It all started with a dubiously angelic sounding group of women wearing wedding dresses. A DVD Mr You’s Dad (we’ll call him Papa-You) insisted I watch because I have an Irish background (my dad comes from and lives in Ireland). It was at excruciating! Watching women in wedding frocks sing not-irish songs through syrupy smiles. (unless you count Ronan Keating hits).So, when Papa-You came to stay with us last week I sat him down and made him watch my DVD of Sinead O’Connor’s documentary about the making of her Sean Nos album, to show him a comparison. A few of my favourite scenes in that doco are of 2 different women singing unaccompanied a capella songs in Gaelic. Anyway, he said he enjoyed it, and agreed it had a higher ranking of “Irish” authenticity than those prom-dress-chicks.
Last night we went to Papa-You’s place to celebrate his birthday. He upped the anti and cracked out his Chieftains DVD for me. It was great, a live concert in Nashville, where they teamed with Bluegrass artists (including Gillian Welch!) to show how similar irish folk music and bluegrass actually are. It’s uncanny, and unassumingly entertaining.
Anyway, ever since I’ve been “reeeerrring” and “diddlydiddling” like a violin rippin’ up some celtic-bluegrass.
Unfortunately I have a sneaking suspicion that I’d need to learn violin first before I could start “reeerrrydiddiling” in an infectiously foot-tapping fiddle style.
Do you play an instrument? I don’t, never have… I’m very un-musical. How long does it take to learn an instrument, bluegrass style? …(when you’re un-musical?)
Mr You tells me that playing violin is really hard because they don’t have frets. And considering he has 4 guitars, a mandolin, a banjo, and a keyboard in the house already, maybe I should start to learn something we already own.
But how am I supposed to one-up Papa-You with a keyboard? No, the only way will be if I squeeze into a wedding frock and bust out the fiddle (like her) before his very eyes. Then at a key moment, give a secret signal that brings a few of my Guinness swigging, irish jigging aunties out from the sideline for a bit of a arms-by-their-sides diddly-dee dance-along.
5 comments:
i love irish music and bluegrass and the fiddle! however i always wanted to play the drums or the flute..but i ended up playing the saxophone and always got last chair because i never practiced...
You may be surprised at how quick you can take to an instrument!
I can sing (a little) but can't read music or play anything- Hubby took it upon himself to teach me guitar, we own many, he was shocked how quickly I learned what he taught me and after a couple weeks we realized that he was teaching me left handed, I'm right handed. Believe it or not I can play both right and left handed now :0) it's a gift.
I eventually bored with it and stick with singing.
I can play the flute and the piano. It isn't too hard to learn the basics, it's the technique that you learn over the years. I think, if you want to try something, you should. Who knows, maybe it's a hidden talent. You know, love squalor knows how to play the violin...
oh flossy, this post makes me giggle so much. those damn celtic women. heh. i played violin, not fiddle for 8 years and loved it. i should take it up again. i play piano but loaned mine to my sister for her daugheter so am out. of. practice. anyway, the real diddley dee music never plays on public tv in wedding frocks now does it? oh god they make my head spin. you go for it girl. it's hard, but i know you can do it. it's hard getting through that first squeaky squealy bit, but with irish in you, most likely you will fly right over that part!
:)
s
Oh yeah, you should totally pick up a fiddle from some yard sale or something and start squaking! It's the best fun ever. I've played violin since I was 4 years old - I can't really say it is easy or difficult to pick up because I don't remember. I started classical and then played a lot of Irish fiddle in highschool. oh, it is sooo much fun. I even busked a bit with some friends and loved every minute. Violin is squaky at first, but fiddle is easier to pick up than classical. You can do it! If I lived close by I'd offer you lessons! Now that would be good times :)
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