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Sam Murray Flutes

/ mrbaxteria2008 / 4 Comments

“From the start, when it was the instrument of the wood-god Pan, the flute has been associated with pure (some might say impure) energy. Its sound releases something naturally untamed, as if a squirrel were let loose in a church.” -Seamus Heaney

Ok the hot discussion in the traditional boards right now in terms of flute brand is Sam Murray. My friend Lars who plays traditional Irish music is crazy about getting one and now he is anticipating this in the package soon.

One characteristic of the Sam Murray open key wooden flute is that has a nice loud tone and had the flexibility to reach in to the 3rd octave, if required. The only issue here is that you have to blow harder.

Sam Murray is from Belfast and has made flutes that serviced musicians making it to the stages of the world. I will show you an example of the keyed flute played by Stephen Doherty.

The other one is the keyless flute.

Sam Murray
The Old Forge
42a New Road
Galway City, Ireland
Tel: +353 863310641
Email: murrayflutesgalway@gmail.com

Designer Love

/ mrbaxteria2008 / 2 Comments

Michele Ann Kelly was introduced to me by a very special person. I know this isn’t really Celtic but it is still good music. And she is also based in Dublin so she is every bit Irish there. This song speaks true of the tug of war that happens in a relationship. And it will make you realize that at the end of the day, it is not the differences that count but the way you feel towards each other.  From the first few chords into the sweeping chorus this song is a true winner. I think I do believe every line and chorus of this song. Listen again and again.

Designer Love is written by Paul, Brady and Ronan Hardiman .

http://www.myspace.com/micheleannkelly

Site Makeover

/ mrbaxteria2008 / 4 Comments

As you can see I made some changes in the design of my site. It still has that old flavor but I want it to have a classy look. You can see that the title The Celtic Music Fan is in French script. A lot of changes happened in my life recently and most of them are too personal to add here. But I can tell you, I will be writing more and more to deliver you what’s new and what’s out in music.

I know someone out there is a person who is driven to write to exorcise whatever madness lurks within the soul. I hope you find this and I also hope the music here will soothe your soul and ease your mind.

It is not easy to have so much passion inside you especially when it is not directed to what is helpful. Music is helpful and the more passion you have, the more driven you are to give just the best performance. Because without that outlet, life will be hard. Especially when passion is dependent on people  than in art.

I think lately I have been feeling that kind of shift. So I am asking you to help me go back to that useful passion which is music. And yes writing about it. The more words I make, the more energy I spend and then I will be too tired to bother about other personal things. We all need something to save us from helpless passion. And I hope my thoughts will make you realize that there is nothing in this world that is worth serving other than Art..because it is a jealous master. Material things can fail us..but never Art!

Matt Molloy is not Mortal!

/ mrbaxteria2008 / 2 Comments

I was chatting with a friend about triplets in traditional tunes and then he sent me a link to this Chieftains video featuring Matt Molloy. It was beautiful but things started picking up around 1:10. This man is no mortal!

How can you play two sounds with one instrument? Listening closely will tell you at not only he is playing in a breakneck speed, he is also able to make the flute sound as if there is a fiddle there.

Triplets add bounce to the sound. And if it is played skilfully the way Matt does, oh boy it really sounds amazing.

TradConnect:Connecting Traditional Irish Musicians Across The World

/ mrbaxteria2008 / 3 Comments

TradConnect was launched in April 2011 and is a new social network for people that play, listen to and enjoy traditional Irish music. The aim of the site is to connect people that are learning and playing traditional Irish music with other players in their area.

There is a kind of glow that happens when you meet a new friend. There is a sense of anticipation and wonder. We always start somewhere the way we end. TradConnect is like that. It is a community of musicians and music lover promoting traditional Irish music.

It came as a surprise when Tony posted a link on my blog. I always try to click on the profile of whoever has contributed their thoughts. Then I saw this site. Nanvigating is easy, and links are all placed just under the header. Not too much eye candy here as it prevents distraction.

Other than the videos of members playing music, one of the  interesting attraction is the chat room. There you will be able to share musical ideas with fellow musicians from all over the world. Tony, the site administrator also pops in and out once in a while and everyone is having a great time sharing a craic.

I am from the Philippines writing about Celtic music, and I am welcomed to the group with open arms. I am looking forward to share musical ideas with the members and write stories about them so that this great circle of musical tradition will be enjoyed by many.

http://tradconnect.com/