Seattle Tionol - The day after...

eskin · Post by **eskin** » Mon Feb 16, 2004 11:29 am

Well, I'll kick this off...

I attended the tionol along with Larry Dunn, Joey Alberta, and Fel Bautista representing the SoCal club.

I had an incredible time at the event, and in particular at the party Friday night at Kevin's place. The tunes were still flowing even as we left at 3 AM. The highlight of the evening for me was when we had 8 pipers playing the Bucks of Oranmore together at full speed, everyone really knowing what they were doing, what a thrill! I was quite surprised to see that my fiddler friend, Melanie, had taken the train up from L.A. Last time I saw her was at the CTMS Solstice last year, and before that in Japan.

Unfortunately, I wasn't much use the next day running on 3 hours sleep, started dozing off in Joe McKenna's afternoon class. Joe was amazing, didn't teach piping fingering technique or tunes, more on the sort of Zen of piping, how to visualize a circle of air to create the best tone, how to get ones mind and body ready to play a tune, and relaxed playing. We used the Old Foggy Dew as a slow tune to use to focus on tone and intonation. Very useful practices that I can immediately start putting to use in my playing. The level of players in the class was quite high, at one point he had us going around the room continuously playing variations on the A part of a reel, with the rule being that whatever we played it had to be different from whatever had been played before. Great fun and quite amazing what comes out sometimes when given that kind of setting.

Sometime in the middle of the day, my 4 year old chanter reed started squealing like crazy everytime I'd slide from a ghost D, and on examination, it was clear that it had cracked, luckily I had a spare that seems to be quite good, probably never had it in the chanter before.

Unfortunately I didn't make it to the concert or the ceili (couldn't stay awake), played in a few daytime mini-sessions (I was by then, a complete zombie). Also flew out early on Sunday morning, so I'd love to hear how things went on day two.

I didn't catch everyone's names, but I really enjoyed playing with y'all! Please let me know if you ever make it down to San Diego.

Cheers,

Michael

feadogin · Post by **feadogin** » Mon Feb 16, 2004 12:31 pm

Still recovering myself from the sleepless weekend...

Sorry to hear about your reed, Michael.

I spent the whole day Saturday in David Power's class. We worked on Garret Barry's and Madam Bonaparte, and worked on some different ornaments, talked about diferent ways to do vibrato in particular. That guy really has all the techniques down, that's for sure. I gather he's pretty much self-taught, too, at least on the regs.

The concert was great, although I would have liked to see a piper in every set, but I guess we must mix it up a little for the general public. One of the nice things about the tionol this time was that there were little sessions going on in the building all day, and all the ones I heard were pretty good. And of course it's always nice to meet up with those people that you only see at the tionol.

It was also nice to see so many women pipers there, compared to past tionols I've been to. I think I saw at least 6 or 7 of us...

Oh, and I'm always impressed at the interest in music in general up there in Seattle. When we were on our way to the airport, I actually heard tracks by the performers at the tionol being played on the radio!

Only in Seattle...

Justine

fel bautista · Post by **fel bautista** » Tue Feb 17, 2004 2:16 am

Just got back home from Seattle via UC Berkeley. What a weekend!!!
I hope the Seattle folks got a recording of David Power's rendition of the Fox Chase. My gosh, can he lay down the notes. Joe McKenna's medly of the tunes his teachers taught can not be described. I don't think any one can say they've ever seen regulator playing like that. Two amazing muscians.
Had a great lesson with David on Saturday and Sunday- advice to take back was be free to make mistakes in your playing. The folks in New Jersey are really lucky to have him teaching there.
We had lunch with Joe and Dave on Sunday and wound up talking about, of all things-NO Not bikes, but fly fishing the Suir River. Even have a tentative name for a tune- the fly fisherman's reel.
Thanks to the Seattle Club for a wonderful weekend.

Went to Cal to see my daughter on the way back and found an old timey session at Jupiter's and some live Irish music at Beckett's on Sunday nite. Also went to the Albatross Pub on San Pablo and they advertise a session on the 1st thursday of each month.

vcolby · Post by **vcolby** » Tue Feb 17, 2004 3:47 am

Guys,

Thanks for the descriptions -- sitting in Hong Kong a long way from my pipes and your descriptions of the event lightened my spirit. I will have to make it out there next year.

Don't drink Guinness in Hong Kong -- like canned battery acid.

Cheers,

Virgil

tommykleen · Post by **tommykleen** » Tue Feb 17, 2004 6:51 am

I too, survived Seattle. Someday, I hope to catch up on sleep. I would mostly just second what everyone has said above. I had so much fun in Seattle. The club there did their usually tremendous job. For me it is worth going just to hang out with them! Joe McKenna's Saturday "zen" class was a nice surprise. I was dissapointed that David Power's Sunday class didn't run its full course for various reasons. Played like crazy at a session on Sunday night, and then finished the evening listening to three great pipers at yet another session til close. Got three hours sleep and headed home. Oh, and I was very entertained the whole weekend by those Rollicking Lads of the Greater LA Area. That Larry Dunn had me laughing SO hard that I squirted milk out of my nose...and I wasn't even drinking milk.

t

glands · Post by **glands** » Tue Feb 17, 2004 9:47 am

Your comments, Tom, are proof in point that not all good pipers understand the process of education and thus many of 'em are poor instructors. Too bad Mr. Power failed to take into consideration that attentive interested persons took time off work and away from their families and spend hard-earned cash to travel in order to avail themselves of an opportunity to benefit from tutelage of some sort.

