Modern Trends in Piping

Steve in Seattle · Post by **Steve in Seattle** » Sat Feb 28, 2004 12:35 pm

Hey fellow goose stranglers,

I'm new to your forum, but noticed a recent and VERY long thread that seemed to evolve into a discussion of traditional vs new trends and I thought I'd pipe in with a redirection on the topic in general:

I'm a rather out of control fan of the work of Troy Donockley (Yorkshire area), and am completely captivated by the compositions he's been creating with his UPs (He plays a full set of Dave Williams D), Overtons, and a vast array of other instruments (Troy say's it's 8 if you count the kazoo).

Troy has made it clear that he's enamoured with the instrument and he is expert at all from the most traditional to his awesome "old age" (as he calls it) laments.

For those of you with the opportunity to get and hear them, his solo works "The Unseen Stream" and the lastest release, "The Pursuit of Illusion" include probably the broadest application of the UPs I've ever heard. To give them a shot.

Troy's site includes a few sample tracks - listen to "the colour of the door" from his latest album and I think you'll find the best example of his "tradimodern" pipes.

All is well on the wild green coast

Steve in Seattle[/url]

djm · Post by **djm** » Sat Feb 28, 2004 2:41 pm

Steve, these sorts of recommendations work better if you include a link to the site you're referring to, like: http://www.troydonockley.co.uk/

A word of warning for those who haven't been there yet, the site is slow to load if you are on a modem line. The music itself is the worst sort new age drivel, with all the reverb, low whistles, and pseudo-celtic ambience one expects to encounter as background music at the local incense boutique.

djm

anima · Post by **anima** » Sat Feb 28, 2004 5:14 pm

Hey DJM,

Tell us how you really feel, you seem to be a little on the fence.

Brian Lee · Post by **Brian Lee** » Sat Feb 28, 2004 5:26 pm

djm wrote:...The music itself is the worst sort new age drivel, with all the reverb, low whistles, and pseudo-celtic ambience one expects to encounter as background music at the local incense boutique.

djm

Man! Wouldn't it be nice if people like Davy Spillane could let a nice new talented artist learn the instrument without sinking in his Riverdance claws?

This type of new age tripe is so last week!

I only hope folks like Talbert St.Clare don't take offense to cracks like this anymore, or the whole new age world and the pipers who support it will be lost to us all - OH THE HUMANITY! ROTFLOL!!

P.S. What's with the scary little man on stilts on the opening page?? At least I *think* it's stilts.....

elbogo · Post by **elbogo** » Sat Feb 28, 2004 6:06 pm

Steve, don't listen to these old guys, they're dyed in the wool Trad fanatics. The worst kind!

tok · Post by **tok** » Sat Feb 28, 2004 9:02 pm

I just sit back in the world class spa O ' mine , and listen to total new age tracks , that have , low wistle , sounds like paddy keenan clones , and native american love flutes , and west african bass drums , ,, then I will go to the sauna , and sweat it all out .

While there , I hear all the talented folks who were playing traditional music , and thanking them for paying there dues , and taking a risk , just to play what they loved in the music, and now they are at the top . So called , " new age music " has not superseded the traditional vien , even if it attains the height of elevator music , or , muzak . All the better , as the general public will have an access to hear the music , even If it is set in a way that is very basic , at least it is a start . Why resent the fact that talented musicians can earn a good living on the top 40 scene , when the music sounds good ?
tok ,,

tok · Post by **tok** » Sat Feb 28, 2004 9:10 pm

tok

turns , my head and coughs ,,
lol .

elbogo · Post by **elbogo** » Sat Feb 28, 2004 11:33 pm

Hmm, seems that Steve's website is Troy's website. Could Steve be Troy? Shameless self-promotion! But aside from all that, Troy does sound like a pretty good piper... wonder if he plays any good traditional pipe?

Kevin L. Rietmann · Post by **Kevin L. Rietmann** » Sun Feb 29, 2004 3:02 am

elbogo wrote:good traditional pipe?

Traditional piiipe...awesome...

AlanB · Post by **AlanB** » Sun Feb 29, 2004 3:35 am

djm wrote: The music itself is the worst sort new age drivel, with all the reverb, low whistles, and pseudo-celtic ambience one expects to encounter as background music at the local incense boutique.

djm

Oh dear me, how bigs the bug up your ass? It sounds mostly like carefully composed 'serious' music to me. The pipes tend to make everything sound like new age drivel. If you can't handle people making music and putting it out on the web go take up h******g or something. *shaking head in disbelief*

But then, I would say that wouldn't I http://www.fianna.hu ,best viewed with a fast connection........

Alan

djm · Post by **djm** » Sun Feb 29, 2004 10:16 am

AlanB, what bugs me is that all through this fellow's web site he insists that he is an uilleann piper first. So what do the samples on his web site reveal? Is it his reg playing that you find exemplary? - oops, he doesn't actually play the regs, though he likes to photograph himself with a full set. Is it the subtle blend of his chanter and drones that he has achieved that you like? - oops! he doesn't play his drones. Its all synth washes. Perhaps its his tight playing and incredible triplets you like? - oops! all he does is hold long notes with lots of vibratto, something easily within the reach of anyone who has been learning UPs for a couple of months. Maybe this guy can really wail on UPs, who knows, but there certainly isn't any evidence on his web site.

AlanB wrote:It sounds mostly like carefully composed 'serious' music to me.

As to serious music, well, aside from the strings, most of this stuff can be achieved with a synth and some sequencing software, which is how the majority of new age stuff is produced.

BrainLee wrote:What's with the scary little man on stilts on the opening page?? At least I *think* it's stilts.....

I believe that's an Chinese imperial trooper from the Ching dynasty. Very Celtic, that.

djm

AlanB · Post by **AlanB** » Sun Feb 29, 2004 10:44 am

Fair play DJM,
Should have said that in the first place

(talking of bugs up asses, serious music was the term my teacher at college used when differentiating 'classical' idiom from everything else... Boy, the arguments we had.)

Alan

Calum · Post by **Calum** » Sun Feb 29, 2004 10:45 am

I suspect Alan's point is that even contemplating getting worked up about this nonsense is less worthy of your time than, say, choreographing for earthworms.

djm · Post by **djm** » Sun Feb 29, 2004 11:04 am

Sorry. Didn't catch your drift at first. Forums, like email, tend to smother the wiff of sarcasm. Must have my head up my butt, again. It is kinda dark in here ...

djm

elbogo · Post by **elbogo** » Sun Feb 29, 2004 11:15 am

Come on you guys, you're always talking about the evolution of pipes and piping, and who knows where or what the sound of "Traditional Irish Piping" will be like 50 years from now, when it evolves into something quite different. Semantics aside... The Uilleann Pipes as a musical instrument, not necessarily playing Irish music.

There was Spillane's explorations in Jazz, which I didn't think was all that exciting.

More recently, there was that performance of Carlos Nunez (I think) and O'Flynn playing together with full orchestra at the Celtic Festival thing at Lorient... can't remember what it was, but I thought having something to do with the pipers club in France. Now that was an arousing display... and didn't sound "traditional" at all, very contemporary, and a decent example of the Uilleann Pipes as a musical instrument within an orchestral setting.

Per another thread about the heros of piping, it seems to me that should also include those who make attempts to broaden the appeal of this wonderful instrument, by taking new directions... which can't help but point back to the source.