Old-time music on Irish flute? Is it done?

[Jay]

http://www.carolinachocolatedrops.com/

That's them...thanks Denny

[dunnp]

Just saw Donal Lunny, Bruce Molsky, and Micheal Mcgorldrick play tonight on the transatlantic session on Rte. Mcgoldirck played the pipes on Sail away Ladies and another old time tune that were both on a Mozaik album. It sounded spectacular. I played sail away ladies on the flute along before being thrown off. anyone who questions the use of flute or pipes in old time should´ve heard this. It was marvelous. If you can hear old time style and chuck along on the flute it works. Take Care, Patrick Dunn

[MTGuru]

I think flute, whistle, or pipes may "work" fine for OT music in conjunction with other instruments, particularly fiddle and banjo, perhaps guitar, to provide the characteristic rhythmic drive, including syncopation and strong back-beat. Or clogging or a percussion instrument such as spoons. But I'm not sure that the Irish winds alone can sustain the necessary OT feel. This is different from Irish dance music, where syncopation and back-beat are less prominent, and where ornamentation and other techniques (such as huffy fluting) may meet the rhythmic expectations in solo performance.

[daiv]

Old time has a different pulse than Irish music, but flute and whistle can sound great. This band http://www.myspace.com/crowfootmusic might give you some ideas.

nicholas williams is one of my favorite flute players. i love the sound he gets out of that flute. thin delicate, yet powerful. do you have any idea what he plays?

[Jay]

nicholas williams is one of my favorite flute players. i love the sound he gets out of that flute. thin delicate, yet powerful. do you have any idea what he plays?

I asked him about a year ago...said he played a 4-key olwell.
Jay

[crookedtune]

Old time has a different pulse than Irish music, but flute and whistle can sound great. This band http://www.myspace.com/crowfootmusic might give you some ideas.

Wow, that's some wonderful stuff! I may need to pick up one of those recordings, (or both).

But I'd hardly classify it as American "old-time". The clips I sampled were very Celtic-rooted, and not the southern mountain music that I think Diane was originally asking about. I really can't think of any recorded "old-time" stringbands that employ much in the way of wind instruments.

[talasiga]

In the form of 'quills'--a pan-pipe made of cane--OT music and the blues have a venerable wind instrument tradition, albeit perhaps localized to the southern atlantic states. I believe the same region also had a fife-band tradition that would qualify as OT.

Check out the Alan Lomax Southern Journey series; this music was field-recorded but I don't believe it's on any commercial recordings were made in the 78 era.

thanks for that

[bud]

My band (shameless plug) does OT music from the 19th century and beyond, and we have always had a pennywhistler. Our "Campfire" CD (http://www.heritagestringband.com/music.htm) features pennywhistle on nearly every cut. The musically inclined of the period played whatever instruments they happened to have or could make. Some instruments, such as the fife and drum, were familiar to the soldiers of the Civil War and were played in what we now call "jams." I don't know of any specific inclusions of the flute, but why not? My band will have a flute as soon as I am satisfied with my playing.

Some OT players express annoyance at the arrival at a session of any instrument not considered OT, and there is little you can do about that except keep a low profile until everyone feels comfortable with your flute playing.