im dissapointed that i dont have the facilities to share some beautiful slow airs with the site and its users, but i was wondering if anyone could submit some irish slow airs, if many exist. reels seem to be popular on this site, as ever, but often slow tunes are the nicest.
if the time signature of the slow air fits to one of the tune types on offer (waltz, polka, jig, etc.), then you can submit the tune under that heading and add in the comments that it should be played as a slow air.
However, I can't add "slow air" as a category because it says nothing about the nature of the tune (apart from the fact that it's slow, of course). If a tune is a jig, then I know it's in 6/8 time and the standard note length is 1/8. A polka is always 2/4, a slip jig 9/8. But "slow air" says nothing about the the time signature or note length.
I have to categorise tunes somehow, and I have chosen to do it by tune type. If I allowed "slow air" as a tune type, then I might as well allow "fast one" or " really good tune" as possibilities.
So, as I said, if the air fits into the time signature of an existing tune type (and most should), then by all means submit it. Otherwise, I'm afraid you're out of luck.
Anyway, as it says on the front of the site, this is a site for the traditional dance music of Ireland. Slow airs and Scottish tunes will be tolerated but not encouraged
At the risk of taking over this site for a rather cloistered conversation amongst lrn_fiddle, Jeremy, and myself...
Most slow airs DO in fact fit into one of the standard meters. Look at "My Mind Will Never Be Easy" in the tunes section. Yes, it's a slip jig, but it plays beautifully as an air (and not all that well as an uptempo piece). Inisheer and Up, Down, and Around also fit this category as waltzes...so the airs are being submitted, and they do add a welcome (to me) variety to the site. Come to think of it, some of my favorite airs are more widely played as session-speed reels: Martin Wynne's No. 2 and Maudabawn Chapel.
Jeremy, I applaud your focus on the dance tunes--these are the tunes we all need to share if we hope to sit in at sessions wherever we go. Perhaps it's even worth asking people to concentrate their tune contributions on those tunes that are played at their local sessions--which is what I've been doing, while also matching the set lists of the recordings being posted here. And those are the tunes that are most useful to me when someone else posts.
sorry for any confusion regarding the simple question of is there any irish slow airs about:( i was not suggestiing to stifle your irish site with scottish tunes, but only to learn some of the beautiful slow tunes that your irish tradition holds. will is right though, we shoudl try and share tunes from different areas where we go to sessions. sorry to offend so
No offense taken on my part. What it comes down to for me is listening to a tune when I learn it to determine whether it would sound good as a slow air. I do a number of jigs and reels slowed way down just for this purpose, and it provides a welcome break during a session when everything else goes ripping by at 2,000 rpms. It's also splendid practice for technique and control.
No doubt more airs will find their way onto this site, and as long as they remain proportional to other types of tunes, I see no problem.
The best place to pick up slow airs is from other players. Start bugging all your session mates to haul out their favorites. Short of that, grab a fistfull of cds and learn the airs of of them.
Another useful resource is Tmas O'Canainn's book, Traditional Slow Airs of Ireland (Ossian 1995). It contains 118 airs transcribed fairly plainly, and you can also get two tape cassettes with every tune played on a variety of instruments. The whole kit and kaboodle is available from Ossian Publications, P.O. Box 84, Cork, Ireland.
Also, check out the following tunes, all of which are posted on this site. A few are honest to god slow airs. The rest can be slowed down enough to make terrific slow airs.
My Mind Will Never Be Easy
The Drab Plateau
Genevieve's
Kilnamona Barndance
Bill Malley's Barndance
The Orphan
Anach Cuain
Inisheer
Martin Wynn'es #2
Maudabawn Chapel
Tell Her I am
The Snowy Path
Sean Ryan's Jig
The Kerfunken Jig
The Butterfly
The Britches
Brian Boru's March
any chance of some slow airs?
any chance of some slow airs?
im dissapointed that i dont have the facilities to share some beautiful slow airs with the site and its users, but i was wondering if anyone could submit some irish slow airs, if many exist. reels seem to be popular on this site, as ever, but often slow tunes are the nicest.
# Posted on July 23rd 2001 by laura nesbit
Re: any chance of some slow airs?
Here's the short answer: "No".
Here's the long answer: maybe...
if the time signature of the slow air fits to one of the tune types on offer (waltz, polka, jig, etc.), then you can submit the tune under that heading and add in the comments that it should be played as a slow air.