Tom, you shoulda claimed it was milk...regardless of what it was!!!! Bunch 'o guys hanging around together on Valentines day on the west coast........you leave too much to the imagination of perverted minds!

leremarkable · Post by **leremarkable** » Tue Feb 17, 2004 10:35 am

Tom,
I'm really sorry you were dissapointed with my Sunday class.

Couple of points though, start time was 11.00, and I was standing
outside the class at this time waiting for the door to be opened. I
was then greeted by a group of people who wanted to discuss the
previous nights concert, and also to show photo's they had taken.

When the classroom was opened, we went in, I asked if it was ok to go and get a cup of coffee, and nobody objected.

We finished for a group photo at 1.00pm like you say, and my understanding was that that was the end of the classes. I went for lunch
with a group of pipers, pity you didn't get to come with us. We walked to
a place, and when we came back from lunch, it was time for the recital,
in which I participated. The previous Saturday, I taught all day from early
morning till almost six in the evening. Again, pity you weren't there for it.

I am painfully aware of the lengths that people go to to attend these things, and thats why I did my best to do a good job.

I have to say once more, sorry your experience was not what you expected.

Regards,

David Power

tommykleen · Post by **tommykleen** » Tue Feb 17, 2004 11:54 am

David,

Your points are well taken. Actually, I am now listening to what I DID record out of the class. Clearly there are enough gems you delivered to us to keep me going for quite awhile. What I wanted that day was some time with a teacher to work on technique (probably not the best plan for a tionol). Joe's classes on Saturday (although very good) were not very technique oriented. There were a group of people who took Joe's classes on Saturday (your classes on Saturday were labeled as beginner/intermediate), thinking they'd take yours on Sunday, and when that didn't happen, they were bummed out...especially after hearing you at the concert play so brilliantly. It was not explained in the class that class was, in fact, over.

It is hard not to have a BIG personal agenda when you travel all the way, and the money and the time away from family blah, blah, blah. If I were strategically minded, I would just fly to New Jersey for tuition for fecks sake. Maybe that is the better plan.

t

leremarkable · Post by **leremarkable** » Tue Feb 17, 2004 12:20 pm

And you'd be very welcome - it is a pleasure to teach someone
who has the capacity to appreciate what you as a teacher are trying to
show.
Yesterday, it felt like I was travelling all day to get home, there were
airport delays associated with the holiday, I left Seatac at midday and didn't
get home to my door till almost 11.00 pm local NJ time.

tommykleen · Post by **tommykleen** » Tue Feb 17, 2004 1:14 pm

I too had an odessy getting home. The first flight to Denver was about to rev and take off, when I guy staggers out of his seat and collapses in the lav. Stopped everything. Back to terminal, removed man, started again. Then the second leg of the flight was bucking 50 mph winds.

Those who know me know I hate flying. Actually I don't mind the flying: it's the pesky crashing I could do without. On the brighter side, my brother is my dentist, so getting the dental records is no problemo.

t

Patrick D'Arcy · Post by **Patrick D'Arcy** » Tue Feb 17, 2004 1:34 pm

tommykleen wrote:On the brighter side, my brother is my dentist, so getting the dental records is no problemo.

t

glands · Post by **glands** » Tue Feb 17, 2004 1:57 pm

this one would be more appropriate for the latest comments

glands · Post by **glands** » Tue Feb 17, 2004 2:17 pm

I would just fly to New Jersey for tuition for fecks sake. Maybe that is the better plan.

You have hit the nail right on the head. Based on commentary provided by Mr. Powers and others, it seems Mr. Powers indeed was successful in imparting new knowledge to attendees. Perhaps your frustrations are related more to the organization of the event.

I just spend a week in Ireland. I had a lovely evening (and into the wee morning) with Neillidh Mulligan and also a tremendous day with Brian McNamara. On both occasions, we just played tunes, worked on new technique and approaches for tunes I play well, and I also got a new tune in the bag from the playing of each of these gentlemen. I personally feel I got more out of those encounters than I would have at any tionol. Thus, I agree, sometimes it may be best to work out an arrangement and fly for individual tutelage. This is probably the best value if its serious advancement of piping you're aiming to accomplish. Consider the tionol as a means to get together with friends from all over and attempt to learn what one can realizing the limits imposed due to the exisitence of the third law of thermodynamics.

Brian played three finalized tracks from his new CD for my enjoyment and commentary. I can say that, based on this limited assessment, the work is going to be tremendous and I anxiously await the release of the product. I highly recommend the work to all.

tommykleen · Post by **tommykleen** » Tue Feb 17, 2004 2:34 pm

Here it is:

§:>=o))

That's me (curly hair), laughing so hard that, well, Guinness, is coming out of my pointy nose (both nostrils). Oh, and I have double chins.

Yes, further reflection points to organizational hurdles rather than poor Mr. Power. To be fair, these host clubs do a great job under the circumstances: All-volunteer staff, not knowing how many attendees to plan for, caring, feeding, watering of guests, finding keys to locked rooms, hyper-reliance on healthy adrenal glands (that's endocrine talk BTW) and so on. The Glandinator is spot-on again. Tionoling is best done when you are going for the company, craic, and exposure to a variety of pipes and pipers.

t

fel bautista · Post by **fel bautista** » Tue Feb 17, 2004 2:42 pm

tommykleen wrote:The Glandinator...

Hope you're not running for political office in TN!!!