My wonderful world of Sea Songs

Subject: Origins: My wonderful world of Sea Songs
From: Shogun
Date: 11 Oct 19 - 05:35 PM

Welcome to all

I really love to perform sea shanties and sea songs since i start sail 20yrs ago in lakes in Poland, from this time i did start love sailors tradition, because i did play in guitar very quick i start been addicted to sea shanties and folk music. After 20 yrs The Mudcat Caffe threads about Stan Hugill was like a shock how small knowledge i have about sea shanties, and how knowledgeable people are in here. This place was my greatest impression to start record my singing. I create YouTube channel and start recorded, firstly my songs in Polish language from polish shanties tradition. Soon i will start to discover endless world of origin tunes what i so much love. In this place i want to ask all of you to help me to find every great shanty and sea songs what i can start learn and record, please look in my channel and help me to find stories about it. Any comments are welcome and will be intermediately implement to my channel. link to it here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOD3jnTqh4PdB-BGkSRQrRg

Subject: RE: My wonderful world of Sea Songs
From: GUEST
Date: 07 May 20 - 12:19 AM

So a couple of weeks ago I do get start work on my idea to try to recreate old sea shanties in the way how they sang in beginning of the 20th century or earlier. First, I will try to recreate all songs from Stan Hugill's book " Shanties from the Seven Seas". I started from first song "A-Rovin'". I hope record will be revealed this or next week.

Subject: RE: My wonderful world of Sea Songs
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 May 20 - 12:32 AM

Jerzy, tell us something about yourself and your interest in these songs. And please post any of the performance links here (you have been posting on the Facebook page, but those will be difficult to find there later). Use the little Facebook link that's at the top of each page.

Subject: RE: My wonderful world of Sea Songs
From: cnd
Date: 07 May 20 - 12:40 AM

Love your enthusiasm for it! Keep singing and learning and you'll keep getting better!

One comment I heard on a few of your videos is that you tend to do a bit of a "yip" on the high notes. I'm sure there's people who are a lot more knowledgeable about shanties and sea songs than I am, but I've never heard a yip like that in traditional shanties. If you're going for a traditional sound (and again, I could be wrong here) I would try to work on more smoothly going down from high notes.

Of course, if it's a sound you like or are going for, keep it!

Subject: RE: My wonderful world of Sea Songs
From: GUEST
Date: 07 May 20 - 12:54 AM

Stilly River Sage, I did my "Yacht Salesman" certificate in 1996, after this I sailed on different places, and after I get married I did drop sailing, from the beginning I been a person who plays and sung Sea Songs on boats I sailed. From the beginning of my sailing, I started to collect a Sea Songs (most of them in the Polish language).
So now 2 yrs ago when I meet my old sailor friends in Poland, I did come back to interest. And decide to do deep as possible research about Sea Shanties, so now I try to buy, rent or find the oldest as possible (closest to origin), materials and do serious as possible research on them. The aim is to carry on legacy of this fantastic tradition of Sea Work Songs and Sailor Forebiters. I want to recreate as close as possible every Chantey song I will find.
Link to my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOD3jnTqh4PdB-BGkSRQrRg
Link to my Facebook site: https://www.facebook.com/pg/shogunpol/posts/?ref=page_internal

Subject: RE: My wonderful world of Sea Songs
From: GUEST
Date: 07 May 20 - 12:59 AM

cnd, Thanks for this comment, I do try to modify my singing from the next song, and improve, if you can give me example which song you talk about, I can identify it and correct this.
Also, I really want if people help me correct my singing to make the closest as possible to traditional singing. But you cannot read about this in books, for this I need you, so thanks and please help me.

Subject: RE: My wonderful world of Sea Songs
From: Shogun
Date: 07 May 20 - 01:12 AM

I'm Sorry to everyone apparently I act as "GUEST" but now I will try login when I will do posts :)

Again answers:
Stilly River Sage, I did my "Yacht Salesman" certificate in 1996, after this I sailed on different places, and after I get married I did drop sailing, from the beginning I been a person who plays and sung Sea Songs on boats I sailed. From the beginning of my sailing, I started to collect a Sea Songs (most of them in the Polish language).
So now 2 yrs ago when I meet my old sailor friends in Poland, I did come back to interest. And decide to do deep as possible research about Sea Shanties, so now I try to buy, rent or find the oldest as possible (closest to origin), materials and do serious as possible research on them. The aim is to carry on the legacy of this fantastic tradition of Sea Work Songs and Sailor Forebiters. I want to recreate as close as possible every Chantey song I will find.
Link to my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOD3jnTqh4PdB-BGkSRQrRg
Link to my Facebook site: https://www.facebook.com/pg/shogunpol/posts/?ref=page_internal

Subject: RE: My wonderful world of Sea Songs
From: Shogun
Date: 07 May 20 - 01:13 AM

And reply to cdn:
cnd, Thanks for this comment, I do try to modify my singing from the next song, and improve, if you can give me an example which song you talk about, I can identify it and correct this.
Also, I really want if people help me correct my singing to make the closest as possible to traditional singing. But you cannot read about this in books, for this I need you, so thanks and please help me.

