Despite the meandering pipe bands and random solo pipers (and drummers!), I won the 2006 U.S. National Scottish Harp Championship this weekend. (Fire up the publicity machine!)
The Battle of Sherriffmuir (the march, which is not on this site, not to be confused with Will you go to Sherrifmuir, the reel, which is on this site)
Captain Byng (which I think makes a better strathspey or hornpipe than reel or polka, so I played it as a strathspey -- this was a Scottish competition, after all) http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/1400
You must have been at some Highland Games? We have them near Seattle every year, and up on Stone Mtn. near Atlanta, GA I remember.
Congratulations to you - you must sound heavenly!
hey, hey, hey... is this a *music* forum? no matter how talented anyone is, i think it's vital to try not be big headed. it'd be a valuable piece of advice to you Tracie if you learn now that in the music business, and life in general, you won't get anywhere with an inflated ego. look at the great performers, you don't see ego problems with them. ego is seen normally as a mask to somthing else so it's best avoided.
the reality is, that music, when done right, is such an infinitely more beautiful thing than self initiated praise from others. let the actual music fulfil you and that coupled with the enthusiasm you already seem to have, i'm sure will lead you far.
Oh, Martin, I haven't harbored any illusions about the music business for a lo-o-o-ong time, so have no fears about my endangered ego. One illusion I don't harbor is that I don't need to tell my friends and associates (to say nothing of the adoring public) when something neat happens to me because my friends and associates will hear of it telepathically and my adoring public will read about it in People magazine, thanks to my giant publicity machine.
Surely you know that promotion is a given in the music business. If I want to sit home and play beautiful music, fine. In fact, I do a lot of that -- it's called practice. Sometimes I just sit around and play for my own pleasure, no practice involved. If I want to share with my international web buddies that something neat happened to me, I need to do it myself -- my giant publicity machine is in the shop, and anyway an enthusiastic post is more suitable here than a press release. If you were to win the 2007 All-Ireland box competition, I'll never know about it unless you post something, since I don't haunt the Comhaltas web site on a daily basis. Nor would we Session members ever know about many of the wonderful recordings from fellow members if they weren't announced here on the yellow board. If you'd not promoted ... I mean, posted it on this site, I'd never have known that you have a band, that your band has toured the US, and that you have a CD. As you say in your own words (and spelling), " ... as they teach us never to turn down the opertunitiy for a plug..."
Martin, you're a phenomenal box player, and I hope to hear you in person some day, but I'm old enough to be your mother.
hi. i'd a feeling that post would be met with a little excitement! i still stand by my point even though the good in it seems to have been lost, so the best thing i can do is to try phrase it better. sorry for any offence
my point is that i felt your post didn't necessarily do justice to you in the way you might perceive it to have done. the good natured posters here are of course going to be positive (it is the best course) but i don't believe that would be of an ultimate good to you. the fact is that you probably see your music as something you take seriously, enjoy, and would like to go places with it. that's where the functionality of my post comes in. I’m trying to alert you to what, in general, people with *think* as opposed to say when the read a comment like that. Especially irish people i suppose. that will be of importance to you.
there are *two* elements to musical promotion, the verbal, which you use already but also the musical element by which i mean ways that we can hear you. the fact is that anything verbal, really doesn't have a whole lot of credibility with out the sound.
the best way to promote, is to give maybe a 40%verbal (reviews, quotes) against a good 60% musical (demos, mp3s). and let the music do the talking and let us truly appreciate your stuff. try set up a myspace spot or website, and take this as a kick to get the ball rolling. you have the enthusiasm and possibly the skill to go far, my point is why not? if that spirit is in the music, well i for one want to hear it. there's enough drab stuff out there already. if you want to do anything, such as promotion, try find the most effective way so as you can make the biggest impact possible. (that is the function of promotion)
now, i'm heading to a party in clare so keep the dialogue coming and i'll respond when (or if!) i come back. i do intend what i write to be entirely positive and the best way i can achieve that is through being truthful to the best of my knowledge so essentially, you can get some value out of my words.
