Sorry for my delay in posting, it's been a crazy few days! This week's winner is Carolan'ds Welcome Home. I'm only finding notation for Carolan's Welcome, so I don't know if I inadvertently added the HOME to the title, or if there's another tune out there! Here's a link to 10 settings on thesession.org
Thanks, Barbara. The second video you've posted is the one I recorded last July, using my Vinaccia bowlback. I used the "Welcome Home" title as this is what Allan Alexander says in his book, the source for my setting. I think it's more commonly just called "Carolan's Welcome". Same tune, though. Martin
Two nice versions by SAW-members, I especially like the fact, that David plays the eighth notes with a swing feeling and tried to emulate that. I transposed the tune from a to b minor, so I could work on my third position playing, that's still in need of some improvememt.
Nicely done, Christian. Your graphics are becoming quite a feature in the videos.
Thanks for the motivation Gents! Very nice Christian, I like the the antiquated, pre-colonial feel to it. -also, planet Earth is fine, but let’s not forget that there are more than 300,000 habitable planets in our galaxy alone...
Simon says 300,000 habitable planets in our galaxy Ahaa - O'Carolan is not dead, then - he signalled one of their ships to pick him up and take him home
Yes Bertram, but our galaxy is up to 200,000 light years across -O’Carolan’s message, traveling at light speed, won’t even be heard for a very, very long time.
Well played, Christian! And David and Martin, too. This tune is very special to me, not just because it's from O'Carolan. When we got married nearly 8 years ago now, we asked the wonderful harp player Ramona Egle to play at the church and the reception afterwards. This is one of the tunes she played. A very gentle flowing melody that sounded amazing on the harp. I'll never forget it. Perhaps it's time to learn it.
I like the way this one sounds on the mandocello, except for those couple of notes that didn't come out too clearly. From the video it looks like I need to work on keeping my fingers closer to the fretboard too.
Fine steady playing Paul. I like that tone too, but it makes me want to buy a mandocello! I wonder what it sounds like with the capo at 5th?
Well done, Paul! It's nice to hear a mandocello.
Well played, Paul. You are stretching well and getting the pinkie working on that long fingerboard - you look like you have quite small hands (?) Have you tried moving your left hand round slightly, by bending your wrist a bit more (like a classical guitarist)? This would let your fingers reach across to the lower strings more easily, I feel.
Sounds great on that mandocello.
Thanks, everyone. John - I think the camera perspective causes some distortion, but the fret spacing does require quite a stretch for me. I see what you mean about hand position though. On a bass guitar, my thumb would be in the middle of the neck, on the back. The mandocello lets me get lazy about that because the width is thinner. One of the benefits of making these videos is that it helps me to see what I need to work on.
just as long as your fingers land on time, don't worry too much about their intermediate flight, Paul. Mine are in the air most of the time.
Here we are, Carolan's Welcome on solo mandolin. Work isn't great at the moment, so this was a welcome reminder of happy times. O'Carolan was quite the magician for melody.
Lovely playing there Dennis, calm and gentle. About the animal act, so now we are using crows as extras in our vids? Shameless, but that’s show business- excellent, very effective. Well done. Bertram you play like a Golden Eagle, majestic, soaring over the valley, ready to pounce on the fretboard. -more vids!
Very clean and relaxed playing, Dennis. It is good to hear just a simple solo version of a tune at times.
Two fine new solo versions: Paul on a big mandodello and Dennis on his nice sounding mandolin.
Thank you. John, you should have seen me shouting at myself just before this take after the umpteenth time of failing to play without errors. I managed to calm myself back down for this take.
No problems Dennis, most of us have been there at sometime or other. -you should have seen me yesterday, smiling behind my mask, but almost losing it at our local events stadium, and then jumping back on my bicycle to leave! -whatever! I really like your vids for their playful, experimental, spiritual and ethereal nature. Have you posted any aggressive, heavy rhythm tunes? (Aggressive meaning: positive, driving, high energy etc)
The result is what counts, Dennis, not the hardships we undergo to produce it - those hardships are lessons for our own benefit, not the listeners', that's what separates us from weightlifters. Your playing of the piece appears light and carefree in spite of the effort, that's how you recognise a true hero.
Nice version, Dennis. Clean sound with good sustain.
After a long hike through the Austrian Alps, I needed some recreation. I found a nice place on the meadow next to the vacation apartment. So, it is kind of a field recording with a smartphone. There are some noises caused by wind and traffic – only reduced by the grass around the smartphone. My timing is not very consistent – sorry. I should more often play by heart! (I’m mostly sight-reading sheet music and often using a metronome - but ot on the meadows.) The mountain in the background is the Karhorn close to Lech am Arlberg. Edit: Since the sound of my video used to be barely audible for so many, I posted the same video again but with raised volume.
No problem with the timing, fine playing Frithjof, nice to see you à la nature! I like the spicy jazz turn in the B part.
Frithjof, I love the sound of you instrument. Also, nicely played.
Maybe it's just me...but I can't hear this Frithjof. If I hold the speakers right up to my ears I can hear it a bit. It sounds really nice, I wish I could hear it normally.
Your keal'n me Frithjof, it is sooo beautiful there. Very nice playing with nature. The sound level is rather low, I really had to crank up the volume, but it sounded fine.
Fine solo rendition on my favourite mandolin, Frithjof.
What the others have already said, Frithjof. Fine playing but volume a bit on the low side, but creditable performance in the great outdoors!
Thanks for all the nice comments. I`m sorry myself for the low audio output. I’ll see if I can fix that using Audacity and then edit the existing video on YouTube. I’ve never done that before. I mounted my smartphone on a small stand between all these meadow plants. I aimed to reduce the wind noise this way. That worked partly but also reduced the “mandolin noise”. So, I’ve overdone the noise reduction. Its learning by trial and error. I recognized the low audio level but thought it is high enough for my “field recording”.
Since the sound of my video used to be barely audible for so many, I posted the same video again but with raised volume as “Carolan's Welcome (louder)”. I edited my post above and linked it with the new version now. I hope that all can hear the birds now additional to my “phenomenal“ mandolin playing.
You’re second vid is private too. Can you you change the classification, Frithjof? (Looking forward to hearing it!)
Oops! I just fixed that.
Very nice, Frithjof -- I love the setting and the liberated nature of you playing by heart. The timing is just fine, the tone is great, and the fact that some of your notes are quite different from the "standard" version of the tune is what drives the folk process and creates the wonderful range of different versions of traditional tunes that we have today. Martin
Excuse my belated thank, Martin. Your comment is most appreciated.
My solo mandolin version.
I liked that Dusty! A solo mando..., I don't think there's anything like it.
David, I was sure we get a clean Dusty-version of this nice Carolan tune. Well done!
Fine, sensitive playing, nice!
NIce one, Dusty. Great photos too and especially that last array of your old amps!
Really nice, Dusty. I enjoyed the solo and the old pics.
Very nice!
I appreciate everyone's comments and encouragement. This recording was an experiment for me using a "Dawg" pick. I didn't care for the heavy feel gliding across the strings and felt this heavy pick takes away the brilliancy and sparkling character of the strings. I will be going back to my old favorite BC TP40.
The Dawggpick sounds fine in your right hand!
