Pete Cooper has recently brought out a collection of 80 Eastern European Fiddle Tunes (Schott ED 12886). From what I've seen, it's well up to his usual excellent publication standards, with copious notes and a CD. For anybody who wants to explore the fiddle music of Poland, the Ukraine, Russia, Moldova, Hungary, Rumania, the Balkans and the Klezmer tradition, this is an ideal introduction.
Fair play to Pete, I hope it does well for him, and as lazyhound says, it's doubtless done to a good standard.
Turning the thing over, I think it's just worth bearing in mind what one might one think about a book of "Western European Fiddle Tunes" "for anyone who wants to explore the fiddle music of Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales, France, Sweden and Norway."
Is this music adaptable onto any other instruments used in the Irish tradition? I'm not a fiddle player. I'm mostly referring to keys and types of rhythm. Have they got a set rhythm structure or is it "all over the place?"
This music does indeed have its own rhythmic structure, but it's often not at all like what you'd be used to in Irish or Scottish music. The scales/modes are often wildly different, too.
Not so many 7:8 11:8 or 14:8 tunes in the Irish/Scottish traditions! (Obvously there are grouping/emphasis patterns within those time signatures.) There really are some great tunes. Seeing the dances they relate to makes a big difference, of course.....
I've now got the book and cd. Pete makes it quite clear in the introduction that he is not an expert in Eastern European music (although his playing of the 80 tunes on the accompanying cd doesn't seem to support that statement!), and wisely urges people to go and listen to the real thing played by real Eastern European musicians and dancers if they want to get into this music - as with Irish music, it's dance music through and through. This is of course the same general advice we always give to anyone who wants to get into Irish music and is coming from a different genre.
Because the music is generally so markedly different from the music of the Western European countries I see little point in placing a submission in the Recordings Section in this case. Nevertheless, it's still fun to play and an interesting way to extend one's rhythmic and bowing techniques and intonation.
And if you're in a ceili band it's useful to have a handful of these tunes in the toolbox for special occasions.
Pete Cooper's “Eastern European Fiddle Tunes”
Pete Cooper's “Eastern European Fiddle Tunes”
Pete Cooper has recently brought out a collection of 80 Eastern European Fiddle Tunes (Schott ED 12886). From what I've seen, it's well up to his usual excellent publication standards, with copious notes and a CD. For anybody who wants to explore the fiddle music of Poland, the Ukraine, Russia, Moldova, Hungary, Rumania, the Balkans and the Klezmer tradition, this is an ideal introduction.
# Posted on April 20th 2008 by lazyhound
Re: Pete Cooper's “Eastern European Fiddle Tunes”
Thanks 'hound - that's my roots you're talkin' about - about I know
next to nothing about the music
# Posted on April 20th 2008 by mhuppert
Re: Pete Cooper's “Eastern European Fiddle Tunes”
Fair play to Pete, I hope it does well for him, and as lazyhound says, it's doubtless done to a good standard.
Turning the thing over, I think it's just worth bearing in mind what one might one think about a book of "Western European Fiddle Tunes" "for anyone who wants to explore the fiddle music of Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales, France, Sweden and Norway."
# Posted on April 20th 2008 by TomB-R
Re: Pete Cooper's “Eastern European Fiddle Tunes”
Is this music adaptable onto any other instruments used in the Irish tradition? I'm not a fiddle player. I'm mostly referring to keys and types of rhythm. Have they got a set rhythm structure or is it "all over the place?"
# Posted on April 20th 2008 by PaddyCmusic
Re: Pete Cooper's “Eastern European Fiddle Tunes”
This music does indeed have its own rhythmic structure, but it's often not at all like what you'd be used to in Irish or Scottish music. The scales/modes are often wildly different, too.
# Posted on April 20th 2008 by lazyhound
Re: Pete Cooper's “Eastern European Fiddle Tunes”
Not so many 7:8 11:8 or 14:8 tunes in the Irish/Scottish traditions! (Obvously there are grouping/emphasis patterns within those time signatures.) There really are some great tunes. Seeing the dances they relate to makes a big difference, of course.....
# Posted on April 20th 2008 by TomB-R
Re: Pete Cooper's “Eastern European Fiddle Tunes”
He mentioned he was putting that together in a postcard I got from him last year. Glad it seems to be going down well.
# Posted on April 20th 2008 by Swift
Re: Pete Cooper's “Eastern European Fiddle Tunes”
I've now got the book and cd. Pete makes it quite clear in the introduction that he is not an expert in Eastern European music (although his playing of the 80 tunes on the accompanying cd doesn't seem to support that statement!), and wisely urges people to go and listen to the real thing played by real Eastern European musicians and dancers if they want to get into this music - as with Irish music, it's dance music through and through. This is of course the same general advice we always give to anyone who wants to get into Irish music and is coming from a different genre.
Because the music is generally so markedly different from the music of the Western European countries I see little point in placing a submission in the Recordings Section in this case. Nevertheless, it's still fun to play and an interesting way to extend one's rhythmic and bowing techniques and intonation.
And if you're in a ceili band it's useful to have a handful of these tunes in the toolbox for special occasions.
# Posted on May 9th 2008 by lazyhound