Irish to the Last Pint

I was going to go more into detail about how various instruments have been uniquely used in traditional Irish music. Although there are many instruments worthy of discussion, I am only going to focus on two. In order to condense space I will be briefly presenting the guitar and the bouzouki...and how they are used in playing Irish jigs and reels. I picked these two because it seems that (even though they have foreign origins) they have been adopted as contemporary symbols in Irish music. The guitar has been used, especially in the twentieth century to play celtic fingerstyle arrragnments. Pierre Bensusan and Pat Kirtley are two professional musicians who have made celtic music popular with fingerstyle guitar (and have made it a focal point in world music). I will show two videos in order to demonstrate how a traditional Irish reel (usually played with whistles/pipes or harps/fiddles) can be arranged to be played on a contempoary steel string acoustic guitar.This is the Irish band Lunasa playing with Kerry Whistles. The reel is humorously titled The Last Pint:

I took this same Irish reel and attempted to learn it on the guitar (started this huge task at the beginning of the semester). A guitar is normally tuned EADGBE, but for this tune I am playing in DADGAD. This is an open G tuning; more specifically tuned to a D Sus 4 chord. I have found it to be very suitable for Celtic pieces for various reasons. One, by lowering the bass string E down to D, I am able to make a droning sound that is suited to the tonal qualities of fiddle music and pipes. Two, I also attempt to use numerous hammer ons and pull offs to mimic a pipe sound. I wasn't able to get all of the beautiful ornaments from The Last Pint correct, but it still holds some resemblance to the original. The open tuning allows the strings to ring out and allows me to play numerous parts at once. Here is a video of me playing The Last Pint (LOL, I know there's still a tree in the background) I tried to increase the tempo a lot more...once you get started it's too much fun playing it fast. Also, it recorded a little quiet so you might have to turn the volume up:



Another instrument that is unique to Irish music is the Irish Bouzouki. It originated from ancient Greece but has been adopted in Celtic music in the 1960's. The bouzouki looks and functions much like a big mandolin. It has a pear shaped body and eight strings. It is most commonly tuned GDAD. Notice the similarities between this tuning and the DADGAD tuning for the guitar. Although it is often used as a percussive and rhythmic instrument, it can often be used to play melodies such as jigs.


Here is good example of how a jig (like previously done on the bouzouki) can be arranged for finger-style guitar. Here is a video of a true professional, Pierre Bensusan playing Merrily Kissed the Quaker (Also played in DADGAD) He also uses numerous string bending and hammer-ons/pull-offs to mimic pipe sounds. The brand of guitar he is playing is a Lowden (custom hand crafted guitars made in Ireland), which have become very popular in the finger-style community:

Next I am going to discuss Irish rebel songs because they reflect the conflict in Northern Ireland. This can be seen in Breakfast on Pluto. More so, I thought this would be appropriate because the conflict between the Irish/British/Anglo Irish could be seen really through all the novels we read. These songs primarily are about events that are important to republicans. The lyrics will often reflect a negative attitude towards Great Britian and show support for a United Ireland. Many are pro IRA and are used as a memorialization of fallen members. The songs are also used as a rally cry in order to use past events to strengthen support. One of the most famous Irish republican rebel songs is called Ten Brave Men. It is about those who died in the hunger strike of 1981. Here is a one version of the song:

Here are the lyrics to this version:

A cloud of smoke came over Belfast, another man had died,
And I watched in shock and disbelief as grown men stood and cried,
But their tears of anger soon turned to tears of pride,
As they realised the sacrifice of the ten brave men who died.

Chorus
Ten brave men, those ten brave men,
God and Ireland don't forget those ten brave men,
Ten brave men.

Stones and bottles and bin lids announced the death of each brave man,
Joe McDonnell, Francis Hughes and MP Bobby Sands,
Women came out together and they knelt down side by side,
And they prayed "God and Ireland
don't forget those ten brave men who died."

A more common set of lyrics is this:

Bobby Sands was his name, He Died for the cause of Freedom

A hunger strike they commenced, To fight for the right as Freemen
In the Summer of 81' Ten brave men, the Crown they took on
The ten were prisoners of war...But Englands leaders let them die one by one
The year they murdered Ten Brave men, and the Black flags were flying'
The Year they murdered Ten Brave men, and all the people were crying' They sang

"Lord we have lost our son's, now we'll make sure this war is won"

Bobby was elected MP, and one day he said to me,
"People must fight for the right to live in a land thats free"
I Got 14 years in Jail, and this hunger strike it must not fail.
The English we'll alway's detest, but they should never have taken the very best.

