something that they're working on, let me know and we'll make a space for it. The sessions we go to in Clare always have a sort of little "solo" section in the middle where a few stories are told, some singers are featured, and some people who've got tunes they want to showcase can do so. This has kind of happened the past few months as a few of our players have tunes they love and want to share, in the hopes that we'll all learn them.
I'll give you your homework in the next blog. Right now I have to go get ready for work. No time for dog walking this morning. I've pondered enough in this blog, and I'll talk to you soon! Have a great day!
The Trad
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