How to define “Sean-nós” style of Singing.

wm_photo_genre_seannos

Sean-nos or “old style’ of singing as Gaelic suggests has been part of Irish music for ages. I would pull reference to singers like Iarla O’ Lionaird and,Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh of Altan among the many. According to shamrockirishmusic.com, sean-nos can be:

1. A bare voice (not ‘sweet’, with a certain ‘natural fierceness’).

2. No vibrato.

3. No dynamic. (loud/soft)

4. Emotion is expressed through the use of vocal ornamentation, which varies from singer to singer.

5. Free, non-metronomic rhythm used by the singer.

6. The meaning of the words dictates singing from the heart, with ‘soul’. (Without dynamic – see above).

7. Often there is an emphasis on the consonants l, m, n, r to facilitate the free rhythmic pulse and to create a drone effect.

8. Occasional nasalisation.

9. Music takes precedent over the lyric.

10. Often extra meaningless syllables are introduced, e.g., “Thug (a) me”.

11. The use of the glottal stop/dramatic pause.

12. It’s unaccompanied.

13. The melody varies from one verse to the next, and from one performance to the next. This is often referred to as the ‘variation principle’.

14. And last but not least, the singing is in the Irish language.

The whole article can be found here.

Here is an example of Sean-nos singing. And of course my personal favorite Iarla O’Lionaird


Seven Nations Rocking On!

SevenNationsNew York based Celtic Rock band  Seven Nations can fuse their sound successfully into Modern Rock radio format. The name is based on the  seven Celtic nations namely : Ireland, Scotland,Wales, Cornwall, Brittany and Galicia. Strong vocals ( if you dig Lifehouse and Creed) and tight musicianship mark their every song.

Seven Nations follows the blaze set by Waterboys and Simple Minds. These guys grew up listening to Celtic music which explains the style of their music. The tunes are very catchy. They’ve released a couple of albums. If you want to include them in your growing album collection, then visit their official site http://www.sevennations.com . Include your selves in the newsletter and also check tour dates. You can also listen to their songs via their official MySpace page.

Carlos Nunez Website

nunez2 I am a fan of Carlos Núñez music. This talented musician from Galicia Spain has a lot of  achivements under his belt. He is well-known in playing the gaita or Galician bagpipe. Galicia and Asturia are the only regions in Spain that have strong Celtic culture. Learn more in his official site http://www.carlos-nunez.com

Latest Irish Music Releases.

If you visit Dara Records online catalog then you will notice a lot of recent releases in Irish music. The Priests, The High Kings,Celtic Thunder,Celtic Woman ,Enya and Loreena McKennitt are included. It offeres a wide array of old and new,Pop and Rock  releases that you might want to check out.

The Spanish relationship to Celtic Music

   As I have always thought and felt that Celtic music is universal. There is an interesting article here.It talks about :THE “NEW” SPANISH FOLK MUSIC: THE CELTIC MUSIC BOOM.I encourage you to read , to know more about the range of Celtic music. It will also inspire whatever Celtic movement you have going on, be it in a band,art,or even writing. I personally feel that this little blog will serve a s a unifying medium.