Seeking Clannad MIDI files

Subject: Seeking Clannad MIDI files
From: Joe Offer
Date: 16 Nov 21 - 10:28 PM

An Email from Gian Piero - can anyone help him?

(Translated by Google) - Hello Joe - I write from Italy. I am a sixty-year-old clannad fans and arrived by chance on your Irish music site. I have all Clannad CDs but I'm also a non-professional musician. I'm desperately looking for Midi Files of Clannad but I don't find it (only in Lifetime with Bono). That you know they have never realized (strange, because of Enya there are so many) or could you tell me a link to a store where they sell them? In Italy (and in the world) I can't find track of their MIDI files.
Thanks. Sorry for the trouble but I don't know who to ask.
Good health.
Gian Piero

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Seeking Clannad MIDI files
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Nov 21 - 10:36 PM

>Joe - you might want to post the original Italian request also, just in case Google Translate mangled a few of the verb tenses, etc. :)

---

He's the one who sent the Google translation - I did not see it in Italian. I see he has posted it in Italian below. -Joe-

Subject: RE: Seeking Clannad MIDI files
From: GUEST,Gian Piero
Date: 17 Nov 21 - 02:40 AM

Scrivo dall'Italia. Sono un fan di clan di sessant'anni e sono arrivato per caso sul tuo sito di musica irlandese. Ho tutti i CD dei Clannad ma sono anche un musicista non professionista. Cerco disperatamente Midi Files di Clannad ma non lo trovo (solo in Lifetime con Bono). Che sai che non se ne sono mai accorti (strano, perché di Enya ce ne sono tanti) o potresti dirmi un link di un negozio dove li vendono? In Italia (e nel mondo) non riesco a trovare traccia dei loro file MIDI.

Subject: RE: Seeking Clannad MIDI files
From: DaveRo
Date: 17 Nov 21 - 11:25 AM

I wondered if Gian wanted to learn to play the tunes (I found several from their first album on abcnotation.com), but I think he is looking for multi-instrument backing tracks, judging from the example he cites:
In A Lifetime - Clannad & Bono

Subject: RE: Seeking Clannad MIDI files
From: GUEST
Date: 17 Nov 21 - 03:25 PM

FWIW I find DeepL a much better translator than Google. Here's the DeepL translation:

I am writing from Italy. I am a Clannad fan of sixty years and I arrived by chance on your Irish music site. I have all the Clannad CDs but I am also a non-professional musician. I am desperately looking for Midi Files of Clannad but can't find it (only in Lifetime with Bono). What do you know they never noticed (strange, because there are so many of Enya) or could you tell me a link of a store where they sell them? In Italy (and in the world) I can't find any trace of their MIDI files.

Subject: RE: Seeking Clannad MIDI files
From: DaveRo
Date: 17 Nov 21 - 03:50 PM

Clannad's first album is from 1973, so Google's translation of that ambiguous first sentence is probably correct.

But Gian, if you are reading this, what do you want to do with these midi files? Sing? Play an instrument?

IT: Gian, se stai leggendo questo, cosa vuoi fare con questi file midi? Cantare? Suonare uno strumento?

Subject: RE: Seeking Clannad MIDI files
From: GUEST,Peter Laban
Date: 17 Nov 21 - 04:12 PM

There may be a clue in this (and its poster) :

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=B5i4cKxO_gU

Subject: RE: Seeking Clannad MIDI files
From: Helen
Date: 17 Nov 21 - 04:15 PM

And Gian, do you just want the melody of each tune or do you also want the other instruments?

E Gian, vuoi solo la melodia di ogni brano o vuoi anche gli altri strumenti?

Subject: RE: Seeking Clannad MIDI files
From: GUEST,Gian Piero
Date: 17 Nov 21 - 04:17 PM

(translated with DeepL) - I answer DaveRo's question, if DeepL translates me better, as Guest advises.
I am a percussionist, therefore not good with harmony, and I try to make, among friends, versions of songs that we like. As instruments only acoustic guitar and small percussions, then all vocal, even the parts originally instrumental. We love World Music, a non-commercial genre, so there is not much to be found on the market. Here I asked for Clannad, but we are also looking for Johnny Clegg (jive) and Touré Kunda (Senegal). Midi files are ideal because they already have the parts of the instruments separated and you can change the key. Just use the free software Audacity and you can listen to them one by one. Assigning the parts of the instruments to the voices, not finding anything (only "In a Lifetime", I think for Bono fans) would be useful to find at least the lyrics with chords and try (if we can) to understand the individual parts. But I guess I'm asking ... the moon.
Do you recommend that I give up ?

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Subject: RE: Seeking Clannad MIDI files
From: Helen
Date: 17 Nov 21 - 04:48 PM

Thanks for the information Gian.

No don't give up.

ABC Notation is very good. DaveRo suggested looking at this website:

a Clannad tune Behind the Bush in the Garden - "Dietro il cespuglio nel giardino"

ABC Notation can be pasted into an ABC Converter and then it produces a MIDI file and sheet music notation.

more Clannad tunes

Grazie per le informazioni Gian.

No, non rinunciare.

ABC Notation è molto buono. DaveRo ha suggerito di guardare questo sito web:

a Clannad tune Behind the Bush in the Garden - "Dietro il cespuglio nel giardino"

La notazione ABC può essere incollata in un convertitore ABC e poi produce un file MIDI e la notazione dello spartito.


