Let me take this opportunity to wish all my Song a Week Social Group friends, a Merry Christmas, or whatever holiday you may be celebrating! I am actually back home, for a while, at least! This month's winner is The Duke of Leinster, which was submitted as a reel. The Session says it's also known as Dandy and Margaret Collins. Here's a link to 8 settings of it on thesession.org
I think I have the tempo just right for the over 80 club dance!
Very nice playing Robert
Nice recording, Robert. I’m still working on it. So many different versions …
Nice one Robert! I'm trying to find a moment where I have the apartment to myself so I can get this one recorded, hopefully later this week!
Though not 80, I am a card-carrying member of the old folks club... the tempo is a bit brisk for me yet. Nicely played!
I decided for the third version that The Session provides. It’s named as the Chieftains Version but I never heard it and couldn’t find it on YouTube.
Great job Frithjof! I really like the sound of your mandolin too.
Another brisk one, and I agree, your mando sounds nice
Thanks for the feedback, Robert and Kay. Yes, I'm very pleased that I met this instrument. I guess we belong to each other.
I totally missed out on this - you sure got those triplets down, Frithjof. When you pass Jill on the fast lane, give her my regards Defying comparison, Robert has a musically rounded rendition with accompaniment, which is a totally different tune, inherently. No need for speed Robert.
You did do an excellent job playing this one Frithjof. I know that section where you have to use the pinky is not an easy one.
Thanks for the flattering remarks, Bertram and Brian.
A few hours of solitude in the tiny apartment yesterday so able to get some recording done! Here's my go at The Duke of Leinster!
Jill - I like it! someday I want my triplets to sound like yours. so nice and smooth and efortless. Thanks for sharing.
Flawless playing Jill, including the triplets. I haven't really tried triplets yet but I cant figure out how you keep them perfectly timed.
Hi Jill, that was great. I could listen to that again and again. By your leave I would download your recording as mp3.
Nice picking and instrument. Congrats and thanks for sharing.
Cheers folks! Brian and Robert: Re: the triplets - when I started playing tenor banjo many years ago my teacher (Angelina Carberry) had me doing triplets from the get go, in tunes played very slowly - this made it easy to keep them steady and in time. Generally speaking I find that people hear triplets and think that they are played faster than they actually are. This can lead to folks speeding up when they try to throw some triplets in and then the timing of the tune gets thrown off when they attempt to continue on. Here's a blog post I wrote about playing triplets awhile back: Triplets and Trebles
Jill - This is a great instruction on triplets. Thanks for sharing it. I do welcome any observastions you may have on my playing. It is the best way to get better!
Mandomike has just posted in his monthly series an advanced lesson on triplets. His lessons are free and I thoroughly recommend them. Here is his website: https://www.mandomike.com/
Thank you Maudlin. I just listed to it and downloaded the worksheet. It is always good to have new things to work on.
Here is my submission for this one. It is a first try at triplets, which I enjoyed. The tune was a challenge, due to tempo and the use of the pinky. Recording anxiety is still present. I also think I should find a chair without arms.
Considering the anxiety, you are doing a great job at fretting the notes cleanly! I share your thoughts about the tempo. I find it very hard to get reels up to speed because there are so many notes and hardly any white space. With other tunes, I can "land" on a longer note at the end of a phrase and reset if I'm struggling. But reels are relentless in this respect. As you continue to build speed, you may want to aim to keep your fingertips closer to the fretboard. This keeps them where they're needed and will help you with fast tempos later on.
Nice first go at the triplets Brian! I think when starting to incorporate them going for a "less is more" approach gives you less things to juggle. There are a few spots in your video where the triplets are affecting the tempo and sound less effortless, and other spots where they fit in well - maybe listen back yourself and just remove them from the spots where they're not as effortless and keep them in where they are. The more you start to get comfortable playing them the more you'll get a feel for where they work and where they don't. Also if you remove them from one spot that gives you the opportunity to incorporate other ornamentation such as double stops, hammer ons, grace notes, or slides.
Dennis and Jill: Thanks for your kind comments and advice.I have noticed that reels give little chance to catch ones breath which is a challenge. Another challenge is that they are often repeating parts or patterns with slight variations. When I play these, I try to play through 3-4 times; I read somewhere in sessions that is how they are typically played. What almost always happens is that towards the last phrase on the final few bars I mistakenly play the wrong repeating pattern. Anxiety. Jill, I took your advice practicing with the triplets. It made them easier to play because I got used to listening for where they fell in the melody.
This reel has grown on me; I enjoy all the renditions. Thanks, Jill, for some instructional words about triplets.
Brian, your attitude towards learning reels is great! I struggled with them so much that I now almost have a phobia about them. I avoid them when I play, and they don't even sound as nice to me any more. So what I need to do is to find some that I like enough to get me over the pain of learning them and trying to build speed on them.
great stuff from Brian, Robert and Jill, its a great wee tune, enjoying learning it at the minute, takes me a while to get a tune into my head but hopefully get a recording done soon.
