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Author Topic: Tune of the month idea?  (Read 32005 times)

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Clive Williams

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Re: Tune of the month idea?
« Reply #60 on: September 25, 2009, 11:56:00 AM »

personally I think it would be better, and also more fun, for the TOTM to be relatively new to most people, i.e. not Speed the Plough etc.
And also not particularly constrained by compatibility with a particular layout, or even with melodeon (whatever that is) at all. Part of what might make this interesting would be to see how different boxes cope with a given tune, including by transposing the key and perhaps making other modifications. I suppose that crazily complicated or generally box-incompatible tunes would be fairly obvious on inspection and normally would not get elected anyway.

Any particular tune in mind? It's not too late to modify the poll, or for those who have voted to change their mind if a cracking suggestion comes along!

Cheers,

Clive

Chris Ryall

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Re: Tune of the month idea?
« Reply #61 on: September 25, 2009, 04:59:51 PM »

personally I think it would be better, and also more fun, for the TOTM to be relatively new to most people, i.e. not Speed the Plough etc.

Melnet has an excellent 'tunes' section for that.

I don't see a lot of benefit in learning something relatively obscure, that won't turn up in general sessions (which is what such 'newness' implies). Rather I'd like to get into some of the many standard tunes that I've never properly practiced - or a new way of ones I do know.
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stevejay

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Re: Tune of the month idea?
« Reply #62 on: September 25, 2009, 06:46:44 PM »

Fishers Hornpipe is famous in bluegrass mandolin circles, and the amazing and multi-talented Andy Statman is associated with the tune.  I think this clip is based on his arrangement:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEWeLJMzI-s&feature=related

(Need at least a couple of rows for this one, I would guess!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Afzl3A8o7vE&feature=related  this one is much better, the other video is copied straight out of a Bluegrass Mandolin book.
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theSmoiler

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Re: Tune of the month idea?
« Reply #63 on: September 25, 2009, 10:30:22 PM »

Fisher's Hornpipe

Why? Because it is a tune that has travelled widely to may lands and instruments for some reason, and most people know it.

Do they? I just dug out my copy of Hardcore English and played through the tune and I didn't recognize it at all. Perhaps I have been going to the wrong sessions.

Played alot (and originally learnt by me) in quite hardcore Irish Sessions when I used to play Irish, and also heard in English Sessions (the Ryburn fiddlers certainly play it) - may be slightly different styles, but still basically the same tune. 

In this respect, this may be a more 'homogeneous' tune for initial selection than some of the quintessential English tunes suggested, in recognition that not everyone on here plays the latter.

Diane
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ACE

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Re: Tune of the month idea?
« Reply #64 on: September 26, 2009, 07:05:25 AM »

Here we go! The reason I do not play in sessions so much nowadays. It ends up with one small group playing flash, fast and furious on a tune nobody has ever heard and showing off for the next half hour, so the rest of us retire to the bar and leave them to it.

This TOTM will end up just the same. Shame it sounded like a good idea.
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Chris Ryall

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Re: Tune of the month idea?
« Reply #65 on: September 26, 2009, 10:37:19 AM »

Here we go! The reason I do not play in sessions so much nowadays. It ends up with one small group playing flash, fast and furious on a tune nobody has ever heard and showing off for the next half hour, so the rest of us retire to the bar and leave them to it.

This TOTM will end up just the same. Shame it sounded like a good idea.

Not so sure .. if we resist pressure on clever tunes and regard it as a mutual self education thing. As I say above - there's a new tunes section for flash pieces. I've posted my new polska there - but would resist it being used as a 'tune of the month'. D3R
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graememackay

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Re: Tune of the month idea?
« Reply #66 on: September 26, 2009, 11:47:01 AM »

Like sessions, this is something people can opt in or out of.  If you don't like the tune or have difficulty, don't do it.  If you find a tune you can, or want to play, play it for us.  Also suggest which tunes which could go to the poll.

We all know there is various levels of abilities here on melnet, from beginner to pro.  We should cater for everybody, this means mostly simple everyday stuff for the majority, but we do need the odd tricky tune to satisfy the better players hunger to improve. (hopefully without any feelings that they'd be showing off)

There is also a lot of people who will be able to help others get their fingers round these tunes.  If you're having trouble with a tune, just say!  I can garantee there will be someone at the rescue.
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ladydetemps

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Re: Tune of the month idea?
« Reply #67 on: September 26, 2009, 03:11:43 PM »

it would be nice if there was a 'theme' each month and the tunes nominated had to reflect that theme.

stevejay

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Re: Tune of the month idea?
« Reply #68 on: September 26, 2009, 03:27:25 PM »

I'm good with Egan's Polka , Speed the Plough, or Princess Royal. I'm still a beginner. ;D

I thought you folks would be bored by these old pub standards...

