Posting clips

JeffS · Post by **JeffS** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 11:36 pm

The Kilmovee and Rafferty's

http://www.box.net/shared/q2imoxow0w

peeplj · Post by **peeplj** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 8:57 am

JeffS, you're knocking a fine hard sound out of that flute!

To me, though, the tune is getting lost in the ornamentation. You've got some nice finger-work going on but, at least to my taste, using slightly less of it would really let the melody and rhythm shine through a bit more.

Just my $.02 on it.

--James

Doug_Tipple · Post by **Doug_Tipple** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 9:32 am

Iker Lope de Bergara is a woodwind player in the band Korrontzi in the Basque region of Spain. He contacted me today to order another flute, and I asked him for an mp3 of him playing one of my flutes. He sent me this dance from the Basque country, entitled Ostalerrak. Unfortunately, the bouzouki player, Ibon Ordunez, is recorded a little too loudly, so it is difficult to hear the flute as well as you would like. Iker is playing my 3-piece Eb flute with the lip plate.
http://dougsflutes.googlepages.com/ostalerrak.mp3

peeplj · Post by **peeplj** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 10:03 am

Doug_Tipple wrote:Iker Lope de Bergara is a woodwind player in the band Korrontzi in the Basque region of Spain. He contacted me today to order another flute, and I asked him for an mp3 of him playing one of my flutes. He sent me this dance from the Basque country, entitled Ostalerrak. Unfortunately, the bouzouki player, Ibon Ordunez, is recorded a little too loudly, so it is difficult to hear the flute as well as you would like. Iker is playing my 3-piece Eb flute with the lip plate.
http://dougsflutes.googlepages.com/ostalerrak.mp3

Doug, that flute sounds mighty good!

--James

LorenzoFlute · Post by **LorenzoFlute** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 9:50 am

i've just recorded a reel on my copley flute, it's called "the ivy leaf". what surprised me is that i got a decent one at the first try, and no editing was needed at all (just a fade in and out). it's not perfect of course, sometimes i tend to go faster, but again, considering that i got it right away (and the flute was not warmed, and i forgot to tune it

), i'm happy with it.

http://www.box.net/shared/aczm5fgg0w

ImNotIrish · Post by **ImNotIrish** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 11:46 am

jemtheflute wrote:Arbo & Bothrops, I've just listened to your Morrisons clips......

Arbo, as usual, great low octave sound, but your 2nd 8ve (which is quite important in this tune) still lacks clarity, especially the 2nd time through the tune where you keep dropping into the fundamental involuntarily. Nice rhythm and phrasing, though, but I don't like the over-use of the portamento A to B in the A music - nice as an occasional effect, rather mannered if repeated so much.

Jem,

I thought I'd try the whelan tune once more... just to see if I got it any closer to the expectations you have regarding playing the tune. Here's another attempt...

http://www.box.net/shared/sbh0a6vwws
(whelan's jig)
http://www.box.net/shared/pc30iuo00g
(morrison's jig)

peeplj · Post by **peeplj** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 1:24 pm

Othannen wrote:i've just recorded a reel on my copley flute, it's called "the ivy leaf". what surprised me is that i got a decent one at the first try, and no editing was needed at all (just a fade in and out). it's not perfect of course, sometimes i tend to go faster, but again, considering that i got it right away (and the flute was not warmed, and i forgot to tune it ), i'm happy with it.

http://www.box.net/shared/aczm5fgg0w

I listened to your clip.

Nicely done!--wonderful sound, very cleanly played, very nice, clean fingering on the ornamentation.

You know you have some speed issues, but I couldn't help but notice that you seem to be speeding up when you are playing rolls. If you could hold the tempo through the rolls, the rest of it sounded pretty steady to me.

Very very nice job.

--James

jemtheflute · Post by **jemtheflute** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 2:17 pm

Jeff, I pretty much second James (peeplj). Nice sound, but some very strange things happening rhythmically - bits of time cut out, for the most part. Also, I don't think the synth drone or the reverb do you any favours. Slow down a little (not that you're main pulse is too fast) and give each half bar triplet its full value, ornamented or not. Might be good to at least practice unornamented until the rhythm is steady.

Doug, as you say, it is a little hard to really get what the fluter is doing, not just because the bouzouki is too up front and strong in the mix but also because of the excessive, muddy reverb on the flute - that old sound engineer cliche again!!!!!! Grrrrr. If the flute was recorded with the same clarity as the zouk, one would get a better impression of it even if the balance wasn't improved! From what I can hear, however, it does sound very good - both the playing and the instrument.
BTW, have you read "A Basque History of the World"?

Othannen, again I mostly agree with James, though I'd add that at least some of your pace/rhythm problems are due to breathing (stop it at once!

). Also you struggle with the syncopated arpeggios in the A music and need to sort out their proper rhythm. Try playing them as normal sets of 2 or 4 quavers with the emphasis on the on-beats for a while (look at the dots if you haven't already), till you can run through the fingering in time. Then you can reintroduce the off-beat emphasis on the Es.

Arbo, I don't really think this is about "expectations" from me or other listeners as such, though doubtless we all have them. Certainly it is partly about personal taste, what we like/dislike, what does or doesn't "work" for us individually (and by consensus) - and those parts of my comments are clearly labelled as subjective. However, I think we are all mostly trying to set such things aside when evaluating technical aspects of each other's playing (to the extent to which the technical and the aesthetic are separable, of course). So, what I said about playing a part of the tune written in the 2nd 8ve actually in that 8ve is a purely technical comment (yeah, I suppose that is an expectation!), whereas what I said about the portamento slides was a matter of taste - nowt wrong with your technique in doing them! I'm always open to hearing things played in different ways and don't, beyond basic technical issues, "expect" them to be played a certain way. It is up to the player to convince the listener.

