When I was a small boy in the thirties near Frenchpark in Roscommon, I would sometimes watch my father milking the cows in the evening. Sometimes my uncle Seamus would ramble into the cowshed and play a tune on the fiddle. My father never owned a bodhran, but he would be making a very rythmic accompaniment with the noise of the milk hitting the bucket, a sound like brushes on a snare drum. He had a great knack of squeezing the udders in turn at such a pace that it would give my uncle Seamus' tune a great lift. And Seamus would sometimes imitate a cow on the fiddle when she lowed.
I've heard a field recording from a Venezuelan post office where the workers stamping the mail all had their own syncopated rhythm going. The result was entirely danceable and no doubt imparted some meaning to the workday other than waiting for the end of it.
I really like that story, cutter, I'll bet it made the chore of milking much more enjoyable as well.
When I lived on the ground floor of my building I would sit looking out the window at the street while I played tunes. If my windows were open the music would carry up and down the block. There's always someone walking by on the other side of the street, and I would sometimes have fun playing tunes that matched their walking pace. There's a wee alley right across the street where they usually paused and looked to see if a car was coming. When they stopped -- I would stop to. And when they started again -- so would I. Most of the time they didn't notice, but when they did they would stop again -- and so would I... start again -- and so would I etc. The music echoed around between the buildings and you couldn't tell where the music was coming from, so they'd be looking all around. It was funny -- to me anyway.
In the days of sail the capstan songs were to give the sailors the right rhythm for very arduous work.
In my cycle racing days I'd often have some music in my head to give me the optimum pedalling rhythm (or "cadence" as the French call it), which for me was between 100-110 pedal revolutions per minute - in terms of beats per minute that's not all that different to most session speeds.
We would also make rythims cutting turf with the noise of the spade as it slapped through the sodden ground. Sometimes it would make a farting noise, the squelch in the bog.
Ecumenical, when you tend your gargoyles, tell me, do you talk to the lilttle fellas, finding out what they see from their high perches, and the like ?
Hey, I could tell you about my good friend, a pastor by the way, who can belch or fart equally well to any tune for any length of time.
FWIW: The Squelch in the Bog is a very old tune from the hills of western Missouri, originally mouth music, later played by Irish immigrants working the sod farms of this area.
In the U.S., there used to be crews of "Gandy dancers" who used rhythm to keep together on the job of straightening out rails for trains with large crowbars.
There's also a cool scene in a recent samurai flick Zatoichi (2003) where a crew of builders do all their various hammering and sawing in time with the background music.
I guess my point, if you can call it that, is that "roots music" of whatever sort originated in the rhythms of everyday life... whatever that means.
Please stop me, somebody, before I post again. ;>}
'The milk in the bucket'
'The loweing cow'
'A ramble to the cow shed'
'Stamping the mail'
'The alley on the other side of the street'
'Carving the stone'
'The dumbies on the chisels'
'Chips of stone'
'Optimum cadence'
'The noise of the spade'
'The squelch in the bog'
'Gargoyles on their high perch'
'The Gandy dancers'
'Straightening out rails'
'The rhythms of everyday life'
What good names for tunes. A lovely thread, some very beautiful figurative language. Wow!
I hate to horn in, but that was a lovely tail, howsshecutting...really mooving. I'll be back to check for more posts to this thread, but I gotta hoof it into the other room and finish practicing. Working on getting a beefy tone for a strathspey I'm learning this week. Cud be a long evening...
milking rhythms
milking rhythms
When I was a small boy in the thirties near Frenchpark in Roscommon, I would sometimes watch my father milking the cows in the evening. Sometimes my uncle Seamus would ramble into the cowshed and play a tune on the fiddle. My father never owned a bodhran, but he would be making a very rythmic accompaniment with the noise of the milk hitting the bucket, a sound like brushes on a snare drum. He had a great knack of squeezing the udders in turn at such a pace that it would give my uncle Seamus' tune a great lift. And Seamus would sometimes imitate a cow on the fiddle when she lowed.
# Posted on January 29th 2006 by howsshecutting
Re: milking rhythms
That's so effing romantic...
# Posted on January 29th 2006 by Cammy
Re: milking rhythms
I've heard a field recording from a Venezuelan post office where the workers stamping the mail all had their own syncopated rhythm going. The result was entirely danceable and no doubt imparted some meaning to the workday other than waiting for the end of it.
# Posted on January 29th 2006 by oldstrings
Re: milking rhythms
I really like that story, cutter, I'll bet it made the chore of milking much more enjoyable as well.
