RadioBritfolk...

Podcast No. 9
Hello!

At long last I've posted here again! I've been working hard creating workshops for an internet radio station: Radio Britfolk. I've been making a show a week since the start of July and it's been hard work. So I've rather neglected my podcasts. I'm going to make a really big effort to do some more and also to make more than one festival podcast! I hope to have another done by the end of the month. Anyway, back to this podcast. As a result of making shows for Radio Britfolk I recycled some tunes I've done here already and recorded some new arrangements, so that is what I have here, three old tunes with new backings, no more GarageBand loops. I hope you like them!
Dusty Pipes
Lullaby
Tsunami

I'm now in the home straight and am going to have to make a final desision on my Masters dissertation, so let me know if you have any requests. If you've started to podcast too, let me know, post the link. If you've had fun teaching these tunes to other people, let me know too, I'd love to hear!

Anyway, enough babble! Havea good summer. Catch you again soon!
:-))
Vicki

Assignment Written

Hello!
I have just finished and handed in the assignment that I wrote as a result of this podcasting. I only handed it in today, so it's not marked, but I have put it up online for you guys to see.

I'd really like to continue the podcasting for my dissertation, so bear with me whilst I contemplate dissertation stuff. As I mentioned in the last podcast I've been asked to make some podcast style radio broadcasts for a new internet radio station. It goes live (fingers crossed) on the 1st July, so I'll keep you informed about that. I'm hoping to be able to include that in the dissertation research too.

Anyway, thanks for all your feedback for this module, I couldn't have done it without you guys! Here's the link to what I wrote. (Please bare in mind that I'm a piper attempting to do academic stuff, I'm not that great at the writing bit!)

Assignment!

I'll be back with another podcast soon!
:-))
Vicki

Pipe Tune: The Damson Tree

The Damson Tree - A
The Damson Tree - D
Dots in A
Dots in A

Hello!
Here is another pipe tune for you. I'm sorry it's been a few weeks! This has been for a couple of reasons. Part of it was trying to think about doing a tune with extra notes in it, I wanted to do a tune from our repertoire, but they all have high Bs in them. If you'd like to see some of our tunes, the dots for all of them are on our website. I've also been trying to get my head around writing the assignment up for the podcasting. (Not doing very well there at the momet, sigh!) I've also been asked to do some internet radio broadcasts based on these podcasts. The station isn't live yet, but I'll be recording some in advance. I've decided to use the first tune that I did for it here, so this podcast is a mix of audio that I recorded today and that I recorded for the radio.

Some news is that our new album is due out in about two weeks time, so there are audio files on our website if you'd like to have a listen. I've also included one track on this podcast for you to listen to. We're running a pre-release deal if you're interested in the album.

Finally I hope I haven't compressed this podcast too much. I suspect I was a little heavy handed on the compression, sorry about that! I hope it's ok and please, all feedback is gratefully received!
:-)
Vicki

Pipe Tune: Pushbike

Pushbike in A
Pushbike in D
Dots in A
Dots in D

Hello!
The next tune is here! This is a jig written by Jonny with some accompaniment by him. (I still added bass and flute though.) I played it quite slowly, I hope it's not too slow! This is the shortest podcast I've done so far, only weighing in at a little over 9Mb. Not sure what happened there! I hope that it's ok. As usual the D version is in squeaky voice. Maybe the next tune I'll record in D and then transpose downwards to a deep voice! This is actually a two part tune, a jig and then a reel. I only did the jig this week, but if you like I'll complete the tune with the reel next time. Just let me know!

Feedback as always is gratefully received! As I have mentioned before (but not recently) this is part of my masters research and I'm going to start writing it up very soon. So if you have any comments or observations about podcasting as a tune teaching tool, please let me know!

Thanks so very much for listening! Catch you laters!
:-)
Vicki

Pipe Tune: Lament for the Lone Piper

No. 6 The Lament for the Lone Piper in A
No. 6 The Lament for the Lone Piper in D
Dots in A
Dots in D

Hello!
Here is the next smallpiper podcast tune! I hope that it's ok! I was really chuffed with the reaction of the ensemble of the last tune so I thought I'd try it again. I wrote this tune a few years ago and wrote a part for string quartet. I thought it would be nice to record those parts, however, it might have seemed like a good idea at the time, it was really hard to do. I'm not really sure that I should put up this tune, but I did do it and I don't think I could face re-doing the parts again, so here it is anyway! Please be gentle with me! I think I need to dust of the bass a bit more and practise the parts a bit instead of just sightreading it straight away. Doh! The transfer to D worked by the skin of it's teeth, it's kind of ok. Sigh. I think I was too tired really and should have left it until after the weekend, but it's ok! I also wanted to try to record a tune that is from our new album (not released yet, but pretty close). It's hard to do some of our tunes because I have three extra notes to most pipes, so I have to avoid those tunes, which is most of them! I think though I'll arrange some so that they can be played and then cast them!

