double dose of tradition

Subject: double dose of tradition
From: Linda Kelly
Date: 28 Mar 00 - 04:49 PM

I am tryng to prepare a set for a traditional night at my local club. I thought I would attempt Felton Lonnin/Here's the Tender coming (a la Jez Lowe) because they are both very short and very remarkable songs. However, a weeks worth of practice and the results have been dismal. Suffice to say my Geordie accent leaves a lot to be desired and I lack authenticity. I still like the idea of combining two traditional songs together and I throw the floor open to any suggestions anyone may have. (I love 'here's the tender coming and would be particularly interested in combining this with another traditional or contemporary song)

Subject: RE: double dose of tradition
From: MMario
Date: 28 Mar 00 - 04:51 PM

Ickle, I use verse of Loch Lomond with chorus of Red is the Rose, and vice versa....

Subject: RE: double dose of tradition
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 28 Mar 00 - 06:55 PM

There's no real reason why you shouldn't sing the Jez Lowe set; it should work fine, so long as you don't attempt to ape an accent that doesn't belong to you.  I think that a lot of people make the mistake of believing that a particular song has to be sung in a particular accent, and I've certainly heard some really embarrassing performances over the years involving fake Scottish, Irish, English, American accents...if you stick to what comes naturally, I don't see why you shouldn't make a perfectly convincing job of it.  The dialect words involved -so far as I recall- are not obscure, and you only have to make sure that your natural pronounciation of them doesn't screw up the metre or the rhyme.  Just forget about trying to do the Geordie accent, and I bet your problems will disappear.

Malcolm

Subject: RE: double dose of tradition
From: Dan K (inactive)
Date: 28 Mar 00 - 08:14 PM

I agree with Malcolm about the accent. Not only isn't it necessary for the song it can be down right insulting. I have heard many folks complain about hearing their tongue murdered by someone else. Honor the song and the people by singing it in your own voice. Dan

Subject: RE: double dose of tradition
From: KingBrilliant
Date: 29 Mar 00 - 05:03 AM

I agree also with Dan & Malcolm. Not only should you sing it in a natural accent for you, but also with phrasing that is natural to you. Having said that, it's not unreasonable to have several accents which are natural for you. You don't have to pick just one for everything. As long as the accent is natural to you then it should work. Most people use different accents & phrasing etc in normal speech according to their environment at the time. So the same applies to singing? I generally reckon that I can sing in any accent in which I would also feel comfortable speaking (but not one which I would have to artificially 'put on'). For ages I have been trying to sing 'green broom', because I love the way one certain performer sings it. Up til this morning I failed every time - because I was trying to sing it the way he does. In the car on the way to work I suddenly realised this is the case, and could then sing it quite naturally using my own phrasing & expression. So I couldn't resist posting this as it was such a coincidence. Kris

Kris

Subject: RE: double dose of tradition
From: Scabby Douglas
Date: 29 Mar 00 - 08:27 AM

I agree so much..

The strangest ( well not the strangest but amongst the strangest) thing I ever saw/heard was Emmylou Harris attempting to sit in session-wise with Dick Gaughan and others on the Transatlantic Sessions, singing "Both Sides the Tweed".. Poor old Em's obviously strugling with Dick's enunciation, and in order to fit in is mangling her own vowel sounds to sound like Dick's..

Sing it your way. Keep the sense of the song, but a Geordie accent is notoriously difficult to pull off..

Luke Kelly of the Dubliners would sing Tramps and Hawkers with his own acent.. retaining the Scots dialect words to make the song work, but still being true and real.

Have fun

StevenC

Subject: RE: double dose of tradition
From: Willie-O
Date: 29 Mar 00 - 09:17 AM

Well, honestly now, who in the hell could sing along with Dick Gaughan (one of my absolute heroes) in any tongue? His phrasing is way beyond idiosyncratic...I'm sure he could sing along with someone else, consummate musician that he is, but his solo performances are just that.

But, hey, it's not a Scots "accent" (in the case of Scots songs anyway) and debate rages as to whether its a dialect or a language--but I go along with the language concept (same roots as English, but separate development). Attempts to enunciate it should not be undertaken lightly, and the results are not always pleasing, but it's a legit effort. Just like trying to sing in Gaelic. You have to start somewhere.

Willie-O