Instruments that 'irk' you?

NicoMoreno · Post by **NicoMoreno** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 1:50 pm

I think they meant the overton whistle would be fine for hitting him, not for him to play...

Pat Cannady · Post by **Pat Cannady** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 2:03 pm

ding ding ding ding ding ding

WE HAVE A WINNAH!

Post by **Nanohedron** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 2:09 pm

And if hitting doesn't work, you can skewer him with it.

Lorenzo · Post by **Lorenzo** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 4:02 pm

Pat Cannady wrote:Lorenzo: sounds to me like this recorder playing nitwit needs to meet your pal, Mr. Taser.

I'd yell a few choice words and tell him to get the Fermanagh Ulster Connacht Kerry out of your session and never return.

Luckily, I was just passing by at Folklife in Seattle, years ago, when I saw this strange and cockamamie recorder player join a session. I've never had the fine opportunity to enjoy such a fumblistic experience, myself. That would be a hard row to hoe.

I was so astonished by his blustrification--looking so goshblustrified and everything--that it left me feeling dumfungled and has provided me with ample nightmares ever since.

NicoMoreno · Post by **NicoMoreno** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 5:40 pm

One time a flute (boehm system) player showed up at the local session, and I have been hearing about him for a while now...

(I guess he showed up numerous times, but I had the blessed misfortune to only be their for one suh lucky occurance)

Anyway, this guy is a jazz and classical player primarily and he had decided to come and play ITM "just for fun" since it didn't really take "a lot of effort".

Anyway, he somehow thought that ITM was like jazz: everything is improv, so you just "jam" with everyone, right? So he is sitting their, blasting away, sounding like crap, and doesn't have a clue.

(ok so, this was quite some time ago, and I didn't have much of a clue either, except that I knew he was too loud, and not really playing the tune...)

I find out later (recently) that he has since been trying to "write" or learn some trad music in Ab. He thought that would be dandy I guess....

Anyway... Very iritating...

Tak_the_whistler · Post by **Tak_the_whistler** » Sat Jan 24, 2004 12:21 am

NicoMoreno wrote:Anyway, [this jazz flutist] somehow thought that ITM was like jazz: everything is improv, so you just "jam" with everyone, right? So he is sitting their, blasting away, sounding like crap, and doesn't have a clue.

Nico, this is in fact one of the many temptations cross-genre (typo?) musicians have to face, especially those formerly or presently acquainted with jazz music, and they must fight it whenever it comes. I myself have a hard time having to figure out if the tune I'm playing is the same one as the one the others are playing

A jazz fan with no interests for ITM can go on improvising in the 'jam' to the end of a set without even realising it's an ITM session... Being able to get away with improvisation in a session is what many jazz advocates tend to believe before they are baptised...

meemtp · Post by **meemtp** » Sat Jan 24, 2004 11:14 am

Tak, If you're not sure you're playing the same tune as the rest of everybody, just say that it's the East Clare setting, or the Middle East Galway version that you know etc....

Corin

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Sat Jan 24, 2004 11:41 am

Good jazz improvisers, or even barely competent improvisers, listen very carefully to what the other musicians are playing and tailor their improvisations to fit. Very little jam session jazz involves polyphonic improvisation so if someone turned up to a session and noticed that everyone else was playing in unison it would become quickly evident that they were not meant to improvise a counterpoint. Since individuals would not be taking solos, it would quickly become evident that individual soloing was not a part of the music. The conclusion that you would draw immediately is that you have no business playing unless you know the tune.

Musicians behaving in the insensitive way described above would be no more welcome at a jazz jam session than they would be at an ITM session. The inclusion of an improvisatory element in a music makes listening to others more important, not less important. Any musician who thinks that you can turn up at a jam session of any kind and just noodle without regard for stylistic compatibility and group chemistry is a complete dork.

Good ITM players do improvise accompaniments and variations but always within the tight constraints recognised by the tradition and always with the proviso that they listen to, respect, and attempt to enhance what the others are doing.

Tak_the_whistler · Post by **Tak_the_whistler** » Sun Jan 25, 2004 1:28 am

meemtp wrote:Tak, If you're not sure you're playing the same tune as the rest of everybody, just say that it's the East Clare setting, or the Middle East Galway version that you know etc....

　 Thanks for the tip! That might work, actually...(thinking of giving a shot at the next session..)

ChristianRo · Post by **ChristianRo** » Thu Jan 29, 2004 8:40 am

Tak_the_whistler wrote:
"Niko"; a Chinese violin.
http://www.ishibashi.co.jp/webshop/niko/index.htm

I guess anything will irk you when it's not properly played (or not kept silent).

Aahh, an Erhu!! Beautiful, beautiful - if you know how to play it. I am sure it will compare favourably to a fiddle in a slow air competition.
I have a very fine one myself. I promised myself to seriously start learning it on my 40th birthday (in 5 years, that is...)

whistlegal · Post by **whistlegal** » Sun Feb 01, 2004 12:57 pm

We once had a vet who brought two large cow bones (femurs, I think) and banged those together. It was scarry

Another time, we had a lady who sang - not songs. Her specialty? was imitating flute, fiddle, etc.

SteveK · Post by **SteveK** » Sun Feb 01, 2004 1:23 pm

whistlegal wrote:We once had a vet who brought two large cow bones (femurs, I think) and banged those together.

Get an Elderly Instruments catalogue. It has an amazing variety of stuff that you could use to annoy people at the session. Boomwhackers, which would be used similarly to the cow bones ought to do admirably. They're advertized as "colorful, noisy fun." Apparantly they're tuned because you can get different scales. There's all kinds of shaky stuff. Shaky eggs and Remo fruit and veggie shakers. I guess my favourite is the Zydeco necktie. It's a necktie made of corrugated metal. Just wear it to the session and whip out your thimbles and you're a star.

Or maybe you could just whistle. http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/whistlintom

Steve

Steve

fancypiper · Post by **fancypiper** » Sun Feb 01, 2004 1:33 pm

I love Elderly Instrument's wooden egg. I use it a lot with the band when we do our funky stuff.

I was surprised at the work it took to get the sound I wanted out of it though, as they are sensitive to movement. I found the sidewise shake similar to playing the bones works the best without the starting off-beat stuff you get if you go up and down like I have seen rock groups do with it.

Bretton · Post by **Bretton** » Mon Feb 02, 2004 8:53 pm

I don't know that anyone really reads all the posts on these sorts of topics, but here's my $.02.

Pianos really irk me! I love harpsichord, but have not ever heard piano music of any kind that I really liked.

-brett

oleorezinator · Post by **oleorezinator** » Sun Feb 15, 2004 5:16 pm

the topic lp "the lark in the clear air" has some tracks by the wright brothers playing jigs and reels on jews harp. they make it work.