Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A treat for fiddlers!,
By
This review is from: Mel Bays Complete Irish Fiddle Player: Boxed (Paperback)
Mel Bay's Complete Irish Fiddle Player by Peter Cooper is a treat!
Too often, words such as "complete" are bandied about in the titles of so-called comprehensive works, but their shortcomings are often all too apparent. That's not the case with this one, however; Cooper has packed a wealth of music and information into this release from Mel Bay. No, I'm not suggesting Cooper has provided -the- source for Irish tunes. There are bigger and better collections on the market. But if you're looking for more than just notes on a page, this is a good place to start. Cooper's introduction begins with a brief definition of Irish music and a history of the form's evolution. He explains why Irish music is usually learned by ear, not from sheet music (although, obviously, he's hoping readers will find the sheet music included in his book useful!), and describes the basic structure of the tunes, techniques for bowing, fingering positions, tempos and other idiosyncrasies of the Irish style. He also delves slightly into the regional differences which divide Ireland, where a Sligo fiddler can be distinguished from a Kerry fiddler, and so on, although this is by no means a comprehensive analysis of geographic variations. The bulk of the book is, obviously, devoted to tunes, but Cooper doesn't settle for simply collecting sheet music in one volume. He divides tunes by style (jigs, hornpipes, reels, etc.) and describes methods for playing each. In the first section of jigs, for instance, he discusses basic bowing patterns. In the next section on reels, he gets into arm weight and finger rolls. Techniques and variations grow more complex and advanced as Cooper progresses through 19 chapters of music, comprising a total of 80 tunes. He also provides brief backgrounds on the tunes, providing a cultural context often overlooked in Irish music collections. His narrative is smooth and easy to follow, making even difficult moves sound easy. It's easier still when you listen to the companion CD (actually, a two-CD set spanning 55 tracks), which gives practical examples of the style.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
