Playing the hardanger Playing in the folk group on Tuesday. More great tunes, Billy Wilson's reel. Shetland bowing (or some people call it the Georgia shuffle) - one down three up with the one down on the back beat. You have to not think about it too much - its more of a feel. But Its easy to get into the wrong rhythm and bow down on the first beat!. Then off down to Portobello to arrange some fiddle lessons - first one is next week. Then all the way back across town to to do some composing at a Logic session back at SCE. On Wednesday, nothing on in SCE for me, but lots of practice at home and bought a CD (Loch Ness by Bruce MacGregor). More composing and exploring Logic and Sibelius. Decided I need a usb microphone. Also playing the hardanger which has sadly now gone back to its owner. It has spurred my partner Si on with the one he is making. Great - can't wait. Thursday was another busy day. First I sang in the choir (alto part). I found out that I can actually stretch to soprano as well which is interesting. We are still on the blues theme we sang Amazing Grace but with a blues scale - a bit different and great fun. Then we sang the Londonderry Air (Danny Boy).
Next onto strings Group. We played Handel: Concerto Grosso Op.3 No. 5 In D Minor: III, IV and V. Sight reading classical music at Allegro is challenging for a traditional musician that plays by ear! Finally I went out to the Usher Hall in Edinburgh to see the Scottish Chamber Orchestra (SCO) and the wonderful soloist Viktoria Mullova playing Beethoven's Violin Concerto in D major, Op 61. I was sitting in the circle and yet the violin she played had great projection. I am amazed at her skill and presence on stage. The orchestra is conducted by Robin Ticciati and they also played an inspiring new piece by Martin Suckling, Storm, Rose, Tiger. I wonder is this is written in segments. Our contemporary ensemble work involved a selection of sections thay players could select and which would fit well enough together. But it was not prescriptive in terms of when to pay these or how long to loop them for. Players can move on when they wish. There are several "meeting" places where players wait for the rest of the orchestra and when everyone has caught up, the players one on to the next set of themes. It would be interesting to know if this is how the SCO worked with this new piece or whether the orchestra has a full score and would play it the same each time. Oh to be so talented and successful and so young! Friday evening - out to the trad session in Leslie's Bar.
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More improvising, 36 bars in A and Bb blues scales last week. What is the blues scale? 1, 3b, 4, 5b,5 7b. The minor pentatonic will also work (which is basically the same as the blues scale but without the 5b). If you play these patterns over the chords (major chords) it should fit well. We have also been playing modes i.e changing the scale depending on the chords and flattening the 6th. Learned a sort of blues rhythm/chop from Darol Anger and Richard Greene on YouTube - both great blues fiddlers. I've also been playing and listening to the Blue Reel by the wonderful late Oliver Shroer. Read about the "blue devils" (basically being in a miserable and depressed state) in Oxford music online. Visited the local library and borrowed "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Jazz and Blues". Its a great round up with internet links and unusually gives an A-Z of contemporary artists (post 2000). Chord progressions in 12 bar blues are often I, IV, V progressions. We have also been exploring slightly more complex patterns based on II, V progressions - which gives more of a jazzy sound. Good question. A wide range of skills, knowledge and experience, and professionalism.