Tracie - I woud like to hear or see your strathspey version of Captain Byng. Unfortunately, there is a problem posting strathspeys in the comments box of the tunes section, since the 'greater than' and 'less than' signs used in abc code to indicate dotted note groupings (Scotch snaps etc.) get misinterpreted as indicating an html command. You could write the abc 'straight' and then indicate in words exactlt where the dotted quavers and semiquavers go.
That's really awesome! What Highland Games was it held at? I competed in Ohio this spring at the fiddle Nationals and came in third- it's defanantly tough competition... go you!!! Will you compete again next year?
Hey! Mairtin! Thanks for replying. I thought it was you. I've been so busy this year, I haven't been over for a while ... but, at some point, I'll be back! Would love to hear that box again ...
Alert the Media! (Shameless Self-Promotion)
Alert the Media! (Shameless Self-Promotion)
Despite the meandering pipe bands and random solo pipers (and drummers!), I won the 2006 U.S. National Scottish Harp Championship this weekend. (Fire up the publicity machine!)
The tunes I played were:
Lord Balgonie's Favorite (the air to the Robert Tannahill song Gloomy Winter's Noo Awa):
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/6271
The Battle of Sherriffmuir (the march, which is not on this site, not to be confused with Will you go to Sherrifmuir, the reel, which is on this site)
Captain Byng (which I think makes a better strathspey or hornpipe than reel or polka, so I played it as a strathspey -- this was a Scottish competition, after all)
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/1400
Tame Her When the Snow [or da Sna] Comes
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/1120
So now where are the groupies?
# Posted on October 26th 2006 by Tracie
Re: Alert the Media! (Shameless Self-Promotion)
Congrats!
# Posted on October 26th 2006 by possumawesome
Re: Alert the Media! (Shameless Self-Promotion)
You must have been at some Highland Games? We have them near Seattle every year, and up on Stone Mtn. near Atlanta, GA I remember.
Congratulations to you - you must sound heavenly!
# Posted on October 26th 2006 by nonesuch
Re: Alert the Media! (Shameless Self-Promotion)
That makes one more celebrity on the Mustard Board... [tick]
# Posted on October 26th 2006 by EastPole
Re: Alert the Media! (Shameless Self-Promotion)
I'll order a CD as soon as they hit the market! Och noo.
# Posted on October 26th 2006 by mcknowall
Re: Alert the Media! (Shameless Self-Promotion)
Tracie, you've done us proud!
# Posted on October 26th 2006 by cathrynb
Re: Alert the Media! (Shameless Self-Promotion)
hey, hey, hey... is this a *music* forum? no matter how talented anyone is, i think it's vital to try not be big headed. it'd be a valuable piece of advice to you Tracie if you learn now that in the music business, and life in general, you won't get anywhere with an inflated ego. look at the great performers, you don't see ego problems with them. ego is seen normally as a mask to somthing else so it's best avoided.
the reality is, that music, when done right, is such an infinitely more beautiful thing than self initiated praise from others. let the actual music fulfil you and that coupled with the enthusiasm you already seem to have, i'm sure will lead you far.
Kindest regards and hope i wasn't too cruel,
Martin.
# Posted on October 26th 2006 by martin t
Re: Alert the Media! (Shameless Self-Promotion)
[edit] removed before posting, a retort to máirtín's post, which I think is a little over the top, but still...[/edit]
so, anyway...
Tracie, congrats and well done.
# Posted on October 26th 2006 by philmoz
Re: Alert the Media! (Shameless Self-Promotion)
Oh, Martin, I haven't harbored any illusions about the music business for a lo-o-o-ong time, so have no fears about my endangered ego. One illusion I don't harbor is that I don't need to tell my friends and associates (to say nothing of the adoring public) when something neat happens to me because my friends and associates will hear of it telepathically and my adoring public will read about it in People magazine, thanks to my giant publicity machine.
