Tell us something.: Learning the Irish flute, asking questions about it, reading topics related to wind instruments. What is the best Tin Whistle, that sort of thing.
benhall.1 wrote:
But there's nowhere nice - that I can find - to talk about the use of stringed instruments, especially fiddle, in ITM. You'd think there would be.
It's not primarily about stringed instruments, and certainly not primarily about fiddle. The other issue I find now is that the people who could play, who used to post there, don't any more. Please let's not get into specific individuals, though.
Re TheSession.org
Absolutely spot on! Indeed there is nothing on that site any more of interest to enthusiasts. All of the focus today is virtual, Facebook, YouTube, and the updated ABC site and far better for tunes.
As for sessions, today's are a pale shadow to the initial burst back in 90's and 00s. I don't bother with them these days... rather socialize on FB or here.
"The more you weigh the harder you are to kidnap,
be safe, eat more ice-cream"
Tell us something.: I have a fascination for musical instruments of all kinds, and though I'm not a very good player I have a small collection of acoustic instruments including 5 recorders, 3 tin whistles , 3 guitars and 2 ukuleles.
Tell us something.: I'm a fiddler and, latterly, a fluter. I love the flute. I wish I'd always played it. I love the whistle as well. I'm blessed in having really lovely instruments for all of my musical interests.
Location: Unimportant island off the great mainland of Europe
Tell us something.: I have a fascination for musical instruments of all kinds, and though I'm not a very good player I have a small collection of acoustic instruments including 5 recorders, 3 tin whistles , 3 guitars and 2 ukuleles.
Tell us something.: I'm a fiddler and, latterly, a fluter. I love the flute. I wish I'd always played it. I love the whistle as well. I'm blessed in having really lovely instruments for all of my musical interests.
Location: Unimportant island off the great mainland of Europe
Tell us something.: I have a fascination for musical instruments of all kinds, and though I'm not a very good player I have a small collection of acoustic instruments including 5 recorders, 3 tin whistles , 3 guitars and 2 ukuleles.
Tell us something.: I'm a fiddler and, latterly, a fluter. I love the flute. I wish I'd always played it. I love the whistle as well. I'm blessed in having really lovely instruments for all of my musical interests.
Location: Unimportant island off the great mainland of Europe
Tell us something.: To add to the renaissance flute discussion that is under way. Well, the rest of this field is going to be taken up by a long sentence, which is this one, because a hundred characters are needed before it is accepted.
As guitarist I could not think much of anything I would chat about with another guitarist... silently share some appreciation of someone else's music maybe ? I think technique is self evident or needs in person (as in being present) suggestion. Wouldn't talk much about guitar sounds either, nor would others beyond "nice tone" or "you can tell the difference" . Maybe guitarists spend their time between fitting in and doing their own thing...accompaniment or lead...just expected to play, unlike flautists who are a bit more of an unknown quantity ?
What is funny is coming here with much less experience at flute playing. Actually I made a bit of a blunder because I only just read under "Flute Forum" the "Irish flute" tag, and "fipple" had me thinking recorders and so on, so not so focused. I don't even know what a Chiff is but it sounds like someone's name. As Irish flute is more popular nowadays, I initially thought it had sort of taken a prominence on this site, so I go posting a renaissance clip on "best vids"...... good tone though and some harp.... umm ? Although I play some Irish music I joined more to talk about flutes and flute playing in general...and I think flute playing is like that because with flute you only have air for the sound, and somehow it is hard to fathom, has an unknown to it, one that you cannot just point out, and that is sort of humbling in a way, or personal, if not mysterious even to the player ?
Anyway, I'm wondering if "Irish flute" means the style or the instrument, because I also wonder about how music and instruments evolved and look for similarities including in history , which is a small window of understanding that is not often explored but is relevant ? For example earliest feadan found are 12th century, though mentioned once much earlier... but the "Viking visitors" had flutes, in England they have found bone flutes through the ages... but not in Ireland (?) except the very early Wicklow pipes (pan possibly) and Mayophone (reed 700 AD) both of Yew... and so I'm thinking feadan written in texts might also mean flute... or that flutes were made mostly of wood in Ireland and just not written of, even common reed can have 2.5cm diameter stem (here in Portugal and Spain larger Arunda cane grows everywhere and is easy to make flutes from, and reed instruments) ....and so simple cylindrical flutes might have been played previously without evidence because of being wood...which would justify talking of renaissance flutes for similarity of capability ... and even if not renaissance flutes are ancestor to baroque and irish style flutes and were probably also played in Ireland (?)... given only a couple hundred or less original ones surviving in the whole of europe as far as I know maybe if those were also being played in Ireland no trace is left ?
I'm just making a long excuse there, and to return to strings in my experience string players don't have too much to talk about ... it's either listening or getting down to it mostly.
I did post some Baroque and Verdiales links of videos in that strings video thread... it's traditional but not Irish music... but then...what strings are traditional Irish... harp for sure...fiddle might be ancient... lute or banjo since how long... and Irish guitar ?
I think something of musical style always travels with any instrument as well, so there is some sharing of influence between closely related versions of instrument. Doesn't make any traditional music less authentic, but to my thinking it makes other music played with similar instrument more interesting or understandable or familiar somehow.
I make my excuses and carry on till someone tells me to shut-up, which will probably be quite soon .