Hi Brian,
My story has a little spookiness to it.
My sister passed away and when we closed out her apartment I found an old fiddle. She didn't play and we never found out where it came from. I took it home and had no interest in it so I hung it on the wall. After looking at the old thing for seven months I thought I might as well learn to play the darn thing. I called a local flok music society and inquired about lessons. They told me that I was in luck, Johnny Cunningham was working with them and they were sure he would give me lessons. I had no clue who Johnny Cunningham was but trotted right down with fiddle under arm. I interviewed with Johnny who said he found me to be an acceptable student and began my lessons. Had an unbelieveably easy time getting the basics down and have had a blast playing ever since, not to mention the good fortune to get to know Johnny a little. Believe me, I'm not bragging. I don't play really well but I have a passion for ITM that's hard to explain. After all this time I still wonder where that fiddle came from.
Mary
Any particular facet of playing, learning, or performing? We all of us probably have a jillion stories, so if you can help us narrow down the sort of thing you want...
Umm, stories about learning a particular tune, or learning from a certian person and how they taught you I think, or just your experiences in learning music.
Call it one of my "epiphanies" about ITM, or maybe just music in general:
I had been playing Irish and British Isles music earnestly for a year or two when I attended a folk festival in Buffalo. Among the performers was the Boys of the Lough, who were a major inspiration for me during my incubation stage as an ITM devotee (I'd seen them several times at another festival I went to regularly).
So, in between events, I took myself off to a corner and plunked away on the mandolin. And then I look up, and there's Cathal McConnell himself strolling toward me, saying "Oh, d'ye fancy playin' a choon?"
Needless to say, I was somewhere between gratified and terrified -- my store of tunes was quite limited, after all, and it's not as if I could play them that well, anyway. But we did a few, and were then joined (to my relief, actually) by a couple of other folks.
I guess my initial thought had been, "Wow, what's this Star Folk Musician doing wanting to play tunes with little old me? Surely he could jam with anyone else who's a thousand times more experienced and accomplished than me. And besides, isn't he on his 'break'?"
Later, I realized: He wanted to play with me because he _likes playing music_. It doesn't matter how many albums he's been on, how many concerts he performs, how many other famous musicians he hob-nobs with. He _likes playing music_. And whatever aspirations I might have about my level of achievement in music, the main thing better be that I _like playing it_ as much as Cathal does (if that's possible).
Well, the weird thing about Irish traditional music is that you aren't just learning a bunch of tunes, you're also learning about a culture and a way of viewing things. Since many of us aren't Irish (in my case, not even one single drop of chromosome) and don't live anywhere near Ireland, you then also have to figure out how much of that culture fits with your own and how you fit within it, and decide how to make the stuff yours without going so far that it's no longer Irish traditional music, and not just in terms of the playing of music.
While I was at Pepper's out in Feakle a few years back, I watched as PJoe Hayes ostensibly led a session, sitting there underneath his own portrait. Mr. Hayes died two months after I was there and his abilities were apparently on the wane; he would start a tune with everyone else, and then gradually begin simply waving the bow over the strings, and, after a while, he would simply put the fiddle down in his lap or on the table.
The actual leader of the session, the one who kept things going and shepherded the music along, was a fair and well-built fiddler in a flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up, sitting to the left of PJoe with a bouzouki player in between them in the corner. I've no idea who he was (he was excellent, so I'm certain he's well known to those more in the know than I), but it was charming to see how he deferred to Mr. Hayes at all times, and to see the respect and attention that he gave Mr. Hayes was both inspiring and touching, all the while still keeping good control over an enormous session.
Watching that taught me a great deal about the Irish musician's emphasis of people over purely music. I think of that situation often, and hope that I can someday not only reach that fiddler's competence on his instrument, but also his level of humanity.
Well said, Sean (sts). I guess that's why we had such fun playing together that weekend in Whitby - it didn't matter about style, ability, etc, we all just _liked playing music_!
I grew up around my father’s pipe band and so had early ear training in that type of music. Dad quit when I was 10 or 11 because of a new wife, house, etc. Fast forward to college. I’m checking out records from the library and try a Jethro Tull. I think, “ Hey, this is familiar.” Then meet a guy who happens to be a piper so I had to marry him. Start to learn pipes but kids, house, etc. get in the way. Fast forward to my youngest starting Kindergarten. Now I can learn the pipes and do. In about 18 months I am playing with 2 bands and competeing. One of the bands is Irish and the PM is into ITM. Tried out a session and am hooked. Have dropped one of the pipe bands and been sessioning up to 4 times a week ever since.
BL
Stories of learning/playing ITM
Stories of learning/playing ITM
I'm doing a project for a college class of collecting stories from musicians about learning and playing Irish music.
I'd like to hear any of your short stories about experiences in playing or learning a particular tune, or just performing at sessions.
Thanks everybody!
-Brian
# Posted on July 15th 2004 by brianp
Re: Stories of learning/playing ITM
Hi Brian,
My story has a little spookiness to it.