Hearing theses old tunes from members would be great... maybe if members somehow played something to "make it their own" if possible. Turning a major chord to minor somewhere etc.

« Last Edit: September 26, 2009, 03:58:27 PM by stevejay »
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Clive Williams

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Re: Tune of the month idea?
« Reply #69 on: September 26, 2009, 09:13:22 PM »

I'm good with Egan's Polka , Speed the Plough, or Princess Royal. I'm still a beginner. ;D

I thought you folks would be bored by these old pub standards...

Quite the opposite really for me. Technical tunes require so much effort and thought that musicality often goes out the window; playing stuff you know really well lets you get that musicality back and adds a bit of magic to the music. I've been 'learning' some technical tunes for years, literally, but they rarely make it to the stage where I'd play them out...

Cheers,
Clive 

theSmoiler

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Re: Tune of the month idea?
« Reply #70 on: September 26, 2009, 11:21:46 PM »

Here we go! The reason I do not play in sessions so much nowadays. It ends up with one small group playing flash, fast and furious on a tune nobody has ever heard and showing off for the next half hour, so the rest of us retire to the bar and leave them to it.

This TOTM will end up just the same. Shame it sounded like a good idea.

I am puzzled, nay, somewhat dismayed by the above comment, which I see as considerable over-reaction (and somewhat of an attack  ???) if aimed at my comments on Fisher's Hornpipe. When I used to play Irish tunes (as that was what was played where I was living at the time) I was certainly very much a beginner - but the thing about polkas and hornpipes was that, unlike the fast reels, they were not something which were played 'fast and furious'. Rather, they were much more akin to the English dance tunes that I was familiar with from dancing at lots of ceilidhs in the late 70's and 80's, and hence felt playable, at reasonable tempo, and in those styles, on an English G/D box (unlike the majority of the reels). Plus, there was the added advantage that you only tended to play the right hand - as left hand basses were rarely appropriate (or played by the B/C players) - so, as long as you could pick out a simple melody in a hornpipe or polka rhythm, with one hand, then such tunes made the sessions inclusive, and meant that I could at least play something of the repertoire (and, even lead a few simple polkas - such as Egans, or some of the Ballydesmond's).

Not all Irish players/ Sessions play everything 'fast and furious'. I used to attend the local branch of the Ceoltus Ceolteiri Eireann [probably not the right spelling]. Lovely musicians, singers and dancers there, and a lot of talent. Mostly, but not all, native Irish - tremendously warm people, and always welcoming and encouraging to anyone who wanted to share their traditions (I myself was born O'Connell - but not in Ireland).

To imply that Fisher's, on the basis of the extremely small proportion of session-playing musicians who actually have any input on this Forum, is, globally, 'a tune nobody has heard', and hence elitist, is a gross over-exaggeration. It is also not 'flash' nor seriously difficult - not at all, compared to the tunes that the younger people tend to play as a matter of course nowadays!

Reactions such as the above will only serve, I fear, to self-select this Forum to a rather low ie in terms of playing level, common denominator, which is in danger of being self-perpetuating - as those who have made the effort to get on with learning, and get out and about and play and progress (sometimes in the face of tremendously adverse life circumstances) will risk being decried. So, they will leave it alone...
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melod-ian

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Re: Tune of the month idea?
« Reply #71 on: September 27, 2009, 09:22:29 AM »

I'm good with Egan's Polka , Speed the Plough, or Princess Royal. I'm still a beginner. ;D

I thought you folks would be bored by these old pub standards...

Hearing theses old tunes from members would be great... maybe if members somehow played something to "make it their own" if possible. Turning a major chord to minor somewhere etc.



yep the'yd get my vote too... Princess Royal especially, is a very flexible tune  ... loads minor chords / bass runs etc.

Quote
Here we go! The reason I do not play in sessions so much nowadays. It ends up with one small group playing flash, fast and furious on a tune nobody has ever heard and showing off for the next half hour, so the rest of us retire to the bar and leave them to it.