However, I can't add "slow air" as a category because it says nothing about the nature of the tune (apart from the fact that it's slow, of course). If a tune is a jig, then I know it's in 6/8 time and the standard note length is 1/8. A polka is always 2/4, a slip jig 9/8. But "slow air" says nothing about the the time signature or note length.
I have to categorise tunes somehow, and I have chosen to do it by tune type. If I allowed "slow air" as a tune type, then I might as well allow "fast one" or " really good tune" as possibilities.
So, as I said, if the air fits into the time signature of an existing tune type (and most should), then by all means submit it. Otherwise, I'm afraid you're out of luck.
Anyway, as it says on the front of the site, this is a site for the traditional dance music of Ireland. Slow airs and Scottish tunes will be tolerated but not encouraged
Viva la jigs'n'reels!
# Posted on July 23rd 2001 by Jeremy
Re: any chance of some slow airs?
At the risk of taking over this site for a rather cloistered conversation amongst lrn_fiddle, Jeremy, and myself...
Most slow airs DO in fact fit into one of the standard meters. Look at "My Mind Will Never Be Easy" in the tunes section. Yes, it's a slip jig, but it plays beautifully as an air (and not all that well as an uptempo piece). Inisheer and Up, Down, and Around also fit this category as waltzes...so the airs are being submitted, and they do add a welcome (to me) variety to the site. Come to think of it, some of my favorite airs are more widely played as session-speed reels: Martin Wynne's No. 2 and Maudabawn Chapel.
Jeremy, I applaud your focus on the dance tunes--these are the tunes we all need to share if we hope to sit in at sessions wherever we go. Perhaps it's even worth asking people to concentrate their tune contributions on those tunes that are played at their local sessions--which is what I've been doing, while also matching the set lists of the recordings being posted here. And those are the tunes that are most useful to me when someone else posts.
What a great site!
# Posted on July 23rd 2001 by Will Harmon
Re: any chance of some slow airs?
sorry for any confusion regarding the simple question of is there any irish slow airs about:( i was not suggestiing to stifle your irish site with scottish tunes, but only to learn some of the beautiful slow tunes that your irish tradition holds. will is right though, we shoudl try and share tunes from different areas where we go to sessions. sorry to offend so
# Posted on July 24th 2001 by laura nesbit
Re: any chance of some slow airs?
No offense taken on my part. What it comes down to for me is listening to a tune when I learn it to determine whether it would sound good as a slow air. I do a number of jigs and reels slowed way down just for this purpose, and it provides a welcome break during a session when everything else goes ripping by at 2,000 rpms. It's also splendid practice for technique and control.
No doubt more airs will find their way onto this site, and as long as they remain proportional to other types of tunes, I see no problem.
Will
# Posted on July 24th 2001 by Will Harmon
Re: any chance of some slow airs?
Check out The Orphan, an air in jig time, now in the tune section of this site.
# Posted on July 28th 2001 by Will Harmon
Re: any chance of some slow airs?
I am interested in finding some slows airs aswell. If anyone can suggest some links for finding some I'd be very grateful!
# Posted on November 19th 2001 by anamac
Re: any chance of some slow airs?
The best place to pick up slow airs is from other players. Start bugging all your session mates to haul out their favorites. Short of that, grab a fistfull of cds and learn the airs of of them.
Another useful resource is Tmas O'Canainn's book, Traditional Slow Airs of Ireland (Ossian 1995). It contains 118 airs transcribed fairly plainly, and you can also get two tape cassettes with every tune played on a variety of instruments. The whole kit and kaboodle is available from Ossian Publications, P.O. Box 84, Cork, Ireland.
Will
# Posted on November 19th 2001 by Will Harmon
Re: any chance of some slow airs?
Also, check out the following tunes, all of which are posted on this site. A few are honest to god slow airs. The rest can be slowed down enough to make terrific slow airs.
My Mind Will Never Be Easy
The Drab Plateau
Genevieve's
Kilnamona Barndance
Bill Malley's Barndance
The Orphan
Anach Cuain
Inisheer
Martin Wynn'es #2
Maudabawn Chapel
Tell Her I am
The Snowy Path
Sean Ryan's Jig
The Kerfunken Jig
The Butterfly
The Britches
Brian Boru's March
# Posted on November 19th 2001 by Will Harmon
O'Canainn
That'd be Tomas O'Canainn...
# Posted on November 19th 2001 by Will Harmon