A few years ago at the USA Midwest Fleadh, a middle aged guy, new to the music, played his mandolin slide at quite a slow pace, just because he liked it like that, and was unfamiliar with the idea that slides were played faster than jigs. The judge remarked that we were reminded of our tradition of slow slides and the player was to be commended for his courage in doing so. My question is "what is that about?" Is it an older tradition no longer popular? Have most forgotten about it? Any info?
So far as I know, the difference between a slide and jig is accentual, rhythmic, not speed-based. Thing is...in Sliabh Luachra, even the slow airs can get pretty speedy, and even jigs may be played skippy enough that people call them slides. Point is, slow slides? Methinks nay.
"The judge remarked that we were reminded of our tradition of slow slides and the player was to be commended for his courage in doing so."
Can you explain this a little more? Who is "we" and whose "our tradition of slow slides" is he talking about.
I don't mean to sound confrontational here...I am genuinely curious because I have never heard of such a tradition of slow slides. When I think of slides, I think of brisk jigs.
"...Because old-time fiddle-based string band music is often played for dances, it is often characterized as dance music...While in the British Isles reels and jigs both remain popular, the reel is by far the predominant metric structure preferred by old-time musicians in the United States (though a few hornpipes are also still performed)..."
Does seem odd though. Even the girls with the curls like them at a brisk pace, and they like mostly everything slower.
Well, I've heard old-time fiddlers play jigs before, though rarely.
Of course, it's not exactly rare for fiddlers to play tunes from other traditions, so for an old-time fiddler to play a jig once in a while doesn't necessarily make jigs part of the old-time tradition.
Also, the old ones liked all sorts of tempos, I wouldn't be surprised if some of them took it slow. I'm not sure all of O'Leary & Doyle's slides were at proper Feis dancing BPMs, for example.
Just because a tune is played for dancing, it doesn't mean that it can't be played differently when there are no dancers about. There's all sorts of things people do with tunes when they're playing without dancers: Piping ornamentation, volume changes, phrasing...
There are a few excellent musicians around town here that like to play slides&polkas well below typical dance speeds, and there certainly isn't anything wrong with it (though my own preferences lean towards more speed).
Still, it's pretty hard to pull off playing markedly slower without sounding like it's 3 in the afternoon on the first day after you switched to decaf...
Well, the "we" he was referring to was the audience and the competitors, and the judge was Irish as in from Ireland, and other than that I know nothing about him. I was hoping someone here would say "Oh, of course..." and explain it all.
Crazy_fingers, I asked because it made me curious, too. My own view of slides is that I like it when they get that perpetual motion thing going, at whatever speed. You know what I mean?
Alias 'single jig'... Also used for solo stepping, sean nos and otherwise... Also used for couple dancing, and only since the 80s steamed through at rediculous tempos for manic set dancers, the 'new wave' of rewriting the history of tradition that continues, including the choreographies...
I heard Johnny O leary remark that they used to play slower than people do now.[of course that was four or five years ago]
I think they have always been faster than jigs,but not as fast as they are now,he remarked that Johnny Cronin had said you need four feet to dance the music and two pairs of hands to play it,
he also said that if Denis Murphy was alive today he wouldnt be playing the music because its too fast.
Dick Miles
slow slides
slow slides
A few years ago at the USA Midwest Fleadh, a middle aged guy, new to the music, played his mandolin slide at quite a slow pace, just because he liked it like that, and was unfamiliar with the idea that slides were played faster than jigs. The judge remarked that we were reminded of our tradition of slow slides and the player was to be commended for his courage in doing so. My question is "what is that about?" Is it an older tradition no longer popular? Have most forgotten about it? Any info?
# Posted on June 19th 2008 by justjim
Re: slow slides
So far as I know, the difference between a slide and jig is accentual, rhythmic, not speed-based. Thing is...in Sliabh Luachra, even the slow airs can get pretty speedy, and even jigs may be played skippy enough that people call them slides. Point is, slow slides? Methinks nay.
