Seanamhac... again

just found this. It's about how i play it but on fiddle. He's got some nice bits in there, i like how he comes back down for the Bb ...Works with the D drone to bring the tune back round again.

Thanks for reminding me of the tune, forgot all about it... it's great fun to play.

Thanks Pete! Cathay Hayden’s version is great! :-). I do hope somebody around these parts knows it, so far you are the only person I have 'met' who plays it! Also I feel that for historical purposes, I must leave the quite beautiful recording on fiddle by the tune’s composer...   .John Carty- Yeh that’s all there is

I always love dark modal tunes, but our guitar player is a D-major kind of guy…I'll have to pick the right moment to spring this tune on him, haha. 

( OK enough geeking out about Irish/Celtic tunes, we can go back to regularly scheduled programming now! )
 

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Originally posted by NCnotes

Thanks Pete! Cathay Hayden’s version is great! :-). I do hope somebody around these parts knows it, so far you are the only person I have 'met' who plays it! Also I feel that for historical purposes, I must leave the quite beautiful recording on fiddle by the tune’s composer...   .John Carty- Yeh that’s all there is

I always love dark modal tunes, but our guitar player is a D-major kind of guy…I'll have to pick the right moment to spring this tune on him, haha. 

( OK enough geeking out about Irish/Celtic tunes, we can go back to regularly scheduled programming now! )
 

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Just realized this sounds like a G version of "Rakes Of Kildare"..Albeit spiced up alot. ...."Is That All It Is?" ...Lol.

Lately, I've taking the lead on one of the thoughts on here that was leaning toward mastering fewer songs as opposed to trying to know 100's. Is that what it was?? I thought I'd rather want to know more tunes half assed rather than mastering a small selection. I've been focused on my 40 tunes on the playlist, I hit go and try to hang on. If I'm in the mood for that tune, I disect the A part and 9 times out of 10 I have "most" of it down. As far as what to play. It may not be smooth but I know that I'm right. So far, I've been able to add some missing notes on "Pigs Foot into the fire..." Flop Eared and a few others. It's amazing hearing something that you didn't hear for the longest time and by adding it, how much it changed the song for me. Some versions are more notey so that's hard to judge what is "RIGHT" but adding little things here and there to my 40 has been my new focus. That and using my Pink vs Open Strings. Bad habits, I know.

Yup how’s it going everybody?

Over here, working on a pair of cool Jerry Holland (Cape Breton) tunes…
Iggy & Squiggy / Brenda Stubbert’s

Iggy Squiggy is a tune that our guitar player requests that often gets met with a blank response, so I’m working on it…I think he will be Happy! :-D.

While I was playing it, I thought, hmm this kinda reminds me of Brenda Stubbert’s, I think they would go well together. I found out later that they are the same composer! So they are in a set for me now.

if anybody here is a Cape Breton fiddler I welcome any tips … I don’t know anything about that style…but I will try to dig up/listen to Jerry Holland’s playing this weekend…

NCnotes - Have you ever seen this 4 CD set from Nimbus: prestomusic.com/classical/prod...ant-shore
Recorded at festivals at Cork University and originally released as individual CDs of music from Cape Breton. Donegal, Irish America and England. I have three of them and they're great. "Iggy and Squiggy" (I think a Canadian TV series) is on there, played by Jerry Holland. Brenda Stubbert is on there too. Don't have a good suggestion where to get them, but they're still out there.

quote:

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Originally posted by NCnotes

Yup how’s it going everybody?

Over here, working on a pair of cool Jerry Holland (Cape Breton) tunes…
Iggy & Squiggy / Brenda Stubbert’s

Iggy Squiggy is a tune that our guitar player requests that often gets met with a blank response, so I’m working on it…I think he will be Happy! :-D.

While I was playing it, I thought, hmm this kinda reminds me of Brenda Stubbert’s, I think they would go well together. I found out later that they are the same composer! So they are in a set for me now.

if anybody here is a Cape Breton fiddler I welcome any tips … I don’t know anything about that style…but I will try to dig up/listen to Jerry Holland’s playing this weekend…

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I took a cruise to cape Breton, about 8 years ago. Exaggeratedly, everyone fiddles. But also they all mention Winston "Scotty" Fitzgerald, as I would Bill Monroe. Consequently, I had to get a Winston Scotty CD. It's great. Those fiddlers are all in good shape, physically. 

Thanks for the lead Doug, will look around for those!

Farmerjones/Steve, by "in good shape" do you mean they play at the speed of lightning? :-D.
A place where everybody fiddles sounds fun! :-)

Looks like I must have imagined a connection with a TV show for "Iggie and Squiggie." The TTA says "named for the nickname applied to two girls who were avid fans of the musicians playing local dances were Jerry Holland, Dave MacIsaac and John Morris Rankin were playing. ."
Today was warm enough to play outside, so I tried "The Duke of Fife's Welcome to Deeside," "Off to California," and since the birds didn't seem bothered by my rusty intonation, "Jaybird." I haven't been playing much lately due to being cooped up inside with a dog and cat. If I started playing, the dog would get up and politely leave the room - the cat would also leave, but only after giving e a look of disdain.

Sounds quite nice to be playing outside, Doug!
Will check out "Duke of Fife's Welcome...", never heard of that one!
I have high hopes for the park session this weekend, it's supposed to hit 70 and that may be our first gathering since November.

My dog would often get up and leave, but his favorite Irish tune was "Maids of Mitchellstown"...he would actually come in the room and lay down nearby...it made me feel like the Pied Piper. I think of him whenever I play it (he passed a couple of years ago).

