Posting clips

[sbfluter]

Gabriel, I can just put on my headphones, point it to your box.net file and let it go all the way through your library to the end, however long that takes. Your playing is so nice.

You also, Tiffany. What's really interesting about listening to you is hearing a female voice take a breath. It's like Wow! Hey! Maybe that could be some day (infinity years into the future).

[matahari_1946]

Heh, thanks, Diane! You know, my gasping for breath does come out in everything I record. Can't help it. You'll be doing it in no time.

[ImNotIrish]

Michael,

here's a take on the Dusty Miller. I learned it quickly from the dots, but have been listening to your version as well. Probably redo it at a later point, but here's what I have so far. It's a little bit different from yours...

Arbo

http://www.box.net/shared/37w4urlco4

[mahanpots]

Thanks, Arbo. I like your version. I'll give it a try tomorrow morning.

Buenas Noches,

Michael

[jemtheflute]

Hey Arbo, p'raps you should learn stuff off quickly more! That's one of your best clips ever, IMO. Really sounds like the work you are obviously doing is paying dividends! Nice take on the tune.

[mahanpots]

I'm not sure I like this recording, but I wanted to share something. Three jigs: Killavil, Blarney Pilgrim and Mug of Brown Ale:
I edited in Audacity and thought I'd share that as well.
Let me know what you think:

No changes: http://www.box.net/shared/cxry2prcok

Edited: http://www.box.net/shared/16t0osigws

Are these files way too big for some folks?

Michael

[sbfluter]

Arbo, I really liked that dusty miller. It's really different and you played it nicely.

Michael, loved the killavil jig. I always like that tune. Mug of Brown Ale is nice. That's a tough one. It's the first tune I tried to learn on Whistle This. I gave up. Too hard. You did well on all the jigs.

Both of you had nice tone and rhythm. To the iPod they go!

[ImNotIrish]

Michael,

since you recorded a couple of the first tunes I ever learned I felt compelled to play them as well. Mind you, they have been sitting in the mental archives for quite some time....
blarney/ mug of brown ale, on the prattten.
Arbo

http://www.box.net/shared/f27be0ocok
I've also included an air. From the song, Oh my Donal.

http://www.box.net/shared/9hz8c0vks8

...and two more jigs: young tom ennis/ the mouse in the cup.
I think my rhythm/phrasing isn't great on these two, but the tone is nice.

http://www.box.net/shared/v710i2eww4

[mahanpots]

I learned Mug of Brown Ale from the Whistlethis.com recently and the Blarney, yes, that was one of the first tune's I learned from my first flute teacher.

Thanks for those Arbo. Nice playing.
What do you record with?
I'm not satisfied with my recordings. I think I need a better mic. I use a zoom h4.

Michael

[ImNotIrish]

Michael,
that's funny...I'm not happy with my recordings either. I use an Edirol R-09,
set to a mid-level mp3 setting.
Arbo

[ImNotIrish]

Michael,

just listened to your 3 jigs post (edited version). I am thinking I could easily adapt to your version should I be sitting in a session with you. Nice take on the tunes. Different than the way I hear , but that's neither hear nor there... I really enjoyed the pulse of tunes, especially Blarney. By the way, I redid the post of blarney/mug. perhaps you could give a listen (oh, the air as well). I'm thinking about recording a tune using all my available recoding methods- the Edirol, GarageBand, and Pro Tools All in the raw recording format of course. I just want to see if there is any discernable difference in tone, etc. between the three mediums.

Arbo

[ImNotIrish]

Hey Arbo, p'raps you should learn stuff off quickly more! That's one of your best clips ever, IMO. Really sounds like the work you are obviously doing is paying dividends! Nice take on the tune.

Jem,
I had a few minutes during lunch. So I sight read the tune a few times and memorized most of it, then just decided to record it. Glad you liked it.

Arbo

[Gabriel]

Arbo,
I listened to many of your clips now. You asked for honest feedback, so here it is:

Your tone is grand! Fat, barky, with lots of substance. I like it big time.

