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Matt Buckley - Posted - 12/15/2009: 10:55:10
Thanks for posting this, Mary. Although I've played the tune on the pipes for over 20 years, it never occurred to me put the tune on the banjo. Very cool. Must try it this evening. 
I have an interesting, an old, connection with Jerry Rockwell. He lived in Vermont for a time in the early 80s, and moved to Columbus, OH in 1984. I gave Jerry a ride from Vermont to Columbus when he moved. A very lovely guy, and a nice 14-hr travel companion.
Regarding the piping version you posted. This guy's approach, while very nice, is idiosyncratic. My experience is that you wouldn't hear this approach, as regards timing, with the great majority of pipers.
banjoannie - Posted - 12/15/2009: 13:00:59
Love it i'm working on it right now
thanks annie
maryzcox - Posted - 12/15/2009: 14:44:35
Here's a reply from Tom Hanway (a BHO member from Ireland) on another thread that gives even more in depth information about this tune.
Nice one Mary! You did a lovely job of that recording in contemporary clawhammer style. It's gorgeous. I had trouble streaming it over here in Ireland, so I'll go back later tonight for another listen. The tune and backing are perfectly matched.
And ‘The Song of the Chanter’ sure is an old piping tune, a modal march played by Irish Uilleann pipers in D Mixolydian. It's in H.J. Clarke's The New Approach to Uilleann Piping (Ossian OMB 140), a thoroughly contemporary and reputable source. It has many adherents on both sides of the Atlantic. (I take a lot of ornamentational ideas from it, for both the fretting and picking hands, using grace note, melodic, rhythmic and intervallic variations.)
Chords are not included, being incidental to piping tunes, but developing one's ears, tastes, and improvisational style are stressed from very early on in the book. A typical comment about ornamentation or improvisation runs like this: "Use it at your own discretion." The same could be said for chords: Use them at your own discretion.
Personal choice is stressed throughout and this is typical of approaches to Irish traditional and other Celtic music.
The book and companion CD works as a series of exercises showing the student how to finger and finger the chanter to get notes, also how to squeeze the bellows, gradually working in exercises, slow airs, basic tunes, different keys and time signatures, and increasingly harder tunes. It works. Focus is given to playing tunes without grace notes, then with them, and various forms of ornamentation, such as "popping" and "cranning" are taught. Popping gives the effect of a dog's bark, and the author writes:
"Like all other ornamentation, popping is wholly optional, so do not use it if you do not like its effect. You should, however, only decide whether to use it or not after you have mastered it."
Irish and Celtic tutors emphasize reading standard notation, not theoretical chords, building technique by playing actual tunes, listening and playing along to a sound recording (of the tune) designed to train the ear and familiarize the learner with tunes in gradual stages. Skills are developed this way, one lesson at a time, gradually combining techniques to teach consistent playing habits, especially for who do not have the advantage of a personal teacher to provide disciplined study of the tunes and fundamentals.
Edited by - Tom Hanway on 12/15/2009 14:33:33
Paul Roberts - Posted - 12/15/2009: 16:51:14
Great idea to interpret this tune in clawhammer style. I've been playing it on mandolin and cittern for ages, but it never occurred to me it could be done in clawhammer. The decelerated tempo gives a lot of nice space for the decorative guitar fills. Very nice job.
PauL
http://www.banjocrazy.com/ Gold Tone Dealership, articles, interviews
GerryH - Posted - 12/15/2009: 16:56:00
Thjs is a fun tune to play and fairly easy to learn. Thanks, Mary.
GerryH
Matt Buckley - Posted - 12/15/2009: 17:02:03
Tom Hanway's comments, nicely stated, remind me that it's easy to forget that we should not only speak of "both sides of the Atlantic" but also "both sides of the Irish Sea". The Chanter's Song is very common among Scottish pipers, and some would argue that the tune is of Scottish origin, given that the tune fits the Highland scale beautifully. In addition, modern scholars argue that the Irish uillean pipes in all likelihood have their origin in the Border pipes and Pastoral pipes of Lowland Scotland. The true origin of the tune is lost to time.
The approach to ornamentation among Scottish pipers would generally be quite different from that stated by Tom regarding uillean pipers. In trad. Scottish piping, the ornamentation would be taught first, along with the scale, and the ornamentation would be an integral process of learning the tune, rather than an add-on to the melody.
