Tunes: a musician's thing?
I've spent the last few weeks travelling on a publicity tour for some new books I've just had published; not bodice rippers or mysteries based on Mary Magdelen being the great grandmother of Che Guevara...
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...just simple little books about aspects of church decoration: Angels, Devils and Demons, Tombs and Monuments and Miracles and Marvels.Ìý
I've done several book signings and, as well as selling and signing a few books I've also met a good few people at the signings who listen to the show and who've handed me requests for tracks they want to hear.
In a way, the tracks they've asked me for have confirmed what my producer and I have been thinking for a good while now: the ratio of songs to instrumentals is less than ten to one. Now as a banjo player I can listen all night to people like Gerry O'Connor and Enda Scahill and as a very failed concertina player I stand in awe of players like Noel Hill. But perhaps tunes are a musician's thing? Perhaps people prefer the human voice and certainly, when it comes to folk, it seems that we like songs that tell us stories better than anything.
I've just been listening to two young singers Rachel Newton and Lillias Kinsman-Blake. (Dear Someone - Fellside Recordings). They sing and play beautifully and have a version of a traditional song, The Rich Man's Daughter that they learned from the singing of Packie Manus Byrne and it is truly chilling. Perhaps that's what I've been trying to say: tunes are brilliant to dance to and to listen to from time to time, but it's songs that really stir the soul. Mind you, Â have you heard Dezi Donnelly playing Paddy's Rambles on his Familiar Footsteps album? It still makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck.
Comment number 1.
At 2nd Jul 2008, willtolive wrote:Interesting, just thinking about this over a coffee I wonder if I am typical. Music is usually playing in the house; tunes when I am doing something like working on the computer or using the net, songs when I am really sitting and listening or doing something with my hands such as cooking, modelling, non pwer tool DIY etc.
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Comment number 2.
At 4th Jul 2008, Maurice Condie wrote:I kind of agree, or I was kind of agreeing till I got back in the car and realised that the 3 CDs I had been listening too were Lunasa, Kathryn Tickell and Tony McManus, not a song in site.
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Comment number 3.
At 15th Jul 2008, mando-tony wrote:In my first pub I ran music nights once a month. There was a band called Captain Driver's Delight which only played tunes, mainly English and French. Anyway, they went down a storm and customers asked me to get them back again. Tunes, well played, are for everyone.
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