colomon wrote:The difference is that he's a proper clone, playing like James does, rather than a cheap clone who just thoughtlessly repeats something that James did once.
Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but that's how "not another Martin Hayes clone" sounds to me -- someone who has spent a lot of time listening and watching Martin Hayes and mimics his style, not necessarily his exact stream of notes...
Actually, really, are there any people out there who mimic exactly a given recording of some tune? I mean, there are lots of recordings I've listened to again and again, and worked to play "like that" -- but I don't think there's a single recording out there that I could play note-for-note all the way through. Heck, I'd be surprised if there were any eight bar passages I could play exactly, though I suppose it might happen by chance occasionally.
This first is an interesting statement! I think that the word 'clone' implies a level of conscious copying that is not really in the spirit of the tradition. For example, it is obvious from the Carson anecdote that the fiddler in question, while undeniably influenced strongly by James Kelly, was nonetheless not overtly announcing this influence. There is no mention in that instance of ornamentation or note-pattern 'copying'. However, a lot of the time, when people talk about a 'clone' in Ireland, there is an overt, obvious link between the musician in question and the person being 'copied'. (I don't like to use that word, since it is possible - and encouraged, often - to take elements from a variety of musicians and combine them to create one's own style, but I can't think of another right now). For example, I've been to sessions where people have sat down and played all the tracks from a Michael McGoldrick cd, exactly as they occur on the cd, complete with variation and (sometimes) ornamentation. And, while there's nothing wrong with that, and I'm sure McGoldrick wouldn't actually object, I personally feel that, if I make the effort to leave the confines of my room/house and find other musicians, I'd like to play something other than what I've been listening to on cd.
A variation that sounds wonderful and exciting on the cd will tend to lose its appeal quite quickly when you know that it's coming in the next part, next time 'round, and that it'll be played by people who are more than capable of thinking up and playing their own versions. At least that's my opinion.
I have learned versions of tunes by heart from cds - there's a version of the Cork Hornpipe on 'I Won't Be Afraid Any More' by the now sadly-disbanded Nomos: it's a wonderful track, with so much crazy stuff happening that I just had to figure it out. I can play it along with the cd, perfectly. However, if I know that someone else has done x and y - and z, too! -with this (or any) tune, I won't play it (publicly, that is, and/or solo) unless I can find something to do with it myself, that isn't copying the Nomos version. I can't explain it, really; I've just always felt really uncomfortable about taking other peoples' variations and playing them as my own. Even when I've combined a number of musicians' versions within a tune, I still can't do it. I'm probably crazy. But doing just that is important, not only to learn how to combine variants of tunes, and styles, but also as a way of experimenting with your own variations.
There is a fine line between copying (in the best sense: kind of like
becoming
), and 'cloning' (:) ->
). In Ireland, trad musicians don't copyright sets or tunes (unless they're the composers), but rather 'arrangements'. While it'd be pretty hard (I would imagine) to claim that someone has exactly copied your arrangement, and very few musicians would take emulation as a bad thing, taking all of tune A from
x fiddler, and all of tune B from
y piper, and making them your own set, well, that's not so kosher. Sets aren't the issue; consciously copying a tune, phrase for phrase, is where issues of copyright and plagiarism become cloudy - and I don't just mean in the legal sense.
Within Ireland, also, there are issues of regional style. For examply, I'm from Sliabh Luachra, broadly speaking. And I can play quite well in that style. However, if I decided that I wanted to play like Martin Hayes, who plays in a very West Clare style (I hope it's not East, or I'll be shot
! ), well, that would raise serious issues for some people, about identity and music. I think that this relates to the 'Martin Hayes clone' comment. There is definitely a sense of choice in terms of how any musician plays. I choose not to play like Brian Finnegan, for example, although he is a wonderful flute player. So choosing to play like probably the most internationally high-profile Irish fiddler may imply for some people that finding the less popular/famous musicians, and more regional styles, and lesser-known tunes, is too much trouble for this player. This is a big assumption, but it is made. So, in short, play like Martin Hayes if you want, but be aware that this may be an issue, and have tunes that (a) you play like someone else, or (b) that MH has never recorded, on hand!
My novel will be out later this week...
Hope anyone who trawls through this gets
something out of it!
Deirdre
Edited to fix slelpnig matskie... :roll: