Posting clips

[mahanpots]

Arbo,

I need to learn those tunes. They're two that are played at sessions around here, and I've never taken the time to learn them.

Great sound from the flute, and the best work I've heard from you yet.

I hesitate to say this, because I've read some posts between you and Jem on this subject, but, I think the music is beginning to flow out of your flute as a whole. I understand that a flowing style of playing is not your style, and I think your style is continuing to develop. Keep playing. It's sounding great.

Michael

[ImNotIrish]

Thanks, Michael.
I think I really need to just play more. If you get those two tunes under your belt please post them. I would like to hear your take on them. Cheers, and Happy New Year!
Arbo

[matahari_1946]

Hey Arbo. Nice playing! Your flute sounds wonderful. Here are my takes on Dunmore Lasses and Fermoy Lasses, both played on my old Lehart 6-key.

Dunmore Lasses
Fermoy Lasses

Don't know if this will give you any ideas but it's worth a shot.

[ImNotIrish]

Tiff,

Lovely playing. I think I could easily incorporate your triplet run down in the Dunmore tune. I really like the pulse you have going on Fermoy as well. I used to have a six keyed LeHart flute. Great instrument. Thanks for the feedback and the tunes!

Arbo

[mahanpots]

Arbo,

Here's Molly from Longford (http://www.box.net/shared/0i3712d4w8). The first part of the tune is similar to Fermoy Lasses; maybe that's why I haven't learned Fermoy yet. No excuse for Dunmore. Anyways, they used to play a set in Greensboro consisting of Molly, Monaghan Twig, and Mountain Road. I still can't do all three without messing up.

Jem,

Nice jig (Jem's (minor) Jig). It's got a lot of you in it.

Michael

[mahanpots]

Molly from Longford

http://www.box.net/shared/0i3712d4w8

[jemtheflute]

Arbo, Michael, thanks for the kind comments on my tunes. As I've had a very intensive time in work lately and consequently little computer or music time, I've loads to catch up on here now life is returning to normal! Actually, I won't try to comment exhaustively, but I have read (and cogitated) everything since I went AWOL, though I haven't listened to all the clips yet.

Michael, listened to and enjoyed your hornpipe and reel clips - sorry, no help on names from me either. I'm sure I've heard you play with stronger and better focussed tone than those clips show - they are a bit "fluffy" but otherwise very pleasant. Thanks.

Arbo, I deliberately haven't listened to anyone's "Lasses" clips yet - I want to do my own un-influenced ones first to contribute. I'll have to do Fermoy Lasses from the dots as it's not a tune I've learnt before, though a quick glance at it in books I have suggest it's a rather "painting by numbers" bog-standard kind of thing - not inspiring at first read-through, though of course any tune is what you make of it.
"Lasses" clips and thoughts to follow ASAP.

ADDITION:

OK, I've got 'em done before anyone else posted!
Here is the way I am most familiar with playing Dunmore Lasses (slow) as I learnt it from local musicians by ear - as a slow reel. (I think it retains its "reel feel" this time, unlike Mills are Grinding?)

I've also done both tunes together, trying to do them at something like "session speed". Fermoy Lasses & Dunmore Lasses. I did practice Fermoy Lasses a bit before recording, but haven't learnt it by heart and it wasn't familiar to my ear either, so I'm still reading the dots and there are some continuity/rhythmic lapses and ill-placed breaths - Dunmore Lasses isn't spot on as a performance either as I'm not used to playing it at that speed and kept unintentionally trying to stick in things I do to it at the slower pace - that old finger/muscle memory thing I suppose! - but which don't really work at full speed, at least, not without greater practice and thought.

FURTHER ADDITION:

Arbo, now I've listened to your takes of these tunes too - I agree with Michael that the work you've been doing on continuity, phrasing and more moderate and better placement of emphases is paying off - and showing your tone to better advantage - Dunmore Lasses is particularly good - not perfect yet (!!!!!! he said) but very listenable and the tune more than survives.
Fermoy Lasses is also an improvement on older clips of yours, but less so than Dunmore. There are some intonation issues (maybe the flute? Some modes seem more in tune than others on different flutes) and your tone focus is less secure than usual, so some of your older traits show up a little. You are clearly listening to yourself more effectively now, so I hope you understand what I'm trying to say here!

And now I've listened to Tiffany's versions too - interesting, isn't it, that she plays Dunmore Lasses at pretty much the "slow" speed I learnt it at, and Arbo isn't much faster! Something about the tune and how many people respond to it perhaps, or is there a seminal recording out there that has influenced us all indirectly? I do hear people play that tune at full reel speed too, though. I'm glad I held off listening to you lot before doing my clips!

Nice playing, Tiff, and I agree with Arbo about the pulse in Fermoy Lasses, though you need to work on the low E rolls in the A music, as I'm sure you realise.

And finally! Michael's Molly from Longford - nice one! Nicely played, interesting tune - better tone here than on the other ones above... knew I was right about that, though it sounds as though you are a bit too close to the mic this time - is it a case of different flutes or just good and poor tone days?

Think I've caught up now! Cheers all.

