Pretty Little Cats, June Apple Medley

  1. Michael Pastucha
    Michael Pastucha
    Here's another medley, Pretty Little Cats & June Apple. Sometime ago Pretty Little Cat was a Song of the Week selection. I couldn't decide which of the two different versions I found was best, so I worked them both up. The fiddler I play with said that June Apple would make a really good third tune... so here it is. These are Old Time fiddle tunes. Played here on a Kentucky mandolin with a OO Martin guitar for backup.

  2. crisscross
    crisscross
    Sounds fantastic, Michael!
    I especially like the tone you coax from your Kentucky.
    And the fact, that you don't play these Old-Time-tunes too fast...
  3. Frithjof
    Frithjof
    Great. I'm looking forward to listen to more old-time videos by you, Michael.
  4. bbcee
    bbcee
    Righteous medley, Michael! Nice to enjoy your contributions once again.
  5. John Kelly
    John Kelly
    You are back with a bang, Michael! Lovely stuff.
  6. Ginny Aitchison
    Ginny Aitchison
    Stuche. I still have your subscription on my list hoping one day to see a "1" beside it....I keep hoping and now you're back.
  7. Michael Pastucha
    Michael Pastucha
    Thanks Ginny! Actually I was never gone, but just taking a rest from recording in order to concentrate on playing some live music.

    Crisscross, in order for me to play a song fast, it seems that first I must play it slowly, at least in my experience. Once it is down pat, then it's possible to increase the speed. The slow tempo when practicing helps set all of the phrases firmly in my memory.
  8. Simon DS
    Simon DS
    Really nice and inspiring, thanks Michael, good to hear it at this speed too.
  9. Simon DS
    Simon DS
    Oops…
  10. Simon DS
    Simon DS
    Thanks for the motivation, Ginny.
    I haven’t posted in a month, hope you guys enjoy these two popular tunes.


    https://youtu.be/5g9j4bupfGk
  11. John Kelly
    John Kelly
    You must have been using your absence well, Simon. This is a very fine creation indeed. Good to see you back again.
  12. Simon DS
    Simon DS
    Many thanks John, it’s nice to be back.
    I guess I should announce that my 6 year old cat died on 11 November 2022 after a fairly long illness, that’s it. Terrible loss etc.

    But back to the tunes. I’ve been keeping up listening to you guys but not enough energy for emotional interaction. All change!
    I’ve actually been playing a lot to recordings, something I’ve hardly ever done before. And I’ll admit it’s not easy.
    It’s knocked my timing out a bit but there you go.
    Thanks again Ginny, I went out for a long hike in the cold. Good to be alive.
  13. Bertram Henze
    Bertram Henze
    Sorry to hear of your loss, Simon. But frankly, chewing internet cables is not a healthy diet...
    A hike in the cold - what cold? In Southern France? Rather looks like the route Napoleon took when trying to invade Russia.
  14. Pierpaolo S.
    Pierpaolo S.
    Great playing, Simon!
  15. Frithjof
    Frithjof
    That sounds great, Simon!
  16. Simon DS
    Simon DS
    Thanks Gents, yes I’ve been playing a lot, but mainly playing along to sound tracks, something I have almost never done in the past.
    In the past I took a new tune, printed it out for TAB and learned that to the metronome while using and .abc player to confirm that I wasn’t making any general mistakes in rhythm and with the melody. Then I’d learn another… and another using the same procedure.

    In the past four weeks, ever since my best friend took that long journey to cat heaven, it’s been like going to a continuous session and just playing tunes I already know.
    I finish playing a tune and want to stop but the recording keeps running, so I continue.

    The only real problem is that I hear recorded tunes that are played with a variable rubato.
    The problem being that after having heard them a couple of times, I start to speed up and slow down in the ’right’ places… which aren’t always the best places for expressing the melody. On the other hand they are really good practise for learning to listen to the acceptable, or even desirable randomness of the playing of other musicians.
  17. John Kelly
    John Kelly
    Interesting points you make here about your playing regime, Simon. I see you using the music at present as a therapy to deal with your loss of your feline buddy and I am sure it is helping you to come to terms with this great loss.