DeepL translator

Subject: RE: Seeking Clannad MIDI files
From: GUEST,Gian Piero
Date: 18 Nov 21 - 04:49 AM

Thank you Helen.It was not useless to ask for advice here because I learned two things, namely that DeepL is better than Google to make myself understood abroad and that there is a .abc format of which here in Italy I think very few know the existence.
Unfortunately, however, compared to the purposes that I have listed, it is not for me.
I documented myself, I installed EasyABC, I copied some of the codes of those songs, but it writes or converts to midi only the melody of the song, which we already know from the cd or vinyls (we all have them). It doesn't even write the chords, which would be a starting point.
I think it's really a "mission impossible". Our choice of a music like World, that here in Italy we define "niche" (I don't know how to translate the meaning) pays this price. Those who have chosen commercial music find everything, we have to adjust. But I believe that these are the laws of the market.
I think the last attempt can only be to find and get in touch with possible "fans clubs" of Clannad, Johnny Clegg and Touré Kunda and hope that there are musicians there who have, on their own initiative, produced midi or tabs of the tracks we are trying to realize (realize in Bobby Mc Ferrin style, if I explained myself well before). And they are all 80's tracks, so not even the last few years.
Thank you all, guys, for your time.
I wish good luck, good music and, above all, good health to all.
A big hug.
Gian Piero
[e-mail]
https://www.facebook.com/gianpiero1953/
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Subject: RE: Seeking Clannad MIDI files
From: DaveRo
Date: 18 Nov 21 - 05:15 AM

Some - but not many - of the tunes you'll find via abcnotation.com also include chords. For example a tune on that first Clannad album:
BRIAN BORU'S MARCH
You'll see the chords (Am, G...) above the stave and also in the abc.

It's not much, but it's a start! I use the chords, or parts of them, for an accompaniment on a concertina. abc is also easy to change the key.

I don't know whether you'll find the kind of multi-instrument midi files you seek. But good luck.

Subject: RE: Seeking Clannad MIDI files
From: GUEST,Gian Piero
Date: 18 Nov 21 - 11:16 AM

Thank you. I have this track on a CD (Clannad 1973 or The Pretty Maid, debut folk album) and had almost forgotten it. You were right to remind me of it; I'll add it to my list, which includes mostly album tracks from Fuaim to Macalla.

Subject: RE: Seeking Clannad MIDI files
From: GUEST,Gian Piero
Date: 18 Nov 21 - 11:59 AM

Sorry Dave Ro, but I'm going to ask you one more thing. Unfortunately abcnotation.com is one of the few pages that Google can't translate directly into Italian (and for me this is a huge problem). Not knowing the logic of the site and not finding an alphabetical listing by artist, do you have to already know the title to search for it? I tried searching for Clannad (group), but it only lists the songs that contain that word. The only solution is to search, to stay with your indication, for example, "Brian Boru's March" and scroll through all the versions that have been released? Am I understanding this correctly or am I missing something? Thank you.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Subject: RE: Seeking Clannad MIDI files
From: DaveRo
Date: 18 Nov 21 - 01:35 PM

Yes, you have to know the name of the tune to search for it. The site knows nothing about who performs it. And some tunes have several names, and the name on a Clannad album might not be the most common name.

As an experiment, I looked up Clannad albums in Discogs then searched for all the tunes on the first album.

Níl Sé Ina Lá
Thíos Cois Na Trá Domh
Brian Boru's March
Siúbhán Ní Dhuibhir
An Mhaighdean Mhara
Liza
An TOileán Úr
Mrs. McDermott (Magistreas Mc Diarmuid)
The Pretty Maid (An Cailín Deas)
An Pháirc
Harvest Home
Morning Dew

Some of the ones I found have slightly different names. But I'd have to know the album to know whether the tunes are the same.

For example, I search for 'Mrs. McDermott' - result.
The first result gives Magistreas Mc Diarmuid. I do not know Irish but I assume 'Magistreas' might mean 'Mistress' which is what 'Mrs' is short for.

So I click the green 'tune page': Magistreas Mc Diarmuid and play it using the ? button. If that is not the one I want I try the next result. It can take a long time and there is no guarantee of success.

(And I often get diverted by what I find and end up with a different tune altogether. It's a huge time waster - but very rewarding.)

You can use the strange diagram on the right to find similar tunes, maybe one with chords or in a better key for you.

That's the way I have been using the site. There are probably better ways, and I know there are other tune finding sites.

Subject: RE: Seeking Clannad MIDI files
From: DaveRo
Date: 18 Nov 21 - 01:39 PM

The ? button should be the ▶ button.

Subject: RE: Seeking Clannad MIDI files
From: GUEST,Gian Piero
Date: 18 Nov 21 - 03:38 PM

This is where I can be helpful to you. Gaelic Irish is a very difficult language. Google Translate online is really good for this. All the lyrics of Clannad, with copy-paste of the original text, makes me (in Italian) a perfect translation.
My favorite Clannad song is Thios Fa'n Costa (and not even in .abc you can find it.... but only I like it?) from Magical Ring. But you can find the translation from Irish to English everywhere. Too bad it's always the translation of a certain Jason Carns that is not the Clannad song, even if they say it's the one! With great luck I found the site https://songsinirish.com/thios-fan-chosta-lyrics/ where I really found that lyrics. If you don't know it, try to visit it and look for the lyrics of that music there.
Then there are many sites like https://chordify.net/ where, with the songs published on YouTube, it looks for the chords directly. You can do it even without subscribing. I made the mistake of subscribing for a year but in less than a week I realized how many errors there are, so much so that you waste time trying to correct them with little result. There you can really try any song (there is everything on YouTube) but the result is quite disappointing.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)