Week #40 ~ Hector the Hero

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  1. GKWilson
    GKWilson
    Very nice Tavy. The new mando is nice indeed.
    The only time I ever even think I might like to have a mandola
    is when you play tours. Now this. Beautiful.
    Gary
  2. Bertram Henze
    Bertram Henze
    Ok, not much time to enjoy that rank, then. To think - reading that kind of news about yourself in the papers - it's almost facebook.
  3. Martin Jonas
    Martin Jonas
    I didn't get around to doing this tune when it was current, but I've just come across a nice harmony at a Japanese Celtic flute site:

    http://celtnofue.com/PDF/Hector_the_hero.pdf

    I've recorded the tune on my Mid-Mo octave mandolin, with harmonies on the Ajr and tenor guitar kicking in after an unaccompanied introduction.



    Martin
  4. Jim Baker
    Jim Baker
    Wonderful harmonies Martin.
  5. Bertram Henze
    Bertram Henze
    Very true to form Martin. Those harmonies are about what you typically hear from a SRS.
  6. OldSausage
    OldSausage
    Nice job. Odd though, that guy at the top of page 2 looks an awful lot like you!
  7. pezdork
    pezdork
    So I'm more of a silent watcher here now. But I wanted to give shout out to old sausage. Today I did a version of hector the hero (inspired by yours) at the topanga banjo fiddle contest. In the beginning mandolin category. It was my first comp and first time playing in front of a crowd in years. It was a blast and I got 3rd place. I didn't quite nail it and it didn't come close to your version. I did want to thank this group for introducing me to this song and sausage for inspiring me to work on playing it. Now to practice more and get over the nerves better and see if I can't do better next year or at least try my hand at the non beginner.
  8. OldSausage
    OldSausage
    Well done, Pezdork, and congratulations on getting placed, that's very inspiring too. Thanks for the shout out, and good luck with your next competition!
  9. Marcelyn
    Marcelyn
    It sure takes guts to get up in a competition like that one. Big congratulations!
  10. pezdork
    pezdork
    It was very nerve racking. My fingers on my left hand went numb before I went on. But I stuck with it. I think it also helped that no one I talked too knew the song and I forgot to announce what I was playing. I faked my way through a couple mistakes. In the end when I was done and the crowd clapped I wished I could have played 10 more songs.
  11. pezdork
    pezdork
    I'm embarrassed to post this, but maybe it can inspire othere to say "well hell if that guy got third place..."

  12. GKWilson
    GKWilson

    Nice job Robert.
  13. Marcelyn
    Marcelyn
    Robert, I have to say, you've done us proud! It's so fun to see one of the bunch here in action. I bet after playing there a regular gig will feel downright relaxing. Great job, and thanks for sharing the performance.
  14. Frithjof
    Frithjof
    As seen from the perspective of a beginner I envy both your guts and playfulness.
  15. dustyamps
    dustyamps
    Played on my 1920 A model and 1891 Geo. Bent pump organ.
  16. crisscross
    crisscross
    Sounds good, Dustyamps! The pump organ gives this lament the right tearful feeling.
    One of the nice things about the SAW-group is, that in participating, you learn things you wouldn't learn otherwise.
    The Tombigbee river for example, or Hector MacDonald...
  17. John Kelly
    John Kelly
    Interesting version, Christian. You employ a steady waltz rhythm rather than the rubato slow air, and it works well in this tune.
    I love the bottle label in your last picture - the Glen Mist liqueur made in London, England! The distilled spirits were all whiskies (from Scotland?)
  18. Frankdolin
    Frankdolin
    I came across this beautuful tune last Thursday and have been work'n my poor digits, and brain, to the bone trying to figure it out. And driving my poor wife crazy... I hope this passes as an Air, it's harder than it sounds. Thanks 4 listen'n.
  19. Ginny Aitchison
    Ginny Aitchison
    I thoroughly enjoyed your rendition of this tune, Frank. It has great tone and some nice ornamentation and your interpretation makes it a favourite of mine.
  20. Sherry Cadenhead
    Sherry Cadenhead
    Frank, that was a beautiful tune and beautifully played! I love the arrangement with its subtle embellishments. Where can I find it?
  21. Frithjof
    Frithjof
    Very tasteful in tone and timing, Frank. Beautiful pictures with a lot of nature and one bike.
  22. Christian DP
    Christian DP
    Those slides really bring the tune to life, great job Frank.
  23. John Kelly
    John Kelly
    I decided since the thread has been revived here by Frank that I would do a new recording of the tune. This time no accordion (played on the original by my late friend and fellow band member Derek MacDonald) nor instruments other than mandolin, octave and guitar.

    The pictures are ones I took on my last visit to Hector MacDonald's monument in Dingwall in Ross-shire.

    Frank posted his version on another thread started by Will Fly, but has now moved it to here, and a great version his is!

  24. Christian DP
    Christian DP
    Great Doing it all by myself-video, John.The fine music and the nice pictures make for enjoyable 143 seconds.
  25. Frithjof
    Frithjof
    Such a fine rendition, John! I had to listen to it a few times.