I hear some intonation issues on the Pratten, though (on blarney/mug (pratten).mp3). I can't say if it is the flute or you, but your A seems to be sharp in both octaves compared to the other notes. This is an issue my Pratten (Aebi, not vintage) also has, but it's easily addressable since it mostly rises or sinks with pure air pressure, so lesser pressure with a focused embouchure and maybe a bit of turning the flute towards me brings it perfectly in tune.

The Air (oh my donal) is really nice, I don't hear problems with intonation here. My guess is that you sometimes tend to overblow the flute a bit when playing dance tunes, to create the rhythm. That's fine and essentially one of the trademarks of the northern flute style, but air pressure increases pitch, so the rise in pitch must be compensated somehow. Your notes also jump octaves sometimes. Conal O'Gráda does it all the time, and it surely is a matter of taste, but I personally try to jump octaves only when having to play below low C (to transpose them one octave up) to keep to the melody line as close as possible.

Your rendition of Dusty Miller is great. Nice tone, steady rhythm, good ornamentation.

A general remark about your playing is that your rhythm is rock-steady, but your ornaments tend to be a bit fuzzy. That (ornamentation timing) might be a field to work on. Also, remember that pressure in the lips doesn't create tone. It comes from far deeper. I personally get the best tone with relaxed lips and imagining that tone production already begins in the lowest parts of my lungs.

Anyway, great playing!

Best,
Gabriel

[ImNotIrish]

Gabriel,
thanks for taking a moment to listen and write. I will surely take a look at the ornamentation. I believe you are right about that- I feel sometimes it is fuzzy, the timing of them is off, and I try to compensate, but end up affecting the rhythm in other ways. I never really seem to know what tempo to play. I also haven't been going to session lately, so I am listening more to my own internal rhythm and that is often syncopated, as I hang on notes, or otherwise take liberties with the rhythm that wouldn't normally do in a session. For now, I will work on tightening up the ornamentation, and paying attention to that 'A'. I have had some issues on the Pratten with the cork, and have been trying to adjust that somewhat. The Pratten requires the hj to be pulled out a substantial amount to play at A=440 (~ 5/8"). Perhaps the cork is not in its optimal position? Anyway, thanks again,
Arbo.

[jemtheflute]

I know I've been quiet lately - up to my ears in tax return paperwork..... not done yet! But I am keeping my beady eye on here - haven't time just now to listen to/respond to recent clips, but felt I needed to contribute this: Arbo, shifting the stopper cork about will NOT do anything much for tuning between notes within the octave. You're wasting your time (and potentially messing up other aspects) if you think it will correct a sharp A or whatever. What it does is adjust the overall octave width and (secondarily) affect the ease of response of the different octaves (e.g. Charanga high range players push it in further for an easier 3rd octave). For ITM purposes it is usually withdrawn slightly from the rule-of-thumb position (1 head bore width from embouchure centre) to say c21mm to optimise the low register response. Set your tuning slide to where you need it (flute warmed up) to play at A=440 (and most folks embouchures on most antique flutes that seems to be with the slide open c10-15mm) and position the cork at one bore width back, then test the octaves on D and G - against a tuner if you like/can. If they are too wide (i.e. top D is sharp of middle D and low D is flat [ignoring flat-foot issues!!!]), pull the stopper out a little and re-test; if they are too narrow (top D is flat of middle, low D sharp), push it in. Double check with the Gs in all 3 8ves, compromise as necessary and you'll have done the best you can. I repeat, you CANNOT fix an out-of tune scale/notes within the scale by adjusting the stopper. You should not need to adjust it once thus set unless you have to tune very sharp or very flat in some particular context. When you significantly lengthen the tube, you compress the octaves, so must push the stopper in; when you shorten the tube you stretch the octaves, so must withdraw the stopper. (That's what a R&R Patent Head is set up to do, though with only partial success.)

If you have an out-of tune note/tone-hole (and short of major surgery), if it is flat you must vent an appropriate key (on a keyed flute) and/or "lip it in"; if it is sharp you must "lip it in" or shade a lower tone-hole or retune it with some beeswax (harmless, adjustable and reversible).

Repeat again: any amount of messing with the stopper WILL NOT fix a sharp A or B!!!!!!!!