I would like to know your opinion why there isnt any slow air competitions at the fleadh cheoils for the accordion,or would it be a good idea? I think it would.I think the button accordion can,in the right hands make slow airs sound beautiful.Listen of course to Tony MacMahon playing them and he makes them sound brilliant.Is it more of comhaltas's not traditional crap?
It does seem strange that only certain instruments get a slow air competition, i don't know if it's because of ''not traditional crap'', or because there aren't many people playing slow airs on anything other than flutes and fiddles, but if that's the case why can't they have a ''rogha ghleas foinn mhalla'' competition.(Slow airs for any other instrument competition)
i do not know. i used to think it was snobbery, but now i am sure it is because of low potential enrollment. at the midwest fleadh in the united states, the senior fiddle can attract around 20 contestants, but the senior fiddle slow airs two or three at the most. the senior concertina can attrack around 3. i bet you a slow air for concertina would attract none in our region.
just play an air for the competition instead of a hornpipe, or something. if you play it well, you will stand out. my ideal set for concertina would be: jig, mazurka, air, hornpipe. of course, if you want to win, you have to do a reel. but, just to get their goat, you could do a mazurka, march, slow air, and schottische.
Well Daiv, I'm not sure that slow airs fit very well on concertina compared to box. You must also note that the provincial fleadhs in ireland, the equivalent in terms of qualifying for Tullamore, are fairly packed out with contestants. So maybe, it's as much a question of managing numbers etc.
I have no idea about the competition thing and Daiv's suggestion on lack of numbers may be the answer. Having said that though I think you can play an impressive slow air on most instruments (banjos and bodhráns excepted). Noel Hill does a lovely job playing Boolavogue and The Mountains of Pomeroy on a recent CD. In fact I feel that the concertina offers more possibilities than most instruments with the ability to include harmony notes which enhances the melancholy feel of some of the melodies.
Perhaps Bannerman,
I guess there is also an issue in that it's mostly young children and teenagers that enter the Fleadhs these days. Given that many of the airs are based on songs that are laments or have a melancholy feel, they probably need a bit more life experience from the player to bring them to life.
Doubtless you can come up with examples of lovely air playing by kids but the general point is that kids have no business really being sad - it shouldn't be their game.
slow airs fit very well on the concertina,if you dont believe me why not visit my website, www.dickmiles.com
and listen to the air Cape Clear,or alternatively go to youtube dickmilesmusic,and listen to Concertina medley which starts off with the air Valencia or song of the books.
admittedly Iam playing an English Concertina,but I se eno reason why airs cant be played equally well on the duet or the anglo
.www.dickmiles.com
the reason theres only s/a competitions for whistle, fiddle, pipes, and flute is because they are the instrument that are considered to best represent the human voice. It is to do with the comhaltas tradition partly though.
i agree. airs fit very well on the concertina. when noel hill plays live, he plays airs so unbelievably delicately and passionately, that i just about cry every time he stops--i could listen to it for ever.
tony mcmahon and noel hill spent a lot of time together, and their playing shows that both of them can play airs very well on both of their instrument.
wounded--that sounds like a plausible explanation.
irishfiddle--that could be. harmonica is often considered to be the instrument with the closest sound to the human voice--violin having the closest possibility of expression. concertinas, accordions, and harmonicas operate on the same principle.
i could see that idea, though, being a reason. i bet that when it came time to play an air, the concertina and accordion players of old would just sing them! they might not have been so adventurous.
While many of us these days agree that slow airs are perhaps the most authentic expression of our Irish tradition, this was not always the case. Back in the fifties very few musicians had airs as part of their repertoire which was the main reason that a requirement to play an air in the senior fiddle and flute competition was introduced. Apparently this strategy was introduced to ensure air playing didn't die out. Maybe it's time that all instrumentalists be encouraged to play slow airs and I'd definitely vote for a "Rogha Gleas" category being intoduced for these at future fleadhanna cheoil.
bannernman--that would be great. thank you for the background.
we all need a bit rounding of our repertoires. a student in the states on a j-1 visa said to me that she hadn't too many slides. neither do i. someone threw a schottische at me the other day, and i had never even heard one before.
Slow airs in fleadhs.....
Slow airs in fleadhs.....
I would like to know your opinion why there isnt any slow air competitions at the fleadh cheoils for the accordion,or would it be a good idea? I think it would.I think the button accordion can,in the right hands make slow airs sound beautiful.Listen of course to Tony MacMahon playing them and he makes them sound brilliant.Is it more of comhaltas's not traditional crap?
# Posted on August 6th 2008 by dinn2
Re: Slow airs in fleadhs.....
It does seem strange that only certain instruments get a slow air competition, i don't know if it's because of ''not traditional crap'', or because there aren't many people playing slow airs on anything other than flutes and fiddles, but if that's the case why can't they have a ''rogha ghleas foinn mhalla'' competition.(Slow airs for any other instrument competition)
# Posted on August 6th 2008 by cathycook
Re: Slow airs in fleadhs.....
