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All this talk about whistles is seriously tempting me to buy a low F even though I pretty much stopped playing it after I bought a Nyckelharpa last year  Always thought Low F was the prettiest key, should've gotten one ages ago.. hmm!
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Jun 16, 2011 20:19
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:I just got a Kerry Low D used in the mail today, and I can sort of reach the lowest hole, but it's going to require modifying my technique, so I don't know how I feel about that. I hope you're using the pipers grip on the Low D instead of the death grip :p http://www.chiffandfipple.com/pipers.html just in case! I have a Susato Low D and I remember it taking a few days before you got used to the new grip, however once you do you can easily learn tunes on either your high or low D and play it just as well on the other. quote:You have a nyckelharpa? That's loving awesome. Would you be up to writing a post vaguely after our format for this thread? Not that many folks are going to learn nyckelharpa this summer, but it's always good to have a writeup/pics/clips about anything cool. Well ok then! Nyckelharpa My favourite description of the Nyckelharpa is that it's a fiddle crossed with a battleship. No one really knows the origin of the instrument, but whatever origin and spread it once had it pretty much only survived in a few parts of Sweden until the 1960s when it started spreading again. Today the instrument is predominantly used in Swedish folk music (which is what I play) but apparently it's seeing more and more use in studio recordings due to its very unique sound. The sound itself is sometimes described as having a deep, eerie, melancholic timbre which reflects the soul of the swedish people  . It's also described as a thousand cats all screaming at once. This is the modern chromatic nyckelharpa developed in the 1920's. It is the common form of the instrument today and what I'll be focusing on. The unique sound of the instrument comes from the 12 resonance strings (generally tuned in semitone steps from G# to G) as they vibrate along with the playing strings. The harp has four playable strings and is traditionally tuned in CGCA. You play by pressing the keys which all have small vertical tangents attached to them who then press against the strings acting frets. As you may have noticed most modern harpas only have three rows of keys leaving the low C string nothing more than a drone string. There are harpas with fourth row of keys to make the low C string playable like the others, but the three row variant most widespread one. There are two dominant styles in which people play; the first and most popular is the traditional Swedish way of using a neck strap and stabilizing the instrument with your right elbow against your belly. The second style consists of strapping the flat bottom of the instrument much higher on your chest. This is mostly seen with players in continental Europe. Buying a decent Nyckelharpa can be quite tricky (and expensive) and even more so if you live outside Sweden. Expect a solid instrument so set you back at least 2000 USD. The American Nyckelharpa Association has two excellent articles on purchasing both used and new harps and there really isn't a lot more than I think I can add. http://www.nyckelharpa.org/buy/buying-a-new-nyckelharpa/ http://www.nyckelharpa.org/buy/used-nyckelharpas/ You should always try to seek out other players and pick their brain for advice if you can, even in Sweden it's not a very common instrument and I can guarantee that players will be very happy to discuss their instrument with you and offer you advice. I've played the instrument for 15ish months now and my experience has varied between cursing the idiot who thought that not having an E-string was a good idea (makes fiddle tunes really loving tricky to play at times, pretty ironic given that playing fiddle tunes is why the modern chromatic version was developed) and being generally awestruck by the amazing sound. I think it's a beautiful and charming instrument, the idiosyncrasies like the clattering keys and even the non-existent E-string all add to its character. Videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D93OD5IYDx4 Magnus Holmström playing a polska from the swedish province of Småland, this one actually originates from a place maybe 30 km away from where I live. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ku8ekhj-kD4 The non-traditional way to play the instrument by strapping it to your chest instead. Performed by belgian played Didier François. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcxg0cix-Lo Couple of old guys playing whats called the Kontrabasharpa which is basically a much older version of the nyckelharpa from the 18th-19th century. It's played a bit differently with a different string layout (most notably a drone string). It's timbre is very different from the modern chromatic harp. Personally I think it's awesome. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWNCP8buNQ8 Olov Johansson and Catriona McKay on Nyckelharpa and Scottish Harp http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-u1cjAjJK6k Same duo but here Olov is playing a Kontrabasharpa. Useful links: http://nyckelharpansforum.net/ Huge repository with pictures and links to other useful sites, mainly in Swedish. http://www.nyckelharpa.org/ the American Nyckelharpa Association, the best English language source if information that I've found. Writing is not my strong suit so I've undoubtedly left out something hugely important, if there's anything you think I left out that you would like to know please don't hesitate to ask! Placeholder fucked around with this message at 09:42 on Jun 17, 2011 |
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Jun 17, 2011 09:39
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FelicityGS posted:I picked up the Easy Celtic Harp Solos, and the Icelandic harp one. I have a huge thing for Iceland/Scandinavian knitting (my other hobby) already, might as well explore music too. The only acceptable kind of harp for Scandinavian trad. is a nyckelharpa.  Jokes aside, that lap harp sounds great and I'd love to hear some nice swedish folk music on it.
