I'd love to hear the story of your apprenticeship to ITM, and to listen to advice on becoming a strong player.
I know this advice is already strewn amongst all the past Session discussions, but it'd be nice to have it all in one place. Sort of like having a seasoned player come in and say "if you want to play like I do, find yourself a good teacher and be prepared to spend x years coming up to speed... Don't rush into fancy ornamentation until you're sure you can do xyz, ..... When I was a young lad, we would always.."
Pontification welcomed, but whining excluded (i.e., "young people today just don't seem to...")
I was always told not too worry about speed as it would come. I'm still waiting, though.
Seriously, I think you should start off playing tunes slowly and build up speed gradually until you feel comfortable. The chances are, though, that you'll lose a lot of the subtleties in a fast session situation anyway. I know that I do a lot of the time but that's probably what separates the sheep from goats like me.
I think you should try playing fast and slow and everything in between. Learning music, or most things, is a never-ending series of ups and downs. Just when you start to think you're good, you realize that you're crap. Over and over again. Of course, at any point along the journey you are both good and crap, depending on what the criteria for evaluation are. The longer you play, the more well defined the criticism.
There is no final goal anyway. The process of learning about yourself through learning music is the reward. And having a good excuse to go out drinking a few nights a week.
I think you should try playing fast and slow and everything in between. Learning music, or most things, is a never ending series of ups and downs. Just when you start to think you're good, you realize you're crap. Over and ovwe again. Of course at any point along the journey you are both good and crap, depending on what the criteria for evaluation are. The longer you play, the morre well defined the critism.
There is no final goal anyway. The process of learning about yourself through the music is the reward. And having a good excuse to go out drinking a few nights week.
Wow, veronica, you're psychic! Trowie, Pretty cool little video clip. Too bad the snippets were so short. You should put some kind of discription of yourself in your member profile and link to it from there, post a new thread to get feedback, or try to somehow work the video into the topic of this thread. Or all three.
Anyway, Greg wants stories, so I've got a story. I went to a tiny little island off the coast of Vancouver about 6 years ago to get away from the city. I intended not to talk to anybody for a few months, and live in a cabin in the woods. I brought a violin I had had sitting around for a couple years (I'm a collector) thinking "if there's ever going to be a good time to figure this thing out, it's miles from civilization with no neighbours to p*ss off."
Then I discovered Joan - a Scottish lady teaching fiddle up the road from my hermitage. She turned out to be an excellent teacher, very positive and full of enthusiasm and knowlege.
Then there was a Celtic FESTIVAL on the island and hundreds of players from all over the west coast showed up and had the most monstrous session you could possibly imagine. 50 or 60 players in the community hall sawing away like a big Riverdance orchestra after a wrap party. I went to that - even started a tune or two (I only knew a tune or two). I was hooked.
Anyway, I think I practiced four to five hours a day for the first month or so - enough for everybody to be really impressed by "how fast she's picked it up" and for all the other students to be a little bitter.
I'm not really a stellar player, but I'm confident that I will be in a couple more years. My advice is; Play, play, play. Play all the time, in every spare moment you have. Play every tune you come across with everyone you know. Bring your instrument/s to weddings and funerals. Don't worry about whether you're supposed to be playing slow or fast, with ornaments or without, or whether you're annoying to your room-mates and neighbours. Just play so that you're enjoying yourself.
What distinguishes the players I love to listen to from the players who are impressive but boring is heart. Technical brilliance can only get you so far.
Did you ever hear that 21 years thing: 7 years bla, 7 years bla de bla, 7 years bla bla bla. Don't believe a word of it. You learn at your own pace, don't be dictated by such nonsence. (Chris McGrath's post is a cracker by the way)'
I've been playing whistle since I was about 12 and still remember my very first tune 'Summer Goodbye' an English folk song, met my true love [my Monzani and Hill flute] back in '79 and as my mates will tell you [especially behind my back and to my face :~)]am still trying to get my head around the instrument.
It's like a person - the longer I know her the more I realise how much I don't know.
For me it's the spiritual recharger and I hope I never stop learning!
Twenty (?) years before the mast.
Twenty (?) years before the mast.
I'd love to hear the story of your apprenticeship to ITM, and to listen to advice on becoming a strong player.
I know this advice is already strewn amongst all the past Session discussions, but it'd be nice to have it all in one place. Sort of like having a seasoned player come in and say "if you want to play like I do, find yourself a good teacher and be prepared to spend x years coming up to speed... Don't rush into fancy ornamentation until you're sure you can do xyz, ..... When I was a young lad, we would always.."
Pontification welcomed, but whining excluded (i.e., "young people today just don't seem to...")
Thanks,
Greg
# Posted on June 3rd 2004 by grego
Re: Twenty (?) years before the mast.
You young people today just don't seem to be able to take whining like we did when I was a lad.
# Posted on June 3rd 2004 by showaddydadito
Re: Twenty (?) years before the mast.
doh!
# Posted on June 3rd 2004 by grego
Re: Twenty (?) years before the mast.
I was always told not too worry about speed as it would come. I'm still waiting, though.
Seriously, I think you should start off playing tunes slowly and build up speed gradually until you feel comfortable. The chances are, though, that you'll lose a lot of the subtleties in a fast session situation anyway. I know that I do a lot of the time but that's probably what separates the sheep from goats like me.
# Posted on June 3rd 2004 by Johnny Jay
Live Video Clip of Shetland Fiddle tunes, anyone check it and tell me what ya think
Here is a set of Tune's I have played during my concert I did in Hermosa Beach.