CHORUS:
The year they murdered Ten Brave men, and the Black flags were flying'
The Year they murdered Ten Brave men, and all the people were crying' They sang
"Lord we have lost our son's, now we'll make sure this war is won"

CHORUS

Like His father before him, He was a workin' man
Like his Comrades beside him, He took a Rebel stand
He was a Rebel, proud and brave, but Thatcher laid him in his grave
I swear by the blood in my vains, The Irish people will someday have their say.

Chorus

The year they murdered Ten Brave men, and the Black flags were flying'
The Year they murdered Ten Brave men, and all the people were crying' They sang,
"Lord we have lost our son's, now we'll make sure this war is won"

There have been many rebel songs written about Bobby Sands. He has become an iconic figure in republican patriotism and is seen as a mythic IRA freedom fighter. The lyrics of these songs clearly reflect this.Here is another popular song about him The Ballad of Bobby Sands:

A great site to learn more about the hunger strikes is HERE

Here is a good video about the aftermath of Bobby Sands death:

Here is a tribute video to the Irish hunger strikes. It is very interesting because the lyrics are extremely pro republican. It is clearly a negative portrayal of the United Kingdom. The song talk about much more than a contemporary struggle but hints at the ancient and long running conflict between the British and Irish. Just like can be seen through all the novels we've read this semester, this conflict and struggle can be seen through every generation through many time periods.


P.S. I have another section I'm trying to put in but blogger is giving me major problems. please be patient.

Pieces of Irish music: a lil' bit of my final project

Hi everyone, let me start by apologizing for not being able to participate and be as involved these last few weeks. I am currently dealing with a very rough, painful and frustrating recovery from major spine surgery. I appreciate everyone's patience and am really looking forward to seeing everyone's final projects.

My final project briefly explores various traditional Irish and Celtic pieces of music such as jigs and reels. I will also cover a range of Irish instruments such as: the bouzouki, various whistles, harps, bagpipes/uillean pipes, fiddles and flutes. I am cutting down content so as to be able to give an overview of these instruments as well as show hoe they are used in context (in Irish music and dances).

For a rough draft or sampling, I am going to show two videos here. The first is the Irish band Lunasa playing a traditional Irish reel with Kerry Whistles. The reel is humorously titled The Last Pint:

I took this same Irish reel and attempted to learn it on the guitar (started this huge task at the beginning of the semester). A guitar is normally tuned EADGBE, but for this tune I am playing in DADGAD. This is an open G tuning; more specifically tuned to a D Sus 4 chord. I have found it to be very suitable for Celtic pieces for various reasons. One, by lowering the bass string E down to D, I am able to make a droning sound that is suited to the tonal qualities of fiddle music and pipes. Two, I also attempt to use numerous hammer ons and pull offs to mimic a pipe sound. I wasn't able to get all of the beautiful ornaments from The Last Pint correct, but it still holds some resemblance to the original. The open tuning allows the strings to ring out and allows me to play numerous parts at once. I will go more into Celtic guitar techniques in detail but il for now here is a video of me playing The Last Pint (LOL, I know there's still a tree in the background) I tried to increase the tempo a lot more...once you get started it's too much fun playing it fast. Also, it recorded a little quiet so you might have to turn the volume up:




I was able to muster enough strength to play through the back pain and made a more polished video...but my five year old nephew deleted it :( I will try to borrow a camera and attempt it again. Anyways, this is only part of the final project. I also am going to explore and discuss Irish Rebel music. I will especially focus on how many of the lyrics have to do with Nationalism and the struggle to gain independence from British influence and rule. Well I hope everyone liked the little sampling here of what I plan on doing. I still have much to organize and blend together.

I have learned a mountain of wealth this semester. I have enjoyed almost all of the readings and literary criticisms. Looking back now, I would have to say my two favorite novels were Carmilla and Portrait of Dorian Gray. What I am going to take away more than anything is a greater understanding of Irish history and how it is so intertwined with Great Britain. More specifically, I am fully aware now about the conflict in Northern Ireland and the enormous and complicated struggle for identity. I have found Irish literature to be very unique and original in many ways. Each novel we've read has kind of blown me away...each unique and fascinating as the next (in different ways). I know that sounds cliche, but obviously these Irish authors have some wicked literary skills....(especially Wilde!!!!) I really enjoyed having this class function through blogs. It totally blows D2L out of the water. It was amazing to see how everyone was able to expand upon the readings and share ideas so effectively. I've never had a class work like this before but would love to do it again. It is much more helpful and interesting to be able to share more than just words.