What makes a truly GREAT Irish Traditional Musician?

[anniemcu]

There are many great players -- the largest number play in pubs and are not (necessarily) well-known or known outside of their local venue. Some of these players are even better than the famous players, but, hey, some of them are pretty good, too.

Being a great player has to do with an honest ability to convey tunes at their best -- opinions on what the best setting or performance is will be a personal thing. A good player is a good player. Comparing who's greater is somewhat silly -- it's American Idol for the ITM crowd; chances are, the winner will be the most generically proficient on ornaments and crowd-pleasing flair, while the simple, pure-drop, dyed-in-the-wool master player won't stand a chance.

Now, isn't that the truth!?!

This is precisely why I do not like big time competitions. I'm not all that fond of small time ones either. I do, however, enjoy the heck out of a little friendly competition. Watching/listening to a couple of really good players work to challenge and outdo one another in a genuinely friendly way is one of life's great experiences.

[AnthonyBeers]

I know I come from a more concert band jazz band prospective but a great musician is one who listens. Life and music is about blend and balance, I only ask am I better musician this year than last year. Music should be for joy, love or even for sorrow.

"Inspiration may be a form of super-consciousness, or perhaps of subconsciousness - I wouldn't know. But I am sure it is the antithesis of self-consciousness."

aaron Copeland

[tim-hart]

I think the greatest musicians I've ever had the honor to meet or play with have a balance of some key attributes -- mastery of their instrument, mastery of the tunes they're playing, a voice of their own they've developed over time, a genuine sense of expression and a healthy dose of humility. I find the latter especially important -- nothing kills a great musical experience like a bad attitude.

[Ceili_whistle_man]

I'll second that Tim-Hart

[unregulated]

hi all
lota good stuff here.
In answer to the question,
It's what YOU FEEL when YOU hear the person.
It's that simple.
Yours Un.

[Ctrl Alt Del]

I think the greatest musicians I've ever had the honor to meet or play with have a balance of some key attributes -- mastery of their instrument, mastery of the tunes they're playing, a voice of their own they've developed over time, a genuine sense of expression and a healthy dose of humility. I find the latter especially important -- nothing kills a great musical experience like a bad attitude.

Now that's something that I want to strive for! To the listener it may be mainly about the 'input' they receive from the musician, but from the musician's perspective, it's the whole experience that counts.

[sbfluter]

A gifted musician is a wonderful thing. But I feel that sometimes we make it too hard to be an ordinary musician. It's a shameful thing in fact. Greatness or else don't bother seems to rule the thinking.

We set almost everyone up for failure in music because there's a tendency to think that unless you are really really excellent you shouldn't even do it.

[anniemcu]

A gifted musician is a wonderful thing. But I feel that sometimes we make it too hard to be an ordinary musician. It's a shameful thing in fact. Greatness or else don't bother seems to rule the thinking.

We set almost everyone up for failure in music because there's a tendency to think that unless you are really really excellent you shouldn't even do it.

Unfortunately, quite true.

[Stephen Seifert]

I don't like the word 'great' in relation to describing musicians solo or band based. Mary Bergin may be a 'great' whistle player to many, but she is not my cup of tea, must I say she is great because others say she is? - Ceili_whistle_man

Would anyone here really have any problem saying Mary Bergin is a great musician? Even if she's not your cup of tea? Come on...

"Critics are like eunuchs in a harem; they know how it's done, they've seen it done every day, but they're unable to do it themselves." - Breandán Ó Beacháin

(By the way, I'm not saying anyone here is a eunuch. I just want to be clear about my goals as a not-so-great musician. I want to make sure I'm putting my energy into being a PLAYER of ITM and not into being a critic. I'm actually wondering if I should put more time into playing than reading all these forums. I'm in trouble now...)

[trill]

LOL!

Love the "eunuch" analogy !

trill

[talasiga]

I think the greatest musicians I've ever had the honor to meet or play with have a balance of some key attributes -- mastery of their instrument, mastery of the tunes they're playing, a voice of their own they've developed over time, a genuine sense of expression and a healthy dose of humility. I find the latter especially important -- nothing kills a great musical experience like a bad attitude.

Some of the great musicians I have met, or had the good fortune to observe at close quarters, had a humility so refined that I could not discern it. But, then, I am hardly an expert on humility.

[Rob Sharer]

I remember when I was just starting out hearing John Skelton say "To me, the point shouldn't be 'Aren't I a great player?' but 'Isn't this a great tune?'

Of course, if just appreciating the greatness of the tune were enough, wouldn't we all be satisfied just listening to the ABC player blip out the notes in sequence? I, for one, am very interested in the human part of the equation, the voice of the player, great or small. Was Micho Russell a great player? No flashy technique, no all-Irelands, but have you ever heard anyone who could successfully imitate him? The problem is that greatness takes on a different meaning for everyone. I'd call Micho great, one of the greatest, and completely leave off another player whom someone else would pick as number one. Maybe you'd even start out with one definition of great, and over time change your mind entirely. Greatness to me? It's great personality, great humanity, which can take so many different forms. Cheers,

Rob

[TheSpoonMan]

I remember when I was just starting out hearing John Skelton say "To me, the point shouldn't be 'Aren't I a great player?' but 'Isn't this a great tune?'

Of course, if just appreciating the greatness of the tune were enough, wouldn't we all be satisfied just listening to the ABC player blip out the notes in sequence?

But that's not a tune... the tune's the tune as it's played, not some hypothetical tune you get on sheet music and computer players. The player's a big part there, but the player's there to play the tune, not himself.

[pipersgrip]

I think a great player has great soul, and feels the instrument. Also great ornamentation, and creating your own style. I think that Sylvain Barou is a great flute player, he is my definition of one of the best.

[King_Toe]

(EDITED MARCH 10)
Look. The Skelton quote is completely true. If someone can play any dumb tune and make you love it, that player is great. No exceptions. He's not talking about what particular tune it is. His point is this:
A. You can give two musicians the same tune.
B. Musician 1 makes you think he/she is incredible.
C. Musician 2 makes you think the tune is incredible.
D. Musician 2 wins. Period.

If an ABC program made me marvel at all the tunes it played, then it would be a great player. Fact is, it doesn't. So it isn't.


Now, MY two cents? I always say that great musicians make it sound like the TUNE is playing THEM. And I think that's a good way to look at it.