My first thought was that "Iggy and Squiggy" must be the names of a couple of Sheep or something! Thanks for looking that up!

Update: Wow "Duke of Fife's Welcome..." is a lovely tune Doug! I'm gonna have to put that one on the list.

I found you a backing track, haha...
although you could probably play this just as well on guitar too!
https://youtu.be/0mtMcjWGz5U?si=h8E1ImteFc186per

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Originally posted by NCnotes

Update: Wow "Duke of Fife's Welcome..." is a lovely tune Doug! I'm gonna have to put that one on the list.

I found you a backing track, haha...
although you could probably play this just as well on guitar too!
https://youtu.be/0mtMcjWGz5U?si=h8E1ImteFc186per

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Whoops better working URL: https://youtu.be/0mtMcjWGz5U?si=a2wTdnZEV7lSQfcQ

NCnotes - The link I provided for the Nimbus set provides samples of the tracks on the CD. You have to expand the list, but "Duke of Fife's" is the first number in the last set. They offer digital downloads too, in high quality. Look at who's on those CDs - many really, really good players!
One of the first fiddlers I played with years ago was the son of a doctor of Armenian descent. But his mother, the office nurse, was from Nova Scotia, and they must have visited there a lot. So we played a lot of those tunes too, and names like Winston "Scotty" Fitzgerald (mentioned above by farmerjones) Angus Chisholm and others were as legendary to us as Gid Tanner or Clark Kessinger.
"Duke of Fife's" was written by James Scott Skinner, IIRC. If you poke around online you may still be able to find the music. I think it was written in cross tuning, two parts with a set of written variations, which they play at the end of that sample. We used it in a show I played in several times to accompany a dance sequence showing evolution from Scottish dance to clogging. Its really a march, but we "strathspey'd" it a bit for that purpose. A harmonica player from those old days came to see the show in Lancaster, PA, and was glad to hear the tune, but complained to me afterwards that we left out the "third part," (the variations). You just can't please everybody!
Check out those samples from the CDs. They really are great.

What a treasure trove, you are right! I am doing the free 30-day streaming…but I may wind up buying the digital download! ( I only have one CD-player left in my life…and it’s in my 2012 car which may get replaced in a year or two… not even my computer has a CD slot anymore )

However according to my kids, kids these days are into VINYL and have record players? So maybe records will be coming back in.

NCnotes - Here's a link to the proof copy of "Duke of Fife's Welcome to Deeside" from Skinner's "Harp and Claymore" collection. abdn.ac.uk/scottskinner/displa...D=JSS0637
I don't know where I got the idea it was specified to be in cross tuning. Must have been something else.

Just been having a go at "Irish Washerwomen" or the "Irish women" ...Ive never been able to make a fist of that one.

Thanks Doug! LOL now that you have provided me with A) Audio Sample and B) Dots I am definitely gonna be playing this tune! :-). That "From a Distant Shore" collection truly does have great players and great tunes on it, am really enjoying it.

Yep Pete, you'll be just in time for St Patrick's Day with "Irish Washerwoman"! People around here say they only play it once a year - at their St.Patrick's Day gigs, where it's a very popular tune. I don't really know it either, because hearing it played once a year is somehow not reinforcing to learning it! :-D.

its a bit tricksy. But i am using my "Super Power" of shifting!! This time! :)

NCnotes - Since we're having this little chat, did you receive the links to the YouTube videos of Irish music I sent you last month? I inquired, and never heard back, which made me wonder if they'd ended up in your spam folder. You can respond via email.
Sorry pete, can't help you with "Irish Washerwoman!" Don't see why you would need to shift though - it only goes up to B.

It's the Phrasing and the Turnarounds Doug

Maghera Mountain...made popular by Martin Hayes.. I'm lovin' it and have played it SO much that I'm now improvising around the theme of the tune..

Been trying to clean up "Irish Washwoman" (not a tune I play or would ever play) so I can post it here. Marcus Martin's "Sugar in the Gourd" and "Red Fox" and "Billy in the Lowland" from Henry Reed.
I've been trimming trees and clearing invasive brush, and my hands feel like I'm wearing oven mitts. Its amazing how much warmth and flexibility returns after just a short time playing. Have to take it a little at a time though.

Yep gonna quit a little early today and prune the crepe myrtles! It's a pretty spring day out there today.
Hmm what I'm playing...just finished running through "Lark in the Morning" to get all 4 parts straight!

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Originally posted by DougD

Been trying to clean up "Irish Washwoman" (not a tune I play or would ever play) so I can post it here. Marcus Martin's "Sugar in the Gourd" and "Red Fox" and "Billy in the Lowland" from Henry Reed.
I've been trimming trees and clearing invasive brush, and my hands feel like I'm wearing oven mitts. Its amazing how much warmth and flexibility returns after just a short time playing. Have to take it a little at a time though.

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Been doing the same. Worked up a version in A or D, involves shifting, but makes the bowing and fingering nice.

Ah, I guess I see the need for a shift. I play this tune in G, which I think is the "usual" key over here, although I don't think I've ever heard anybody play this outside of a parade or something. Its in "Ryan's" in G, and also in "Dance Music of Ireland," also in G. I play the A part like either of those, but the B part a little different, I think how I thought it "ought" to go, years ago.
One reason I don't like this tune is I think the title is dismissive of the sisters of my tribe. Interesting that in "Dance Music of Ireland" its actually called "Irish Woman," although its listed under both titles in the index. Try to post a recording tomorrow, hopefully.