Here is a traditional Irish waltz from the 18th Century which exists in several variations and with at least two sets of lyrics, one being contemporary Scottish! My band, The Old Bores, used to play this tune regularly and it was always popular at our gigs. I think there are around 12 versions posted over on The Session website! I recorded this effort on Sanyo Xacti camcorder and Tascam DR-05, then loaded the Tascam track into REAPER and added in guitar backing track, then rendering to final mp3. The octave is a guitar-bodied one I built a few years ago using the pattern and mould I made for a tenor guitar I was making for someone at the time. I wanted to hear what sort of sound this body would give me.
Wonderful playing, a wonderfully homely scene in general. Is that GOM the one I played last summer, John? Regina sends her regards and says this would be the ideal tune for comforting the patients she talks to once a week in a hospital (an activity now suspended).
This is very beautiful John - so nice. And yes, a different view of you.
Not to plagarize, but lovely stuff, John. That GOM is pretty interesting - has its sound changed at all over the years??
Nice calming atmosphere and really good tone on that instrument, thanks John.
As #5 in the queue of commenters I can only say: nice!
Thanks, folks, for your kind comments. Ginny, I am still finding it odd having my face on show as I am constantly aware of facial expressions and have to try not to make the faces I am sure I do when playing without a camera recording me. Just a variation of playing live and playing with the recording button pressed! Bruce the instrument is now about six years old (July 2014) and seems to have settled in to a less strident voice over the time. The top is a one-piece of indiscriminate origin ( I like recycling timbers) and back and sides are mahogany. The neck came from a Victorian wardrobe someone was going to break up and burn! Over 100 years old, so very stable.
Lovely tune, and lovely playing, John! It's a joy seeing all of you during playing -- gives much more of a sense of the person on the other end. Interesting GOM, and quite different tone from your others. I recorded this air back in 2013, using my Gibson Ajr and my Ozark tenor guitar. On the third repeat, I added an Embergher bowlback as well: We also play this tune semi-regularly at our weekly mandolin gatherings (currently sadly suspended), but in a somewhat different arrangement. Martin
That is a lovely arrangement, Martin. The instruments blend really well. Your choice of pictures really enhances the tune too.
Well done Martin I like the harmonising you have going there. Sorry about the sound quality on this one, usually it’s background noise from construction workers in the street, this time it was a neighbour in the bathroom and pigeons on the roof.
neighbor, aha I guess your other neighbor is the one who does lightning and thunder?
Nice one, Simon. Was neighbour in your or his own bathroom? Sounds almost like the tide coming up the beach!
Bertram she actually does a bowling ball across her floor/my ceiling when she’s had enough. That’s why some of my recordings aren’t the final take. (It works both ways. When I’ve had enough listening through the ceiling to Queen at 2 am. I use my ear plugs) The neighbour’s a woman John, with a very big bathroom.
When I’ve had enough listening through the ceiling to Queen at 2 am I use my ear plugs You definitely need an electric tenor guitar and a Marshall stack, and every take is final then
Thanks, John and Simon. These are genuine Chieftains harmonies that somebody transcribed from their studio recording of this tune. Simon: Lovely recording again, a bit faster than I hear the tune in my own head. The lovely thing about Irish airs (and Carolan tunes in particular -- I've seen South Wind attributed to Carolan) is that they can be played at a wide range of tempos and although they may sound completely different, they always work. Martin
For more information: https://thesession.org/tunes/601
OK guys, this just isn't fair. I'm able to work from home and probably work longer hours than usual at the moment because everything needs to be done differently under lockdown ... and you just keep adding to my list of tunes to learn! And you all play it so well, too. A really nice recorded version is the one by Robin Bullock on his "Rosewood Castle" album. Robin is one of the professional players who really inspires me. Not that you'd be able to tell from my clumsy playing, but let's say I like that style and would like to be able to play it. John, after our brief conversation in another thread, I actually bought a Tascam DR-05 on ebay. It should arrive soon. I look forward to trying it and will be very upset if I don't sound more like you!
Dennis, I think you'll enjoy your Tascam. It gives you a lot of control over recording volume, etc. I usually record in wav format - it can do mp3 as well - and render to mp3 later. Probably not necessary but its become my way of working. After Simon's mention of the Boya BY-MM1 cardioid mic he was using on his outdoor videos I too took to online shopping and acquired one to use with my DSLR camera and also with the Tascam, though the Tascam's twin mics are very good in themselves. It gives me the option of positioning the mic wherever I want it (using a 3.5mm mini-jack lead which I had anyway) while having the recorder beside me for convenience. Really just an excuse to add to my pieces of kit, but in lockdown it is nice to have the odd mail delivery. I only got this a day ago and initial experiments seem positive. Thanks to Simon for highlighting this wee mic. By the way, thanks for kind comment about sounding like me, but remember that what you should aim for is to sound like YOU. Those of us who post regularly here have all developed fairly distinctive styles of playing, instrument choice and arrangements and those style have come from listening not only to other mandolin players but to other instruments as well. I know that I have been influenced by pipe music as well as fiddle and accordion players, plus the formative years back in the 1960s when I played electric guitar and copied those "three guitars and a drummer" setups such as The Shadows, The Ventures, etc. Those were the days, when the favourite tutorial book was Bert Weedon's "Play in a Day"! No internet then, my boy. Oh well, better go and see if I can record something now!