We can't all hope to have all of them. We all have different strengths and weaknesses and different personalities. But there are obviously some core skills that will make life easier as a blues musician if you have them. Technical ability on your instrument, knowledge of the blues scales and modes to the point that those are internalised and you can play them at will. Good listening skills - to identify the changes in chord progressions and - especially if you play a melody instrument - great improvisation skills. I have been pracising this in class and at home. You tube has great resources, including blues recordings from all the greats, blues backing tracks and improvisation lessons and tips. This means not just having the technical ability and theory but being creative, flexible and relating well to other musicians. This only comes with practice, practice and practice and needs discipline, organisation and commitment. You need to build your blues repertoire and knowledge of the blues so if someone asks you what you think of a blues style you can hold your own. If gigging you need performance skills, the ability overcome nerves and to focus and, of course, reliability. Always be professional and on time, dress appropriately for the venue/audience be polite and polish introductions etc. Do your research on styles, riffs, lyrics etc and be secure about what you intend to play - with some extras. Pay attention to the business side too with business cards and your contact details. You never know who might be in the audience and want to employ you. Network if possible to build your profile and increase your chances of follow up work. Have a good time - the blues is all about being steeped in the music. A hardanger fiddle has landed with us recently. Unfortunately its not mine. I have it on loan from a friend for a few weeks. What's a hardanger? Its a traditional Norwegian fiddle from the Hardanger area which is similar to a violin but with distinctive and deep F holes and four or five sympathetic strings which run under the fingerboard. These resonate when the fiddle is played giving a great sound that is sort of spacey. Try listening to the following Youtube video. They are usually highly decorative with inlaid mother of pearl or bone in the fingerboard and rosing on the body. This one (see the pics below) was made by Sveinung Gjovland in 1956. It is stunning. It has a very thin front and thicker back. The bass bar is different from a violin and this particular fiddle has a very big sound for a hardanger. I have been playing it while I have the chance - not the first instrument that comes to mind for the blues though! As I have developed my interest in playing the fiddle, my partner has developed a fascination for how they are made. He now teaches violin making to amateur makers. We also started developing an interest in Scandanavian folk. So I take the opportunity to go to hardanger workshops when I can. One thing leads to another and we are in the middle of making a hardanger ourselves. Fingers crossed it turns out as well as this one! It took us about three years to draw together the information and we have now developed our own plans. This traditional hardanger has given us some more ideas about to develop and finish ours. Still on the blues theme, I have written a blues song! What did I use for inspiration? To cut a long story short, I spent all day on Saturday cleaning, carrying buckets of water and so on. Did something to my back and couldn't move on Sunday, worse on Monday. Tuesday went to the Doctors, maximum painkillers. Very woozy and sleepy all week. I can't tell you what a bad patient I am. So, because I have thought of nothing else, my song is about the sore back blues.
As a trad musician I work by ear in the main and so naturally haven't put pen to paper. I have been practising my blues improvisation with B flat backing track so I used that and Garageband (still waiting for Logic). Blues songs are often constructed with one or two verses, instrumental and verse. The lyrics are quite repetitive and simple - so mine are along the following lines. Woke up this morning - found I couldn't move Woke up this morning - found I couldn't move Woke up this morning - with the sore back blues Instrumental Went to the Doctors - I got such pain Went to he Doctors - oh I got such pain Went to the Doctors - with the sore back blues. I then laid down a keyboard track for the instrumental track. You don't have to be a fantastic piano player to do this - I'm not. But a midi keyboard input lets you then play with it and change the voice. So I chose dub horns. Samantha Harrison and I sang the vocals on a couple of additional tracks. That was hard - I'm not really a singer! And there you have it "The sore back blues". I learned a lot. Great fun. I have it on Soundcloud as an mp3. I wouldn't inflict it on the world as its a work in progress. But if you want to hear it you can email me and I might be persuaded to send you the secret link. Or if you see me, I might have it on my iPod. So what blues have I been listening to. I have been steeped in blues for the last couple of weeks. Youtube is a great source and some of my favourites among the older guys are:
Welcome to my blog. This is my first post! I am a fiddler and I love traditional music. In fact I love all music. But its through traditional music that I have found my way into music full time at Stevenson College in Edinburgh! What a change in my life! More on that later.
