Pangea, Tommy Makem, Mouth harp/Jew's Harp, learn to drum,

Pangea
Pangean Ocrhestra
Colin O’Donohoe
12/29/08

What’s new:
I hope you have all had a nice holiday! I hope none of you are too upset about missing your weekly installment of your favorite blog (my blog!)
In my streak of being the last to find out about things, I just learned that Tommy Makem died (last august I believe ’07). Man, I am sad about that. I loved his music and concerts. I’ve seen him live twice and he was a great perormer. He had a wonderful ability to connect with the audience. I will make mention of him again later in the songs I adore section.

What I want to learn about: Mouth Harp/Jew’s Harp
I love youtube! Are there any mouth harp players out there? Is it really Jewish? Forgive me but I always thought it came out of the Appalachians. I always heard it in American Folk music going twang twang twang, or boing, boioing, bioioioing :)
I’d love to know who the top artists are out there.

What can I share:
Hmmm. I’m running out of idea’s. ok here’s one...
Ever want to know how to play the full drum set with your arms doing different things? Here is how you do it.
Count to 4. that’s all you really have to do.
On beat 1, tap your right foot and tap your right hand on your leg.
On beat 2, tap just your right hand on your leg
On beat 3, tap your right hand on your leg, your left hand on your tummy or some other surface, I use the tum tum drum.
On beat 4, tap your right hand only.

That’s it. Count as slow as you’d like. Then speed it up. Good luck!


Songs I adore:
The “Tommy Makem and Liam Clancy” albums.

As a kid I listened to a lot of music, mostly current rock/rap/ and yes “glam” bands. However, I also listened to a lot of Irish music. My favorite “band” of Irish music when I was little was the duo of Liam Clancy and Tommy Makem.
I loved how they wove poetry and history into the songs. I was very moved by “Willie McBride”, and “Patriot Game” as incredible anti-war songs. I also loved “Whiskey yer the divil” and “The Moonshiner”.

For me and my family, “The Irish Rover” was a rite of passage. You had to learn the lyrics to it and sing it. It made long car rides much more tolerable in the days before portable dvd players, ipods, and even.... FM radio (yup, that’s not a typo kiddies, I mean FM, not XM, FM! Cars actually didn’t have that once)

Anyway, This music is more than sound, it is life. It is a bridge that connects me to those who brought my DNA over the Atlantic. As an adult I really admire Tommy Makem’s attention to the details and history that made the songs so incredible. I will lift up my drink tonight for him, “A parting glass”

For him, I hope that he entered the gates to a jam session already in progress, and an empty seat beside a snug turf fire!