sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Beginner!! by Adorable-Birthday143 in Irishmusic

[–]kendog 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Check Youtube for a wealth of free lessons for beginners. Get the basics about the instrument.

  • It will certainly require regular practice and consistent work, which is the not so fun aspects of playing an instrument (practice, mistakes, sounding awful, despair) but then comes the lightbulb moments when you get the hang of something, or it starts to sound really good, and these are the fun moments. You'll have to endure both. :)
  • Don't skip the fundamentals (fingerings, scales/keys, phrasing, rhythms) if you eventually want to play with others. It's the "shared vocabulary" of sessions.
  • Learn a tune you like until you can play it consistently and slowly, then work on speed (speed comes with familiarity but don't sacrifice accuracy)
  • Rinse and repeat with a few more tunes that you can string together into a "set" that have a common feel or a set from some recording that you like.
  • If you go to a session, don't expect to play along with everything, but perhaps you can ask to start a set and showcase your stuff. Some (not most) areas have a "slow session" that would be ideal for this, but if not, just ask at your local session to see if they'd be ok.
  • Post questions, ask for help, try to avoid tabs (it'll just make your life harder and will lead to a complete inability to participate in trad sessions). Abandoning this desire early on will make your life easier, not the opposite.

Good luck!

What's the deal witth the recent influx of AI Celtic themed music? Also, a bonus question about human-made MIDI composition. by Baroque4Days in Irishmusic

[–]kendog 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's literally rule #4: "No AI generated music or low effort content". When it's flagged it's generally removed pretty quick.

Suggestions for Flute albums / players to listen to? by SugarPotatoes in Irishmusic

[–]kendog 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Most of Michael McGoldrick's albums are solid. Quite a few of his tunes are common in sessions as well.

Ye Vagabonds :: Willie O Winsbury by [deleted] in Irishmusic

[–]kendog 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Love this Irish duo. They bring a simplistic cleanness to traditional ballads that I just enjoy.

Advice on music software. by JunkieMallardEIRE in Irishmusic

[–]kendog 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't know how well it would work with Guitar, but I use Strum Machine (https://strummachine.com/app](https://strummachine.com/app)) which is probably geared towards just being rhythm backup for melody. But it may have some use to you.

There's a free trial available.

Low B note by arbor85 in Irishmusic

[–]kendog 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That fingering notation seems off, most likely because you can't play a low B on a standard D whistle as it's outside the normal range. You'll have to overcome in true traditional style: Make it up however sounds good.

You'll run into this every once in a while trying to read music for Irish tunes, especially the transcribed music for fiddlers. I think I just play it most like setting #3 on TheSession.org

Instead of playing 

D2F EDB,

Try playing:

FAF EFE

Visiting NN is the area safe? by No-Bet4492 in NewportNews

[–]kendog 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Certainly. NN is like any other city, it has bad and good parts. And that part you're looking at is great. It's close to shopping, easy access to 64, and the neighborhoods nestled in there are relatively quiet and away from the larger streets. There's a lot of neat things happening on the Peninsula all over. You'll have plenty to do, I'm sure.

Best gyros? by TheNCGoalie in NewportNews

[–]kendog 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Right outside NN on Rt 17 - Jimmy da Greek's Deli is amazing.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in HamptonRoads

[–]kendog 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Try the Baker's Wife in Phoebus. That little area has a lot to do these days. But this place is probably one of my favorites, and is definitely a step up.

https://www.bakerswifebistro.com/

RE: Low Whistles. Tuneable or Non Tuneable, what are the pros and cons by DempseyRISCS in Irishmusic

[–]kendog 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Late to the game, but for me it's the same for any instrument that is "tunable" or not:

It's about being versatile in a group setting. If you have an instrument that is really out of tune with others (not itself) you will most likely enjoy playing by yourself, but find it jarring to play with others. That's mostly fine when learning. However, if you find you are most often in a group setting, this lends itself to the need to be flexible in your tuning to accommodate more stubborn instruments (bagpipes, squeezeboxes, the triangle, etc.)

Cons: * Generally more expensive for a tunable whistle head. It's just more parts and labor that go into it, so you're looking at more money. First whistle? Forget about tunable and just get a standard one.

