Hello all. I decided to comtpete n the fleadh in st. Louis. I don't really know what to expect so i was wondering if any one out there could give some advice. LIke tunes. I have no clue what i am ging to play. If any of you have competed what tunes did you play? Thanks!!
Cool, AJ! Hey, have your da put you in touch with Tony, he's been to lots of the fleadhs and taken some of the adjudicator workshops as well, I believe, so he could probably give you the lowdown. There's also a fairly recent thread asking about competing at the fleadhs, so go a looking for that one, there were some very good answers.
Don't have all your tunes in the same key. Try to find one at least with more than 2 parts. If you have a tune which uses the bottom "G" string, that helps too. You have "The Peacock's Feather" in your tune book - that would do well for your hornpipe. Good luck.
Yo, It’s GRY with a surprise….I’m actually here to help…And it’s not about Hip-Hop…
I know how hard it can be to deal with the judges and the people at the Fleadh. Don't let them punk you...and let this information help you prepare for your competition......
That's the link to the thread Zina mentioned….. This discussion covers all the stuff on what to expect…… there's a little bit on what to play and not play. There's also a link in there to a discussion about adjudicators....lots of sh*te.....
Check out the fleadh website too…. there's a link in there…..
If you still want more after this, let me know....if you want some help choosing your tunes or anything else, email me thru the site and I'll hook you up with that fiddler y'all like so much from my track….. He judged the Fleadh, so he'll be able to help you.
Hiya berserker,
I'm new to Fleadhs as well- I was the one who started the thread that GRY linked to, so I'm in the same position as you. I'll probably go to the competition this year too. I also play fiddle and am curious about how many times through one plays the tunes. And so it is ok to play with more than one part?
Go to the fleadh website and follow the links for Competitions and Rules--they've got the answers for you. Actually, anyone who's thinking of competing, even if you've done it before, should go read 'em, not skipping anything, because there are some things that appear to be new this year, and they're hidden in the mix, with no big neon "NEW!" sign.
But now I feel like a big jerk for lecturing you guys to go read this, so I'll just answer your question anyway
1.) Rule #3: "Each tune shall be played twice only. In the case of a reel which is played singly a competitor may play such a reel three times (AB AB AB.)"
In other words, you can play a single reel three times, but otherwise, you play each tune twice. You may also play a single reel only twice if you want, which is probably a good idea if it has a lot of parts.
And yes, a tune with more than the usual A and B part is acceptable, even if it's not a single reel; a lot of people seem to choose multi-part tunes since it gives you more playing time to show your stuff. People do tend to assume though that playing a longer tune gives you more "points" somehow; I suppose all other things being equal, it could, but it's an issue that looms larger in the minds of the competitors than the judges.
2.) Rule #12: Slow airs may be played through only one time.
I think this one's new. In the past, including last year, everyone has certainly played their airs twice. When I told my students about this, half were ecstatic and half were disappointed, depending on which air they were planning to play. I can certainly see the rationale behind this rule, since you're getting into the neighborhood of at least a 5 minute performance, and in some cases, 7-10 minute performance, with some popular airs. But there are also airs that are under 4 min with the repeat, and really seem to need the repeat to be effective musically. I think a better rule would have been to say "Any slow air less than five minutes" and leave it at that, with repeats optional depending on the air.
GRY
It's like you have had a personality transplant - playing a somewhat different tune. But now I am even more intrigued as to who your fiddle player might be.
Berserker - I would think that when you put in your entry for the competition they wil be happy to send you a copy of the relevant rules.
Good luck
Basically, you want to play something the judge will know (so they can tell how awesome you are and see your variations and everything), but you don't want to play something that is so common that they're like "not that damn tune AGAIN."
other than that, don't play tunes in the same key, as someone already said, and just play things that you love and are comfortable with to cut down on nerves and let you show off your playing when you're at your best.
I found the air that i want to do. The green fields of amerikay. Paddy glacken palys in on one of his Cd's, Reprise. It is really cool. A reel and a jig on the other hand i am sorta lost. I am thinking about the gravel walk of toss the feathers. more twards toss the feathers. I think it is a really awesome tune. Any tips?
Does anyone know where to find a list of the winners from the All-Britain Fleadh from 2004? on the net hopefully? Or even the entrants? Even better the Scottish Regional Fleadh!
Thanks
Fleadh
Fleadh
Hello all. I decided to comtpete n the fleadh in st. Louis. I don't really know what to expect so i was wondering if any one out there could give some advice. LIke tunes. I have no clue what i am ging to play. If any of you have competed what tunes did you play? Thanks!!
AJ
# Posted on February 8th 2005 by berserker
Re: Fleadh
Oh yeah Iplay the fiddle.
# Posted on February 8th 2005 by berserker
Re: Fleadh
Cool, AJ! Hey, have your da put you in touch with Tony, he's been to lots of the fleadhs and taken some of the adjudicator workshops as well, I believe, so he could probably give you the lowdown. There's also a fairly recent thread asking about competing at the fleadhs, so go a looking for that one, there were some very good answers.
