State of the Airs

Uilleann Pipes
21

Airs, Slow and Song Varieties: A Recipe.

Take one slow Gaelic melody (or malady) and add a nice whirring synth pad in more or less the same key underneath (you know, the real sqelchy Donal Lunny type that sounds like a UFO ticking over), intersperse with Celticy sounding blinks and trills (I suggest approaching The Chieftains or similar troupe to do this… desired effect is sort of like O’Riada but easier to understand, more gimmicky, sellable etc.). What’s important is attaining a suitably miserable apperance when playing. Gaelic misery is an attitude that will take some practice to master, untill it is obtained you can pretend that you’re miserable by not being nice, stirring into the distance, remembering the famine and “what they done to that poor fella” etc.

Staying away from the likes of that chancer Willie Clancy is really excellent advice. His CDs hardly sell at all and he hasn’t made one in years. People’s ears are becoming so much more educated and we can’t be hurting them as you know. Kenny G has valuable lessons that we Irish musicians have yet to learn.

Regards,

Harry.

22

:laughing:


PR

23

Kenny Og G! Didn’t he do that classic “My Lovely Horse” :laughing:

24

Thank God we have Harry as the ultimate arbiter of taste. Imagine how far wrong we would stray without him. :wink: Although the examples of Kenny G, Donal Lunny etc. are intentionally over-the-top by way of sarcasm, one can hardly deny that a great deal of the sean-nós airs are pretty maudlin in their content and sappy in their delivery.

I am curious, Harry. Many great pipers say they have studied WC’s playing, but don’t sound anything like him, e.g. Ronan Browne. I love the way RB does airs, and his reg work is exemplary IMHO. Are there any particular examples of WC’s airs that you think should be studied? Are there any current players you think have captured, and are playing in, WC’s style for airs that meet with your approval?

Thx,

djm

25

Good point, Harry, but I wouldn’t think the majority of the people on this forum are looking for any sure-fire way to be perceived as having lived through the famine, or riddled with Gaelic misery. I for one have enough of my own personal angst, to not think of taking on that of a whole 'nother race or culture, or even religion. This topic has been covered here before, and in some ways, a bit like the white consumption of the Blues, I think. But, spare me, that’s another forum.

This brings us into the realm of appropriation, I suppose, for good or ill. It is an unavoidable part of the rapidly changing times we live in… Should it be dismissed? Or perhaps, just perhaps a sincere appreciation of the music and musical idioms of another culture (or cultures) which should ultimately lead to a more universal consideration of the roots and essence of human experience with regards to love, longing, loss and laughter (the 4 "L"s!) and how one is able to express it… through slow “stirring” songs, or fast heart-lifting tunes.

In either case, I know there is always the danger of falling into the trap of utter self-importance here: I blaze with rage, see how fast I can play… or I melt with pity, oh, poor me, see how mournful my songs are. There is an over abundance of this in every culture…

I have given up wondering why I suddenly took up playing the pipes, or why I desire to learn the slow songs, or why I am excited about learning them… I go with the stirring inside, and leave the rest to others to figure out.

Harry’s “recipe” may have been in the spirit of humor(?) but it is an interesting aside, with regards to Irish music, or any ‘foreign’ music outside of one’s direct experience, but does it have a legitimate bearing on the “authenticity” of that expression (years and miles removed)… or the enjoyment of it?

26

Well, how about skipping past the 15,000 or so Irish tunes, grab a few Balkan rhythms, turn the volume up, add some Irish legs…voila, Riverdance!

27

I unequivocally deny that.

There’s more music in Clancy’s E to F natural slide alone than in most slow air renditions that I’ve heard lately (my own certainly included).

Check out his “The Bold Trainer O”. Check them all out. If you could play an air like that you could play anything… but would’nt need to :wink:

Cheers,

HB.

28

djm wrote:
… one can hardly deny that a great deal of the sean-nós airs are pretty maudlin in their content and sappy in their delivery.djm
Harry wrote:
I unequivocally deny that.

I was referring to the sung versions. Most of the airs I have the words and translations to are pretty drippy stuff.

When WC plays airs, they don’t sound like anybody’s singing that I’ve ever heard of. It sounds like piping in the style of someone playing pipes to me. This is in direct conflict with the instructions I mentioned earlier, i.e. to always play airs like someone singing them. I can’t find the tune you named on any of his recordings, though I 've heard the tune played by others.

djm

29

It’s on ‘The Pipering of Willie Clancy 1’(Claddagh Records).

