I'd be interested to hear other peoples opinions and experience with regards to your changing preference for tunes as you have learned and hopefully progressed with the whistle or, for that matter, any other instrument. I've been playing and avidly listening for a bit over a year and have noticed over that time a change in my obsession/preference. Initially it was anything that was easy enough that I could make half recogniseable, then a brief sojourn with waltzes, followed by a lengthy, intimate and sometimes stormy affair with hornpipes. Latterly its been a passionate liaison with jigs to the exclusion of virtually all others though I must admit to a bit of infidelity towards the occasional reel. Where will all this lead and have other people recognised such symptoms of fickleness along the way? Should I consider councilling?
No, you don't sound as if you need counseling. If you are like most people on this web site, you are probably beyond psychiatric help.
As for my preferences, I like playing hornpipes, jigs, and polkas equally well. I don't have a particular preference for one or the other.
Reels and I have not yet reached an accommodation at session speed....I play them slowly as Ilig and SWFL have repeatedly reminded me and they are fine. Then I have to play opposite one of those lightning speed fiddlers or banko players and my hands turn into jelly.
Personally, I have of late become enamored by strathspeys and have returned to work on some of my slip jigs.
The answer's only if you can face the election process, but, otherwise, I don't think you need counselling!
When I started playing long way back on the whistle (and for a couple of years on the fiddle until the instrument and I reached the conclusion we weren't suited) I reckon I was completely obsessed by jigs. but I suspect that was because they came first in 'Allan's Irish Fiddler'. A fascination with polkas came about following a visit to Cork and Kerry and, later, the same thing happened with highlands and strathspeys after trips to Donegal.
It's by no means fickleness, but simply a factor of a developing learning process.
I have progressed naturally to being a couch potato.
The trouble is, Irish music isn't couch potato music: it evokes or parallels upbeat intense activity or stretching out on graves, and not a lot in between.
Playing fast reels on the D/G melodeon is hard graft, jigs are easier. But this instrument is a couch potato too, and its default mode is English 2/4s.
Much more interesting, though, is to play weird stuff from wherever using the semitone half-row. That's what I get off on these days!
Don't over-analyze your journey. Just enjoy it's many twists and turns. What may seem like the norm one day may be different the next. I spent my first few years where I currently live at sessions where warp speed reels was the norm. However, recently our town has been blessed with a Clare born concertina player who is very content to play reels at a very relaxed, even pace. By gosh it sure sounds nice when you can hear all the lovely ornaments and the melody is allowed to roll along without feeling in the least bit rushed or hurried. It completely changed my perspective as how reels can be played and enjoyed.
I think Jusa Nutter Eejit has the right idea when he suggests not over-analyzing your personal musical journey.
Zippy, I think your typing and spelling mistakes are funny. It makes me laugh trying to picture a banko player who is playing a jog (or maybe he is jogging while play).
I meant to say "jogging a play". I guess I will have to stop reading your comments because now I am making typing mistakes. Maybe I should go back to work and stay away from this web site until I am safely at home this evening.
I used to like slow airs, but now I am impatient if somebody trots one
out at a session. And I don't like to hear any waltzes either unless
O'Carolan wrote them or they have some kind of unusual twist.
I have never categorized what I play by the type of tune. I hear a tune I like, and I learn it. I have several playlists of about an hour each which I add to as I learn a new tune, the first of which tend to get neglected as I concentrate more on the latest; but I do try to give them all a turn.
I seem to be following a similar path. Waltzes and marches, hornpipes, jigs then on to reels. With the a strathspey or two and several polkas thrown in. But its not so much preference for those tune types as a feeling that I have an idea what I am doing and can work on. Things where the notes go past slowly (waltzes, marches) or with not too many phrases (polkas) or which can cope with a fairly chunky rhythm (hornpipes) before the things that usually work better with a higher 'notes per second' count and with even more misterious reasons for not sounding right (reels). And slow airs throughout, but they are different.
