A new project from Aidan Crossey

[Aidan Crossey]

Working on a new CD, in a similar vein to the previous home-produced efforts, i.e. mostly tune sets with the odd song and - if the mood takes me - an occasional poem or two ... #working title "We'll Seek No More Engagements".

However, I've just got my mitts on a great piece of kit, the Zoom PS04 palmtop digital 4-track recording studio. #So portable and versatile with a high quality condenser mic built in. #And, since I've had one or two requests, I thought I might put together a CD companion to the mandolin tunebook I've made available at Pay The Reckoning.

This would be quite an undertaking and so, before embarking on what promises to be a few months' work, can I have a show of hands as to whether any 'cafe folk would be interested in buying the CD when it emerges. It will be very basic ... 100 tunes, each played twice-round - slowly - on mandolin as a learning aid. #Retail price? If I can get the lot squeezed on to a single CD then $(US)10 or £(UK)5 inc p&p. #Otherwise, if two CDs required, $(US)20 or £(UK)10.

Let me know by posting a "yea" here ... if I get more than 50 potential sales, then I'll go for it!

[rmcintos]

Yea!http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[Strathspey]

oh yeah, count me in - just let me know when to send the dough and I'll start watching the mail.

[jasona]

aye, add me to your list

[Mike Buesseler]

Here's another YEA, Aidan, but can you tell us more about that digital recorder? Sounds like a hot deal!

[otterly2k]

sounds good

[Aidan Crossey]

Mike ...

Here's a link to some official blurb about the Zoom PS04. It costs around £220-£250 in the UK, but I've seen ads on the web for USA prices and apparently it's possible to pick one of these up in the States for $199 or thereabouts.

Aidan

[Aidan Crossey]

Ooops!

Here's the link!

http://www.proaudiostore.co.uk/pdf/587.pdf

Aidan

[Bren]

Aidan, what were your previous CDs made on? They sound OK.

BTW, I use a precursor to the PS04, called an MRS4.
One thing we've found about Zooms is the AC jack/socket tends to become loose over time resulting in annoying intermittent power cuts. Otherwise excellent value for money.
Perhaps someone has good advice on how to fix mine (not involving silver foil)?

[Aidan Crossey]

Bren...

Up until now I've been using "n-track Studio" which runs on a PC. However there are a few problems with this set-up.

a) My desktop PC isn't very portable and it's in a room next to where my little one sleeps and I can't record there at night for fear of disturbing him.

b) There is a lot of background noise from the PC's fan, etc.

c) Even with 128MB of memory, my PC has difficulty coping with more than three tracks at a time.

The new yoke has none of these problems. As far as the AC input is concerned, I'm running off batteries at the moment and have had, so far, around eight hours' life out of 4 Duracell AAs (the manufacturers reckon you can get 10 hours from quality batteries). I like the fact that running off battery power simply enhances portability!

[SiFi]

Add another "aye" for the CD!

[Jaws]

When the band I'm in attempted to record a few songs, we recorded onto a pc, but got such a long wire for the mike that whoever was actually recording his/her bit was sitting in the next room down. I don't know how much room you have to play around with, but if you had the space, you could always hit record, walk over to the mike, play, end the recording, and then edit it all later.

[tonylumen]

Add me to the aye list.

[Leftyman]

Aiden put me down for two CD's.I deserve it,after spending the last six months searching South London for the 'Humours of Lewisham'Volumes 1&2,(you old 'wag')

[Synchronal]

Great idea! I'll get one, too.
The book '121 Favorite Irish Session Tunes' by Homespun includes 4 CD's with the tunes from the book. Like what you are doing, they play it twice slowly to learn by. (using a tinwhistle)Actually the second time its a bit faster, and with ornaments added, but still not up to session speed. I will love to hear tunes on your mandolin. Have you considered playing it around the second time with examples using more ornaments that work great on the mandolin?

[Aidan Crossey]

Thanks to all who've taken the time to respond.

"We'll Seek No More Engagements" is well on the way to being finished. Two more tracks to complete and then I'll start selling it ...