First genre I will be blogging about is the blues. Aah - the blues. I flicked though my (vinyl) record collection the other day - yes I am afraid I am that old - and they were all there. Eric Clapton - first album I ever got was Best of Cream - Ten Years After with the fantastic rock blues singer and guitarist Alvin Lee. Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Moody Blues, the list goes on. You see, there are advantages to being my age! Would any of these iconic bands and musicians exist if it weren’t for the blues? Would I even be a musician if it weren’t for the blues? I honestly doubt it. My love of music comes from these early influences in my life although I have now found my way into the trad world, I haven’t dusted off these albums for possibly decades. But thinking about the blues has encouraged me to look again at this treasure trove. So what have I learned so far? A lot! First some blues history. Who started it all and how did the blues develop? Most people probably know that the blues is attributed to the music of the Negros who were transported form West Africa and enslaved. I lived in West Africa for a time when I was young. My overriding memory of West African music is drumming, rhythm and singing - but not particularly in a blues style. The music has diverged and developed through the generations and other influences. Nevertheless, the slaves brought their music with them - at least in terms of tonality. What other influences have payed a part? The blues style we think of today is also linked to the gut wrenching depression and desperation those enslaved faced in relation to the hard labour and abuse they were forced to endure with no hope of escape. “ The blues is a low down aching chill. If you ain’t ever had ‘em I hope you never will” Robert Johnston Slaves were often killed or worked to death. They endured terrible hardship and unbelievably cruel punishment. The early blues music responds to the work and their plight. It helped slaves keep their spirits up and get through the day. It kept up a rhythm of the swing of the picks, or whatever labour they were undertaking. The blues were also infused with some western traditional music too. The Scots, Irish and other nationalities had emigrated in large numbers and influenced the various blues styles that emerged. Father of the Blues William Christopher (WC) Handy (16/11/1873 - 28/3/1939) is known as the Father of the Blues. Apparently he, in turn, heard the blues from a farm worker who was playing in an obsessive blues style. So it goes further back. However, WC Handy was probably the first to bring the blues to the attention of a wider audience. His father was a Minister and he was probably luckier than most. He learned to play the coronet in a barbers shop in Memphis. He travelled extensively trying to make a living out of being a musician. He had his own band and began writing songs - including the Memphis Blues. He faced much prejudice in trying to publish his music but eventually succeeded in publishing himself. And so news spread. Memphis Blues apparently inspired the Foxtrot which became hugely popular in the many dance halls up and down the country. He also wrote the “St Louis Blues” one of the most recorded songs in the history of music. He wrote many spirituals and eventually published a book “WC Handy’s collection of Negro Spirituals.” Styles Black people began to migrate to other areas of USA to find work, especially following the war of independence and the depression. The music went with them and began to spread and develop into distinct styles. Following WC Handy’s success, others were encouraged to follow. Mamie Smith made the first recording “Crazy Blues” in 1920. Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey recorded vocals and Louis Armstrong, first a jazz player, accompanied them and absorbed the blues style. Street musicians emerged and and started to record inspiring a whole new generation of blues guitar players. There were many styles. The earliest blues vocals were rooted in work songs of the south. Call and response songs were the bedrock where the gang leader would sing a line and the other workers would respond. During the 1930s the early Mississippi delta performers Charley Patton, Robert Johnston and Son House travelled throughout the southern states spreading their tales of woe through the music. On the east cost a more folky style developed with musicians such as Blind Boy Fuller, Sonny Terry and Rev Gary Davis. In Kansas city Count Basie was absorbing the blues and developing a big band jazz style, while in New York Billie Holiday was emerging as a star. In the 1940s urban blues grew and spread, Los Angeles musicians were pioneering Jump blues. This still used call and response but with the singers (shouters) calling and saxophones (honkers) responding. In Chicago electric blues began to emerge and by 1950s was in full swing with BB King, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, T- Bone Walker and Howling Wolf - great names!! There were also the Louisana blues, Texas blues, Boogie Woogie, Rhythm and blues. Some bluesmen visited England (e.g. Bill Broonzy) which spread and developed the blues on this country. In 1960s UK guitarists such as Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Jimi Hendrix emerged with powerful amps and solid body guitars - this enabled the blues to develop a harder, driving rock sound. The Rolling Stones were named after a Muddy Waters song. These Brits with their own style of electric blues had amazing success. But this in turn promoted the traditional blues artists in the USA. Muddy Waters apparently said of the Rolling Stones “They stole my music but they gave me my name” The UK musicians inspired development of new and exciting styles e.g. heavy metal, blues rock, hard rock etc. From the 1970s onwards fewer dedicated blues musicians have emerged. However the blues continued to develop with musicians such as Stevie Ray Vaughn, Robert Cray and Gary Moore. Tragically Stevie Ray Vaughn died in a helicopter crash in 1990 after playing at an Eric Clapton concert in Milwaukee. But thanks to people like Stevie Ray Vaughn, modern electric blues emerged in the 1990s. Who will be the next great blues player of the younger generation? Who knows. But ask yourself if most of the music you listen to would be here without the blues? Probably not? We shouldn’t forget that so many suffered to bring us this rich musical heritage. |
Fiona Harrison
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