Da Day Dawn/Cross Reel/Jack is yet alive and Some reel I did I learned from John Mccusker
tell me what you think of it. you will require quick time player to view it. but check it and let me know what any of you think.
http://www.members.aol.com/mellnien/melanien.mov
the site is hosted by friend who is an irish style fiddle player. but me I obviously is not. (shetlandic is more my tang)
# Posted on June 3rd 2004 by SunnyBeachTrowie
Re: Twenty (?) years before the mast.
I think you should try playing fast and slow and everything in between. Learning music, or most things, is a never-ending series of ups and downs. Just when you start to think you're good, you realize that you're crap. Over and over again. Of course, at any point along the journey you are both good and crap, depending on what the criteria for evaluation are. The longer you play, the more well defined the criticism.
There is no final goal anyway. The process of learning about yourself through learning music is the reward. And having a good excuse to go out drinking a few nights a week.
Chris
# Posted on June 3rd 2004 by Chris McGrath
Re: Twenty (?) years before the mast.
I think you should try playing fast and slow and everything in between. Learning music, or most things, is a never ending series of ups and downs. Just when you start to think you're good, you realize you're crap. Over and ovwe again. Of course at any point along the journey you are both good and crap, depending on what the criteria for evaluation are. The longer you play, the morre well defined the critism.
There is no final goal anyway. The process of learning about yourself through the music is the reward. And having a good excuse to go out drinking a few nights week.
veronica.
woops, did someone already say that?
# Posted on June 3rd 2004 by vboyd100
Re: Twenty (?) years before the mast.
Hello SunnyBeachTrowie, I like the clip. The playing is good and solid on all instruments, but I think the bodhran is a bit too "busy" throughout.
Jim
# Posted on June 3rd 2004 by Worldfiddler
Re: Twenty (?) years before the mast.
Wow, veronica, you're psychic! Trowie, Pretty cool little video clip. Too bad the snippets were so short. You should put some kind of discription of yourself in your member profile and link to it from there, post a new thread to get feedback, or try to somehow work the video into the topic of this thread. Or all three.
Anyway, Greg wants stories, so I've got a story. I went to a tiny little island off the coast of Vancouver about 6 years ago to get away from the city. I intended not to talk to anybody for a few months, and live in a cabin in the woods. I brought a violin I had had sitting around for a couple years (I'm a collector) thinking "if there's ever going to be a good time to figure this thing out, it's miles from civilization with no neighbours to p*ss off."
Then I discovered Joan - a Scottish lady teaching fiddle up the road from my hermitage. She turned out to be an excellent teacher, very positive and full of enthusiasm and knowlege.
Then there was a Celtic FESTIVAL on the island and hundreds of players from all over the west coast showed up and had the most monstrous session you could possibly imagine. 50 or 60 players in the community hall sawing away like a big Riverdance orchestra after a wrap party. I went to that - even started a tune or two (I only knew a tune or two). I was hooked.
Anyway, I think I practiced four to five hours a day for the first month or so - enough for everybody to be really impressed by "how fast she's picked it up" and for all the other students to be a little bitter.
I'm not really a stellar player, but I'm confident that I will be in a couple more years. My advice is; Play, play, play. Play all the time, in every spare moment you have. Play every tune you come across with everyone you know. Bring your instrument/s to weddings and funerals. Don't worry about whether you're supposed to be playing slow or fast, with ornaments or without, or whether you're annoying to your room-mates and neighbours. Just play so that you're enjoying yourself.
What distinguishes the players I love to listen to from the players who are impressive but boring is heart. Technical brilliance can only get you so far.
# Posted on June 3rd 2004 by Kerri Brown
Re: Twenty (?) years before the mast.
Did you ever hear that 21 years thing: 7 years bla, 7 years bla de bla, 7 years bla bla bla. Don't believe a word of it. You learn at your own pace, don't be dictated by such nonsence. (Chris McGrath's post is a cracker by the way)'
# Posted on June 3rd 2004 by ...
Re: Twenty (?) years before the mast.
I'm glad you said that Michael, it's very heartening...
# Posted on June 3rd 2004 by Andee
Re: Twenty (?) years before the mast.
You kids today have it easy... when I was a wee lad we had to learn our tunes forward and backwards and in higher keys both ways -- through the snow.
# Posted on June 3rd 2004 by Phantom Button
Re: Twenty (?) years before the mast.
fov..was that hornby? or saltspring?
# Posted on June 3rd 2004 by vboyd100
Re: Twenty (?) years before the mast.
hornby. Joan was the lady. You know her.
# Posted on June 3rd 2004 by Kerri Brown
Re: Twenty (?) years before the mast.
should read, you know her?
# Posted on June 3rd 2004 by Kerri Brown
Re: Twenty (?) years before the mast.
oh yeah ..um mcnabb or something? i thuink pete used to play witht them
btw: I lived in mtl fer awhile, went to dawson college st denis campus, and mosaic we canajuns huh, small little world of ours!
(doncha jus hate it when people do their private back an forths on this machine..
# Posted on June 3rd 2004 by vboyd100
Re: Twenty (?) years before the mast.
"Just when you start to think you're good, you realize you're crap."
I prefer to think that when I think I'm crap, I suddenly realize that I'm getting quite good.
# Posted on June 3rd 2004 by Pontus Adefjord
Re: Twenty (?) years before the mast.
When I were a lad ..............zzzzzzzzz
I've been playing whistle since I was about 12 and still remember my very first tune 'Summer Goodbye' an English folk song, met my true love [my Monzani and Hill flute] back in '79 and as my mates will tell you [especially behind my back and to my face :~)]am still trying to get my head around the instrument.
It's like a person - the longer I know her the more I realise how much I don't know.
For me it's the spiritual recharger and I hope I never stop learning!
# Posted on June 3rd 2004 by breandan