The line-up at the time of writing looks like (this may not be the order in which the tracks appear in the final version) ...

The Gander In The Pratie Hole/Morrison's (jigs)
The Boys of Mullaghbawn (song)
Flower Among Them All (Northumbrian Air)
Biddy From Sligo/An t-Athair Jack Walsh (jigs)
The Congress/The Monaghan Twig (reels)
The Barren Rocks Of Aden/The £42 Cheque (polkas)
The Eagle's Whistle (3/4 Clan March ... thanks to Dan for turning me on to this tune!)
The Verdant Braes Of Screen (song)
The Frieze Britches (5-part jig)
The Oul Orange Flute (song)
Pretty Maggie Morrisey (hornpipe)
The Ace And Deuce Of Pipering (set dance in hornpipe time)
The Merry Blacksmith/John Crossey (reels)

And possibly ... though I've found this set slipping from my grasp the more I try to concentrate on it (funny how it trips off the fingers in the session setting!) The Primrose Lass/Craig's Pipes (reels)

And ... as a wee extra, I may include a track of my grandad singing from a selection of home-recorded songs my sister unearthed recently; after all I owe a lot of my immersion in the music to him!

Aidan

[Aidan Crossey]

Oh, and I forgot to say ... once I've got this one out of the way I'll turn my attention to the "100 tunes". However, I imagine it will be a little while before it sees the light of day ...

Aidan

[POB]

"The Oul' Orange Flute", Aidan? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif But surely you know that as an Irish traditional musician, it's your duty to stamp out sectarianism and bigotry by only promoting music from "our" tradition. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

(In case the smilies don't work, I'm only joking! Best of luck with the venture - it's a great idea.)

[Aidan Crossey]

Well ... for good or ill, "We'll Seek No More Engagements" is now complete and ready to be ordered ...

The final track listing is:

1. The Gander In The Pratie Hole/Morrison's
2. The Eagle's Whistle
3. The Ace And Deuce Of Pipering
4. The Boys Of Mullaghbawn
5. The Fairy Reel/The Wise Maid
6. Pretty Maggie Morrissey
7. The Oul' Orange Flute
8. The Frieze Britches
9. Flower Among Them All
10. The Verdant Braes Of Screen
11. The Congress Reel/The Monaghan Twig
12. Biddy From Sligo/An t-Athair Jack Walsh
13. The Barren Rocks Of Aden/The £42 Cheque
14. The Bank Of Ireland/The Merry Blacksmith
15. The Star Of Donegal (sung by John Crossey, RIP)

More details at http://www.paythereckoning.com/humours2.htm

Aidan

[Aidan Crossey]

In order to make it really easy for people to buy "We'll Seek No More Engagements", I'm experimenting with selling it via eBay.

Here's the link http://cgi.ebay.com/ws....MESE:IT (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=4049378645)

I've also placed copies of "The Humours of Lewisham Volume Three" and "Where Old Ghosts Meet" on eBay. #Here are the respective links http://cgi.ebay.com/ws... (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=4049380414) and http://cgi.ebay.com/ws... (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=4049381194)

[OdnamNool]

Say hey, A...

Put up yer antennae, dude! The major cheese wants you to go have lunch! On him!!! Check it out!

[Aidan Crossey]

?

A bit cryptic for me I'm afraid!

Aidan

[Wendy Anthony]

Aidan ... for a cryptic translation ... see #Free Dinner at Mandola Cafe (http://www.mandolincafe.net/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=12;t=19341;st=25)

Scott mentioned you lived in London ... I think he's looking to buy some of you folks dinner ... if you can arrange it ...

Keepin' tuned ...
Wendy Anthony

[Donald]

yea

[Eric F.]

I'd be interested.

[SiFi]

Aidan,

Any chance of putting some more copies of "We'll Seek No More Engagements" up on eBay? The earlier link has expired.

Cheers,

Simon

[Aidan Crossey]

Simon ... thanks for the prompt. I've relisted it here http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4058768846

Aidan