I know the subject has had an airing on 'The Session' before, but that was back in 2004. My urge to bring the subject up again was brought on by a concert I was at recently. A certain banjo player was called up to do a turn. I just knew exactly what he was going to play and he did......Róisín Dubh..the long slow version.zzzzzzzzzzzz
So come on be honest....If you were called to do a spot in front of a captive audience..Would you pick your Party Piece (the tune or tunes you are less likely to make a mess of) and what would they be.????.
If it's a party piece then people expect to be entertained, so if you can do something that looks and sounds more spectacular and difficult than it actually is, then for the fiddle my money would be on something like a 7-part version of the Mason's Apron, complete with excursions up into the dusty region.
"looks and sounds more spectacular and difficult than it actually is" ... erm, I haven't let the cat out of the bag have I?
The Belfast Hornpipe (Sweep's) is a nice whistle piece for just the reasons lazyhound gives above - it sounds a lot more impressive than it is difficult.
Yes listening to a slow air on banjo wouldn't be my idea of a party piece.
On the uilleann pipes it's another thing (in my opinion!)
For years my party piece on the uilleann pipes has been... believe it or not... Amazing Grace. I play the tune plain on the chanter, then bring in the drones, then introduce supporting chords on the regs. The topper (which "the general public" just loves) is playing the whole tune one octave down on the regs (with the chanter just droning).
People around here don't know about Irish music but they all love Amazing Grace.
On the whistle it's starting off with an air such as May Morning Dew and ending up with a flashy (but easy) reel like Sally Gardens.
My "party piece" is the Morning Thrush, as it's a complex, pretty tune that I usually can't screw up too badly.
One of the nicest slow air to reel transitions I have heard recently is on Cillian Vallely and Kevin Crawford's new album, where Cillian plays the air Uirchill a Chreagain (sorry, can't work out how to type fadas here) and then plays Gorman's. First time through the A part of the reel is unaccompanied, then the bouzouki joins him. Fecking amazing.
MIne too, if I have a party piece. (We've played it together a couple of times, Spear, although our versions clashed a little bit, I seem to remember).
I tend not to bother with flashy tunes for their own sake; given the chance to play a tune on my own, I go for pretty tunes, not clever ones. I would choose one that is less likely to be in the general repertoire of the session; if someone knows it and wants to play along, so much the better.
About getting the fadá..When I first learned to do this task, everybody told me the appropriate keys to press, but nodody told me to that I had to hold them down while I pressed the letter required, so just in case...
'Hold Down' both the 'Ctrl key and Alt key 'and at the same time press the vowel required.
"My party piece is Ground Control to Major Tom with 12 string guitar......"
Bowie always plays/ed 12-string with the lower of the 2 G-strings removed - I could never find out why.
i dont know why any one would even play a slow air on a banjo. just ruins the slow air. i'm a banjo player and i would never, ever play a slow air on a banjo. leave it to the fiddles, flutes, pipes, whistles. if i want to play a slow air i whack out one of those. my party peice on the banjo would have to be between Niamh's Capers, Moving Cloud, Dr Gilbert, The Bucks Of Oranmore or The Clumsy Lover
Party Piece
Party Piece
I know the subject has had an airing on 'The Session' before, but that was back in 2004. My urge to bring the subject up again was brought on by a concert I was at recently. A certain banjo player was called up to do a turn. I just knew exactly what he was going to play and he did......Róisín Dubh..the long slow version.zzzzzzzzzzzz
So come on be honest....If you were called to do a spot in front of a captive audience..Would you pick your Party Piece (the tune or tunes you are less likely to make a mess of) and what would they be.????.
# Posted on November 14th 2009 by Free Reed
Re: Party Piece
Lament for Staker Wallace zzzzzzzzzzzz
# Posted on November 14th 2009 by Premierflute
Re: Party Piece
Whistle-Ships are Sailing/Tarbolton
Banjo- Gravel Walk
Low Whistle-Green Fields of Canada
Concertina-Why embarass myself?
# Posted on November 14th 2009 by shanty
Re: Party Piece
Soldier's Joy, getting ever faster. Easy to do, but impressive.
# Posted on November 14th 2009 by kuec
Re: Party Piece
The smiley does mean you're joking, right? You're not just smiling 'cos you actually think it's a good idea?
# Posted on November 14th 2009 by ethical blend
Re: Party Piece
Some people want to be fooled. What else should be the point in playing party pieces?
# Posted on November 14th 2009 by kuec
Re: Party Piece
Carolan's Concerto. I have a set of polkas too. And Jimmy Allen/Herd on the Hill.
# Posted on November 14th 2009 by Steve Shaw
Re: Party Piece
The Steamboat/The Stool Of Repentance
The Swallows tail/The Rakes of Kildare/ The Blackthorn Stick
# Posted on November 14th 2009 by sandy2
Re: Party Piece
If it's a party piece then people expect to be entertained, so if you can do something that looks and sounds more spectacular and difficult than it actually is, then for the fiddle my money would be on something like a 7-part version of the Mason's Apron, complete with excursions up into the dusty region.
"looks and sounds more spectacular and difficult than it actually is" ... erm, I haven't let the cat out of the bag have I?
# Posted on November 14th 2009 by lazyhound
Re: Party Piece
The Belfast Hornpipe (Sweep's) is a nice whistle piece for just the reasons lazyhound gives above - it sounds a lot more impressive than it is difficult.
# Posted on November 14th 2009 by nicholas
Re: Party Piece
The Tartar Frigate
# Posted on November 14th 2009 by Lint - upon - Tweed
Re: Party Piece
you did lazy! I don't have a party piece, other than some slides which are very easy to make sound fancier than they are... thats why I go with them.