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Mar 20, 2012 02:11
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I figure between the two of them I'll find something that I like, since it seems they cover a bit of a range.
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:Just guessing, but it's probably breath control. Try doing just basic switching between two notes over and over, making sure your tone sounds good even during the transition, as you learn to slightly adjust your breath pressure for each note. Just try different arbitrary intervals, like D to E over and over, then F# to B, then low E to high E. Speaking of online tutorials, when I was learning the basics of the tin whistle I really used this page quite a bit: http://www.rogermillington.com/siamsa/brosteve/index.html It's mainly for traditional Irish music, but even if that's not your thing the basic techniques are very good to know. When I later purchased an Irish flute I also got this book: http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Guide-Irish-Flute-Whistle/dp/0786649429 It's extremely thorough for both the flute and whistle and it covers everything from basic breath control to advanced ornamentation. Of course nothing beats actually getting a teacher.
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Mar 23, 2012 08:13
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:Dammit, another book I need to get. My tinwhistle principles are pretty solid from years of dicking around, but I'm really weak on formal ornamentation styles. I do like Irish, so I might as well learn Irish ornamentation, though I am wishing that there was some book on Bretagne tinwhistle, or at least a Bretagne wood-flute book I could crib ideas off of. If you havn't already, check it out on Google Books before you buy it! http://books.google.se/books?id=5tUZwCtYSp0C&lpg=PP1&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false How common is the tin whistle in Breton folk music? I've seen Breton players on wooden flutes (Irish flute is a bit of a misnomer when you think about it) but never on tin whistles, though I guess the ornaments and techniques would be largely identical.
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Mar 24, 2012 23:09
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:Placeholder, remind me, how long have you been playing wooden flute again? You started before this thread, right? Have you spent much time messing with "band flutes" or "D fifes", the tinwhistle-sized wooden flutes one octave higher than the usual Irish flute? I bought it in early 2009, I played it for a bit but I kinda put it on the shelf when I got my harpa. I can still squeeze a half decent tune out of it, but my embouchure is quite weak and my lung capacity isn't what it should be. I havn't tried playing a D fife, but they seem like fun. I was really really tempted to pick one up from Jemtheflute over at chiffandfipple when he started making plastic ones for about £10 each. I hope I can find a seasoned player when I move to a larger town this fall, would be so much fun to pick it up more seriously again. I love the piercing dark tone you get when you play it properly. 
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Mar 26, 2012 11:18
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Well now I just have to post this harmonica clip. I included the same tune in my post on the nyckelharpa, but obviously played on a harpa. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXPs_BqRyjQ
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Apr 30, 2012 23:22
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I hope you don't mind if I post a short tune I just recorded on my mobile. It's a polska from a little place called Hälleforsnäs. Played on my nyckelharpa. Wish I had better recording equipment, recording yourself and listen critically is so essential if you want to improve. I don't do it nearly enough .
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May 10, 2012 18:18
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What do your friends play? Having people to play with is the best way to learn an instrument as it will keep you motivated and playing together makes it both easier and more fun to learn. What kind of music do they play? What would you like to play? If you go down the route of tinwhistle/bagpipe/bowed/squeezebox you will certainly end up playing some kind of folk music. Doesn't mean the instruments are tied to that genre, it's just that usually that's where you'll find the most tunes and the greatest players. Where you live can also be important, especially if you're interested in something more unusual like bagpipes or a nyckelharpa. Some instruments require more guidance than others and finding people who play what you play depends quite a bit on where you live. If you even have the slightest interest in the tinwhistle you should go and buy one, right now. A Feadog or Generation (traditionally in D) for a fiver is an excellent introduction. Tinwhistles are really easy to pick up, even on your own, and they're just so drat cheap for what you get.
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Jun 28, 2012 23:36
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Dear thread I stumbled upon a melodeon rendition of the monkey island tune "Jojo the Monkey" the other day and I've been since trying to figure out just what kind of melodeon that's playing the piece. Maybe someone here could help me out? Here's the clip in question: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUMKy2Jk3Oo
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Jul 4, 2013 01:13
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:The clip does an amazing job of only showing the woman from the worst possible angles for IDing the instrument. It's definitely button, at least 2 rows, and I'm pretty sure she's doing a bit of back-and-forth so it's a diatonic and not Chromatic Button Accordion. I can't identify brand at all, but for anyone looking to play similar styles you'd want a Hohner Pokerwork or Hohner Erica, probably in G/C unless you're really into British music you want a D/G. You can buy such a thing for about $300 in good shape from the Meloden Forum cats, or in the UK a ton of shops will have decent secondhand instruments, in the US a few shops like Liberty Bell in Philly will. The Hohner Pokerwork looks interesting! I see there are two layouts for the G/C models, with accidentals or low notes. Which of these is the most common one and do you know how they'll limit what you're able to play? I found a low note G/C on a UK for around £400, going to keep looking but I'm having a hard time finding online listings from shops in Europe.
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Jul 10, 2013 17:16
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