Hi there everyone, I saw this thread on the DVD I produced and wanted to thank everyone for their comments. I hope it's okay to explain a few things, and offer some background too.
A little about my background (okay you can skip this part, lol), I acquired the love of Irish music from my parents who come from Ireland. I play ITM on flute, whistle and pipes and I'm in a band called The Kells. We play locally like most bands, doing pub gigs, weddings, etc. We also perform and been asked to teach workshops at various festivals: Milwaukee, Indy, Dublin, St. Louis Tionol, etc. You may have heard us play as you enter Michael Burke's website, and on many of his audio samples.
Here's a little background on why I decided to make an instructional DVD. It was Grey Larsen and Sir James Galway who both suggested to me on separate occasions that I should write a book. What's a guy to say, "no"?
Well, instead of a book, off I started the year long process of producing a DVD because I thought a DVD might help others more. In a follow-up meeting with Sir James, I was pleased to hear him say that it was the best information he's seen on the subject. He then asked me to present it at the National Flute Association Convention in NYC's Times Square where I was pleased to see that it was met with much interest.
It's and honor to see all the kind comments and reviews on this site. I also see some questions too, so if anyone would like to discuss thoughts and concerns such as the following, please feel free to let me know….
-- MarkP : "Make any sheet music sound Irish instantly. … if only!"
-- lingpupa: "Play. Absorb. Watch. Listen again. Don't be fooled into thinking that there is just a handful of "secret tricks" that will make you into a real ITM player if only you shell out a few more tens of bucks. Confession: that site really gets up my nose. Sorry, but that's that's the way it is."
Well, I can suggest some good decongestants for you if you think that might help, lol.
Just kidding… Sorry if my site bothers anyone, it was not my intention. I hope I haven't been insensitive to the demands of ITM on the flute. Agreed, there's more to becoming a "real ITM player" than just buying any DVD. For me, it's a been a 30 year journey and counting. But you must admit that some of those "secret tricks" are hard to discern by just listening, and that method is very time-consuming, a luxury some can't afford. I wish I had a tutorial when I started out, so I hope the DVD helps to shorten the path for some.
Maybe saying, "sound (more) Irish instantly", would have been more accurate, agreed. I do maintain, however, that a beginner or a classical player using this 90min DVD and practicing with it, will be able to "sound Irish instantly". Sound "Irish"… as opposed to "classical". Sound "Irish"… but not "masterfully Irish" yet, obviously.
I did try my best when writing the liner notes and website, but maybe I missed a nuance or two. I did model my verbiage after Grey Larsen's book and back cover with his permission, Mel Bay DVDs, and other instructional sites. Maybe all the "due diligence" and "best practices" missed the mark a bit, but I hope that does not detract from anyone considering the DVD or judging it's contents. So as far as the website and cover are concerned, I'll wait to see if I get more comments and if so, I'll consider changing them then.
I've had many good and favorable comments from the many people who bought the DVD, and from NFA convention attendees, and from Sir James Galway himself. So I trust that the DVD and website are pretty much on the mark, in general. In fact, my website provider liked the site so much, that they hand picked it from among the 1000's of sites that they host, and featured it as an example of a good site in their latest web ad. If anyone would like to check it out, it's under the "What people are saying" section at this link:
http://creativity.ecommerce.com/public/ ... pmain.html
Oh, one more point, some have mentioned the pricing. Not quite as complete as Grey Larsen's famous book at $50 but more complete than tune book/cd combos at $25-30, it's priced to be less than the cost of an hour of instruction from most music stores, and yet in-line with most ITM instruction for an hour. Yes, it's on the high side of most instructional DVDs, but they're usually 60min with a book, and this is 90min with printable media. Specialized DVDs are also usually more than their counterparts. For the proficient ITM flute player, this DVD might or might not be specialized information. However, for anyone with a classical flute attempting ITM, there is nothing else on the market today to help them. So it's a specialized DVD in that case, as evidenced by Sir James Galway's endorsement. Further, although Sir James has mentioned publishing the DVD, as of now the DVD does not enjoy the economies of scale that publishing affords, which can lower sale price while still counterbalancing the production costs that have been incurred: equipment, software, cameras, computers, writing, filming, mixing, editing, professional consultations, artwork, photography, and printing costs.
That being said, if you were to talk to any of my regular students they'd confirm that I'm serious when I say, that if anyone cannot afford the DVD please contact me directly and we'll figure something out. Promoting the learning ITM is what I, and probably anyone on this site, is mostly concerned with.
Well, I want to thank everyone for allowing me to give some background and information regarding the DVD. Thanks again for all your comments, and it's an honor to be mentioned on C&F indeed. Please let anyone you know that has a classical flute, that there is something out there specifically tailored for them to learn ITM, if they think they might be interested in a DVD of it's kind.
Thanks,
Brian McCoy
http://www.dvd.kellsband.com
http://www.kellsband.com
