Learning to play ITM

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Re: Learning to play ITM

Post by ecadre »

AuLoS303 wrote:Hmm, I just thought that ITM was an accepted acronym amongst the whistle community in general.
I don't mean to be continually contrarian in regards to your posts (it's accidental ... really!), but, what "whistle community"?
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Re: Learning to play ITM

Post by Nanohedron »

Peter Duggan wrote:... I agree with ecadre and neither like nor use it myself.
I limit using "ITM" to only where the term properly applies, so that's why I use "Trad" wherever I can instead. Around here, normally that means an Hiberno-Caledonian field of interest first (which is my interest too), but for me "Trad" can also include the Welsh, Breton, Galician, Cornish, Manx and even English traditions where the term fits. On this board, the term for me represents folk musics originating within a well-described geographic limit. It always makes me wonder, though, if other traditions use the same word "Trad" for their world as well.
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Re: Learning to play ITM

Post by benhall.1 »

Nanohedron wrote:It always makes me wonder, though, if other traditions use the same word "Trad" for their world as well.
Round here, recently, whenever I've used the term "trad" (which, by the way, is my preferred term as well) to describe what I'm interested in playing, it's been interpreted by people who don't know me as meaning that I play jazz. It must have happened on at least the last half dozen occasions on which I've used the term. It's rather putting me off the term ...
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Re: Learning to play ITM

Post by Nanohedron »

I only use the term within an already-understood context such as here, or a session, or the like; outside of that, I'm a lot more specific in my terms. This is probably in large part due to the first time the word "Trad" was ever thrown at me: I had no clue, and was deeply embarrassed under the circumstances.
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Re: Learning to play ITM

Post by benhall.1 »

You know what? If I'm in company where I don't know whether they know what I do or not, and I don't know whether or not they know anything about trad, in our sense, I just tend to say, "Oh, I play Irish stuff; you know, jigs 'n' reels 'n' stuff." You do sometimes get the broad light of recognition closely followed by, "Oh, like Black Velvet Band, Fields of Athenry 'n' stuff!" At that point, I know I'm onto a loser in any case.
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Re: Learning to play ITM

Post by Nanohedron »

benhall.1 wrote:You do sometimes get the broad light of recognition closely followed by, "Oh, like Black Velvet Band, Fields of Athenry 'n' stuff!"
You know that's going to be most people. It's the cross we bear.

But it seems to me that most audience-y types gravitate toward the songs rather than the dance music; songs are probably easier for them to get a grip on, plus if they know them, they can sing along. And I've seen some pretty bad acts that succeeded because they were song-heavy and the lead vox knew how to work a crowd. Quality doesn't win hearts every time. I remember one bar gig where a patron said he wanted songs; unfortunately for him, we were only equipped to play dance tune sets. Ah, well. Can't please everyone. If we could inspire any punters to twirl and dance, or even just clap along, I counted that as a triumph, because it meant we weren't just wallpaper any more, but actually got enough of their attention for them to register approval. Once I started playing with a band that did more songs, the audience was exponentially more engaged. In bars, that's just how it is.

One of the funniest song requests I ever got was from a drunk lady who wanted "Danny Boy". She helpfully tried to jog our memories by singing it - conductor's hands and all - but she used the melody to "O Holy Night". Naturally she got stuck, and became crestfallen. In typical good form, the lead man said, "We don't have that one, but we've got one for you that's just as good," and proceeded to saw away at yet another dance tune.
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Re: Learning to play ITM

Post by ecadre »

"and even English traditions" :poke:
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Re: Learning to play ITM

Post by Nanohedron »

ecadre wrote:"and even English traditions" :poke:
Priorities. :wink:
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Re: Learning to play ITM

Post by AuLoS303 »

ecadre wrote:
AuLoS303 wrote:Hmm, I just thought that ITM was an accepted acronym amongst the whistle community in general.
I don't mean to be continually contrarian in regards to your posts (it's accidental ... really!), but, what "whistle community"?
Meaning people who play tin whistle! Members of this forum and the Facebook groups, Instagram and youtube accounts.
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Re: Learning to play ITM

Post by fatmac »

ITM/Trad - isn't it really just Folk Music, from different Countries. :)
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Re: Learning to play ITM

Post by Mr.Gumby »

ITM/Trad - isn't it really just Folk Music, from different Countries.
Perhaps just a matter of terminology but in Ireland there's a distinction i nthe use of #folk# and 'traditional'. Ofcourse there are some gry areas but 'traditional' would not be identified 'folk'.

In the last two years or so there's been a sort of resurgence of the 'F' word but I don't know any traditional musician who would identify themselves as playing 'folk music'. I certainly wouldn't.
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Re: Learning to play ITM

Post by AuLoS303 »

Funny when I hear the word folk I think of some guy or woman on stage with long hair playing acoustic guitar.
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Re: Learning to play ITM

Post by AuLoS303 »

benhall.1 wrote:." You do sometimes get the broad light of recognition closely followed by, "Oh, like Black Velvet Band, Fields of Athenry 'n' stuff!" At that point, I know I'm onto a loser in any case.
Hmm, not heard of those bands. I know people who would more likely say Flogging Molly or Mumford and Sons. But don't ask me, I don't know any ITM/Trad bands aside from the Chieftains
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Re: Learning to play ITM

Post by fatmac »

Keith.
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Re: Learning to play ITM

Post by kenny »

"Something that doesn't get a lot of mention or recognition in popular culture, in cliches about traditional/folk music, is that there is a lot of English traditional music being played on tin whistles,..... "
Any recorded examples, please ? Who, for instance, would be the English tin whistle equivalent of say, Mary Bergin ?
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