Jeremy, I'd like to see barndances and strathspeys added to the list of types of tunes in the form to post tunes. Although the meter is covered under reels or hornpipes, it would be easier for others to find the tunes under their proper headings. I'm getting ahead of myself a bit here, because I don't have a clue how to indicate the 16th and 8th note combinations of strathspeys in ABC notation....
Thanks,
Will Harmon
As far as I know, barndances are pretty much the same, rhythmically, as hornpipes. As for strathspeys... well, I'll put the note length down as being 1/16 and we'll see how that works.
For notating strathspeys, you can do the cuts fairly easily in ABC as long as the complete note pair comes out to something whole.
For notating strathspeys, I use note length 1/8. You use angle brackets to indicate which direction the shorter note lies. So an 16th cut followed by a dotted eighth goes by Ad.
You'll notice that no note value is specified; you can do them, but there's no need. Notate as though your notes are both the same value, then stick an angle bracket in between them, and you'll be all set.
I have a few examples of strathspeys up if you want them; if you do, let me know.
Could you add 'airs' or just a 'miscellaneous' category, since I have a couple of tunes to add that don't really fit in to any of the current categories?
This site is really coming on in leaps & bounds ~ the new format is great, and I will certainly be a regular visitor. It should be a fine source for new tunes!
Quite frankly, I think slow airs, by their nature, wouldn't fit on a site like this.
Sites like The Session, or books of sheetmusic, are useful for showing the bare bones of tunes. The ABC notation or the sheetmusic serve as a skelatal outline of the tune that can be used as a basis for really learning that tune. The difference between the sheetmusic of a tune and the actual tune is like the difference between a photograph of a person and the actual person.
Now, slow airs are inherently personal in their settings. To show just the bare bones of a slow air would be pointless without plenty of annotation for suggestions of intrepretation. To show one person's particular setting of an air would be restricting and unfair to all the other equally valid settings.
Also, slow airs can't be pinned down to the same extent as other tunes. A slip jig, for instance, is always in 9/8 time. A polka is always 2/4. Slow airs have no set time signature or default note length. There would be no way to organise them together with the other other tunes in The Session. The same goes for O'Carolan tunes.
To be fair to these kinds of tunes, they should really have their own website (much like the song websites out there). It may seem restrictive to have The Session limited to the dance music of Ireland, but I believe it can also be a strength.
When it comes to slow airs the more we can promote
them the better! Yes, I know airs are personal.
I also think more promotion of airs will continue
to add to the growth of our "feel the tune."
This and lilting of the tune seems unimportant to
some. Our music must be more than just notes!!
Types of tunes
Types of tunes
Jeremy, I'd like to see barndances and strathspeys added to the list of types of tunes in the form to post tunes. Although the meter is covered under reels or hornpipes, it would be easier for others to find the tunes under their proper headings. I'm getting ahead of myself a bit here, because I don't have a clue how to indicate the 16th and 8th note combinations of strathspeys in ABC notation....
Thanks,
Will Harmon
# Posted on June 9th 2001 by Miss Lonelyhearts
Re: Types of tunes
Okay. I'll add barndances and strathspeys.
As far as I know, barndances are pretty much the same, rhythmically, as hornpipes. As for strathspeys... well, I'll put the note length down as being 1/16 and we'll see how that works.
# Posted on June 9th 2001 by Jeremy
Re: Types of tunes
For notating strathspeys, you can do the cuts fairly easily in ABC as long as the complete note pair comes out to something whole.
For notating strathspeys, I use note length 1/8. You use angle brackets to indicate which direction the shorter note lies. So an 16th cut followed by a dotted eighth goes by Ad.
You'll notice that no note value is specified; you can do them, but there's no need. Notate as though your notes are both the same value, then stick an angle bracket in between them, and you'll be all set.
I have a few examples of strathspeys up if you want them; if you do, let me know.
# Posted on June 10th 2001 by Hammurabi
Re: Types of tunes
Could you add 'airs' or just a 'miscellaneous' category, since I have a couple of tunes to add that don't really fit in to any of the current categories?
This site is really coming on in leaps & bounds ~ the new format is great, and I will certainly be a regular visitor. It should be a fine source for new tunes!
# Posted on June 16th 2001 by Enob
Re: Types of tunes
Quite frankly, I think slow airs, by their nature, wouldn't fit on a site like this.
Sites like The Session, or books of sheetmusic, are useful for showing the bare bones of tunes. The ABC notation or the sheetmusic serve as a skelatal outline of the tune that can be used as a basis for really learning that tune. The difference between the sheetmusic of a tune and the actual tune is like the difference between a photograph of a person and the actual person.
Now, slow airs are inherently personal in their settings. To show just the bare bones of a slow air would be pointless without plenty of annotation for suggestions of intrepretation. To show one person's particular setting of an air would be restricting and unfair to all the other equally valid settings.
Also, slow airs can't be pinned down to the same extent as other tunes. A slip jig, for instance, is always in 9/8 time. A polka is always 2/4. Slow airs have no set time signature or default note length. There would be no way to organise them together with the other other tunes in The Session. The same goes for O'Carolan tunes.
To be fair to these kinds of tunes, they should really have their own website (much like the song websites out there). It may seem restrictive to have The Session limited to the dance music of Ireland, but I believe it can also be a strength.
# Posted on June 17th 2001 by Jeremy
Re: Types of tunes
When it comes to slow airs the more we can promote
them the better! Yes, I know airs are personal.
I also think more promotion of airs will continue
to add to the growth of our "feel the tune."
This and lilting of the tune seems unimportant to
some. Our music must be more than just notes!!
Paul
# Posted on June 17th 2001 by Pauland