Let singers worry about songs and pipers worry about pipes IMO. While there is much to be taken from singers in the area of phrasing, tonal variation and some ornamentation there is quite a lot that the pipes can do which singers don’t do or can’t do. The quality of the singing that you’re drawing on has also to be considered of course.

Approach the basic melody and phrasing of the air in the context of a GOOD sung version by all means, but why constrict the dynamics of the instrument if they can facilitate your self expression through the melody with practice?

Regards,

HB.

30

Bridget Fitzgerald the sean-nós teacher of the Elkins class I took (we reedmakers and players classes got to have her for the last day of the week) didn’t think much of Clancy’s airs as she had never heard a single one of his airs sung as he played them.

Seamus Ennis suggests listening to the actual singers to get the airs as well.

31

[/quote]Bridget Fitzgerald the sean-nós teacher of the Elkins class I took (we reedmakers and players classes got to have her for the last day of the week) didn’t think much of Clancy’s airs as she had never heard a single one of his airs sung as he played them[quote]

MMmmmm not sure about that one
I agree that listening to the singers is a good idea. But to dis WC because she never heard one of his airs sung as he played them seems a little harsh on the old boy!
Infact may I be so bold as to say me thinks she is talking utter bollocks!!!

32

I remember my first hearing of Willie Clancy on an old compilation vinyl. I finally thought to myself, "That’s what I have been hearing in those Chieftains albums I got (7 and 9, I think) last year. I had bought the album because it was in the whistle discography in the early L. E. McCollough whistle tutor.

He does that nice E to F natural slide in Down the Back Lane, one of my favorite jigs, which most folks play too fast to get it in just right.

I like the sort of lazy, layed back style he had.

33

She sure can sing and speaks her mind, that’s for sure. After all, she is Irish!

She proceeded this statement with “I am sure that most of you will disagree with me and I am not putting down Willie Clancy’s playing, but”

Does your nose run and your feet smell? You got your tags backwards :smiling_imp:

34

Willies playing of Airs to me is other worldly. He could really bring out lots of expression and feeling in his playing of Airs
The lady is entitled to her opinion, but… Ahhh man she is so wrong :cry:

35

Yup, that Bold Trainer O is a spine tingler for sure. My sister misread my handwriting and remarked what a great tune/playing the ‘Bold Trousers O’ was… She certainly didn’t mishear though!

And intrepretation is a great gift, it’s one thing to have the ‘original’ and slavishly recreate, it’s another to succesfully make it your own, but I think this has already been discusseded (sic) to death…or has it??

Alan

36

Mebbe it has and mebbe it’s not :boggle:
Alan; your new avatar has a calming influence on me… I always found the eye a little unnerving. Was it your eye… or one you’d borrowed :wink:

37

Now, don’t let me influence your mood.

<That’s merely a temporary ‘new age’ testcard.





Alan

38

Let singers worry about songs and pipers worry about pipes IMO. While there is much to be taken from singers in the area of phrasing, tonal variation and some ornamentation there is quite a lot that the pipes can do which singers don’t do or can’t do. The quality of the singing that you’re drawing on has also to be considered of course.

Approach the basic melody and phrasing of the air in the context of a GOOD sung version by all means, but why constrict the dynamics of the instrument if they can facilitate your self expression through the melody with practice?

This is good to hear, Harry, and it makes sense. Means I don’t have to spend an additional 10 years learning Gaelic! Whew!!

39

Ennis did make that song/air playing statement but he played several airs himself that would seem to contradict it. He admitted to not knowing the words to “The Wounded Hussar” for example.

He also claimed that it took 21 years to learn the pipes. We can quickly discount that by listening to his own playing recorded when he was but 21 yrs of age (and he didn’t pop into this world playing the pipes I can assure you).

He famously told fairy stories- are we to believe in fairies as well then?

It’s all mistique building stuff. I find it very entertaining and very important but I wouldn’t write it down as bible.

Regarding the aforementioned lady: I don’t know her to judge her knowledge of anything, but if she is an expert on singing then it doesn’t make her an expert on piping IMO. Why would you listen to Willie Clancy and want to hear what a singer would do or vice versa:-? :confused: :confused: :confused:

Willie could sing a song himself of course.

For a good example of great unapologetic air playing outside the singing tradition check out Tommy Potts’ music. There is a house recording of himself and Ennis at variance on the subject of singing and playing airs. Potts states that he doesn’t know the words to any of the airs that he plays (and he really plays them!)

Regards,

HB.

40

You don’t???

Harry is obviously not a reedmaker or you have made one of the good folk mad… :boggle: