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Thread: Summer Isles Festival 2013, Achiltibuie, Scotland

  1. #1

    Default Summer Isles Festival 2013, Achiltibuie, Scotland

    I've posted a few video clips from this excellent festival on my Youtube page. Here's a couple featuring our own Kevin MacLeod playing a National Tricone Tenor Guitar with his old pal Ali "Beag" MacLeod on accordion. These two local heroes went down a storm at the festival! I'll upload some videos clips from the informal afternoon sessions soon. Lots of great mandolin players among the participating musicians!




  2. #2

    Default Re: Summer Isles Festival 2013, Achiltibuie, Scotland

    And here's a clip of the fantastic ceilidh band that played on the Saturday night.


  3. #3

    Default Re: Summer Isles Festival 2013, Achiltibuie, Scotland

    Here are a couple of video clips of the trad sessions that took place at the festival. Some more on my youtube page here.

    http://www.youtube.com/user/donaidh/videos






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    Default Re: Summer Isles Festival 2013, Achiltibuie, Scotland

    My pal Jim Mackie trying the awesome National RM1 mandolin, playing it very well indeed!
    There's 4 I know of in th euK - must be more? How do folk like them?

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    Registered User John Kelly's Avatar
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    Default Re: Summer Isles Festival 2013, Achiltibuie, Scotland

    Thanks for the clips, Donaidh. Great memories of a great afternoon and evening. Roll on the next sessions!

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    Registered User ardbeg's Avatar
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    Default Re: Summer Isles Festival 2013, Achiltibuie, Scotland

    Kevin, you might have told me you were taking a photo and I would have put on my Mandolin Cafe baseball cap !
    I can vouch for the wonderful sound of the National, especially when it's Kevin's hands. Would love one.
    Loving the videos all of you have posted on this thread, what a fantastic weekend that must have been.
    Cheers
    Jim

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    Default Re: Summer Isles Festival 2013, Achiltibuie, Scotland

    Quote Originally Posted by kmmando View Post
    My pal Jim Mackie trying the awesome National RM1 mandolin, playing it very well indeed!
    There's 4 I know of in th euK - must be more? How do folk like them?

    Click image for larger version. 

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    I haven't been able to decide quite what I make of the Nationals actually.

    I went from never having seen one to being surrounded by three of them in quite a small kitchen. I can tell you - they are pretty loud!

    From my own point of view, their main use would be at a very noisy session I sometimes go to in Hootanannys - a pub in Inverness. And yet, that is a good place for playing my trusty old Windsor tenor banjo, which I do think sounds great alongside my friend Melanie's accordion.
    I think I am probably going to stick with my wooden mandolins. I still love 'em!
    David A. Gordon

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    Default Re: Summer Isles Festival 2013, Achiltibuie, Scotland

    Well its a different way of amplifying sound when you play resonators, not like wooden acoustics or electrics. Interestingly the National sounds great to my ears when heard played at a wee distance away from you, but sounds more bright when you sit and play it yourself. I'm still getting the hang of it, still trying various strings and picks and got a way to go, but here's a few rough takes of the RM1 with different tempos, for interest.






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    Default Re: Summer Isles Festival 2013, Achiltibuie, Scotland






  10. #10

    Default Re: Summer Isles Festival 2013, Achiltibuie, Scotland

    Thanks for posting these videos Kevin - great stuff.

    I think they show just how versatile the RM1 is and how it suits the various types of tunes you play in the videos. Of course I am a firm convert already and for me it's the only mandolin that can keep up with the volume generated by a Paola Soprani button accordion!

  11. #11
    Mandolin Botherer Shelagh Moore's Avatar
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    Default Re: Summer Isles Festival 2013, Achiltibuie, Scotland

    My pal Jim Mackie trying the awesome National RM1 mandolin, playing it very well indeed!
    There's 4 I know of in the uK - must be more?
    There are at least five in Scotland alone that I know of! Thanks for posting the clips everybody... hope to make it there someday.

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    Default Re: Summer Isles Festival 2013, Achiltibuie, Scotland

    There's a chance to see Nationals in action this Wednesday in Aberdeen - it would be good to have your company.

    As part of the CD launch for the ceilidh band I play in - Jingbang - Kevin and I will be playing a couple of sets - and there's also time for a session at the end - so do bring an instrument along.

    The venue is the Blue Lamp - the start at 8.30pm - free entry - but £10.00 buys you a souvenir of what we hope will be a great evening!

    All the best

    Tim

    www.jingbang.org.uk
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEjFH65zcZs
    https://www.facebook.com/Jingbangceilidhband
    Tim Jones

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    Au fol la marotte
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    Default Re: Summer Isles Festival 2013, Achiltibuie, Scotland

    Kmmando - thanks for posting those videos - that resonator certainly does ring out proud and clear.

    Out of curiosity - you have mentioned experimenting with different strings and picks - have you any observations to share as to what has been working out best, for you, so far?

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    Default Re: Summer Isles Festival 2013, Achiltibuie, Scotland

    Well, I was taken with the tomastik smoothwound strings that Donnie MacDonald uses on his RM1, and have currently got a cheaper D'Addario smoothwound set of the J74 equivalent on, and I'm very pleased with them. That said, my brother in law and fine mandolinist Tim Jones had a set of Martin strings on his RM1 and they sounded good too. All 3 sets produce a slightly different strident-ness, the Tomastiks being quite mellow, mine a wee bit less mellow and the MArtins and probabaly the J74s would be brighter still - depends on what you like hearing I suppose.

    Been trying a Dava pick with an orange end, and also some standard Fender picks sound good too. Trial and error at thsi stage, but its really a question of making a nice sound with the instrument in hand, articulation of the pick and where on the strings one picks. All good fun!

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    Mandolin Botherer Shelagh Moore's Avatar
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    Default Re: Summer Isles Festival 2013, Achiltibuie, Scotland

    I can't afford the Thomastiks myself and also use the D'Addario FW-74 flatwounds which I like. I usually use an Ultex .73mm or 1mm pick or, occasionally a TS one, depending on the tune.

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    Default Re: Summer Isles Festival 2013, Achiltibuie, Scotland

    I'll look out for those Picks, Richard and see how they go.
    Think I might try the FWs on my F4 - the Tomastiks were good on it but they are dear, as you say.
    Where do you get a tune? are you in a band?
    cheers
    Kevin

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    Default Re: Summer Isles Festival 2013, Achiltibuie, Scotland

    Quote Originally Posted by Richard Moore View Post
    There are at least five in Scotland alone that I know of! Thanks for posting the clips everybody... hope to make it there someday.
    I know of another two in Derbyshire (one of those is mine). As for strings, if you can't afford Thomastics, try Jazzmando JM11s. That said, I currently have J74s on mine.

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    Mandolin Botherer Shelagh Moore's Avatar
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    Default Re: Summer Isles Festival 2013, Achiltibuie, Scotland

    Ray: I use JM-11s on my Nava. I have a couple of sets left but unfortunately they've stopped selling them now and the others La Bella make are slightly different gauges.

    Kevin: I'm not in a regular band although occasional gigs do happen. Most of my tunes have been from playing in sessions over many years. The only local one I go to now is every other week in Kippen. Any good suggestions?

    Cheers,

    Richard

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    Default Re: Summer Isles Festival 2013, Achiltibuie, Scotland

    Thanks for that Richard, I wasn't aware that they discontinued them in July (according to the Jazzmando website). I too have a couple of sets left.

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    Default Re: Summer Isles Festival 2013, Achiltibuie, Scotland

    Lots of good sessions in Edinburgh and Glasgow too I think, but beyond that, I think you just need to know like minded folk in your area. The cafes good for finding folk mind you, I've been enjoying meeting Niall Anderson through the cafe here in Edinburgh, a fine player with some lovely instruments. One Forster cittern in the cafe ads right now, its a beauty!

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    Default Re: Summer Isles Festival 2013, Achiltibuie, Scotland

    A couple of Nationals pictured on Wednesday night - a real pleasure for me to share the stage, albeit briefly, with Kevin - we performed a couple of sets as part of a CD launch.

    Tim

    www.jingbang.org.uk
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEjFH65zcZs
    https://www.facebook.com/Jingbangceilidhband


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    Tim Jones

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