I'd like to think that the 'flash' and 'fast and furious' of us might all want to consider we were once newbies at some point ... unfortunately
that doesn't seem to be considered in most sessions... as it all goes down the 'mass show off route'

personally i prefer playing 'old pub standards' ..because it gets the whole session playing. But I dont think my views are often shared by some Prima donna's... its a real shame



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Chris Ryall

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Re: Tune of the month idea?
« Reply #72 on: September 27, 2009, 09:35:14 AM »

I didn't know your tune by name, Diane but I've found two versions on youtube

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMJtkOaJW10&feature=related

Something more sedate (1'17"), almost dancable, except he quasi-medlies a 3/4 waltz with a 4/4 polka ???

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMJtkOaJW10&feature=related

No B music so I'll have to get that from the more furious version.

Agree - it's a lovely tune which (played sensibly) has that super 'drive' that makes British polkas go. Though I have heard it somewhere - it's not mainstream for me.

I will have a go. I'm going to aim for something in between these two and if my session starts to race it - well I'll fold my bellows and go for a pint.

My view is that people experienced on the instument can always pick up tunes of this genre, from youtube, or on our tunes thread.

However I'd see TOTM as more of an intermediate/advancers class - I personally think it'll do most good in that way.  To me that makes 'old pub standards' quite a natural choice. Certainly we shouldn't puick anything that needs super technique. 

I don't feel fisher's to be much beyond my 'targeted' level of difficulty. But we should perhaps start easier and see how it goes.  Chris
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Clive Williams

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Re: Tune of the month idea?
« Reply #73 on: September 27, 2009, 10:13:27 AM »

Reactions such as the above will only serve, I fear, to self-select this Forum to a rather low ie in terms of playing level, common denominator, which is in danger of being self-perpetuating - as those who have made the effort to get on with learning, and get out and about and play and progress (sometimes in the face of tremendously adverse life circumstances) will risk being decried. So, they will leave it alone...

All fair points (including the ones I've deleted), but I think the history of this forum would tend to suggest that everything should pan out nicely. We'll see how it goes and take things accordingly. I think Fisher's is a nice nomination by the way; a nice tune, not one I play very often or well admittedly, but certainly a good suggestion. Please don't be put off from making more suggestions! Looking at how the polls are going though, I think the Fisherfans will need to do a bit of lobbying if it's going to be picked! (My vote's not winning either - it's not even in 2nd place! Pah!)

Cheers,

Clive

ladydetemps

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Re: Tune of the month idea?
« Reply #74 on: September 27, 2009, 10:21:11 AM »

(My vote's not winning either - it's not even in 2nd place! Pah!)
mines in 4th place.

ACE

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Re: Tune of the month idea?
« Reply #75 on: September 27, 2009, 11:12:47 AM »

Here we go! The reason I do not play in sessions so much nowadays. It ends up with one small group playing flash, fast and furious on a tune nobody has ever heard and showing off for the next half hour, so the rest of us retire to the bar and leave them to it.

This TOTM will end up just the same. Shame it sounded like a good idea.

Perhaps I should have said be carefull it could go this way.

I was not targeting any individual, and a pint is waiting as an apology if we ever meet. (don't all be offended now) ;D
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HallelujahAl

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Re: Tune of the month idea?
« Reply #76 on: September 27, 2009, 11:16:36 AM »

Granny is resoulutely taking up the rear! Fie on the lot of you for leaving a poor old lady in the lurch like that!
 ;D
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Re: Tune of the month idea?
« Reply #77 on: September 27, 2009, 01:02:53 PM »

Am I the only melnetter who has downloaded the dots for 'Granny hold the etc...' and is trying to nut it out? I am obviously very easily led  ;D
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HallelujahAl

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Re: Tune of the month idea?
« Reply #78 on: September 27, 2009, 01:07:15 PM »

Go for it Juker! You are a star..got round the 'B' section yet?
 ;D
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brianread

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Re: Tune of the month idea?
« Reply #79 on: September 27, 2009, 05:54:36 PM »

As a beginner not knowing anything I hope its ok to suggest one I'm already trying to get to grips with...(hope I got it right?)
what about Marmalade Polka (as seen here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNP5mPr_MgM)
ABC
http://abcnotation.com/tunePage?a=www.banjolin.co.uk/tunes/abcs/marmalade/0000


Actually i am not convinced that the tune being played in that clip is the same as the music, although marmalade polka is quite a nice tune (from the music).  What does the team think?   I think i know the tune in the clip as something like "Poor old ?? can't get the ?? out" (?).
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