Gaelic Music

Archie Nicol R.I.P. · Post by **Archie Nicol R.I.P.** » 11 Oct 2004 3:21 pm

Tonight, I have been watching highlights from the `Mod` (A celebration of Gaelic music and language) on BBC Scotland.
There is a female duet category and tonight's prog' focussed on the youngsters.
The harmonies are beautiful and although I didn't understand a word they sang, I thought the tunes would sound great on steel.
If you log on to the BBC site and find this stuff, I apologise for the stereotypical image, but what can i say? I like the music.

Chris Brooks · Post by **Chris Brooks** » 12 Oct 2004 8:42 am

Archie,

Good observation.

In the US our Boston National Public Radio has a show called "Celtic Sojourn." I have often imagined steel along with some of these fantastically beautiful Scottish and Irish songs. And why not? I hear alto sax, bouzouki, and other strange axes on some of these tracks!

I have a friend who is a professional guitarist (classical and Celtic) in Glasgow (though she is French)and have threatened to visit her some time with my steel. She says she knows some good local Celtic jam sessions . . . or is that what you call 'em?

Chris

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John McGann · Post by **John McGann** » 12 Oct 2004 10:31 am

Hey Chris- great playing with you this summer!

I play and record with a lot of great Irish musicians in and around Boston, and did a solo CD about 10 years ago for Green Linnet where I used steel a bit, mostly for chord stuff (since my chops were even lower at that time)...

I hope to use it some more in the future. It is a real natural for chordal pads and stuff; eventually I hope to play some tunes (melody) on the thing as well, and the trick is to sound idiomatic.

BTW I heard a hiphop/Irish fusion thing on Brian's Celtic Sojurn this weekend...ummm..well....it worked in the same way that "Celtic Rock" works...for me, it's "interesting" but does nothing for me musically or emotionally.

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David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 12 Oct 2004 12:46 pm

Well Archie to bad you weren't in Drogheda.
Pete Grant was just slaying us with his celtic fiddle tunes done on dobro.

And he had Steve O'brian a fine Uilian piper come by and duet with him.

This was a top shelf version of exactly what you are describing. Still purely acoustic, but just what it SHOULD sound like.

Pete has done some serious woodshedding on these tunes,
and no one else came close, for me, to adding a new major element to the steel guitar cannon at Drogheda.

I was just double foot kicking my own butt for not bringing my mandolin this time. I knew 80% of the tunes.

Chris Brooks · Post by **Chris Brooks** » 13 Oct 2004 1:04 pm

Ahoy John! Thanks for the good word and ditto . . . you were part of the "after-hours" hayloft jazz-jam crew at David's get-together, right? Gee that was fun.

If you ever need my feeble attempts at a Celtic session, gig, or fest, give me a call!

In the meantime, may the wind ever be at your back.

Chris

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 14 Oct 2004 1:16 am

Hi Chris, yes John was one of us at that jam.

By the way you did great that evening, all the peopl on the lawn commented at how good we sounded. And also about howdifferent we sounded than in the afternoon part.

I never think of the top of the carriagehouse as a hayloft, but I guess that's what it logically would have been.

I haven't been back to the cape since then, but when I do I will look you up.

David Doggett · Post by **David Doggett** » 14 Oct 2004 6:51 am

I occassionaly jam with some Celtic players here in Philly. Country style Dobro and pedal steel goes well with their music. But it is difficult to play. The chord changes are very fast, and the melodies derive from fiddle tunes and so are full of notes and fast riffs. But the sounds are familiar. Many of the the tunes have been copied in old time, bluegrass and country songs, even r&r (The Battle of New Orleans), and steel and Dobro fit right in. Country music derived from the Scotch-Irish in the American South, with a little African-American blues and gospel influence. So it's all part of the same family.

Chris Brooks · Post by **Chris Brooks** » 14 Oct 2004 8:11 am

Merci beaucoup, M. Donald. Yes, please give me a call when you are back in the area. And continued success in La Belle France.

Dave D., how right you are! Some of those melodies are real "knuckle-busters" and changes come thick and fast.

Ciao for now,

Chris