I progressed from keeping a playlist to not keeping a playlist. For a while -- okay, a year at most -- I was writing down every tune I learned and I think it got to approximately 100 tunes before I decided I couldn't be bothered with it. Don't think I ever did start with "easy" waltzes before progressing along to faster dance tunes. I started with jigs and reels and just made an a**se of them for a couple years.
I'm sure that is on-going for a lot (most?) of us, SilverSpear, and a necessary part of the learning process. (A least, I hope so, otherwise I may as well give up now.)
Sashiko calico, my advice is to go ahead and give up. I did that years ago and I have been much happier since then. But I still enjoy pretending to be a musician.
I used to be easily bored with reels in D Ionian and G. Just bored silly with "easy listening" tunes. I appreciate them a lot more now. I even like some Disney jigs - major key and bouncy.
any reel in a minor key for me, but not major ones played in minor, can't stand those
jigs mainly i started with, then reels, especially when early bandmate Brian Young (whistle / piano backing / bass) introduced me to a wider spectrum of reels, scores out of his own head, firmly switching me on _ and i havn't looked back
A natural progression?
A natural progression?
I'd be interested to hear other peoples opinions and experience with regards to your changing preference for tunes as you have learned and hopefully progressed with the whistle or, for that matter, any other instrument. I've been playing and avidly listening for a bit over a year and have noticed over that time a change in my obsession/preference. Initially it was anything that was easy enough that I could make half recogniseable, then a brief sojourn with waltzes, followed by a lengthy, intimate and sometimes stormy affair with hornpipes. Latterly its been a passionate liaison with jigs to the exclusion of virtually all others though I must admit to a bit of infidelity towards the occasional reel. Where will all this lead and have other people recognised such symptoms of fickleness along the way? Should I consider councilling?
# Posted on September 21st 2009 by just4fun
Re: A natural progression?
No, you don't sound as if you need counseling. If you are like most people on this web site, you are probably beyond psychiatric help.
As for my preferences, I like playing hornpipes, jigs, and polkas equally well. I don't have a particular preference for one or the other.
# Posted on September 21st 2009 by fauxcelt
Re: A natural progression?
Reels and I have not yet reached an accommodation at session speed....I play them slowly as Ilig and SWFL have repeatedly reminded me and they are fine. Then I have to play opposite one of those lightning speed fiddlers or banko players and my hands turn into jelly.
Personally, I have of late become enamored by strathspeys and have returned to work on some of my slip jigs.
I tend to have a warm spot for the minor key jogs
# Posted on September 21st 2009 by zippydw
Re: A natural progression?
banjo players
# Posted on September 21st 2009 by zippydw
Re: A natural progression?
minor key jigs. This site needs a spell check utility...for my hopeless typing!
# Posted on September 21st 2009 by zippydw
Re: A natural progression?
'Should I consider councilling?'
The answer's only if you can face the election process, but, otherwise, I don't think you need counselling!
When I started playing long way back on the whistle (and for a couple of years on the fiddle until the instrument and I reached the conclusion we weren't suited) I reckon I was completely obsessed by jigs. but I suspect that was because they came first in 'Allan's Irish Fiddler'. A fascination with polkas came about following a visit to Cork and Kerry and, later, the same thing happened with highlands and strathspeys after trips to Donegal.
It's by no means fickleness, but simply a factor of a developing learning process.
# Posted on September 21st 2009 by MacCruiskeen
Re: A natural progression?
I have progressed naturally to being a couch potato.
The trouble is, Irish music isn't couch potato music: it evokes or parallels upbeat intense activity or stretching out on graves, and not a lot in between.
Playing fast reels on the D/G melodeon is hard graft, jigs are easier. But this instrument is a couch potato too, and its default mode is English 2/4s.
Much more interesting, though, is to play weird stuff from wherever using the semitone half-row. That's what I get off on these days!
# Posted on September 21st 2009 by nicholas
Re: A natural progression?
Just4fun
I can't believe the order of your "obsessions" it's exactly the same order I went through. Although right now I'm totally into
Strathspeys.
Separated at birth perhaps?
Mary
# Posted on September 21st 2009 by Antikhntr
Re: A natural progression?