Surely you know that promotion is a given in the music business. If I want to sit home and play beautiful music, fine. In fact, I do a lot of that -- it's called practice. Sometimes I just sit around and play for my own pleasure, no practice involved. If I want to share with my international web buddies that something neat happened to me, I need to do it myself -- my giant publicity machine is in the shop, and anyway an enthusiastic post is more suitable here than a press release. If you were to win the 2007 All-Ireland box competition, I'll never know about it unless you post something, since I don't haunt the Comhaltas web site on a daily basis. Nor would we Session members ever know about many of the wonderful recordings from fellow members if they weren't announced here on the yellow board. If you'd not promoted ... I mean, posted it on this site, I'd never have known that you have a band, that your band has toured the US, and that you have a CD. As you say in your own words (and spelling), " ... as they teach us never to turn down the opertunitiy for a plug..."
Martin, you're a phenomenal box player, and I hope to hear you in person some day, but I'm old enough to be your mother.
# Posted on October 26th 2006 by Tracie
Re: Alert the Media! (Shameless Self-Promotion)
Tracie, you have nothing to defend here. I hope you are still basking in your success.
# Posted on October 27th 2006 by cathrynb
Re: Alert the Media! (Shameless Self-Promotion)
hi. i'd a feeling that post would be met with a little excitement! i still stand by my point even though the good in it seems to have been lost, so the best thing i can do is to try phrase it better. sorry for any offence
my point is that i felt your post didn't necessarily do justice to you in the way you might perceive it to have done. the good natured posters here are of course going to be positive (it is the best course) but i don't believe that would be of an ultimate good to you. the fact is that you probably see your music as something you take seriously, enjoy, and would like to go places with it. that's where the functionality of my post comes in. I’m trying to alert you to what, in general, people with *think* as opposed to say when the read a comment like that. Especially irish people i suppose. that will be of importance to you.
there are *two* elements to musical promotion, the verbal, which you use already but also the musical element by which i mean ways that we can hear you. the fact is that anything verbal, really doesn't have a whole lot of credibility with out the sound.
the best way to promote, is to give maybe a 40%verbal (reviews, quotes) against a good 60% musical (demos, mp3s). and let the music do the talking and let us truly appreciate your stuff. try set up a myspace spot or website, and take this as a kick to get the ball rolling. you have the enthusiasm and possibly the skill to go far, my point is why not? if that spirit is in the music, well i for one want to hear it. there's enough drab stuff out there already. if you want to do anything, such as promotion, try find the most effective way so as you can make the biggest impact possible. (that is the function of promotion)
now, i'm heading to a party in clare so keep the dialogue coming and i'll respond when (or if!) i come back. i do intend what i write to be entirely positive and the best way i can achieve that is through being truthful to the best of my knowledge so essentially, you can get some value out of my words.
take care,
martin.
# Posted on October 27th 2006 by martin t
Re: Alert the Media! (Shameless Self-Promotion)
Mairtin
You're not the young fella who played so beautifully on the box in Hughes's this February gone, are you?
# Posted on October 27th 2006 by benhall.1
Re: Alert the Media! (Shameless Self-Promotion)
Tracie - I woud like to hear or see your strathspey version of Captain Byng. Unfortunately, there is a problem posting strathspeys in the comments box of the tunes section, since the 'greater than' and 'less than' signs used in abc code to indicate dotted note groupings (Scotch snaps etc.) get misinterpreted as indicating an html command. You could write the abc 'straight' and then indicate in words exactlt where the dotted quavers and semiquavers go.
# Posted on October 27th 2006 by ragaman
Re: Alert the Media! (Shameless Self-Promotion)
That's really awesome! What Highland Games was it held at? I competed in Ohio this spring at the fiddle Nationals and came in third- it's defanantly tough competition... go you!!! Will you compete again next year?
# Posted on October 27th 2006 by BE
Re: Alert the Media! (Shameless Self-Promotion)
hi benhall.1, i've played there quite a few times alright. think i remember you.
# Posted on October 31st 2006 by martin t
Re: Alert the Media! (Shameless Self-Promotion)
Hey! Mairtin! Thanks for replying. I thought it was you. I've been so busy this year, I haven't been over for a while ... but, at some point, I'll be back! Would love to hear that box again ...
# Posted on October 31st 2006 by benhall.1
Re: Alert the Media! (Shameless Self-Promotion)
You can also do:
T:Strathspey demo
L:1/32
M:C
K:A
A3B A3B ce3 e4 | f3g f3e fa3 a4 |
# Posted on November 1st 2006 by Calum