Song Style?

Subject: Song Style?
From: Celtic.Relics.com
Date: 07 Jul 00 - 02:19 PM

I know some of you have heard of this thread before, but I need more info on this style of song. Often heard in celtic type songs, it goes something like this....

"Humm Diddle dotin da, diddle diddel day"

....something along that line!? It's used often as fill in many songs. Some call it scat, others call it mummble. For the last few years I have been developing this style. Others I meet that uses this form of mouth noise, don't seem to know the correct term. Any music teachers? I would like to research this form of song a little more.

Subject: RE: Song Style?
From: Songster Bob
Date: 07 Jul 00 - 02:23 PM

I've heard it called "mouth music," and "diddling," and, though there are probably a number of other terms for it, most people will know what you mean if you use either. "Scat" is a term usually reserved for Afro-American or jazz-influenced music, not Celtic, in my opinion.

Bob Clayton

Subject: RE: Song Style?
From: SINSULL
Date: 07 Jul 00 - 02:28 PM

Nonsense Syllables?

Subject: RE: Song Style?
From: GUEST,Ferg
Date: 07 Jul 00 - 02:35 PM

In Ireland its called lilting

Subject: RE: Song Style?
From: Áine
Date: 07 Jul 00 - 02:42 PM

Quoting from the introduction to the book accompanying the CD 'Celtic Mouth Music' (Ellipsis Arts, 1997, ISBN 1-55961-341-6):

Cheek music, chin music, lilting, diddling, gobbing, pus music, purist singing, jigging, dowdling, diddlage, reel a bouche, turlutage, kan ha diskan, port-a-beul, dandling -- for all its names both beautiful and strange, mouth music's a very basic phenomenon. Built on favourite old melodies and rhythms, on the quips that slip out of folks when they're frisky or drunk, mouth music is for making music -- especially for dancing - when there aren't instruments around. Though found in various forms throughout the world, mouth music is highly developed among the Gaels. The mesmerizing rhythms of mouth tunes made them a kind of Celtic street-corner soul music centuries ago, a tradition that has gained too little attention. Known as diddling, lilting, jigging and port-a-beul in Great Britain and Ireland, mouth music became part of the musical baggage of Scots and Irish emigrants -- driven abroad by poverty or persecution, and forced to travel light. It accompanied them to Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, where it was absorbed by Acadian and French-Canadian culture, and down into the southern Appalachians.

I'd recommend that you get a copy of this wonderful resource if you're interested in this type of music.

-- Áine

Subject: RE: Song Style?
From: GUEST,Ferg
Date: 07 Jul 00 - 02:42 PM

In Ireland its called lilting

Subject: RE: Song Style?
From: Celtic.Relics.com
Date: 07 Jul 00 - 02:48 PM

Lilting.... Diddling.... Nonsense-Syllables? Might get me started in my search. Anyone know of any artist specializing in this form of music?

(yes there are people willing to listen to this for hours!)

Subject: RE: Song Style?
From: Áine
Date: 07 Jul 00 - 02:57 PM

Dear MickyMac,

If you go Northern Light Search and enter the term "mouth music" (including the quotation marks), you'll find nearly 2,000 sources for your search. Be sure and check out the folders on the left for more specific results, like artists and recordings, that you might want to peruse.

-- Áine

Subject: RE: Song Style?
From: Giac
Date: 07 Jul 00 - 03:03 PM

Check out a current thread:

BS: Mudcat Quiz - Folk Olympics

About halfway down, or so, p.j. gives a,
detailed description of mouth music. Great stuff!.

Subject: RE: Song Style?
From: MMario
Date: 07 Jul 00 - 03:04 PM

for a previous threads:

http://www.mudcat.org/thread.CFM?threadID=13522

Subject: RE: Song Style?
From: Áine
Date: 07 Jul 00 - 03:08 PM

Dear MickyMac,

For the homepage of Ellipsis Arts, click here.

-- Áine

Subject: RE: Song Style?
From: Noreen
Date: 08 Jul 00 - 03:15 PM

Robbie McMahon from County Kerry is famous for his very entertaining lilting as well as for his singing. I don't know if he has recorded any lilting (I've got him singing on a compilation LP) but I'll try to find out.

BTW there are lilting competions included in the fleadhanna (music festivals) organised internationally by Comhalthas Ceoltoiri Eireann the Irish Musicians' Association.

Noreen

Subject: RE: Song Style?
From: katlaughing
Date: 08 Jul 00 - 05:52 PM

In order to help support the non-profit Mudcat Cafe and Digital Tradition, please consider buying what you might want in CD's, etc. directly from the Mudcat or from Camsco Music, Dick Greenhaus's company. He can get just about anything, if you ask. Also, you can buy from Folk Legacy Records and if you tell them ya heard it here, they will share a percentage with the Mudcat.

Thanks,

kat

Subject: RE: Song Style?
From: GUEST,Barry Finn
Date: 08 Jul 00 - 10:50 PM

There are a couple of Scottish recordings focusing on "mouth music". A women I used to sing with about 15 yrs ago (now called Talitha McKenzie) does a lovely job of it, I think the title of that CD is called 'Solas', I think another CD by a bunch of women may simply be called "Mouth Music" but I can't be sure if this info is accurate or not anymore. Barry