This week's winner is After the Battle of Aughrim, which was submitted as an Irish Traditional Polka. I'm not familiar with this tune. Here is the link to the tune on www.thesession.org. In the discussion section, it is discussed that it can also be played as a march and as a reel~ X: 1 T: After The Battle Of Aughrim M: 2/4 L: 1/8 R: polka K: Ador |:EA A/B/c/d/| ed cA | BG G/F/G/A/ | BA/G/ ED | EA A/B/c/d/ | ed ea/g/ | ed B/e/d/B/ | A2 A2 :| |:ae ef/g/ | a/b/a/g/ ef/g/ | a/b/a/f/ g>e | d/e/d/B/ G2 | ae ef/g/ | a/b/a/g/ ed | Be dB | A2 A2 :| Here's a link to another notation and abc, this one in 4/4 if that's easier for you to read or play.
.tef for SN and TABs: http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/at...6&d=1302873835
We play this fine reel in my contra dance band on fiddle, accordion, flute, clarinet, and guitar. We've also tried it on three mandolins and guitar. Sorry I don't have video or audio. I posted the sheet music as a photo in the photo section of this social group. Right click on this icon to see it here. The flute has an optional part playing "Wounded Hussar" in the A section.
I haven't played this in years but dusted it off for the occasion. I play it on tenor guitar (capo 2) which not only gets it in the right key of Em, but doesn't take the finger beyond the 5th fret. On the other hand, the tenor has a much longer scale length than the mandolin, so the little finger has to work overtime - swings and roundabouts... I often play both mandolin and tenor guitar with fingers as well as picks - not an orthodox role model, I'm afraid! Don't do what I do... And I use a lot of hammering-on and pulling-off to get the tune to flow - at the risk of losing tone. What matters above all else to me is to get the pulse and lilt - the spirit - of the tune. Anyway, I dashed off a hurried clip this morning and here it is:
great stuff Will - setting the bar high indeed sir!
Well... could have been a bit more considered and less rushed! :-)
Jill's right, that was great. the pulse really came through. I like the capo tenor guitar idea.
I went for the low end using the Fiddler's Fakebook version......
Very nice, Tosh - clean and with a very precise plectrum technique.
nothing low about that sir, I thought it sounded lovely!
Wow, another great tune I've never heard before. I really enjoyed learning this one. Tom
Fantastic Tom, love the passion you put into this. Will & Jill, thanks for the kind words........
Nice one Tom!
I'll have to come back to listen to Tom's; I got the "try back later message". Will's version really changed the vibe of this tune, which I've heard played more like Tosh's version. I love this tune and you both really brought forth the spirit of the song. Thanks!
I always think it's worth noting that many of these tunes were originally written for on the fiddle - they're basically fiddle tunes, and a violin player has a different basket of techniques from a mandolin player. Slurring and legato playing are inherent parts of violin technique, and I really notice the difference in fluidity and pulse when I play the same tune on each instrument. I often try and get the violin legato on to the mandolin fretboard in order to achieve the same flow, but the plectrum is not a bow, and it doesn't always work that way!
Here's mine. I'm playing it on my Petersen mandolin. I think I'm making progress in my right hand technique change, but am not there yet! For the life of me, it feels like I'm playing from the wrist, but when looking at it, it doesn't look like it feels!
Barbara, It's coming along nicely. Right-hand stuff is so hard to change. But most of the time your forearm isn't moving and your fingers aren't moving. So if you're gettting a good solid sound, something's gotta be moving. Must be the wrist. I'm no expert (ha!) but I think the whole reason for doing it with your wrist is because you can get plenty of sound with such a small motion. Nice performance of the tune. Seemed odd for a moment to hear you on the mandolin instead of a banjo or zouk or who knows what all...
Very nice version Barbara, and your wrist looks quite relaxed as well!
That was great Barbara and the right hand is solid. I had a bit of trouble with the high b's and you made it look easy!!!!
Decided to make another today. Yesterday, I was reading the notation while playing. Today, I'm watching my right wrist, beaming concentration to it. I think my wrist is behaving pretty well on this video.
Nicely legato on this one. Sweeter and smoother flow in comparison to yesterday's.
Great versions all around! And here's mine...
Second version sounds great Barbara! Chris that was awesome - well done!
Chris, All your tunes sound so good. Must be the Vimeo!
It's been a while since learning my last Irish traditional tune. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that it's played here as a march. Instruments: Gibson F2 mandolin and backup provided by a tiny old parlor guitar.
great stuff Michael, another great version!
