Topic: whitby folk week 2015 (Read 41763 times)

baz parkes · « **Reply #120 on:** August 27, 2015, 05:41:35 PM »

Quote from: Anahata on August 27, 2015, 04:42:15 PM

Whitby has been great this year.

We did from Friday to Tuesday and had a splendid time...including a cracking LNE on Monday

We put our heads round the door at the Elsinore, but (like Microbot a few minutes earlier) didn't stay. I hate to have to say this here, but the melodeon is not an instrument that works well for me in large numbers.

I am of this opinion...I usually carry my gob irons...which is a blessing given my hip and Whitby's hills. On looking I am usually of the opinion that the session doesn't need a 24th melodeon....

baz parkes · « **Reply #121 on:** August 27, 2015, 05:59:24 PM »

Unless it's the Melnet gathering obviously...

Julian S · « **Reply #122 on:** August 27, 2015, 06:26:46 PM »

Maybe time for another discussion topic- setting quotas for different instrument at sessions. Do two one-row boxes equal one two-row ( but how to assess quality of playing...) hours of fruitful (?) discussion ...

On a general point - maybe there are just too many festivals. I enjoyed Sid last year and this, after a gap of around twenty years. Different to previous experience because now I'm a punter - but I thought for me there was a good mix of good performances , great dancing,interesting sessions and loads of fun things to learn. But everyone is different and has various expectations.

Theo · « **Reply #123 on:** August 27, 2015, 07:04:12 PM »

In at Whitby as I write this. It seems to me there are more inexperienced players at many of the sessions, which is a good thing, but does tend to mean the quality of playing is, shall we say, mixed. It's especially difficult in bigger rooms where it can be almost impossible to hear properly. Some of the smaller sessions I've been to have been great with sensitive playing and people following the style of the person leading off a tune. The only official session I went to was much less good with a lot of rushed playing. But hey sessions are always hit and miss affairs depending very much on who is there.
The big dances in the Whitby Pavillion have been less well attended than a decade ago. I went to a wonderful concert last night led off by the New Deal String Band which include the legendary Tom Paley and his son Ben. Superb.

Thrupenny Bit · « **Reply #124 on:** August 27, 2015, 08:05:12 PM »

If there is variation between session venues there is often variation within regularly run sessions
My monthly local session can vary immensely depending on who turns up in the night, which goes to re-Inforce the comment that sessions are hit and miss.
Interesting observation that ceilidhs are less well attended. That seems to be a trend not only at festivals, but at those regular ceilidhs such as the ones we run throughout the winter. Sadly this year we're cutting right back as attendance is utterly variable and always down on previous years despite using nationally recognised bands and there's a limit to our ability to subsidise them.
Q

smiley · « **Reply #125 on:** August 28, 2015, 12:24:51 AM »

Quote from: Anahata on August 27, 2015, 04:42:15 PM

I hate to have to say this here, but the melodeon is not an instrument that works well for me in large numbers.

Although four melodeons can produce a lovely sound (in the right hands) https://soundcloud.com/boxtet/foul-weather-call

george garside · « **Reply #126 on:** August 28, 2015, 09:46:02 AM »

To me the function of a session is to provide mutual enjoyment for the participants ( and hopefully for any ''non participants '' present.

At the big festivals there are enough sessions led and spontaneous for everyone, exept perhaps those who have an inherent moaning disposition to, find one that suits their musical taste.

If its a 'fast Irish' session that's what it is and if its a 'steady pace' English(ish) or a Bflatish session that's absolutely fine provided participants adhere to the unwritten 'rule' of fitting in rather than trying to drag it into something different.

Just a couple of examples. At one of my 'well known tunes at a steady pace' sessions' whilst the majority were happily if a little plodily playing winster gallop a gang of 4 smartarses tried to whip it up to something resembling fast Irish speed - they were told to bugger off!

