How much Irish Music DO you listen to?

colomon · Post by **colomon** » Sun Oct 20, 2002 11:19 am

Well, part of it may be the relative lack of whistle recordings. Certainly almost every album I'm regularly listening to is off topic for a whistle board: flute albums, flute/fiddle albums, accordion, etc.

Really the only thing I'm listening to at the moment that would qualify for whistle discussion is _Celtic Flair_, and that only on a few tracks, and it did have a thread already once in the last few months.

sweetone · Post by **sweetone** » Sun Oct 20, 2002 11:25 am

At the ITM forum I was asking for a recording of Dick Gossip's, didn't get one reply, is it unknown or indeed as Loren says, don't people listen to IRM?

colomon · Post by **colomon** » Sun Oct 20, 2002 11:38 am

Well, the only recording I have handy of that tune (that I can think of) is on Old Blind Dogs "Close to the Bone". And I didn't really want to upload a commercial recording. I considered just sitting down and recording myself (it's one of my favorite tunes) but I got distracted and completely forgot about it.

Paul · Post by **Paul** » Sun Oct 20, 2002 11:40 am

Due to a very demanding job, I don't get to listen to near as much as I want. I listen (block-out) regular radio for 10-12 hours per day over the intercom (against my will)

Usually I only get in about an hour per day or so of traditional Irish Music. Traditional Irish is about all that I actively/willingly

listen to, although I have been recently gaining interest in Appallatian folk music as well.

I was at the Tommy Makem Festival of song this summer. Each night, The Makem Brothers, Tommy's sons, and the Spain Brothers would do a session that would often last till 6 or 7 in the morning. After much guinness and very late in the night,... or early in the morning... we would suddenly be singing & playing these great old mountain songs. Such an easy transition. Great stuff.

I mostly listen to a rather large CD collection that I have accumulated over the years.

C4 · Post by C4 » Sun Oct 20, 2002 11:45 am

I don't listen to much yet but am slowly getting addicted...All I listen to at present is free mp3 stuff off whistle sites.I can't at present afford to buy, but hope to eventually. So I listen less than an hour a day. I suppose listening to my own playing doesn't count..It's pretty horrid.Of course I have only had my whistle about a month.

dlambert · Post by **dlambert** » Sun Oct 20, 2002 12:08 pm

I listen to between 1-3 hours each day. I mainly listen for new tunes to learn. Its hard to find great traditional CDs that I can learn from. Many times the artists "blow out" a tune with their speed or a strange arrangement. I listen to Lunasa, Solas, etc for the music, but at this stage there's not so much there for me to learn from. Some of the best CDs for learning have been the three Mike and Mary Rafferty CDs plus Mary's recent solo recording, Lawrence Nugent - any, Mick O'Brien's The May Morning Dew, Tommy Keane's The Wind Among the Reeds, John Skelton's - A Few Tunes, Micho Russell - Ireland's Whistling Ambassador. The more traditional the better.

A while back Stevie J posted that some of the new players he sees can play a few of the River Dance, Lunasa, Solas, Cormac Breatnach type tunes with great speed, but they lacked knowledge of the "core" music. That's what I want to understand and develop. The core of the tradition that was made for everyman to play a tune or two down at the pub.

If anyone has any suggestions for good learning CDs please post them.

C4 · Post by C4 » Sun Oct 20, 2002 12:37 pm

Would any of you be willing to tell me how you find these radio stations..Do you listen over the internet or radio???

Easily_Deluded_Fool · Sun Oct 20, 2002 12:41 pm

I listen to & play mainly 'Celtic' music,
which includes some Irish music.

A couple of nights ago I went to a concert by
Altan, arguably the top Irish 'band' around at present.
Listening to them play, and the atmosphere generated was amazing.
An Irish group, from Ireland playing Irish music. There really is nothing quite like it.
Not a single person out of about 250 sat still!
Different from sessions at the pub/hall/mates house etc.