Here's what help looks like....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGJH5ivdZPc
# Posted on September 21st 2009 by fedorastain
Re: A natural progression?
Don't over-analyze your journey. Just enjoy it's many twists and turns. What may seem like the norm one day may be different the next. I spent my first few years where I currently live at sessions where warp speed reels was the norm. However, recently our town has been blessed with a Clare born concertina player who is very content to play reels at a very relaxed, even pace. By gosh it sure sounds nice when you can hear all the lovely ornaments and the melody is allowed to roll along without feeling in the least bit rushed or hurried. It completely changed my perspective as how reels can be played and enjoyed.
# Posted on September 21st 2009 by Jusa Nutter Eejit
Re: A natural progression?
I think Jusa Nutter Eejit has the right idea when he suggests not over-analyzing your personal musical journey.
Zippy, I think your typing and spelling mistakes are funny. It makes me laugh trying to picture a banko player who is playing a jog (or maybe he is jogging while play).
# Posted on September 21st 2009 by fauxcelt
Re: A natural progression?
I meant to say "jogging a play". I guess I will have to stop reading your comments because now I am making typing mistakes. Maybe I should go back to work and stay away from this web site until I am safely at home this evening.
# Posted on September 21st 2009 by fauxcelt
Re: A natural progression?
I used to like slow airs, but now I am impatient if somebody trots one
out at a session. And I don't like to hear any waltzes either unless
O'Carolan wrote them or they have some kind of unusual twist.
# Posted on September 22nd 2009 by Hup
Re: A natural progression?
I have never categorized what I play by the type of tune. I hear a tune I like, and I learn it. I have several playlists of about an hour each which I add to as I learn a new tune, the first of which tend to get neglected as I concentrate more on the latest; but I do try to give them all a turn.
# Posted on September 22nd 2009 by gam
Re: A natural progression?
I seem to be following a similar path. Waltzes and marches, hornpipes, jigs then on to reels. With the a strathspey or two and several polkas thrown in. But its not so much preference for those tune types as a feeling that I have an idea what I am doing and can work on. Things where the notes go past slowly (waltzes, marches) or with not too many phrases (polkas) or which can cope with a fairly chunky rhythm (hornpipes) before the things that usually work better with a higher 'notes per second' count and with even more misterious reasons for not sounding right (reels). And slow airs throughout, but they are different.
# Posted on September 22nd 2009 by David50
Re: A natural progression?
I progressed from keeping a playlist to not keeping a playlist. For a while -- okay, a year at most -- I was writing down every tune I learned and I think it got to approximately 100 tunes before I decided I couldn't be bothered with it. Don't think I ever did start with "easy" waltzes before progressing along to faster dance tunes. I started with jigs and reels and just made an a**se of them for a couple years.
# Posted on September 22nd 2009 by DrSilverSpear
Re: A natural progression?
Er... not that I have stopped making an a**se of tunes. That is ongoing.
# Posted on September 22nd 2009 by DrSilverSpear
Re: A natural progression?
I'm sure that is on-going for a lot (most?) of us, SilverSpear, and a necessary part of the learning process. (A least, I hope so, otherwise I may as well give up now.)
# Posted on September 22nd 2009 by sashiko calico
Re: A natural progression?
Sashiko calico, my advice is to go ahead and give up. I did that years ago and I have been much happier since then. But I still enjoy pretending to be a musician.
# Posted on September 23rd 2009 by fauxcelt
Re: A natural progression?
I used to be easily bored with reels in D Ionian and G. Just bored silly with "easy listening" tunes. I appreciate them a lot more now. I even like some Disney jigs - major key and bouncy.
# Posted on September 24th 2009 by wormdiet
Re: A natural progression?
any reel in a minor key for me, but not major ones played in minor, can't stand those
jigs mainly i started with, then reels, especially when early bandmate Brian Young (whistle / piano backing / bass) introduced me to a wider spectrum of reels, scores out of his own head, firmly switching me on _ and i havn't looked back
# Posted on September 27th 2009 by lisaniska