2005 Noel Hill Ireland Winter Class Music Comments
(This is a subset of the overall narrative)
The Gathering in Killarney
As
to the entertainment at The Gathering, it was top notch and I enjoyed
performances by several traditional musicians. Jackie Daly put on a great
show one afternoon and I talked with him
afterwards. He'd done a similar show at The Gathering the previous year
but I was new to Irish traditional music and knew
nothing about him and so skipped the show.
I didn't make that mistake a second time though and was pleased to be seated near the front. Jackie played a number of great tunes with Seamus Creagh, revealed considerable personality and showed tremendous style in his performance. A large crowd attended and they were very appreciative of his efforts. He proved to be quite accessible after his performance concluded, I saw him around the hotel over the remainder of the day and he was always either playing in sessions or in the thick of a conversation.
A complete list of the Glen Eagle events is available here, and so I will only mention a few other key points in this narrative. I enjoyed all the performances I attended, but I missed all of the Saturday night lineup. I had intended to go hear it, but I spotted Noel Hill on my way to the performance/ballroom area. He wasn't scheduled to perform that night but it was the first time I'd seen him since arriving in Ireland so I went over to say hello.
Noel
made me feel quite welcome, introduced me to Alec
Finn, bought me a pint, and then invited me in to one of the small tea rooms in the hotel with his family
and friends. It wasn't long before he had his concertina in hand and I
found myself seated just five feet to his left as he started playing first
with Alec Finn and was later joined by one of the McCarthy Family sisters.
As he warmed to the task the music flowed nearly non-stop and I found myself debating whether to attend the main concert or remain where I was. It was a brief debate, I'd come for concertina interests and I was positioned right at the heart of a session and seated close to perhaps the best Irish concertina player in the world. Some may argue playing styles, but I think all would agree that no one is better than Noel at what he does. I eventually shifted back a bit to clear space for the additional musicians that joined in, but still had the best seat in the house that night.
As the evening went on, other musicians stopped in to say hello on their way to or from their scheduled performances in the main room and of course they were immediately encouraged to join in. I don't think it gets much better than this. I finally left after close to four hours and things were still going strong. The room had filled with spectators in the first moments when Noel started up and there was a cluster at the door so leaving wasn't easy.
I
watched the Ceili dancing for a time one evening. It is simply amazing to
see all those folks out on the floor at the same time and dancing in perfect synchronization.
I had to wait until they were stopped for a moment to take a photo since the light was too
dim to capture an image without blurring when the dancers were in motion.
It was after 1AM when I took this photo and the people were so full of bounce
yet that I don't think even the "Energizer Bunny" could have kept up
with them, and they just kept on going...
The band was good and they pumped out one tune after another with great enthusiasm. I know enough about the dances to know they have a planned structure, but nothing of the details beyond that. No one 'calls' the steps so it's pretty impressive to see things happen across the floor in perfect unison. I went down on the lower level and mingled for a time with the dancers taking a break on the edges. All were in great spirits and really enjoying themselves.
The
last evening of The Gathering concluded with The Scattering Concert. A
series of great performances occurred and the evening ended with Noel Hill and
Alec Finn joined with Arty
McGlynn. It was almost midnight
before they went on, but the audience displayed great enthusiasm when they were
introduced and really loved their performance. Noel delivered one
fantastic rendition after another in his signature style. The slow airs
tugged at emotions and when he quickened the pace the air fairly cracked with energy.
There was no shortage of popular favorites and everyone was bright-eyed with
hearts pounding when he finished up.
Concertina Classes in Ballyvaughan
While
Noel had planned a number of activities for us during our time in Ireland, he
didn't forget that we'd come for instruction. We had classes twice a day
and we were always sent off with one or more tunes to work on in preparation for
the next class. He divided the students into three groups and then paced
the material appropriate to the skill level of each group. I've not done a
count, but I must have come away with at least a dozen new tunes and of course
related class recordings for guidance.
Eilish from Dublin was in the advanced
group with me though she was forced to miss the first day of class. When I
spoke with her prior to the second day of classes I mentioned one of the tunes
Noel had given us the previous day and she commented that in her Dublin class
with him she'd learned that one in two keys. Upon hearing this, I immediately added her to
the list of people I wanted to play prior to (and definitely not after) in
subsequent classes. She has a charming personality and was incredibly
tolerant of my often oblique efforts at humor.