--DtM
# Posted on June 19th 2008 by Dan the Man
Re: slow slides
Some years ago I started a thread about slow polkas; a not so fertile discussion at that time, maybe there's new light upon it now?
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/2618
# Posted on June 19th 2008 by Henk Bos
Re: slow slides
"The judge remarked that we were reminded of our tradition of slow slides and the player was to be commended for his courage in doing so."
Can you explain this a little more? Who is "we" and whose "our tradition of slow slides" is he talking about.
I don't mean to sound confrontational here...I am genuinely curious because I have never heard of such a tradition of slow slides. When I think of slides, I think of brisk jigs.
# Posted on June 19th 2008 by crazy_fingerz
Re: slow slides
Considering where the Fleadh was being held, maybe he was talking about slides played in American Old-Time?
# Posted on June 19th 2008 by Marklar
Re: slow slides
Screetch -- That's what I am afraid of.
# Posted on June 19th 2008 by crazy_fingerz
Re: slow slides
Nary a mention of 'slide' in 'Old Time Music for Dancing':
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old-time_music#Old-time_music_as_dance_music
"...Because old-time fiddle-based string band music is often played for dances, it is often characterized as dance music...While in the British Isles reels and jigs both remain popular, the reel is by far the predominant metric structure preferred by old-time musicians in the United States (though a few hornpipes are also still performed)..."
Does seem odd though. Even the girls with the curls like them at a brisk pace, and they like mostly everything slower.
# Posted on June 19th 2008 by SWFL Fiddler
Re: slow slides
Well, I've heard old-time fiddlers play jigs before, though rarely.
Of course, it's not exactly rare for fiddlers to play tunes from other traditions, so for an old-time fiddler to play a jig once in a while doesn't necessarily make jigs part of the old-time tradition.
# Posted on June 19th 2008 by Marklar
Re: slow slides
True.
Also, the old ones liked all sorts of tempos, I wouldn't be surprised if some of them took it slow. I'm not sure all of O'Leary & Doyle's slides were at proper Feis dancing BPMs, for example.
# Posted on June 19th 2008 by SWFL Fiddler
Re: slow slides
Just because a tune is played for dancing, it doesn't mean that it can't be played differently when there are no dancers about. There's all sorts of things people do with tunes when they're playing without dancers: Piping ornamentation, volume changes, phrasing...
There are a few excellent musicians around town here that like to play slides&polkas well below typical dance speeds, and there certainly isn't anything wrong with it (though my own preferences lean towards more speed).
Still, it's pretty hard to pull off playing markedly slower without sounding like it's 3 in the afternoon on the first day after you switched to decaf...
# Posted on June 19th 2008 by Georgi
Re: slow slides
Well, the "we" he was referring to was the audience and the competitors, and the judge was Irish as in from Ireland, and other than that I know nothing about him. I was hoping someone here would say "Oh, of course..." and explain it all.
Crazy_fingers, I asked because it made me curious, too. My own view of slides is that I like it when they get that perpetual motion thing going, at whatever speed. You know what I mean?
# Posted on June 20th 2008 by justjim
Re: slow slides
Alias 'single jig'... Also used for solo stepping, sean nos and otherwise... Also used for couple dancing, and only since the 80s steamed through at rediculous tempos for manic set dancers, the 'new wave' of rewriting the history of tradition that continues, including the choreographies...
# Posted on June 20th 2008 by ceolachan
~ reasonable and horrid...
# Posted on June 20th 2008 by ceolachan
Re: slow slides
I heard Johnny O leary remark that they used to play slower than people do now.[of course that was four or five years ago]
I think they have always been faster than jigs,but not as fast as they are now,he remarked that Johnny Cronin had said you need four feet to dance the music and two pairs of hands to play it,
he also said that if Denis Murphy was alive today he wouldnt be playing the music because its too fast.
Dick Miles
# Posted on June 23rd 2008 by dickens metrognome