The best way to learn slow airs?

Cayden · Post by **Cayden** » Wed Feb 12, 2003 8:23 am

I quoted Terry Moylan before who said;

I often heard airs played by pipers who leave out notes or phrases which are needed to bear the metre and words of the asssociated songs, or more often insert redundant notes or phrases which are not supported by the song metre and for which no corresponding words exist. For the listener who knows the words, this is torture. The listener who does not has no yardstick with which to asses the validity of an instrumental rendering of a song air, and is therefore in no position to do so.

You may or may not agree with this school of thought, I think there is a point to it. Air playing is as I said an instrumental rendering of an essential vocal piece, the expression and validity of the tune comes from the words associated with it. Personally I feel when I play an air to which I have no words [and I quoted the Valentia Harbour I left on th Clips page as an example], I do nothing more than making meaningless sounds. Can be fun and pleasantly self indulgent but it doesn't make for good air playing.

As an example you can take the particular poignant F natural that comes up in the last verse of A Stor Mo Chroi, it has no meaning really unless you know it's the cry of the lover of the emigrant calling him back from the land of the bright lights. I think you really need t oknow the song to do a proper job on that.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Peter Laban on 2003-02-12 10:27 ]</font>

Redwolf · Post by **Redwolf** » Wed Feb 12, 2003 9:41 am

I agree entirely! That drove me crazy when I was learning to play "The Ash Grove," because the phrasing as written by the compiler (who is primarily an instrumentalist) simply didn't work with the words, which I've known for years.

The nice thing with airs is, you can often get recordings of people singing them, which will really help with your expression. I didn't really get "Fill, Fill A Run O" until I heard it sung. Now it's one of my "show pieces."

Redwolf

paulsdad · Post by **paulsdad** » Wed Feb 12, 2003 11:27 am

The best way is.................(drumroll)......................slowly.

spittin_in_the_wind · Post by **spittin_in_the_wind** » Wed Feb 12, 2003 8:47 pm

Very interesting points, all.

I think I would agree with Peter that one should know the words of a song which is being played on an instrument. This makes complete sense. Of course, this isn't always possible, but it's something to strive for. If I start singing around the house in the sean nos style, there may be a revolt! But I've said that before, and so far I haven't been kicked out (still haven't bought a set of pipes, though). Hearing it sung properly with voice certainly would change the way one hears a tune in ones head. Note to self: check out sean nos style. I think I can play pretty expressively, if I know what to strive for. I guess that's the main point, finding sources for study.

And thanks for the tuneDB link--I didn't realize you could search by type on that one! I've bookmarked so many databases in the last month or so, I'm starting to get lost. So thanks for bringing it to my attention!

As far as Mick's Virtual Whistle, holy smokes! I checked out Turas go Tír na nÓg--now I know what I'm up against! It sends chills up and down my spine (the good way).

Thanks again!

Robin

Martin Milner · Post by **Martin Milner** » Thu Feb 13, 2003 6:41 am

Two airs to which I actually have the words (and have attempted to sing them in class, in Gaelic) are Buachill On Eirne and Einach Dhuin (both spellings dodgy).

My discouragement is that Irish Gaelic has regional dialects like any other language, plus I can't speak the language in any form anyway, so I'd never attempt to actually sing these in public. It did help me when playing these tunes on whistle initially, but since then I've heard the same tunes played in several different ways, often by native Irishmen. So I believe there's no single accepted way to play an air "correctly".

It would be a shame to miss out on this body of music just because you don't have access to hearing it sung in Gaelic. The tunes are beautiful, and can withstand multiple "interpretations".

Finally, many of these tunes are centuries old, and I can well imagine that a tune came first, then words were added, then the words forgotten again etc. So the tune has evolved over its lifetime, and should be allowed to continue to evolve through various interpretations.

Ireland's 110 Best Slow Airs is a great collection, even if not all the tunes are played on Whistle/Flute.

TonyHiggins · Post by **TonyHiggins** » Thu Feb 13, 2003 12:26 pm

I'm with Martin on this one. These really good and really old melodies get recycled for numerous songs. Someone recently posted that the Foggy Dew melody was for a love song and then used for the 1916 Rebellion song. (Tommy Makem and the Clancy Bros did a nice version that sounds kind of marchy.)

These melodies deserve to live on and be heard by the unwashed masses of us that don't speak Irish. I, personally, love them and interject an occasional one into a session (gasp, blanch, spray Guiness over everyone). I'm pretty much the only person that does that, so it's a welcome novelty and I usually get asked for the name of the tune. Of course, people also scowl and say, "Wrong number of ornaments for the syllables, Fool!" At least I dreamed that happened.

My point is they're just great melodies and need to be played. I guess it's best to ask if there are any Irish speakers in the audience, first. "No? Good. I'd like to play a nice slow air for you..."
Tony

CDon · Post by **CDon** » Thu Feb 13, 2003 3:10 pm

On 2003-02-11 19:28, Chuck_Clark wrote:
The book is great if you don't know what tunes to learn. If you have specific favorites in mind, Trillian has free scores for many of the favorites.

Somewhere along the line I have missed this one... Can you be a bit more 'pacific please?

spittin_in_the_wind · Post by **spittin_in_the_wind** » Thu Feb 13, 2003 8:00 pm

On 2003-02-13 16:10, CDon wrote:
On 2003-02-11 19:28, Chuck_Clark wrote:
The book is great if you don't know what tunes to learn. If you have specific favorites in mind, Trillian has free scores for many of the favorites.
Somewhere along the line I have missed this one... Can you be a bit more 'pacific please?

I believe he's talking about this:

http://trillian.mit.edu/~jc/music/abc/FindTune.html

R.

CDon · Post by **CDon** » Fri Feb 14, 2003 12:51 am

On 2003-02-13 21:00, spittin_in_the_wind wrote:
I believe he's talking about this:

http://trillian.mit.edu/~jc/music/abc/FindTune.html

R.

Oh... Of course. Thank you.

computer-mom · Post by **computer-mom** » Fri Feb 14, 2003 2:55 pm

Personally, I am much more attracted to songs and airs than I am to dance tunes. I learned Eamon a Chnoic by ear from Liam Clancy's singing of it on the album The Rising of the Moon, and Mo Ghuile Mear (please pardon my spelling) from Mary Black's singing of it on her Collected album. I learned them just because I loved the melodies and because I had played them so many times that I could hear them in my head. Even without understanding the words, I can pick up the mood and feeling of the song from the singing. I think I play them pretty much the way I heard them sung, although I don't play them the same way every time. Any variations I make - speed, volume, length of notes - fit with the feel of the song as I understand it from the versions I've heard sung.