So, to your new versions: I don't think the new Whelan's is an improvement on the one where it is attached to a second jig (the "Humpty Dumpty" one whose ITM name escapes me) which I thought was pretty good anyway. (Had I commented on it before? Don't think so...... shoot me if I did!) The new Morrison's is rather cleaner and better sustained regarding the octaves. With regard to the slides, I know how hard it is to remove an ornament or nuance that one has become very accustomed to including, and you have clearly thought about finding different things to do, to good effect.

FWIW, and I don't know if you've seen 'em, I posted a whistle rendition of both tunes, prefaced by The Leitrim Fancy on my YouTube page here. They are a set I have played for many years on both flute and whistle, though chiefly on whistle, which is why I chose to record them on that this time. I'd play them almost identically on flute, however, barring the tone and dynamic differences.

BTW, your clips ran on into your versions of Rocking the Cradle and the "unknown" air, which I don't recall listening to before: I'm pretty impressed by it - apart from the involuntary tension breath vibrato that I too often suffer from, it is lovely - much more even (not lumpy), greater clarity in all aspects, and there's no problem with octave separation etc. If you could bring some of the style you adopt in airs to your playing of jigs and reels, I think you'd benefit greatly.

Bothrops · Post by **Bothrops** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 2:33 pm

Another quick recording...
I can play this tune quite better than this, but when I'm recording myself, there's nothing to do

"Road To Lisdoonvarna"
http://audio.xanga.com/Bothrops/a90292146640/audio.html

mahanpots · Post by **mahanpots** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 2:38 pm

whelan's morrison's creel of turf

Haven't shared anything, so I spent the early afternoon trying to get the right clip for sharing, and finally came up with this set of jigs. Not my best rendition. There's a spot in Morrison's first time around in the B section where I've always done this triplet, and I don't think I've ever done it right. I'm also not satisfied with the ending of the last jig. I don't like the tonguing in the last bar.

Comments welcomed,

Michael

ImNotIrish · Post by **ImNotIrish** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 2:48 pm

jemtheflute wrote:
FWIW, and I don't know if you've seen 'em, I posted a whistle rendition of both tunes, prefaced by The Leitrim Fancy on my YouTube page here. They are a set I have played for many years on both flute and whistle, though chiefly on whistle, which is why I chose to record them on that this time. I'd play them almost identically on flute, however, barring the tone and dynamic differences.

.

Jem,
I just listened to your whistle clips. I have to say, i am not that impressed with them. I'm thinking I should perhaps also post a whistle version of whelan's and morrison's, if for no other reason, just to see if I do indeed play them the same way on flute. My gut feeling is that you do not play the tunes the same way on the flute, or at least that they do not come across in the same manner on flute. Now, I have not heard flute renditions of these tunes from you on the flute, so maybe, you might want to post a short clip of each? My whistle renditions are forthcoming!

Arbo

jemtheflute · Post by **jemtheflute** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 3:13 pm

ImNotIrish wrote: Jem,
I just listened to your whistle clips. I have to say, i am not that impressed with them. I'm thinking I should perhaps also post a whistle version of whelan's and morrison's, if for no other reason, just to see if I do indeed play them the same way on flute. My gut feeling is that you do not play the tunes the same way on the flute, or at least that they do not come across in the same manner on flute. Now, I have not heard flute renditions of these tunes from you on the flute, so maybe, you might want to post a short clip of each? My whistle renditions are forthcoming!Arbo

Fair enough, though you might say why? I'm by no means 100% happy with them myself, probably not even 80%, but the usual provisos about the difficulties most of us experience actually making these clips and not being top-flight professional performers apply.

I'm sure you're right that they would come across differently on flute for the kind of reasons I suggested myself, although in terms of the arrangements - the "ornamentation" and variations - I'd expect them to be closely similar, allowing for minor differences like C natural fingerings and breaths lasting less time/phrases maybe being shorter. I have no plans to duplicate them on flute as I regard them as a whistle set in my repertory, (although I would sometimes play them on flute at sessions, not as a set but when they cropped up otherwise). I'd rather spend my next bit of clip making time doing something different.

Bothrops · Post by **Bothrops** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 3:14 pm

mahanpots wrote:whelan's morrison's creel of turf

Comments welcomed,

Michael

I'm not qualified to criticize you, but I'd like to say that I enjoyed very much your rendition (as usual), mainly the last jig.

I know that your recording might be not perfect, but I'll give you a 4,9/5

Good job!

Martin

mahanpots · Post by **mahanpots** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 3:48 pm

Thanks Bothrops. I listened to your "Road to lisdoonvarna" and sounds like your getting there on the flute. I heard your whistling somewhere on Youtube the other day. Sounded good. You've got a great start on some tunes for the flute and I'm looking forward to hearing your improvement.

Arbo, your second go-around with Morrison's was very nice, I thought. I'd say it's great, but I don't want to trip you up on your way around the ceiling, walls and floor (avatar).

Michael

ImNotIrish · Post by **ImNotIrish** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 3:59 pm

Okay, here's a take of whelan's and morrison's on the whistle. Purely now, to see if I am playing with the same take as the flute. A couple of takes, and for better or worse, this is what I posted.

Arbo

http://www.box.net/shared/6q36mrqisk
(whelan's/morrison's (C generation whistle)

Chiff and Fipple Forums

Posting clips

Here's two jigs