# Posted on November 14th 2009 by SandyBottoms
Re: Party Piece
Fiddle - some jigs or hornpipes - easy ones;
If I'm a little drunk - Jenny's welcome to charlie
Whistle - Dusty Windowsills or Skylark
# Posted on November 15th 2009 by Hup
Re: Party Piece
Yes listening to a slow air on banjo wouldn't be my idea of a party piece.
On the uilleann pipes it's another thing (in my opinion!)
For years my party piece on the uilleann pipes has been... believe it or not... Amazing Grace. I play the tune plain on the chanter, then bring in the drones, then introduce supporting chords on the regs. The topper (which "the general public" just loves) is playing the whole tune one octave down on the regs (with the chanter just droning).
People around here don't know about Irish music but they all love Amazing Grace.
On the whistle it's starting off with an air such as May Morning Dew and ending up with a flashy (but easy) reel like Sally Gardens.
# Posted on November 15th 2009 by Richard D Cook
Re: Party Piece
My "party piece" is the Morning Thrush, as it's a complex, pretty tune that I usually can't screw up too badly.
One of the nicest slow air to reel transitions I have heard recently is on Cillian Vallely and Kevin Crawford's new album, where Cillian plays the air Uirchill a Chreagain (sorry, can't work out how to type fadas here) and then plays Gorman's. First time through the A part of the reel is unaccompanied, then the bouzouki joins him. Fecking amazing.
# Posted on November 15th 2009 by TheSilverSpear
Re: Party Piece
"My "party piece" is the Morning Thrush"
MIne too, if I have a party piece. (We've played it together a couple of times, Spear, although our versions clashed a little bit, I seem to remember).
I tend not to bother with flashy tunes for their own sake; given the chance to play a tune on my own, I go for pretty tunes, not clever ones. I would choose one that is less likely to be in the general repertoire of the session; if someone knows it and wants to play along, so much the better.
# Posted on November 15th 2009 by CreadurMawnOrganig
Re: Party Piece
Anything I've played recently enough not to get halfway through and find I've forgotton the how the second half goes.
# Posted on November 16th 2009 by Bredna
Re: Party Piece
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XA16CzV_Y0
# Posted on November 16th 2009 by Pontus Adefjord
Re: Party Piece
@The SilverSpear: try ctrl alt and the letter itself. So, for á, I just hit the ctrl, alt and a keys.
# Posted on November 16th 2009 by ethical blend
Fada
On a Mac, use ALT GR + E, followed by the vowel you wish to 'fada': á é í ó ú
# Posted on November 16th 2009 by CreadurMawnOrganig
Or get an iPhone
# Posted on November 16th 2009 by bazouki dave
Re: Party Piece
About getting the fadá..When I first learned to do this task, everybody told me the appropriate keys to press, but nodody told me to that I had to hold them down while I pressed the letter required, so just in case...
'Hold Down' both the 'Ctrl key and Alt key 'and at the same time press the vowel required.
# Posted on November 16th 2009 by Free Reed
Re: Party Piece
I stand on the table and tale my clothes off slowly while dancing.
# Posted on November 16th 2009 by ramblingpitchfork
Re: Party Piece
Would a party piece be a performance then?
My party piece is Wichita Lineman on the Stylophone.
# Posted on November 16th 2009 by yhaalhouse
Re: Party Piece
I cannot decide which I prefer , rambling or yhall .
They both involve poles
# Posted on November 16th 2009 by bazouki dave
Re: Party Piece
My party piece is Ground Control to Major Tom with 12 string guitar and stylophone. (though I havn't been invited to any parties for ages).
# Posted on November 17th 2009 by llig leahcim
Re: Party Piece
I actually do Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall on the pipes.
# Posted on November 17th 2009 by TheSilverSpear
Re: Party Piece
"My party piece is Ground Control to Major Tom with 12 string guitar......"
Bowie always plays/ed 12-string with the lower of the 2 G-strings removed - I could never find out why.
http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://cache4.asset-cache.net/xc/84880395.jpg%3Fv%3D1%26c%3DIWSAsset%26k%3D2%26d%3D17A4AD9FDB9CF19346E4C5E9CA07326108A703253B647DCCE30A760B0D811297&imgrefurl=http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/84880395/Redferns&usg=__fZR97UN9Z3xhbTTU4Cs2wRGWNiY=&h=404&w=594&sz=23&hl=en&start=4&tbnid=R7XoMT5iWBDI5M:&tbnh=92&tbnw=135&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbowie%2B12%2Bstring%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive
http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://cache3.asset-cache.net/xc/85062763.jpg%3Fv%3D1%26c%3DIWSAsset%26k%3D2%26d%3D17A4AD9FDB9CF193B946C5A518E7D4C18202CCC265CFE65CE30A760B0D811297&imgrefurl=http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/85062763/Redferns&usg=__KgZ2_O_C3xIVoUeOuSFFRSXqOts=&h=594&w=402&sz=26&hl=en&start=13&tbnid=BmM8l1330l-0TM:&tbnh=135&tbnw=91&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbowie%2B12%2Bstring%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive
# Posted on November 17th 2009 by domnull
Re: Party Piece
.....sorry about the long weblinks. Just type "Bowie 12 string" into Google images to get loads more.
# Posted on November 17th 2009 by domnull
Re: Party Piece
i dont know why any one would even play a slow air on a banjo. just ruins the slow air. i'm a banjo player and i would never, ever play a slow air on a banjo. leave it to the fiddles, flutes, pipes, whistles. if i want to play a slow air i whack out one of those. my party peice on the banjo would have to be between Niamh's Capers, Moving Cloud, Dr Gilbert, The Bucks Of Oranmore or The Clumsy Lover
# Posted on November 18th 2009 by FastEddie