# Posted on February 8th 2005 by Zina Lee
Re: Fleadh
Don't have all your tunes in the same key. Try to find one at least with more than 2 parts. If you have a tune which uses the bottom "G" string, that helps too. You have "The Peacock's Feather" in your tune book - that would do well for your hornpipe. Good luck.
# Posted on February 8th 2005 by Kenny
Re: Fleadh
Yo, It’s GRY with a surprise….I’m actually here to help…And it’s not about Hip-Hop…
I know how hard it can be to deal with the judges and the people at the Fleadh. Don't let them punk you...and let this information help you prepare for your competition......
http://thesession.org/discussions/display.php/5664
That's the link to the thread Zina mentioned….. This discussion covers all the stuff on what to expect…… there's a little bit on what to play and not play. There's also a link in there to a discussion about adjudicators....lots of sh*te.....
Check out the fleadh website too…. there's a link in there…..
If you still want more after this, let me know....if you want some help choosing your tunes or anything else, email me thru the site and I'll hook you up with that fiddler y'all like so much from my track….. He judged the Fleadh, so he'll be able to help you.
PEACE
GRY
# Posted on February 8th 2005 by GRY
Re: Fleadh
Hiya berserker,
I'm new to Fleadhs as well- I was the one who started the thread that GRY linked to, so I'm in the same position as you. I'll probably go to the competition this year too. I also play fiddle and am curious about how many times through one plays the tunes. And so it is ok to play with more than one part?
# Posted on February 8th 2005 by fiercefiddler
Re: Fleadh
Go to the fleadh website and follow the links for Competitions and Rules--they've got the answers for you. Actually, anyone who's thinking of competing, even if you've done it before, should go read 'em, not skipping anything, because there are some things that appear to be new this year, and they're hidden in the mix, with no big neon "NEW!" sign.
Here's the specific links:
Rules: http://www.slia.org/Fleadh/rules.htm
Competitions: http://www.slia.org/Fleadh/program.htm
But now I feel like a big jerk for lecturing you guys to go read this, so I'll just answer your question anyway
1.) Rule #3: "Each tune shall be played twice only. In the case of a reel which is played singly a competitor may play such a reel three times (AB AB AB.)"
In other words, you can play a single reel three times, but otherwise, you play each tune twice. You may also play a single reel only twice if you want, which is probably a good idea if it has a lot of parts.
And yes, a tune with more than the usual A and B part is acceptable, even if it's not a single reel; a lot of people seem to choose multi-part tunes since it gives you more playing time to show your stuff. People do tend to assume though that playing a longer tune gives you more "points" somehow; I suppose all other things being equal, it could, but it's an issue that looms larger in the minds of the competitors than the judges.
2.) Rule #12: Slow airs may be played through only one time.
I think this one's new. In the past, including last year, everyone has certainly played their airs twice. When I told my students about this, half were ecstatic and half were disappointed, depending on which air they were planning to play. I can certainly see the rationale behind this rule, since you're getting into the neighborhood of at least a 5 minute performance, and in some cases, 7-10 minute performance, with some popular airs. But there are also airs that are under 4 min with the repeat, and really seem to need the repeat to be effective musically. I think a better rule would have been to say "Any slow air less than five minutes" and leave it at that, with repeats optional depending on the air.
# Posted on February 9th 2005 by ostrichfeathers
Re: Fleadh
GRY
It's like you have had a personality transplant - playing a somewhat different tune. But now I am even more intrigued as to who your fiddle player might be.
Berserker - I would think that when you put in your entry for the competition they wil be happy to send you a copy of the relevant rules.
Good luck
# Posted on February 9th 2005 by Donough
Re: Fleadh
Basically, you want to play something the judge will know (so they can tell how awesome you are and see your variations and everything), but you don't want to play something that is so common that they're like "not that damn tune AGAIN."
other than that, don't play tunes in the same key, as someone already said, and just play things that you love and are comfortable with to cut down on nerves and let you show off your playing when you're at your best.
# Posted on February 9th 2005 by heth
Re: Fleadh
I found the air that i want to do. The green fields of amerikay. Paddy glacken palys in on one of his Cd's, Reprise. It is really cool. A reel and a jig on the other hand i am sorta lost. I am thinking about the gravel walk of toss the feathers. more twards toss the feathers. I think it is a really awesome tune. Any tips?
AJ
# Posted on February 9th 2005 by berserker
Re: Fleadh
They are both very well known, overdone tunes. Try for something a bit more unique.
# Posted on February 9th 2005 by BTCpz
Re: Fleadh
Does anyone know where to find a list of the winners from the All-Britain Fleadh from 2004? on the net hopefully? Or even the entrants? Even better the Scottish Regional Fleadh!
Thanks
# Posted on February 9th 2005 by Mike.Vass