viola fiddling

[monkey587]

Just let the viola be its own instrument. On whistle/flute, we have to shift bits of the music around into different octaves to make tunes fit that otherwise would not. I don't see any reason why you couldn't do that on viola.

[dubhlinn]

I think it would be a lovely thing to do.

Forget about transposing keys and all that just pretend that you are tuned to fiddle pitch and play from the sheet.
If you are down by a fifth, jigs in minor keys would sound really nice and even more minorish than on a fiddle...if you know what I mean

Slan,
D.

[NicoMoreno]

I believe there were also some viola tracks on the Buttons and Bows albums that the Maguire brothers did with Jackie Daly? I believe both Seamus and Manus play viola as well as fiddle.

Looking at the record jacket, it has fiddle and viola listed below Seamus' name. So yeah, apparently there is viola on it.

Good record, that... Inisheer... ahh... oh, and The first month of summer... very nice reel.

[Wormdiet]

I have to echo the comments about Martin Hayes on "In Good Company." There's a track of jigs and one of reels and both sound great. Kevin plays his Bb on them. Good stuff.

[BoneQuint]

Hey I wonder can you play reels on Cello?

I didn't think you could play reels on guitar until Tony McManus came along and I didn't think you could play reels on Saxaphone until I saw someone coming to our sessions do it.

So, what about reels on Cello?

Is it possible?

Andy

I play sometimes with a fantastic bassist who on some tunes doubles the melody "fiddling" on an upright bass. We do some old-time fiddle reels, and she can play them, full-tilt, bowed, way up the neck. Makes me grin every time, sounds great.

[Craig Stuntz]

(all jokes aside--save them for the bodhran!)

Must resist the urge...

I am strong. I can control myself.

OK, so the wizened conductor of a U.S. orchestra was...

Never mind. Going off to calm down.

[psmithltd]

I saw a fellow from Cincinatti playing the viola in a trio at the St. Louis fleadh this year, and played some tunes with him the night before. It sounded pretty neat, he was playing in the normal keys and whatnot. It would be pretty cool for some Kerry or Donegal music where they're octave doubling anyway, just deeper and richer.

I'd love to hear the octave fiddle strings! That sounds really neat.

[fluti31415]

If you didn't live in MD, and I didn't live in CO, I"d say come on over, and we can start a viola/oboe I"T"M band.

Appropriate. If I had chosen a band instrument, instead of strings way back in those olden days, it would have been oboe. I always had to do the odd thing.

Shudder -- we oboists like to think that an oboe is *not* a band instrument -- the music is terrible, and the oboe parts are even worse.

This is quite interesting, though -- I have always thought that if I had to do it over, I'd have taken up viola.

[emmline]

If you didn't live in MD, and I didn't live in CO, I"d say come on over, and we can start a viola/oboe I"T"M band.

Appropriate. If I had chosen a band instrument, instead of strings way back in those olden days, it would have been oboe. I always had to do the odd thing.

Shudder -- we oboists like to think that an oboe is *not* a band instrument -- the music is terrible, and the oboe parts are even worse.

This is quite interesting, though -- I have always thought that if I had to do it over, I'd have taken up viola.

I mean "band" in the sense that in 3rd or 4th grade one could take up an instrument in school (got you out of class,) and the options were "orchestra," i.e. violin, viola, or cello, and "band," meaning anything blown or percussion.

[fluti31415]

Appropriate. If I had chosen a band instrument, instead of strings way back in those olden days, it would have been oboe. I always had to do the odd thing.

Shudder -- we oboists like to think that an oboe is *not* a band instrument -- the music is terrible, and the oboe parts are even worse.

This is quite interesting, though -- I have always thought that if I had to do it over, I'd have taken up viola.

I mean "band" in the sense that in 3rd or 4th grade one could take up an instrument in school (got you out of class,) and the options were "orchestra," i.e. violin, viola, or cello, and "band," meaning anything blown or percussion.

Oh, I hope you don't think I was chewing you out -- I meant it as a joke. Please forgive me if my tone wasn't the best.

[Cynth]

We live near a small college and they have what is called a "symphonic band"---maybe that means they don't march. I always resisted going to the concerts thinking I didn't like band music. WELL! I love band music as it turns out. They do play quite a mix of things, but I like the old stand bys best, especially when they really get to roaring away. I don't know if they have oboes, though. And I don't know if the individual parts are bad. Oh dear, off-topic. Not an attempt to censor!

[emmline]

Oh, I hope you don't think I was chewing you out -- I meant it as a joke. Please forgive me if my tone wasn't the best.

Not at all. I confess though, that I still harbor a slight 30 year old resentment that it was the band kids who were cool and hip--even the administration ignored the orchestra geeks! Set me in geek mode for life, I'm afraid.

[colomon]

We live near a small college and they have what is called a "symphonic band"---maybe that means they don't march.

There's actually quite a very nice "serious" band music written in the 20th century -- Holst's suites for band, and Grainger's "Lincolnshire Posy" spring to mind as great examples. I can't speak for the oboe parts, but the bassoon parts are a lot of fun.

Actually, the concert band transcriptions of orchestral works are frequently a blast for bassoon -- you usually get to play all the bassoon solos AND all the cello solos as well. Lots of times it's more fun to play than the original orchestral version. "March to the Scaffold" by Berlioz is a real scream this way....

[fluti31415]

We live near a small college and they have what is called a "symphonic band"---maybe that means they don't march.

There's actually quite a very nice "serious" band music written in the 20th century -- Holst's suites for band, and Grainger's "Lincolnshire Posy" spring to mind as great examples. I can't speak for the oboe parts, but the bassoon parts are a lot of fun.

Actually, the concert band transcriptions of orchestral works are frequently a blast for bassoon -- you usually get to play all the bassoon solos AND all the cello solos as well. Lots of times it's more fun to play than the original orchestral version. "March to the Scaffold" by Berlioz is a real scream this way....

I played in a "wind ensemble" while in college -- one step up from the symphonic band on campus. We did some very interesting stuff, some of it not even published yet, along with some of the classics -- Granger, William Schuman, etc., and some transcriptions. I know that I was not being fair to the serious wind ensemble repertoire out there. And the 2nd movement of the Holst 2nd suite has a meaty oboe solo. But I still really like playing in orchestras better. Fewer trombonists. Now I need to add that some of my best friends are trombonists.

[Cynth]

Oh, I know. We all have our favorites. I was just so surprised at how much I liked listening to this band. I'm sure they have played something by Gustav Holst, that sounds familiar. One of my particular prejudices is against Percy Grainger I'm afraid. If I see something by him on the program I have to stop myself from banging my head on the seat in front of me. But then that is based on a couple of things I've heard, and I'm sure many others I would like.