[ImNotIrish]

Jem, thanks again for taking the time to reply in your usually thorough manner. I am curious about your post of Dunmore and Fermoy-when I tried to listen the volume was veery low so I couldn't really get a great sense of the tunes. Is it just me, or is the recording level low? Can you repost? Thanks, Arbo

[jemtheflute]

Sorry about the volume problem, Arbo, though they play back OK for me with the Boxnet volume maximised and my computer's own volume at max. Have you turned up everything you can? I've been a bit wary about transfer levels since some early ones I did were very peaky and distorted due to too high input. I'll have to re-transfer from the MD to the computer at a higher level and re-upload them to Boxnet and replace the links, so..... maybe tomorrow - can anyone else say if they can't hear them properly?

[matahari_1946]

Wow, Jem, for not knowing Fermoy Lasses you really cook on it! I like your versions of both the Lasses tunes.

About Dunmore Lasses and speed . . . . I, too, learned it by ear from the local sessioners. That's the speed it's played at session so that's how I learned to play it. We usually play Kilarney Boys of Pleasure and Dunmore Lasses together and both are played at that sort of speed. I don't know who came up with playing those two together but not too long ago I heard a recording of Mike and Mary Rafferty do the two tunes together. I thought that must have been where they got the idea but the Raffertys play the two tunes faster so I don't know.

Yep, I sure do need to work on my E rolls, not just in that tune but E rolls in general! What throws me off is that I have a hard time covering the bottom hole when I tap it so it never gets covered like it should to get a precise roll. I'm sure it's something that's going to take me a while to get. If anyone has any suggestions do share!

[matahari_1946]

Forgot to mention the volume thing . . . . . I didn't have a problem with it. And I didn't even have to turn anything up all the way. Works fine for me.

[mahanpots]

Jem wrote:

better tone here than on the other ones above... knew I was right about that, though it sounds as though you are a bit too close to the mic this time - is it a case of different flutes or just good and poor tone days?

It was my Olwell Pratten, and I was also standing closer to the mic this time, about four feet away.

Tiff, nice playing on those tunes; sometimes when I'm switching to a low whistle, I'll miss that E-hole every time I come around to it in a tune. Very frustrating.

Jem, I'll bet your glad to get behind a microphone after spending the holidays behind the wheel. Sounded great.

Thanks,

Michael

[jemtheflute]

It seems like it may only have been Arbo having trouble with my "Lasses" clips volume level, but they were a bit quiet anyway so I have now re-transferred them - set up on the original links above.

Thanks for the kind words, Tiffany and Michael. As I wrote before recording it, Fermoy Lasses is a very simple tune with some very stock phrases/phrase combinations and no major technical difficulties. If I kept playing it, I'm sure I'd do a much better job of it in a week or two......

Yep, I sure do need to work on my E rolls, not just in that tune but E rolls in general! What throws me off is that I have a hard time covering the bottom hole when I tap it so it never gets covered like it should to get a precise roll. I'm sure it's something that's going to take me a while to get. If anyone has any suggestions do share!

Tiffany, hard to give much advice without seeing your hands, preferably in playing position on a flute. It may be that the reach is simply too much for comfort and consistency, in which case (wrong time to say this, I know!) you need to consider tone-hole placement ergonomics. However, if you can cover the E hole (R3) fairly well and without discomfort in general play but just miss it on taps and fast passing notes, then adjustments to hand (and possibly arm) posture may help. As I said, not knowing how you are holding the flute to start with makes it impossible to give direct and specific advice, but general principles of R hand placement can be applied from scratch. I'd certainly recommend looking at how/where you place your R thumb - both laterally along the tube and rotationally around it. It is quite incredible how much difference to the angle of approach of the fingers and their relaxation and flexibility (and thence control and accuracy) a couple of millimetres change in thumb placement can make. Normally having your little finger on the Eb key if you don't already may also "open" your hand, anchor it and keep R3 more directly over its hole ready to strike, though obviously you won't hold the Eb key open for an E roll with a tap on D. If you are missing the tone-hole and hitting up-tube, obviously the finger is getting drawn "off-station" by the rest of your hand. (Side thought: try doing the E rolls with Eb vented just for practice - you'll only get a semitone tap, but keeping the little finger stationary like that may help to get the feel of tapping with R3 on-hole, then you can revert to tapping to D.) It can also be easier to do a roll on E by cutting with R1 instead of R2 (assuming you don't cut with L3 anyway) - I do this anyway as a hangover from my early years on Boehm flute.
Hope some of that is relevant/helpful.

[mahanpots]

Golden Keyboard and Mayor Harrison's Fedora on Olwell pratten keyless.

http://www.box.net/shared/ntkma7io88


I decided to play these with no tonguing at all, although I think I slipped my tongue in there once or twice. I blame my wife for that.

I also felt like I was filling the flute up with the music a few times throughout the tune, accessing brain matter created by listening to posts about projection and loudness of lined and unlined heads.

Please comment.

Michael

[jemtheflute]

Well, I can't say as the lined or unlined head thing is at all apparent to me, but a nice take on Golden Keyboard, Michael. It feels to me as though you aren't confident about the melody in Mayor Harrison's Fedora - unsure of where you are going/what comes next - and as a result your focus and phrasing suffer. Would I be right in surmising that that tune is recently learnt or in process of being so, whereas you've played Golden Keyboard for some time?