When I lived on the ground floor of my building I would sit looking out the window at the street while I played tunes. If my windows were open the music would carry up and down the block. There's always someone walking by on the other side of the street, and I would sometimes have fun playing tunes that matched their walking pace. There's a wee alley right across the street where they usually paused and looked to see if a car was coming. When they stopped -- I would stop to. And when they started again -- so would I. Most of the time they didn't notice, but when they did they would stop again -- and so would I... start again -- and so would I etc. The music echoed around between the buildings and you couldn't tell where the music was coming from, so they'd be looking all around. It was funny -- to me anyway.
# Posted on January 29th 2006 by Phantom Button
Re: milking rhythms
That is a great story.
# Posted on January 29th 2006 by Why Bother?
Re: milking rhythms
Tansey would love that story though the words bull and tit would come into effect I'm sure
# Posted on January 29th 2006 by Ripthecalico
Re: milking rhythms
In the days of sail the capstan songs were to give the sailors the right rhythm for very arduous work.
In my cycle racing days I'd often have some music in my head to give me the optimum pedalling rhythm (or "cadence" as the French call it), which for me was between 100-110 pedal revolutions per minute - in terms of beats per minute that's not all that different to most session speeds.
# Posted on January 29th 2006 by lazyhound
Re: milking rhythms
Right -- I remember that insult from Tansey.. hahahahahahaha
Geesh!
# Posted on January 29th 2006 by Phantom Button
Re: milking rhythms
We would also make rythims cutting turf with the noise of the spade as it slapped through the sodden ground. Sometimes it would make a farting noise, the squelch in the bog.
# Posted on January 29th 2006 by howsshecutting
Re: milking rhythms
Ecumenical, when you tend your gargoyles, tell me, do you talk to the lilttle fellas, finding out what they see from their high perches, and the like ?
# Posted on January 29th 2006 by lazyhound
Re: milking rhythms
howshecutting - I think you've had more to drink than I have....
# Posted on January 29th 2006 by Ron P
Re: milking rhythms
Is this a windup or what?
Hey, I could tell you about my good friend, a pastor by the way, who can belch or fart equally well to any tune for any length of time.
FWIW: The Squelch in the Bog is a very old tune from the hills of western Missouri, originally mouth music, later played by Irish immigrants working the sod farms of this area.
# Posted on January 29th 2006 by rogfox
Re: milking rhythms
Nice thread!
In the U.S., there used to be crews of "Gandy dancers" who used rhythm to keep together on the job of straightening out rails for trains with large crowbars.
http://blues.about.com/od/blueshistory/a/aa061001gandy.htm
There's also a cool scene in a recent samurai flick Zatoichi (2003) where a crew of builders do all their various hammering and sawing in time with the background music.
I guess my point, if you can call it that, is that "roots music" of whatever sort originated in the rhythms of everyday life... whatever that means.
Please stop me, somebody, before I post again. ;>}
# Posted on January 29th 2006 by tuckered out
Re: milking rhythms
'The milk in the bucket'
'The loweing cow'
'A ramble to the cow shed'
'Stamping the mail'
'The alley on the other side of the street'
'Carving the stone'
'The dumbies on the chisels'
'Chips of stone'
'Optimum cadence'
'The noise of the spade'
'The squelch in the bog'
'Gargoyles on their high perch'
'The Gandy dancers'
'Straightening out rails'
'The rhythms of everyday life'
What good names for tunes. A lovely thread, some very beautiful figurative language. Wow!
# Posted on January 29th 2006 by Clear Drops
Re: milking rhythms
Moooooooon over Miami came to mind, and now I can't get it out of my head, thanks a lot
# Posted on January 29th 2006 by full measure
Re: milking rhythms
I'm gonna bring a cow with me to the next session.
# Posted on January 29th 2006 by Sunnybear
Re: milking rhythms
As long as it's an acoustic cow, and not electric, I'm sure you'll be welcome.
# Posted on January 29th 2006 by Farr
Re: milking rhythms
Ok, this is getting udderly ridiculous now.
# Posted on January 29th 2006 by Phantom Button
Re: milking rhythms
The best tune name that came out of this thread is, "The fart in the bog".
# Posted on January 29th 2006 by Phantom Button
Re: milking rhythms
I remember few mornings after a nights session that I can't remember when the tune title "fart in the bog" would take on a whole new meaning.
# Posted on January 29th 2006 by newfie percussionist
Re: milking rhythms
I hate to horn in, but that was a lovely tail, howsshecutting...really mooving. I'll be back to check for more posts to this thread, but I gotta hoof it into the other room and finish practicing. Working on getting a beefy tone for a strathspey I'm learning this week. Cud be a long evening...
# Posted on January 31st 2006 by thier1754