At a very good English(ish) lead session with a North East ?/Scottish(ish) flavour which most participants were very happy with what was going on - but alas- one bright burk butted in with an overfast Irish jig and despite the dirty looks went into an uninteligeable rendering of Cock of the North at warp speed. Sensibly most people just stopped playing and continued with dirty looks. Thereafter the session returned to what it was supposed to be.

So why go to a session that plays stuff you are not keen on and then moan about it!

george

Ebor_fiddler · « **Reply #127 on:** August 28, 2015, 09:49:04 AM »

We had a good mix most of the week at The Board, but there was a hard core of friends who play together relatively often (including a certain Spectacled Warbler of this parish) which I think helps to start a session off well. We had everything from two or three mxxxxxxns to bass clarinet and ocarina (sp?). Some good nights.

Oh, and I completely agree with George!

Chris Ryall · « **Reply #128 on:** August 28, 2015, 10:02:32 AM »

I confess to a little lost sleep in the lead in to Melnet Thursdays, the sheer dominance our one (loud!) instrument is … a bit daunting? I felt that we were much more together this year though. At one point someone somewhere behind me who'd pushed the pace to being about a quarter bar ahead of those in front was assertively *overruled by the room

Next year I'd appeal to any introducing new tunes

to keep (please) arrangement simple. With 3+ fingers in action and folk trying to join in I couldn't tell what was tune in one case.

Guess that's to say that in massed play one has to think as much of others, as of what you're doing yourself. "Listening" … is quite the most under-rated musical skill

*Just spotted George's similar experience. While Formula 1 style play may sound great, solo, or at home, in a large group it turns the tune into musical porridge.

george garside · « **Reply #129 on:** August 28, 2015, 10:14:31 AM »

Quote from: Chris Ryall on August 28, 2015, 10:02:32 AM

*Just spotted George's similar experience. While Formula 1 style play may sound great, solo, or at home, in a large group it turns the tune into musical porridge.

I would describe it more as musical SHoneT!

george

Chris Ryall · « **Reply #130 on:** August 28, 2015, 10:29:03 AM »

… porridge goes straight through me too, George

What makes "beautiful notes" stand out is the space between them

george garside · « **Reply #131 on:** August 28, 2015, 11:26:21 AM »

Quote from: Chris Ryall on August 28, 2015, 10:29:03 AM

…
What makes "beautiful notes" stand out is the space between them

Indeed! Sir Jimmy Shand described it very aptly as 'playing long and short notes'

george

Howard Jones · « **Reply #132 on:** August 28, 2015, 12:38:54 PM »

Quote from: george garside on August 28, 2015, 09:46:02 AM

At the big festivals there are enough sessions led and spontaneous for everyone to find one that suits their musical taste.

That's true, but finding them is another matter. Your 'well known tunes at a steady pace' session is one of the very few in the programme to have any clues, most are simply described as 'music sessions'. Add Theo's point about a large number of inexperienced players and it is perhaps unsurprising that some do not understand the finer nuances of session etiquette.

It is apparent from many of the posts here that the better music sessions have taken place outside the scheduled programme, in unofficial venues. Again, this is unsurprising. The problem for someone unfamiliar with the festival is discovering these. I dare say those 'in the know' are aware of which pubs tend to host sessions most likely to be to their taste, but unlike some festivals Whitby seems reticent about publicising these. It is not an easy place to wander around at random, especially when carrying heavy instruments.

Howard Jones · « **Reply #133 on:** August 28, 2015, 01:08:43 PM »

Lest I give the wrong impression, I've always enjoyed Whitby, but I always come away feeling I could have got more from it if I only knew where to look. Especially where sessions are concerned - I've never managed to find a particularly memorable session there. Despite making at least 4 or 5 visits to the festival over the years I still don't feel I really know my way around it. Perhaps its just me.