RWJones1970 - Posted - 12/15/2009: 19:04:32
*** Beautiful arrangement Mary! Thank you for the post.
imac50 - Posted - 12/16/2009: 09:09:03
Very good, Mary. I enjoyed that.
Iain
Tom Hanway - Posted - 12/16/2009: 10:47:47
quote:
Originally posted by Matt Buckley
Tom Hanway's comments, nicely stated, remind me that it's easy to forget that we should not only speak of "both sides of the Atlantic" but also "both sides of the Irish Sea". The Chanter's Song is very common among Scottish pipers, and some would argue that the tune is of Scottish origin, given that the tune fits the Highland scale beautifully. In addition, modern scholars argue that the Irish uillean pipes in all likelihood have their origin in the Border pipes and Pastoral pipes of Lowland Scotland. The true origin of the tune is lost to time.
The approach to ornamentation among Scottish pipers would generally be quite different from that stated by Tom regarding uillean pipers. In trad. Scottish piping, the ornamentation would be taught first, along with the scale, and the ornamentation would be an integral process of learning the tune, rather than an add-on to the melody.
Cheers Matt. You know, Mary opened up a room in the house for me that I hadn't been paying much attention to, or visiting as of late. It's great to go back into the old rooms and look through old scrapbooks, also searching for hidden passageways, mirrors into the past and secret sliding panels. All those songs for the chanter.
I had been aware of this title from Heather Clarke's book, but never paid much notice to it, though I recognized the melody. Mary has changed all that for me and opened up new possibilities for it. I have no idea how I will end up playing it, except that I will, probably in D or A Mixolydian, or both.
I love it when banjo players take on piping tunes, or flute tunes, or accordion tunes. It doesn't always have to be fiddle tunes that they're always working from. It can be the *whistle*. Pipers love their piping tunes and there's so much music we can learn from pipers and adapt to other instruments, and this has been going on a long time! Maybe not all of it is adaptable, or at least, recognizable as having come from the pipes once adapted.
It's fascinating about the origins of the uilleann pipes in various kinds of "parlour instruments" from Scotland and Britain, and it makes sense that this tune would be played on the (more or less) Mixolydian scale Great Highland Bagpipe, not in 'Ceòl Mòr (Big Music) repertoire, but in Ceòl Beag or Little Music repertoire, which includes popular bagpipe music such as reels, jigs, marches and strathspeys.
I like the sound of the Scottish smallpipes too, being sweeter and *rounder* than the uilleann pipes. Piping's not my bag though, so I won't bellow on about it.
I do find the various piping repertoires and traditions, not one in the same, extremely fascinating. I love the way pipers love their piping tunes and culture. I love it when people love their traditions and make connections to related traditions, from all directions, across all the ponds, swamps, moors and bogs.
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Tom
Bill Rogers - Posted - 12/16/2009: 13:24:38
For a great intro to all sorts of pipes, pick up Sean Folsom's CD, "Bagpipes of the World." Fascinating stuff. Info's at:
http://www.hotpipes.com/morecd.html
Edited by - Bill Rogers on 12/16/2009 13:27:56
Matt Buckley - Posted - 12/16/2009: 15:30:44
If anyone is interested in my recording and posting Song of the Chanter played on bellows-blown Scottish smallpipes, say the word and I'll give it a go.
Cheers. Mat
maryzcox - Posted - 12/16/2009: 17:07:51
quote:
Originally posted by Matt Buckley
If anyone is interested in my recording and posting Song of the Chanter played on bellows-blown Scottish smallpipes, say the word and I'll give it a go.
Cheers. Mat
go for it Mat--it never hurts to hear a tune from a different angle.
Edited by - maryzcox on 12/18/2009 20:02:51
salvatone - Posted - 12/17/2009: 09:46:07
How many of your splendid postings have I missed by looking in the Sound off thread. You are posting for Clawhammer heads. You should share these wonderful songs with all the banjo players. Thanks, now I will look for your song of the week.
maryzcox - Posted - 12/28/2009: 13:55:32
Thanks for all your kind words and glad you are enjoying this tune.l
Edited by - maryzcox on 01/06/2010 11:53:35