    I also listened to all the other submissions. The instruments and playing technics are so different but all are very interesting.
  26. Simon DS
    Simon DS
    Fine Scottish playing, John, yes there are a lot of very different versions of this tune.
    Here’s what wiki has to say:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hector_MacDonald
  27. Bertram Henze
    Bertram Henze
    Fine versions Frank (boldly letting the mandolin breathe to the last of its sustain) and John (the soft sound of the octave makes it extra-sad)
  28. John Kelly
    John Kelly
    Thanks, all four of you. It is a tune worth revisiting. We play it regularly at home here and the fiddlers enjoy playing in both A and D.
  29. Frankdolin
    Frankdolin
    Beautiful version John! Played like a " True" Scottsman! I'm only 1/4 Scott, and it shows, but I'm working at getting more betterer. Sherry; I listened to half a dozen different recordings, many many times, all on fiddle, memorized the tune, and worked from there. The arrangement in "A" seems pretty standard.
  30. Ginny Aitchison
    Ginny Aitchison
    Beautifully played and interpreted John. Did our talk about cemeteries give you this idea. I always like your pauses or 'breaths' when you interpret a tune like this.
  31. John Kelly
    John Kelly
    Thanks, Ginny. The pauses are something I think I picked up from playing with flddlers a lot over time. Interesting coincidence about our recent chat about cemetery locations for picture opportunities, but those photos were the only ones I had to hand to go with the tune. The memorial is a spectacular construction and occupies a vantage spot above the town of Dingwall, itself a lovely place to visit.
  32. bbcee
    bbcee
    Beautiful versions, you two! Thanks for resurrecting this one, Frank, it's a good 'un. I agree that to get the right feel for these airs is no mean feat.

    Here's my version from two Augusts ago, posted to the Newbies group, paired with a not-great take of Midnight on the Water. The pic is the Dordogne River, taken at sunrise during a vacation (a what??):

  33. John Kelly
    John Kelly
    Bruce, you put together the two tunes rather well here. I have never thought of pairing Hector with any other tune, but you manage to create an interesting set here with Midnight on the Water. You mention getting a feel for the air and its phrasing. There are lyrics to Hector The Hero which were written by Thomas McWilliam and I tend to have them in my head when I play this tune and try to play to the lyrics. Below is an extract from them:

    'O, wail for the mighty in battle,/ Loud lift ye the Coronach strain;/ For Hector, the Hero, of deathless fame,/ Will never come back again'

    James Scott Skinner wrote the lament in 1903; he was a friend of Hector which adds some poignancy to the story. Aberdeen University has an excellent archive of Skinner and his works, including original manuscripts and there is the manuscript of McWilliam's lyrics in his own handwriting in this archive.
  34. bbcee
    bbcee
    That's great advice, John, I wasn't aware there were lyrics until after I had done the recording.
  35. Aidan Crossey
    Aidan Crossey
    My take on Skinner's tune. This is one of those tunes which somehow made its way into the Irish repertoire. My first encounter with it was via The Bothy Band and subsequently I've heard many versions, recorded and in sessions. I intended to record this at a slightly slower tempo but I settled into a somewhat less funereal speed than I had aimed for. I gather that Skinner wrote the tune in A but in Irish circles, it tends to be played in D - hence the version which I've got is in D.

  36. Christian DP
    Christian DP
    Nice tenor guitar treatment, Aidan!
  37. Aidan Crossey
    Aidan Crossey
    Thanks for the kind words, Christian...
  38. bbcee
    bbcee
    Lovely sound and arrangement, Aidan, thanks for posting this. I thought I was seeing six strings in the picture initially, while thinking, "That SURE sounds like a tenor"! Time for new glasses.
  39. Aidan Crossey
    Aidan Crossey
    Kind words and much appreciated. Thank you. Aidan
  40. John W.
    John W.


    This one has been lingering under my fingertips for some time now…this Easter holiday has given me some free time to get a bit of playing/recording done.

    Ivor Pickard Octave Mandolin
    Faith parlour guitar (Naked Mercury)
  41. Richard Carver
    Richard Carver
    You're on a roll, John. You're also a brave man to add to this very distinguished thread, but yours is every bit as good as earlier postings. Once again, you combine the two instruments subtly and effectively.
  42. John W.
    John W.
    Thanks, Richard. A distinguished thread indeed…inspirational and informative…
  43. John Kelly
    John Kelly
    Play this one each Thursday evening at our local session. Usually two sets of small pipes among the fiddles, mandolin, accordion(s) guitars and whistles. I really like your version here.
  44. Frithjof
    Frithjof
    Great version, John W. Love the sound of your octave every time.
    Oh, yes, there are so many great versions in this thread!
  45. John W.
    John W.
    Thank you John K and Frithjof.

    It is a tune that stirs the emotions whether it’s played by a solo piper, a large collection of musicians (like at the Edinburgh Tattoo), or any combination in between.
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