Taking the first step

Colin O'Donohoe
Pangea

My previous experience conducting New Moon Orchestra has inspired me to move forward and begin the next project. The reasons for this and the following blogs is to find
great songs, players, suggestions, comments as to how best to form this group. The music that we'll be performing are pieces from all over the world.

I will begin blogging today, and every week up to and through our opening performance. Some. Some songs we will likely perform:

El Carretero
Tell me ma
Carrickfergus
Fields of Athenry
She moved through the fair
My funny valentine
Mama said knock you out
Sai Mah
Oyle Sarhos olsum kii
A mi Manera
Shenandoah
Sally Goodin
60 tons
No woman no cry
Finlandia
and so many more from so many other countries.



Region of the week that I want to learn about:
Countries -
Iraq,Iran, Afghanistan
I don't know much about the repetoir from Iran, Iraq, or Afghanistan. Do you? Do you have music from that area? If so, please feel free to leave some comments and educate me and the readers about this music.


Topic of the week I can share with you
Doumbek/Darbuka
I attended a wonderful music convention last week "TAXI Road Rally" and played my doumbek for many people. I was surprised that a lot of the attendees hadn't seen the instrument before. I had a wonderful time playing at some open mic and jam sessions throughout the days of the convention.
The doumbek and darbuka are the same thing. There are multiple names for this instrument as it has traveled from the Middle East through North Africa. I'm actually not 100% sure if it originated in North Africa and traveled East, or if it began in the East and travel south west. I need some of you ethnomusicologists out there to set me straight on that.
What I love about the instrument and that you might as well, is that it is like a portable drum set. You have the bass drum, snare drum, and filler hi hat type sounds all in one small compact unit. To think this came out several thousand years before the iphone! Those musicians must have really been on to something. It had to be compact because the musicians were vagrants/Gypsies/Nomads. Music was an important part of the culture, but they traveled by foot, horseback, and needed something that they could bring with them easily.

A few things that may confuse you about the instrument when you see it:
Some people play it sideways, others put the drum between their leg.
Some Doumbeks are metal, others are clay.

In America i really think it is personal preference. I have seen Turks play it sideways, I've seen North Africans play it vertically. It has a lot to do with what country you are from and what the common traditional teaching is in that country. As the instrument moved around different people adapted different techniques to its performance.
You work with what you have. I remember the great and wise Donald Rumsfeld saying "you don't go to war with the army you want, you go with the one you have" :) Now for those of you offended or afraid that this might have hurt the morale of the troops, it is okay. I've seen his car and he has a yellow ribbon on the back. Consider the troops supported...

Anyway, my point being that if you are in an area that is wooded, your drums will be made out of wood. If you live without trees then clay might be the only option....

If you raise goats, your drum will be goat skin, raise cows? Than you'll have calf skin. What is use to make a doumbek doesn't make it a different instrument. It will drastically change the sound and weight of the instrument, but not the name.


Songs I adore: Carrickfergus

Every blog will include me talking about at least one song that I just love. For my first blog I'll talk about the Irish ballad Carrickfergus. I especially love these recordings
Paddy reilly Paddy Reilly Live
Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem - Reunion
Van Morrison and the Chieftains Irish Heartbeat

My fondest memory of this song is hearing my brother sing along with it the evening before I was to move away. I remember him singing "I'm drunk today.... and rarely sober" He was just messing around and we had a few beers in us. I loved the passion he had for the lyrics. It made me reexamine the words again.
The lyrics are pretty damn good.
It is about a lost love and father time taking us only after first turning us old. While the song title itself is about a specific town in Ireland, the words are universal. This song could easily be sung about Wichita Kansas, Bursa Turkey, or Faluja Iraq. The words are so true and so great. If you haven't heard the song, you need to. The melody will stay with you, and if you're a musician you'll quickly find yourself playing it on your instrument.

If you want the lyrics I'll be happy to email them to you. Just email me at wmenyc@gmail.com, I will add you to my email list and the lyrics will be yours. I'll be assembling a great newsletter with pictures of instruments from around the world as well as more song suggestions, funny stories and some inside info. Occasionally we'll also be able to send out some free mp3's to our mailing list.

Thank you for reading,
Colin