Must practice more! :

To answer the question - not enough!

Paul · Post by **Paul** » Sun Oct 20, 2002 12:43 pm

C4, Try this. http://www.radio1.ie/evening/latesession/ It's from the Uilleann Pipe forum, but there's a lot of cool stuff on it. Just go to the main page. Enjoy

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: paul on 2002-10-20 14:44 ]</font>

susnfx · Post by **susnfx** » Sun Oct 20, 2002 1:25 pm

Generally about 2-3 hours a day (more if my daughter has a date and isn't home in the evening). Right now listening mainly to Lunasa but was interested to realize recently that I'm listening more to the technique now than the tune itself - where are the rolls, taps,...sort of that "now how did he do THAT?" thing. I try to listen to Thistle & Shamrock on NPR on Saturday nights but frequently find I'm busy doing something else.
Susan

TonyHiggins · Post by **TonyHiggins** » Sun Oct 20, 2002 1:30 pm

At least an hour and a half of Davy Spillane, especially that Titanic theme. And I have the Danny Boy cd. I'm thinking of getting some more cd's, but why bother? (That was for Chris.) I listen during my 1/2 hr commute/10min walk to work every day each way and put headphones on every lunch hour and go sit in a garden and read sci-fi. When a particular tune comes on, I put the book down and focus. I always search on half.com and have gotten great deals on all kinds of stuff. I buy a lot of really cheap compilation cds that often have some real pearls buried in them. I probably have around 200 cd's plus vinyl and reel-to-reel recordings going back to the 70's. And when I'm not listening to Irish music, it's just naturally running through my head (like, all the time). Sometimes a tunes pops into my head that I haven't heard in over 20yrs and I let it rise to the surface and review it so I can start playing it. Is this a sign of a brain tumor??
Tony

kevin m. · Post by **kevin m.** » Sun Oct 20, 2002 3:32 pm

On average i listen to maybe one hour per day,more at weekends.At the moment it is mainly 'pure drop'stuff(i.e Micho,Willie Clancy,Ennis,Mary Bergin,mrs.Crotty etc.).If i'm attempting a new tune,then i will try to actively listen to as many different musician's interpretations as i can.I've always thought it strange that, for a site mainly concerned with music,recordings are rarely discussed on C.&F.Oh no,not another forum suggestion!

hillfolk22 · Post by **hillfolk22** » Sun Oct 20, 2002 3:36 pm

NOT ENOUGH!

Too much according to my family.

I admit my collection of Itrad cds are small. About as many fingers and toes worth.

I admit I do enjoy a variety in music.

Have found myself listening to some of the newer songs that my children listens to and thinking, hmmmm.... a whistle would sound good there right about now.

The family thinks I am obsessed with the Itrad. So I find myself a bit self conscience about it... and take advantage of the empty house when ever I can. So I get my fix in then.

No tape decks or cd players in the car... bummer. That may be best for me... I would find myself absorbed in the tune and not focused on the road. So there is where I find myself practicing the tune by lilting.
Got a lot of strange looks by passerbyers...

Laura

lollycross · Post by **lollycross** » Sun Oct 20, 2002 3:47 pm

I like to walk for exercise.So every day, 6 miles = 2 hours of slow walking for me and that gets me 2 hours to listen to tapes of the tunes I enjoy best.
Lolly

jim_mc · Post by **jim_mc** » Sun Oct 20, 2002 6:26 pm

I get an average of about 2 hours a day in. I also like the Mike/Mary Rafferty stuff a lot. Kevin Henry and Cathal McConnel are always in the car. I have a Kilfenora cd I listen to quite a bit and one by a whistle geezer named Paddy Breen that I am absolutely obsessed with. I learned to play his hornpipe set by setting the cd player on repeat and listening to nothing else for about a month!

I wish I had access to the radio programming Peter has. Maybe Peter could get a server set up and start streaming the signal over the net. I'll kick in for part of the legal fees when he gets busted. Anyone else?