    As far as playing along to recordings, it is maybe a bit like playing to a pre-recorded backing track. When you play using those there is no response from the track and you have to play to it, rather than its following you! There is no substitute for playing live along with fellow musicians where there is a constant response happening through the group as the players feed off each other. I believe you have mentioned previously that you do not have access to other musicians where you live in France so you are doing what fits your own circumstances and when you make your recordings and share them here I can assure you that they are enjoyed by us as are your own responses to our postings. The SAW Group provides the means of interacting with fellow players. Keep up what you are doing and remember that the recorder has an OFF button so that you can get away from playing along to it and get back to getting your own versions of the tunes recorded.
  18. Bertram Henze
    Bertram Henze
    second what John said about interactive playing. If you follow another musician who is following you, you can both drift off to ever increasing speed or to a standstill. An inner common metronome is needed, and interactive playing is good for training that.
  19. Christian DP
    Christian DP
    Two nice tunes played very well and a fine video.
    Sorry for the cat Simon, I also love them.
  20. Simon DS
    Simon DS
    I’ve heard that with dance-rhythm bodhran players who are playing exactly on the beat (of the fiddlers), and it’s something they’re good at.
    The fiddlers however are assuming they are playing a tiny fraction just after the fiddler’s beat, which is what the bodhran does when the fiddlers are using a lot of surprising rubato or if they just haven't practiced good rhythm. [Edit… is what a drummer would say.]
    So in order to sort out the rhythm the fiddlers will speed up (so that the bodhran can again be just behind the beat). The bodhran-ers are behind the beat so they speed up to be exactly on the beat… etc. etc.
    Finally the fiddlers ask why the bodhran players keep speeding up!
  21. Bertram Henze
    Bertram Henze
    I have had that experience with all possible combination of instruments and drift directions. For years, I had speeding-up problems with a guitar accompanist, until we got to talk about it and he stated that he liked to pre-strike a beat just a fraction to add more "drive" to it (kind of private syncopation) - after that, I learned to just ignore his playing; you can't win against people who live in their own time zone
  22. Simon DS
    Simon DS
    I’m so spoilt with my loyal metronome.
  23. John Kelly
    John Kelly
    I wonder if the folk we play along with have similar conversations about our inconsistent time keeping, Bertram? It is just so odd that all those who cannot keep time are also generally slightly out of tune when they play with us. It can be such a drag!
  24. Simon DS
    Simon DS
    Bodhran player:
    "Here’s a joke for ye, how can you tell if someone is a fiddler?
    -they play a set of three tunes, 192 notes, beautiful it is.
    But you can tell they’re a fiddler because only one of the notes, the first one, is actually on the beat."
  25. Bertram Henze
    Bertram Henze
    Anybody sensing a timing problem in others needs to check if he is not the wrong one himself. Since bringing a metronome to a session is not really an option, one must make do with the swarm timing of the whole session. If an adverse effect occurs only with one other player and not with others, that is a sign.
  26. Ginny Aitchison
    Ginny Aitchison
    Interesting discussion. One of my brothers was a singer with the Canadian Opera Company for most of his working life. He is now doing podcasts and he has a gorgeous bass voice. He started using a metronome when he felt himself speeding up unintentionally. I actually play along to tunes by SAW members - so I hope you guys are all in step !
  27. Simon DS
    Simon DS
    Playing a tune that has rubato and a different one that is a straight dance tune is a very different way of playing and even thinking.
    I find it really difficult.

    With someone playing rubato I’m thinking, ok they speeded up at the end of the A part, they’ll probably do the same the next time around, etc.
    And that hesitation crossing the 3 strings… probably the same next time too.
  28. Gelsenbury
    Gelsenbury
    Well done, Simon! I enjoyed that a lot.
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