Alison Scott · « **Reply #134 on:** August 28, 2015, 01:31:56 PM »

We're just on our way home now (a long long drive) from a very enjoyable Whitby. We enjoyed several of the organised sessions; in fact I don't think we went to a bad one. We also were in a spectacularly good session in the Golden Lion on Tuesday that Chris alludes to up thread. Got to the Mel.net meet but it was too full and possibly a bit too melodeony (is that possible?) so we had a drink in the bar instead. Lots of good workshops and other events too.

Whitby's ceilidhs would be a bit better attended, at least by us, if they put electric bands on in the main evening dance spot. Two years ago we tried one of the earlier "ceilidhs" only to find ourselves at an OAPs tea dance. But because we were camping at Moor & Coast, and getting up for 10am workshops, and walking all round town carrying boxes, we were fit to drop by 11pm most nights, so couldn't stay awake for the LNE. We did get to Random who were fantastic, but overall I think they're making a programming mistake here.

george garside · « **Reply #135 on:** August 28, 2015, 01:41:34 PM »

what are 'electric' bands?
george

Howard Jones · « **Reply #136 on:** August 28, 2015, 01:54:28 PM »

Alison's complaint mirrors my earlier post about the lack of information in the Whitby programme. It's written in code - you need to understand that a "dance" is a different thing from a "ceilidh", or you need to recognise the bands and callers to know what to expect. In fact, apart from the Saturday night opener which started at 7pm with King Contra followed by Albireo from 9pm, they don't seem to have any early to mid-evening ceilidhs, they all seem to be "dances", with the ceilidh bands only coming on for the LNEs. Perhaps they assume that ceilidh-goers are all energetic youngsters - maybe true 30 years ago but not now.

There doesn't seem to be much else on at all for ceilidh dancers, apart from the family ceilidhs (which can be great fun but which don't necessarily suit adults without kids).

Alison Scott · « **Reply #137 on:** August 28, 2015, 02:17:09 PM »

Quote from: george garside on August 28, 2015, 01:41:34 PM

what are 'electric' bands?
george

I'm actually using it as shorthand here, because not all high energy bands use drums and bass guitar, and some slower paced bands do. But I am looking for bands whose music is at least informed by the popular music of the last 60 years. And it's as much about the calling style too -- I don't want to wait 20 minutes while the caller satisfies himself that every single person in the room knows every step of the dance; I'd rather we did the dance an extra couple of times through instead.

And King Contra wasn't ceilidh, at least last night, although I agree it was billed that way -- the crowd was a 'dance' (ie walk sedately) crowd, not a ceilidh crowd (and absolutely not a contra crowd!) and the music, while pleasant enough, wasn't going to raise the roof.

Howard is right about a shortage of ceilidh and (especially) Euro dance events at Whitby. It's kind of the opposite problem to Towersey, where it's possible to do fantastic dance workshops and events all day long but interesting instrument workshops and sessions are always thin on the ground.

911377brian · « **Reply #138 on:** August 28, 2015, 02:26:10 PM »

I attended the Dartmoor Festival for years, long before I began mistreating a melodeon, and always had a good time. The programme was clear and understandable and the events and stalls more or less all together, much like a county show. How any one manages to organise a festival in a town, where local knowledge of the terrain is pretty well essential I can't imagine. Do the Whitby organisers issue a map with events clearly marked, along with the programme? From reading this thread it seems that one needs a degree of insider knowledge to know what's happening and where.

george garside · « **Reply #139 on:** August 28, 2015, 02:29:03 PM »

speaking as an ex ceilidh dancer ( due to angina) I agree that the events billed at Whitby as 'dances' can be a bit on the grim side unless you are a dedicated EFDSS type 'country dancer' who enjoys doing it 'correctly' and expects the caller to ensure this is so!

These dances are not particularly well attended and therefore could be held in a smaller venue leaving the spa for more energetic but less precise stuff from say, 8 to 11pm perhaps followed by the LNE.

Both types of social perambulation have their enthusiastic aadherents so its about venues and horses for courses

george

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Author Topic: whitby folk week 2015 (Read 41763 times)