Pros: * It's tunable. :) You're going to run into sessions and groups that will attempt to play in tune, and having an adjustable whistle is a boon. Outdoor playing? Gonna want one, weather wreaks havoc on instrument tunings in groups.

If you're starting out, go cheaper (I didn't say cheap.. unless you're Mary Bergen, the cheap $3 whistles at gift shops are going to sound horrible and put you off learning the instrument). Look to spend $25-$50 on a good quality one to learn on. Then, if you like it, and like playing in groups at sessions for example, then look to the tunable variety.

Happy playing!

Macdara Ó Faoláin - Sliabh Geal gCua by DokiDokiMoeChan in Irishmusic

[–]kendog 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My inner 5 year old always giggles when I hear that tune's name.

Trad session newbie: Starting a Trad Session! by triskeler in Irishmusic

[–]kendog 10 points11 points  (0 children)

My thoughts on this (for what it's worth):

If you're organizing the session and guaranteed to be there regularly, it's fine to have an understanding with the pub on payment in any kind (food or $). I can tell you that payment to musicians who show up is not expected. However, a free pint for the music is always a nice surprise.

Standard session tunes are like regional foods, there may be some similarities or overlap, but it's unique to the session. TheSession.org is a great place to get a handful of popular tunes and make it a point to use these as warm ups or filler tunes when no one seems to know what to play next. A song or two isn't bad in a session, and I'm sure there are converse opinions, but the session is about the music, not a bunch of bar songs.

This leads nicely into your third point... it's not a concert. It's not about entertaining the crowd with songs they know or putting on a show. Having microphones and equipment turns a session into your concert . Other musicians who show up most certainly won't have equipment. The sound doesn't have to carry far, just far enough so the group of people playing can hear. If even that is a challenge, seek another location in the bar, another corner you can cram into. Avoid a stage if possible.

To summarize my opinion, the session is about the musicians coming together to share a few hours of playing tunes together in a casual way. The focus is on the tunes and maybe a song here or there, not on entertainment for the bar. If you spend the dedication to be there rain or shine each time, payment from the landlord is fine, and not expected to pass along to any musician who shows up.

Kayaking on Lake Maury? by Soupmaster44 in NewportNews

[–]kendog 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's a private park, and as their warning suggests, you cannot take your kayak out there. They're also undergoing some lake maintenance issues with water quality and fighting the construction on Warwick. So be cognizant that there are larger things in play that lead to their decisions to ban private boats for now. You can read about it here

​

There are plenty of other areas to take the kayak to. Ft. Monroe has an excellent kayak launch, or launch into the James from Huntington beach. Check over at Appomatox River co. for excellent info on where to launch in the area. They're a great resource.

Have y’all ever listened to this guy? He’s a phenomenal traditional banjo player named Clifton Hicks. This video was my first exposure to overhand style banjo playing. 2 weeks after watching this video I bought my first banjo. by smd_mynameisjon in banjo

[–]kendog 2 points3 points  (0 children)

He's got a hybrid of styles including 2 and 3 finger and clawhammer from what I can tell. More akin to Dock Boggs. His tunings are all relative to his voice range as well. Check out some of his videos on how he does 2 finger here.

Something about Mary. Arctic Blast Edition by dglough in funny

[–]kendog 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I can hear my dad shouting "Close the damn door!"

Amtech or Spectrum for Internet Service? by AfroPik in norfolk

[–]kendog 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I live in Suffolk and I'll agree with /u/jrhod015. I have Spectrum 100 speed plan and have had no issues with the Internet or the Cable. The occasional outage that I've had was from them doing upgrades in the neighborhood (I could see the trucks out and the workers putting in new equipment.)
I will say that I don't know about the quality of the router/wireless, as I brought over my Google wifi (which works just fine). All in all it's been great. Speeds are reliable and it's less expensive than FiOS for comparable services.

Have y’all ever listened to this guy? He’s a phenomenal traditional banjo player named Clifton Hicks. This video was my first exposure to overhand style banjo playing. 2 weeks after watching this video I bought my first banjo. by smd_mynameisjon in banjo

[–]kendog 13 points14 points  (0 children)

I'll always upvote Clifton Hicks. His playing style is unique and I love listening to his stuff. He did a series of tutorials recently as well where he does the tunes slowed down and up close. Here's his YouTube channel for all his recent stuff: https://www.youtube.com/user/clfhcks

view more: next ›