A Scottish song, maybe John knows it:
The mood is well captured here, Christian. The mandolin holds its ground with the single deep strokes. Hazeldean is one of Walter Scott's ideas, i.e. a romantic notion of all things Scottish.
Very pretty Christian! I really like your style. Like John, Michael, and several others it is all your own and recognizable.
Wonderfully romantic tale of girl getting the man she loves (Jock o' Hazeldean) by eloping from her actual wedding ceremony. She abandons "Young Frank, Lord o' Errington and Chief o'er Langley Dale" for the poor Jock, the man she loved, and the pair fled over the Anglo-Scottish border to escape the wrath of the groom's father. I love a story of unashamed romantic fantasy! Fine playing, Christian!
Thanks Bertram, Frankdolin and John.
Your playing sounds indeed very romantic, Christian.
Nice, Christian! And thanks to John for the story behind the music.
Here is my vocal attempt at this old ballad, backed by guitar, harmonica and mandolin. The song has quite a range and finding a suitable key was tricky, trying to reach the highest notes while still being able to reach the lowest. I settled on C! The pictures are from the Library of Congress Archive.
The Song-a-Week group works its magic again! Both of these versions are completely different and characteristic of their respective players, and both are really nice. Well done! John sounds like John, even with vocals and harmonica. I really enjoyed these additions.
What Dennis said: John sounds like John. It's reality we never want to escape from, nor could we if we tried. Strongly reminds me of an old scratchy vinyl I once had, with recordings of Barra women doing the old (auld?) waulking and singing along to it, and a piper who also gave a song. Munro-size Goosebumps.
Everything Dennis and Bertram said and more. Very authentic, acoustic versions both of you, it is a lovely song. Well done.
Thanks for your vocal version, John. The harmonica fits in, too.
I liked the separation of the different instruments to left and right speakers too.
What a nice surprise: a great vocal version by John. And a well played harmonica added to mandolin and guitar, which are played with the usual skill.
Thanks for the kind responses, everyone. It is always a bit stressful stepping away from one's instrumental comfort zone and exposing the voice to public appraisal, so your comments are much appreciated. Bertram, how did you know I was aiming to capture the "scratchy old vinyl" sounds of those Barra women?
What a beautiful rendition John! And your voice fits Perfect. I'd love to hear you well lubed, at say 1:00 AM. If you don't mind, how long did it take you from start to finish on this very complicated arrangement? Again top notch entertainment!
However old you are, it takes that time to sing a song.
Frank, It was not as complicated as you might think. I recorded the vocal and guitar together first, and had quite a few takes on this to try to get the voice as good as I could get it. I already knew this song well and have done it often enough in live performances, so getting it recorded was actually not too bad. I then added the mandolin and harmonica tracks, playing back the vocal/guitar track through headphones via my REAPER software. I played the mandolin first right through the whole performance then added a third track for harmonica and again played it right through the whole song. Then it was a case of trying to get the different tracks balanced, including panning individual tracks for better separation (as noted by Simon) and cutting out parts where I did not want an instrument playing. I suppose this took about three hours to get done, with breaks to give the ears a rest then having another listen and another tweak. This final mix was rendered to mp3 and I then downloaded suitable pictures from the Library of Congress site - an idea got from Michael Pastucha. The actual making of the video took very little time compared to the recording of the sound tracks, probably around an hour. I just loaded in the mp3 then added the pictures, adjusting their lengths to suit and then adding the opening and closing credits. So, about four hours expended on this project.
I loved your vid John simply because it was you who was singing! But I couldn’t write that because I have issues in expressing certain emotions to certain people (men).
John: "Frank, It was not as complicated as you might think." Frank; : "Yes it was." Thanks for that detailed answer, I knew there was some work done there!
Well done John. I like your vocal stylings, totally authentic. Recording the vocal first with a guitar for backup is my process as well. Sometimes I'll also hum a break softly where a break goes in order to get the timing just right. I'm glad others are using the Library of Congress site to find suitable pictures, totally legal and free as well. Hopefully you'll continue to sing some more for us in the future when the fancy strikes you!
Thanks for latest comments, Simon, Frank and Michael.
I quite enjoyed this number John , Your voice adds the lilt the song begs for. It helps to know the song well too.
Thanks, Ginny, and also for your comments on my YT channel. I like the idea of the lilt - quite a Scottish addition!