They do have a miscellaneous slo air competition...
# Posted on August 6th 2008 by BrownAleMugger
Re: Slow airs in fleadhs.....
i do not know. i used to think it was snobbery, but now i am sure it is because of low potential enrollment. at the midwest fleadh in the united states, the senior fiddle can attract around 20 contestants, but the senior fiddle slow airs two or three at the most. the senior concertina can attrack around 3. i bet you a slow air for concertina would attract none in our region.
riada--the rules do not list it: http://comhaltas.ie/images/press_room/FleadhRules2008.pdf
just play an air for the competition instead of a hornpipe, or something. if you play it well, you will stand out. my ideal set for concertina would be: jig, mazurka, air, hornpipe. of course, if you want to win, you have to do a reel. but, just to get their goat, you could do a mazurka, march, slow air, and schottische.
# Posted on August 7th 2008 by daiv
Re: Slow airs in fleadhs.....
Well Daiv, I'm not sure that slow airs fit very well on concertina compared to box. You must also note that the provincial fleadhs in ireland, the equivalent in terms of qualifying for Tullamore, are fairly packed out with contestants. So maybe, it's as much a question of managing numbers etc.
# Posted on August 7th 2008 by the wounded hussar
Re: Slow airs in fleadhs.....
I have no idea about the competition thing and Daiv's suggestion on lack of numbers may be the answer. Having said that though I think you can play an impressive slow air on most instruments (banjos and bodhráns excepted). Noel Hill does a lovely job playing Boolavogue and The Mountains of Pomeroy on a recent CD. In fact I feel that the concertina offers more possibilities than most instruments with the ability to include harmony notes which enhances the melancholy feel of some of the melodies.
# Posted on August 7th 2008 by Bannerman
Re: Slow airs in fleadhs.....
Perhaps Bannerman,
I guess there is also an issue in that it's mostly young children and teenagers that enter the Fleadhs these days. Given that many of the airs are based on songs that are laments or have a melancholy feel, they probably need a bit more life experience from the player to bring them to life.
Doubtless you can come up with examples of lovely air playing by kids but the general point is that kids have no business really being sad - it shouldn't be their game.
# Posted on August 7th 2008 by the wounded hussar
Re: Slow airs in fleadhs.....
slow airs fit very well on the concertina,if you dont believe me why not visit my website, www.dickmiles.com
and listen to the air Cape Clear,or alternatively go to youtube dickmilesmusic,and listen to Concertina medley which starts off with the air Valencia or song of the books.
admittedly Iam playing an English Concertina,but I se eno reason why airs cant be played equally well on the duet or the anglo
.www.dickmiles.com
# Posted on August 7th 2008 by Dick Miles
Re: Slow airs in fleadhs.....
http://www.dickmiles.com
# Posted on August 7th 2008 by Dick Miles
Re: Slow airs in fleadhs.....
http://www.dickmiles.com then go to discography,then nautical andtrack 21
# Posted on August 7th 2008 by Dick Miles
Re: Slow airs in fleadhs.....
the reason theres only s/a competitions for whistle, fiddle, pipes, and flute is because they are the instrument that are considered to best represent the human voice. It is to do with the comhaltas tradition partly though.
# Posted on August 7th 2008 by irishfiddlefanatic
Re: Slow airs in fleadhs.....
i agree. airs fit very well on the concertina. when noel hill plays live, he plays airs so unbelievably delicately and passionately, that i just about cry every time he stops--i could listen to it for ever.
tony mcmahon and noel hill spent a lot of time together, and their playing shows that both of them can play airs very well on both of their instrument.
wounded--that sounds like a plausible explanation.
irishfiddle--that could be. harmonica is often considered to be the instrument with the closest sound to the human voice--violin having the closest possibility of expression. concertinas, accordions, and harmonicas operate on the same principle.
i could see that idea, though, being a reason. i bet that when it came time to play an air, the concertina and accordion players of old would just sing them! they might not have been so adventurous.
# Posted on August 7th 2008 by daiv
Re: Slow airs in fleadhs.....
While many of us these days agree that slow airs are perhaps the most authentic expression of our Irish tradition, this was not always the case. Back in the fifties very few musicians had airs as part of their repertoire which was the main reason that a requirement to play an air in the senior fiddle and flute competition was introduced. Apparently this strategy was introduced to ensure air playing didn't die out. Maybe it's time that all instrumentalists be encouraged to play slow airs and I'd definitely vote for a "Rogha Gleas" category being intoduced for these at future fleadhanna cheoil.
# Posted on August 7th 2008 by Bannerman
Re: Slow airs in fleadhs.....
bannernman--that would be great. thank you for the background.
we all need a bit rounding of our repertoires. a student in the states on a j-1 visa said to me that she hadn't too many slides. neither do i. someone threw a schottische at me the other day, and i had never even heard one before.
# Posted on August 8th 2008 by daiv
Re: Slow airs in fleadhs.....
i think its a good idea... if you can do it then why not?
# Posted on August 15th 2008 by bernadettem