I'm starting to subscribe to the notion of volunteering to play first when asked to demonstrate a grasp of the tunes from the previous class. At least at that point you're automatically the best Noel's heard and you aren't rattled by having just heard someone rip through a tune that you're still struggling with.
Noel is always patient with people no matter how difficult a time they have with playing and always has words of encouragement to offer. I used to see his "Would you play the tune from the previous class?" requests as tests to prove I'd been practicing, but I've come to understand that he asks each student play to be certain they understand how to approach the tune and the technical aspects of playing it. This is each student's opportunity to get personal guidance with difficulties and if anything it's an evaluation of Noel's teaching skills rather than of the student's abilities.
The setting for the classes was more intimate than at the Oregon classes I've attended in the states. Each group of students went to the cottage Noel was staying in and class was held in his living room. I don't think any one group had more than eight people in it, and he had just two or three in the beginning group so they had great personal guidance. He held court from beside the fireplace as he dispensed instruction, humor, and Irish history.
Corofin Traditional Music Festival
The class group was transported to Corofin twice during the week of instruction to have the opportunity to hear three different concerts and recitals, and we also had a chance to tour the pubs to sample other events. We had dinner in Corofin on one trip and I believe it was the best food I've had in Ireland, though by that statement I don't mean to take anything away from Julie's very impressive efforts in the Ballyvaughan cottages.
The Corofin Traditional Music Festival Concertina Recital was of particular interest to all of us. Chris Droney, a multiple All-Ireland winner opened the event with several great tunes and his playing demonstrated that even though he recently celebrated his 80th birthday, he's still an accomplished master of the instrument. I have a copy of his "Fertile Rock" CD and recommend it to everyone. He doesn't play in a highly ornamented manner but he plays tunes with a great expression and feel.
Edel Fox was next on the stage. She just missed first place in the 2002 All-Ireland (15 -18 age) on concertina and was recently chosen as the TG4 Young Musician of the Year. Her performance was impressive and she displayed considerable range in her choices.
Noel Hill closed the show and had the audience totally spellbound. Every time I hear the man play I'm just amazed at the life he draws out of his instrument. He took requests at the end and though there were several from the audience, I think every one of them was played before he quit.
On our last trip to Corofin there were several active sessions going on as we toured the pubs. Mícheál Ó Ralghallaighy was playing in one, but it was nearly impossible to see him. The room was filled and all that one could readily see was the people in front of them. I put my camera up as high as I could reach, pointed in the direction of the music and pressed the shutter release. Checking the digital viewing window I could see I had a nice shot of the backs of an assortment of heads, though the glare off a couple of bald ones ruined the evenness of the image. Definitely not a 'keeper.' You could hear the concertina though and I consoled myself knowing that I'd have an opportunity to see him later in the year at the New York Irish Arts Week event.
Final Thoughts
I ended up with more new tunes from class than on the previous trip, but then Noel had advanced me to the higher level class last summer so I can't do a direct comparison in that light. My perception was that Noel didn't cut back on quantity or quality for the Ireland class from an instructional viewpoint, though he did recognize that our evenings were going to be distracted by the surroundings and events and so made some adjustments to his expectations. He solicited feedback from the class in selecting tunes for instruction, but ultimately selected tunes that suited his purpose.
It would have been easy for Noel to present us with a collection of relatively easy tunes so that we could go home with memories of effortless days in class and feeling that we'd done well during our time in Ireland. I've noticed that I never get an "easy" tune from Noel though, regardless of whether the class is in Ireland or in the States. Each one he selects is picked to teach new elements of technique and in learning the tune one is forced to stretch and grow in ability.
Most of the tunes I find in typical session books I can run through on a note-to-note basis immediately and do reasonably well at playing them properly within a day or two. I don't mean I'm ready for a stage performance, but I'd be comfortable playing them for friends at that point (especially if I can sneak a peek at the sheet music to refresh my memory).
With the tunes Noel teaches in class it typically takes me from two to four months to get to where I can play them readily and with authority, and some take even longer. It isn't that the basic tunes are overly complex, rather it's the fingering, chording and expression that take time to learn and develop. Desiring the coordination to achieve a certain sound and actually building it may take weeks or months, but once mastered, those new skills are "in the kit" and can easily be applied to any tune.