Pibgorn - St. David's Day special......

[jemtheflute]

Here is a clip of Welsh trad tune Bwrlwm (means "gurgling" or "bubbling") especially recorded for St. David's Day (I'm even wearing a leek!) today. Enjoy - and any feedback would be welcome.

[tin-titan]

Jem, Happy and blessed St. David's Day! Should you plug the leek before you drown?

Tin

[ceadach]

Hi there Jem,
Really Lovely stuff you have posted there.

There is little Welsh fluting to be heard here in the United States and the only player I've heard much of is Ceri Rhys Matthews. Your tunes are very engaging and well excuted and make want to hear more!

[jemtheflute]

Diolch yn fawr, ceadach. Thanks for viewing and for your comment. (Of course, the majority of my YouTube clips are of ITM, but there's a bit of Welsh stuff there too, not just on pibgorn.)

Ceri Rhys Matthews is a good friend and a wonderful musician altogether. I'll be seeing him on Wednesday next (10:3:10) at the WTM session he co-ordinates near Dolgellau (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=35346240361).

Other flute players playing Welsh music include Jonathan Shorland (on the first two Fernhill CDs with Ceri and in Taran, though more on pipes and oboes in that context) and Andy McLauchlin of Crasdant - the latter tour in the US quite frequently and have several CDs out which you should be able to find/get readily enough. Such is the small size of the WTM scene and also of Wales geographically that I know him too - and was playing literally alongside him last night in Y Glerorfa in a charity concert in Rhyl. The Clerorfa also has a CD available: http://www.clera.org/saesneg/events.php or from Sain Records, incl. as mp3 download and a Facebook page. Lastly, there are quite a few of us Welsh or Wales-based fluters playing WTM on last year's Smithsonian Folkways album Blodeugerdd (also downloadable).

[ceadach]

You are welcome Jem,
Thanks for all the information and the links.

As a harper I've had a budding interest in WTM that started with the ap Huw manuscript. I wondered why more musicians working on ap Huw seemed only interested in Early Music and seemed not to be paying more attention to more recent Welsh trad. You've given me more great music to listen to!

Take care,
CM

[Sigurthr]

Wonderful tune and excellent playing! Any chance you happen to have sheets for that tune, or at least could point me in the right direction? Thanks.

[jemtheflute]

Wonderful tune and excellent playing! Any chance you happen to have sheets for that tune, or at least could point me in the right direction? Thanks.

The tune is in Keith Lewis's The Pibgorn Tunebook (available from him direct for, if memory serves me right, £7.50 - if you want to order one, let me know by pm and I'll put you in touch with him privately) - which is a collection of mostly Welsh trad tunes in pibgorn playable settings. However, if you view the comments on the YouTube clip, you'll see that John Tose ("pibydd"), who I'm sure knows his stuff, wrote:

Bwrlwm originally came from the Vannes region of Brittany. It's also been adopted by Border Morris dancers where it's known as 'Theme Vannetaise'

I haven't time right now to write up or scan the notation, but a quick web search (YOY don't folk DIY?) and a look on The Session brought up a very basic setting: http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/7746. I'd have thought it would be pretty easy to get it by playing along to my clip, though - it's an easy tune, though I go to town a bit on pipes-style ornamentation in my rendition.

Have fun!

[Sigurthr]

Thanks Jem! I did indeed google theme vannetaise and came upon that one sheet from thesession. I like your version a lot better though hehe.

That additional information (name of book) is all I needed, I just found his book and will purchase a copy! I'm still quite green when it comes to trad music, especially when it comes to ornamentation. On top of that I have not yet developed the ability to learn by ear, so even simple tunes without sheets elude me.