Barbara and Michael - loved your versions as well. Lovely playing there! There's a very interesting question regarding your tempos. If you were really marching to Michael's (and I've done some marching in my time...), would you be marching at 4 paces to the bar? If so, it would be a very quick march indeed. If at 2 paces to the bar, a very slow one. Barbara's tempo would give you 4 brisk paces to the bar. My own version, which is quite fast, would move you along steadily at 2 paces to the bar - the slurring and hammering is decoration only and doesn't disguise the pace - but would be a fast trot at 4!
This is a great tune played at any speed. Since the battle was a disaster for the Irish I suspect that a Lament would be the correct speed... However, I intend playing it as a Polka...
Nice job everybody, I can't tell whether I like the faster version, aka Will, Chris, and mine, or the slower march, like Barbara, Tosh and especially Michael. Either way it get's me marching to the bar.
Great work by everyone so far. Tosh, I think your mando sounds even better with every new recording. Barbara, looks much more relaxed to me now. Hope it also FEELS more relaxed. And sorry to have caused so much relearning effort with my remarks. I just noticed that I had practiced the WRONG tune. The Fiddler's Fakebook has 'The Battle ....' and 'AFTER the Battle ...' Well, I had obviously tried to stay in chronological order ... Back to square one.
Manfred.... sorry? Sorry that you sparked what it took for me to FINALLY get my wrist to do what I had been intending it to do all along? Don't be sorry.... all I have to say is a big THANK YOU!!!!
OK, better late than never, I guess... I've been slacking the past two weeks so here's a double dose. Chris
Nicely done (and really shows the contrast between the two instruments). No slackers on this page as far as I can tell...
Nice job, Chris!! Well played indeed!
My stab at it, played on a Phoenix Bluegrass: http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...361#post920361
Beautiful job, pickloser.
All great versions ... yes, very good job, pickloser! I'm really struggling with this tune for some reason, so it's helpful to study hear all these different approaches.
Thanks! This is fun. I look forward to the next "assignment." I'm looking into buying a web cam. So many choices and price points. Yikes, more technology with which I am unfamiliar.
For a Windows machine I have been happy with the Logitech C910 which is widescreen HD with a built-in stereo mic. It works well on Skype and the included software is tolerable for capturing and uploading clips. I got it pretty affordably at Best Buy last year when I had a $50 bonus coupon to get me started. Full price is around 100 bucks I think. It is not necessarily the best choice for a Mac, though. I say "tolerable" software because I don't know of any better alternatives, PC software is generally tolerable at best in my estimation. P.S. I see Amazon is running them at $79 with free shipping. Hard to see any better choices at that price. The built-in mic does a much better job than the ones on some Webcams.
Is is possible to synchronize a web cam picture with a Zoom mp3 audio? . . . I mean for somebody like me.
You can take a separate audio file and using software (I use Reaper) replace the audio in the webcam recording with that other file. You have to put a metronome click or something on both the audio and video to use for synchronization. It's a royal PITA and I quit bothering after trying it a handful of times, even though the audio quality was far better. Or you can take line-level output of the live sound being captured by the Zoom and feed it into the "microphone" jack on your computer. In effect using the Zoom as a fancy microphone. Then go in Windows and select that "microphone" input instead of the built-in webcam microphone as the active recording source for audio.
Well played, everyone! I've been AWOL for quite awhile but I've been checking in and listening to all the enjoyable tunes. Here's my take on this great tune, played on a Forster 5 course bouzouki, I recently traded for; DGDAD capo at 7. New tuning and instrument, to me, so pardon the clams.
With due respect to the other lovely versions that have been posted, that one was very fine indeed. Your precise playing and clean phrasing works with that new Forster's characteristically clear voice to just really drive the tune home for me. Nigel really has a way with long-scale and extra-course instruments, doesn't he?
What Brent said! Very nice!
This is a new one for me and it was pretty easy to learn, so I decided to go for it. This was played with my Newell A style mandolin which I really like for ITM. Jim
Nice playing Jim. Your Newell sounds great. I’m still working on this one - pinky problems reaching the 7th fret and hearing the note.
Thanks Mike. You can see by my short stubby fingers it's a big reach for me to hit the 7th fret! My left pinkie has actually stretched longer since I've been playing the mandolin. I wish I had longer fingers! Jim
Thanks, Brent and Chris. The Forster is a really wonderful instrument; I feel very fortunate to be it's caretaker. Nice job, Jim. The Newell sounds great.
This is a lovely tune!!! Well done everyone. It was one of the first tunes I ever learned decently on the mandolin, sadly haven't played it for years now, but will certainly freshen it up and record it later this week!
Here's me and my mandolin again. It's great to be reminded of this tune, that was one of the first tunes I learned on the mandolin. After that I have barely played it again, but it's beautiful!