My sister passed away and when we closed out her apartment I found an old fiddle. She didn't play and we never found out where it came from. I took it home and had no interest in it so I hung it on the wall. After looking at the old thing for seven months I thought I might as well learn to play the darn thing. I called a local flok music society and inquired about lessons. They told me that I was in luck, Johnny Cunningham was working with them and they were sure he would give me lessons. I had no clue who Johnny Cunningham was but trotted right down with fiddle under arm. I interviewed with Johnny who said he found me to be an acceptable student and began my lessons. Had an unbelieveably easy time getting the basics down and have had a blast playing ever since, not to mention the good fortune to get to know Johnny a little. Believe me, I'm not bragging. I don't play really well but I have a passion for ITM that's hard to explain. After all this time I still wonder where that fiddle came from.
Mary
# Posted on July 15th 2004 by Antikhntr
Re: Stories of learning/playing ITM
Any particular facet of playing, learning, or performing? We all of us probably have a jillion stories, so if you can help us narrow down the sort of thing you want...
# Posted on July 15th 2004 by Zina Lee
Re: Stories of learning/playing ITM
Umm, stories about learning a particular tune, or learning from a certian person and how they taught you I think, or just your experiences in learning music.
thanks
-Brian
# Posted on July 15th 2004 by brianp
Re: Stories of learning/playing ITM
Call it one of my "epiphanies" about ITM, or maybe just music in general:
I had been playing Irish and British Isles music earnestly for a year or two when I attended a folk festival in Buffalo. Among the performers was the Boys of the Lough, who were a major inspiration for me during my incubation stage as an ITM devotee (I'd seen them several times at another festival I went to regularly).
So, in between events, I took myself off to a corner and plunked away on the mandolin. And then I look up, and there's Cathal McConnell himself strolling toward me, saying "Oh, d'ye fancy playin' a choon?"
Needless to say, I was somewhere between gratified and terrified -- my store of tunes was quite limited, after all, and it's not as if I could play them that well, anyway. But we did a few, and were then joined (to my relief, actually) by a couple of other folks.
I guess my initial thought had been, "Wow, what's this Star Folk Musician doing wanting to play tunes with little old me? Surely he could jam with anyone else who's a thousand times more experienced and accomplished than me. And besides, isn't he on his 'break'?"
Later, I realized: He wanted to play with me because he _likes playing music_. It doesn't matter how many albums he's been on, how many concerts he performs, how many other famous musicians he hob-nobs with. He _likes playing music_. And whatever aspirations I might have about my level of achievement in music, the main thing better be that I _like playing it_ as much as Cathal does (if that's possible).
# Posted on July 16th 2004 by sts
Re: Stories of learning/playing ITM
Well, the weird thing about Irish traditional music is that you aren't just learning a bunch of tunes, you're also learning about a culture and a way of viewing things. Since many of us aren't Irish (in my case, not even one single drop of chromosome) and don't live anywhere near Ireland, you then also have to figure out how much of that culture fits with your own and how you fit within it, and decide how to make the stuff yours without going so far that it's no longer Irish traditional music, and not just in terms of the playing of music.
While I was at Pepper's out in Feakle a few years back, I watched as PJoe Hayes ostensibly led a session, sitting there underneath his own portrait. Mr. Hayes died two months after I was there and his abilities were apparently on the wane; he would start a tune with everyone else, and then gradually begin simply waving the bow over the strings, and, after a while, he would simply put the fiddle down in his lap or on the table.
The actual leader of the session, the one who kept things going and shepherded the music along, was a fair and well-built fiddler in a flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up, sitting to the left of PJoe with a bouzouki player in between them in the corner. I've no idea who he was (he was excellent, so I'm certain he's well known to those more in the know than I), but it was charming to see how he deferred to Mr. Hayes at all times, and to see the respect and attention that he gave Mr. Hayes was both inspiring and touching, all the while still keeping good control over an enormous session.
Watching that taught me a great deal about the Irish musician's emphasis of people over purely music. I think of that situation often, and hope that I can someday not only reach that fiddler's competence on his instrument, but also his level of humanity.
# Posted on July 16th 2004 by Zina Lee
Re: Stories of learning/playing ITM
I fell asleep in my pipes lesson at the Willie Clancy week due to lack of sleep and general short term lifestyle change...
How the hell do you fall asleep in a pipe lesson?!! I still can't understand me!
# Posted on July 16th 2004 by ceolty
Re: Stories of learning/playing ITM
Well said, Sean (sts). I guess that's why we had such fun playing together that weekend in Whitby - it didn't matter about style, ability, etc, we all just _liked playing music_!
# Posted on July 16th 2004 by rog
Re: Stories of learning/playing ITM
I grew up around my father’s pipe band and so had early ear training in that type of music. Dad quit when I was 10 or 11 because of a new wife, house, etc. Fast forward to college. I’m checking out records from the library and try a Jethro Tull. I think, “ Hey, this is familiar.” Then meet a guy who happens to be a piper so I had to marry him. Start to learn pipes but kids, house, etc. get in the way. Fast forward to my youngest starting Kindergarten. Now I can learn the pipes and do. In about 18 months I am playing with 2 bands and competeing. One of the bands is Irish and the PM is into ITM. Tried out a session and am hooked. Have dropped one of the pipe bands and been sessioning up to 4 times a week ever since.
BL
# Posted on July 17th 2004 by baglady