Subject: RE: My wonderful world of Sea Songs
From: sandtreader
Date: 07 May 20 - 05:31 AM

Hi Jerzy,

Best of luck with your project, it's a huge one ;-)

To @cdn's comment about the 'yips' - actually I like it, it's very much in the style of A L Lloyd who I take as pretty much the only continuity of real shanty singing (love to hear any others!). For example, hear him at the start of Moby Dick (Blood Red Roses, my favourite!)

Or watch this hour of sheer joy!

Also many contemporary groups - particularly here in Cornwall where there's a greater liking for the 'rough' end of shanties, I think - like to "decorate" songs with growls and whoops. Listen to Fisherman's Friends in their proper acapella version of South Australia (the recorded version is a bit overproduced, to my taste):

If you imagine a shanty in its original usage as a rhythm for heaving or hauling, to be heard across deck in a gale of wind, you can see that falsetto comes in handy :-)

All the best

Paul

Subject: RE: My wonderful world of Sea Songs
From: Shogun
Date: 07 May 20 - 07:17 AM

Hi Sandtreader
In the beginning I want to say, moby dick songs are spectacular, I think they get us close to origins, which doesn't necessarily are superharmonic, and echoed on microphones, they just great.
About the movie about A L Lloyd is scheduled this evening, The first couple minutes just confirms is a great source of knowledge (if you have more movies like this please share).
I didn't use falsetto till now because "not low enough voice syndrome", but if I listen, A L Lloyd, I definitely start using it.

Subject: RE: My wonderful world of Sea Songs
From: sandtreader
Date: 07 May 20 - 07:43 AM

Well I'm a deep bass so it wouldn't be natural for me to sing at Bert Lloyd's pitch all the time, obviously - but I use the falsetto for the odd whoop :-) I think you've got it pretty much spot on!

Subject: RE: My wonderful world of Sea Songs
From: The Sandman
Date: 09 May 20 - 04:48 PM

i would not recommend singing like Bert Lloyd or stan hugill

Subject: RE: My wonderful world of Sea Songs
From: The Sandman
Date: 09 May 20 - 05:00 PM

i would sugest s you have a bass voice seeking out recordings of johnny collins.
Bert Lloyd had certain idosyncrasies such as singing with a smile on his face, which was a style adopted by bert lloyd but was not based on any uk tradtional style.Stan was imo a mediocre singer.

Subject: RE: My wonderful world of Sea Songs
From: Shogun
Date: 10 May 20 - 10:54 AM

The Sandman
Thanks a lot for the feedback,
Yes probably is "own voice no nice enough syndrome", I will try on the next song, more Johnny Collins'ish like.

Subject: RE: My wonderful world of Sea Songs
From: Shogun
Date: 10 May 20 - 11:04 AM

Here is my first song from Stan Hugill's book "Shanties from the Seven Seas". 001 - A-Rovin (a) (Please look through the channel if you have time).

Subject: RE: My wonderful world of Sea Songs
From: Shogun
Date: 28 May 20 - 03:52 AM

Here another version of A-Rovin' from Stan's book:
A-Roving version (B)
And another version:
A-Roving version (D)
Another 3 to go...

What are your opinions?

Subject: RE: My wonderful world of Sea Songs
From: The Sandman
Date: 28 May 20 - 04:02 AM

you have a pleasnt baritone voice, it is good.
one way to get even better is to do regular deep breathing exercises

Subject: RE: My wonderful world of Sea Songs
From: The Sandman
Date: 28 May 20 - 04:06 AM

Jim Mageean is another good singer of sea songs

Subject: RE: My wonderful world of Sea Songs
From: The Sandman
Date: 28 May 20 - 04:18 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnTd15Y8vMw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnTd15Y8vMw

Subject: RE: My wonderful world of Sea Songs
From: Shogun
Date: 28 May 20 - 05:34 AM

The Sandman
Thanks a lot for your kind comments:
"baritone voice" - don't even realize,
"breathing exercises" - if you can message me about more details I
   will very appreciate it,
"Jim Mageean is another good singer of sea songs" - thanks for this,
   its the first time somebody says I'm a good singer of sea songs.

And thanks for links, about Jim Mageean I just try to get knowledge of what its name of that man, his chantying is great, nice will be to have contact with him.