Inspired by the recent waltz revival, here's one of my favorite waltzes, although I'm not playing it like a waltz here. Far Away was written by Peter Jung in 1985 and is not your typical waltz but it has it own unique character. I haven't been playing much lately so this one is rougher than usual but I really wanted to post something new.
Brilliant work on this nice piece David. I’m glad you are back here!
Fine arrangement and playing of an interesting tune, David.
Thanks, David -- great to see you back! That's a lovely recording of a great tune. We also play this regularly with our group, in one of Evelyn Tiffany-Castiglioni's arrangements. I thought I had recorded it in the past, but looking back I don't think I have, so I'll have to get around to making my own recording. Martin
Nice recording. Thanks for sharing.
Very nice, David. I always like how you build the tunes up as you go along. This is a nice tune, I enjoyed it.
Well done David. At a festival I used to attend we would often play this late at night as we all tired of fast tunes. Beautiful tune.
Fantastic recording and nice pictures to with it!
As promised, I have now made my own recording of this lovely tune, using Evelyn's arrangement. I now understand why our group's second mandolinist always complains when we play this tune -- the B part goes polyrhythmic for three bars, with the melody played in 3 and the accompaniment in 2, which takes some getting the head around. Nice effect, though. Pete Jung: Far Away (1985) Arranged by Evelyn Tiffany-Castiglioni 1921 Gibson Ajr mandolin (x2) Vintage Viaten tenor guitar Suzuki MC-815 mandocello Martin
David's back to make my day Whoa David... that bass arrangement is huge. So this is how T Rex couples dance a waltz Martin's rendition is different in a delicate way, and the difficult passage with 3/4 superimposed with 6/8 is more noticeable there. Such traps are more common than you might think - The Atholl Highlanders is another tune containing this shift, albeit in the other direction. I wonder what dancers say to that. P.S. I have found what this time conundrum reminded me of, subconsciously. It is a trick that was overdone a bit (IMHO) in the Riverdance arrangements, and the dancers apparently just ignored it.
Nice arrangement, very well played, Martin!
Well played Martin, a much more danceable version of the tune than mine. I think the harmonies suit the tune well.
Thanks, Bertram, Crisscross and David -- much appreciated. David: your version is much more dramatic. I love those crescendos and the way the arrangement builds. T Rex couples dancing describes is pretty well, except it's more graceful than that. Bertram: good spot on the Riverdance arrangements and very funny the way the dancers completely ignore the rhythm shifts. But yes, I did have to consciously shift gear to 6/8 in the backing. I noticed David did the same with two big powerful cittern chords per bar in that phrase. Martin
You always present interesting arrangements, Martin. Another fine one here. I have gone for a slower tempo and used mandolin and octave for melody with two guitar tracks to add the backing, one playing chords in open position and the other capoed up the neck to give different chord voicings. Video clips are of the Holy Loch (an inlet on the Firth of Clyde here in Scotland) just minutes from my home.
Very nice John, clear and clean with lovely pictures to go with.
So many great recordings of this tune. I'll have my humble offering up sometime this week (awaiting my accompanist's contribution)
Three fantastic versions. I enjoyed them all.
Nice versions by all three of you. I like the variations of the different recordings.
Great playing, John. Looks like I have to also try this beautiful waltz...
A really fine version John!
Very bell-like, John, I missed out on that one, been away for a few days.
Thanks for kind comments, gents and Ginny!
Yesterday, I finally found the time to record my humble contribution to this beautiful waltz theme. Other than Martin, I changed from 3/4 to 6/8 in the accompaniment, when the melody did so. Thanks David for bringing up this nice waltz!
Very nice John and Crisscross -- your tempos are a bit more relaxed than mine which works well. Crisscross: I did actually change the accompaniment into 6/8 for those bars as well, the question is whether to play the melody in 6/8 or stick with the accents in 3/4. Evelyn's score appears to indicate 6/8 in the harmony and rhythm, but 3/4 in the melody. Listening back to my take, I think I pretty much play 6/8 outright for that passage, as indeed did both of you. Martin
Very good Criss, and the mood of your rendition seems to indicate a longing for homely cosiness which comes naturally when you're far away.
Oh golly I hope this works. My Movie maker programme crashed all day on and off...T'is my humble tribute to D Day - 75th Anniversary.
Credit to Emory Lester who helped me arrange this plus he played the guitar accompaniment. Everyone has done such a nice job of this tune - so thanks to David again for bringing us a song a lot of us can actually play ! Mine obviously not a waltz...sorry. I just thought of people who were Far Away - and since my dad is a veteran (age 97) and my daughter is the curator of an RCAF museum...it seemed the thing to do. I PUT THE WRONG YEAR IN...I was never good at math...I edited it but it takes a bit for it to change.
Sounds fantastic, Ginny!
And thanks Martin, Bertram and Ginny!
Crisscross, lovely rendition of this lovely tune. Ginny, you have married the tune and your picture content so well. The timing of the 75th Anniversary of D-Day and your recording of the tune with Emory was such a great piece of good luck too!
Ginny, what John said. Somehow, a picture of the Commando Memorial near Spean Bridge would have fitted in there, too - the place has that spirit.
Very well done Ginny. I really enjoyed it.
Thanks fellow Mando-lites. It was a rough day yesterday trying to get a time sensitive piece, with my 'other music' coming in at 6 am and a programme that kept crashing and now family saying ' how come you didn't include Dad?'. My dad is at age 97, a WW2 vet and I meant to put him in and somehow he got lost in the mayhem that was Windows media. THANK YOU for your kind words. I love this song, as I think may of us do.
You both added your own version in your personal style, Ginny and crisscross. That’s great.
Thank you Frithjof.
Thanks John and Frithjof!
All of these fine renditions of Far Away have made me inspired to learn this tune. My fiddle playing buddy is working on it too! Thanks.
Ginny, you even have the mellow panorama sound of Emory Lester now. Everyone in their own way has played this tune really well.
I'm currently on a holiday that somehow isn't really a holiday ... I'm working, but visiting family in Germany at the same time and technically on annual leave but preparing for an important meeting on Wednesday! Anyway, this is just to explain the retro video made in my mum's kitchen with my first mandolin (a Stagg M20 called Clarion, on which I made my first steps on mandolin) and no fancy microphone or overdubs. Luckily, the tune is so beautiful that it speaks for itself. And "Far Away" seemed an apt title since I'm away from the office!
What a fine, stripped-down version you have here, G. Great sound from your recording.
Well done Dennis, sounds good.
I'm glad you added your beautiful rendition to the Far Away collection. Seems many of us really liked this song.
Thank you, I'm pleased you like it! I found a brilliant accordion version of this tune on Soundcloud: This version has more swing in it, which creates an interesting rhythm especially on the triplets. So I had a go on mandolin: It's probably the first time in my life that I'm playing something too fast!
Very nice version, Gelsenbury! I really like Waltzes with a swing feeling.
It's all good Dennis (though I doubt that anybody outside Gelsenkirchen will understand that etymologically chaotic Tee shirt) I have my doubts about that accordion version, though - it has a Prussian marching quality to it, and the 6/8 triplets are disassembled, forcing a 3/4 pronunciation on them, so nothing is left of the lovely ambiguous syncopation.
Yes, my cat was VERY hungry! https://youtu.be/-bQy1EcdwRs
A fine up-tempo version, Simon. The tune lends itself to many different interpretations.
Relaxed picking, good sound, Simon
Right song, right man, and...right page.
Yes, it meets all the rules...there's even the author's name! Excellent music and playing too...
