The Irish flute: An instrument or o style?

[david_h]

Try a google search for the phrase "west coast fiddle" and look at the Scottish results. Seems to be used for a style of playing.

Edit:or better "west highland fiddle" (which may be what I meant to put)

[D Mc]

Many names have little in common with what they actually are. As long as you are not discussing things like math or chemistry formulas, that's OK. It is the way language is spoken.

"A difference between popular and technical meanings of a term. For example, a koala "bear" (see below) superficially looks and acts like a bear, but is quite distinct and unrelated. Similarly, fireflies fly like flies, and ladybugs look and act like bugs. Botanically, peanuts are not nuts, even though they look and taste like nuts. The technical sense is often cited as the "correct" sense, but this is a matter of context." https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misnomer

[Javier Vila]

In summary, I don´t think it would be correct to describe these guys as "Irish flute" players:

The Hurricane by Scottish flute player Calum Stewart https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=RDEM ... WpCAYAwj9A

Breton tunes by JM Veillon & Co https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OjmP5r ... c5rcB8MNhw

French tune by Breton flute player Malo Carvou https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEKUZmw ... A8&index=5

[Nanohedron]

She provides crunch, like croutons in a salad.

Best when not over-dressed, presumably ...

You have no idea how well you hit that nail on the head: She's a total grrrl, so old jeans and a tanktop are standard fair-weather attire. One gets the impression that she only wears any clothes at all as a concession to public order.

[Conical bore]

In the words of the "Scottish fiddle" player Alasdair Fraser: “We don’t really play notes; we play clusters of notes”. “We don’t add ornaments; they’re integral to each phrase and cluster, reflecting the language in which the melody is speaking.” (https://www.sfcv.org/article/classical- ... nversation)

This is OT but maybe some here will enjoy it. My fiddler Significant Other once attended a local Scottish Fiddle camp run by Alasdair Fraser, where he made a presentation to the group talking about how the Scottish fiddle technique was related to the phrasing of the Gaelic language. Just like the quote above. This was out here in the hinterlands of the Pacific Northwest USA.

One of the attendees spoke up and asked what country "Gaelic" was.

Fraser stared for a minute, the rest of the group was polite enough not to chortle too loudly, and he explained about the language. There is a tendency in forums like this to think the whole world knows what we're talking about, but we're actually down a tiny musical rabbit hole with this stuff. It's still great to meet other musicians at the bottom of that rabbit hole and share some tunes.

[Nanohedron]

One of the attendees spoke up and asked what country "Gaelic" was.

Fraser stared for a minute, the rest of the group was polite enough not to chortle too loudly, and he explained about the language.

Fraser being in a teaching position and all, it was of course the right approach. In other situations the attendee might not have gotten off so easily:

One night at the watering hole with the usual suspects at our usual table, somehow the Isle of Man came up (don't ask; I have no idea), and someone asked what one calls its folk. Before I could speak up, our resident Irishman said, "Mannish," and winked at me.

[jemtheflute]

One night at the watering hole with the usual suspects at our usual table, somehow the Isle of Man came up (don't ask; I have no idea), and someone asked what one calls its folk. Before I could speak up, our resident Irishman said, "Mannish," and winked at me.

Aw. Not "Manky"?

[Nanohedron]

One night at the watering hole with the usual suspects at our usual table, somehow the Isle of Man came up (don't ask; I have no idea), and someone asked what one calls its folk. Before I could speak up, our resident Irishman said, "Mannish," and winked at me.

Aw. Not "Manky"?

If he thought of it, odds are good he took the natives' comprehension into account: "manky" doesn't exist in normal Yanklish vocabulary.

[jemtheflute]

One night at the watering hole with the usual suspects at our usual table, somehow the Isle of Man came up (don't ask; I have no idea), and someone asked what one calls its folk. Before I could speak up, our resident Irishman said, "Mannish," and winked at me.

Aw. Not "Manky"?

If he thought of it, odds are good he took the natives' comprehension into account: "manky" doesn't exist in normal Yanklish vocabulary.

Indeed, Nano, that had occurred to me. Hopefully the more enterprising/curious uninformed-on-the-point reader might engage in a websearch?

(Mind you. I tend to use the term for the denizens of Manchester too. )

[Nanohedron]

Hopefully the more enterprising/curious uninformed-on-the-point reader might engage in a websearch?

Well, of course in a pub we all have our smartphones with us, but the normal meatspace thing is to give actual voice to one's questions (we tend to relegate on-the-spot websearches to the task of settling disputes with the misinformed), and in the rapid-fire environment of bar banter, an explanation of "manky" would have deflated the joke, and then everyone would have to sit there twiddling their thumbs in uncomfortable awkwardness. At least everyone would be sure to have understood "mannish". More or less.

I can tell you that this very website has sent me on more vocabulary searches than I could ever hope to count, and "manky" had long ago been one of 'em.

[jemtheflute]

I can tell you that this very website has sent me on more vocabulary searches than I could ever hope to count, and "manky" had long ago been one of 'em.

[Nanohedron]

But I think it was more likely he made his choice primarily on its consistency with English, Irish, and Scottish (and no doubt other -ishes as well). Hence, Mannish.

[PB+J]

Yes "manky" is very much not "yankee." say it in the US and people will stare at you in a puzzled way

[Nanohedron]

Lest anyone be concerned, I'm sure we eventually got around to the truth. But it was more fun this way. In due course I probably would have said, "Ever heard of a Manx cat?", or something like that.

[an seanduine]

Without opening a veritable can of PC worms, I have to wonder if ´manky´ doesn´t share some DNA with a french pejorative: Homme manqué?

Bob