I mention in the podcast about the festival podcast that I'm going to make at the weekend. There's a link on the side of this podcast leading to it, it'll show up when I've posted the cast, hopefully early next week.

Thanks again for listening and reading all of this waffle!
laters
:)
Vicki

Pipe Tune: No. 5 - The Race for Home

No. 5 The Race for Home in A
No. 5 The Race for Home in D
Dots in A
Dots in D

Hello!
At last here is the next podcast. (I've been away on holiday, so sorry for the delay in getting this one out!) I also had microphone trauma, so I used a different computer to get this one down! I hope that I have all the links correct first time. Shout if I haven't! This is a pipe tune again and I have included both a D and A version. I cheated on the D though, I recorded the whole lot in A and then used the computer to transpose up to A, so my apologies if it doesn't sound quite the same quality and that my voice in the count ins sounds like I'm on helium. I spent quite a lot of time recording extra parts and really couldn't face re-doing the entire thing in D. I improvised a flute part and bass part and it was getting late, so I hope that the D version is ok! I've included a break down of all the parts in my website too. NOw that I've done three pipe tunes I'm going to snail mail copies out to people not on broadband. Thanks for the heads up about the drum beat, not sure what came over me there! You're right, it didn't fit the melodic structure at all! Hey ho! So no loops at all this week, just me, me, me, me and me. (tee hee). I hope it's ok!
I look forward to hearing from you!
:)
Vicki

Podcast No. 4 - Flute Tune

No. 4 Tsunami (Flute/Whistle)
The Dots

Hi!
Thanks for tuning into the fourth Smallpiper Podcast. This week it's another flute tune, but you can play it on any instrument (except Smallpipes, too any notes, sorry!) I hope I've got the download address correct first time this time. (Sorry about that too!) I did a mix of 'bit by bit' this week. Two by Two, then the whole tune. I hope this works ok. I believe it adds a lot for people who want to learn it by ear and not use the dots. This is flute tune, it's a two part 6/8 slow air that I wrote after the Tsunami disaster. I think we were all affected deeply at this time and it inspired this tune. I wrote it as a trio, but I've only included the tune here. Give me a shout if you'd like the other two parts.
THanks for all your feedback so far! Please keep it coming! It'll be another pipe tune next week. A faster tune I think, time to branch away from the slow airs and be adventurous.
Thanks again
Vicki

SSP Podcast No. 3

No.3 - Lullaby for the Sleepy in A
No.3 - Lullaby for the Sleepy in D (broken link and lost file) :(
The dots in A!
The dots in D! (broken link and lost file) :(

Hi!

This is the third Smallpiper Folk Podcast. Thank you so much for all the wonderful feedback that I've had so far! It's been great! I've not used the repeat the two bar thing this time, so I hope it's still ok! As in the last tune I used GarageBand to create a veeeeeery simple backing, the chords don't really fit, but it makes it slightly more interesting to listen to. I've recorded it as a duet, and the dots have got both parts, but I've split them into apart and not directly ontop of each other. I hope this helps a bit. Again the cast weighs in at 16Mb, so not for dial up really. For those of you on dial up I'm going to put three smallpipe podcasts onto one CD and snail it so you should get it soon after the next cast. (I hope that's ok)

I mention in the podcast that I've already taught tunes using a normal website, you can see this here. If you fancy giving me feedback here with a comparison of what you've found easier, then that'd be really great!

I'm busy making an archive of these podcasts on a website so that you can download all the different componants, ie the full cast, the tunes, the harmonies etc. I should have it done over the weekend. I hope this helps a bit!
:)
Vix

Folk Tune Podcast No 2. for SSP

No. 2 - The Dusty Pipes
Hi!
This is the second Smallpiper Folk Podcast. This week I've taught a smallpipe tune, in the key of A. Non-bagpipers can still give the tune a go.

This tune is called "The Dusty Pipes" It's dedicated to all those people who have ever had to leave a much loved musical instrument behind at home. Again I've taught it 2 bars by 2 bars, 4 bars by 4 bars etc. If you think this doesn't work here then let me know and I'll have a re-think how to do this! Included is a very cheesy version of the tune with a backing made in a Mac program called GarageBand. I know the chords don't really fit, but it sort of does the job for this podcast.

If you'd like the dots, right click and download from here.

This podcast is slightly longer than last weeks. So it weighs in at 18Mb. Again, if you'd like this, but you're on dialup, give me a shout and I'll snail it to you! You can give feedback either here or on our message board. Thanks again!

:-)
Vix

Smallpiper Folk Podcast Number 1.

No. 1 - To Catch a Cat
Hi!
This is the first Smallpiper Folk Podcast. It's dedicated to learning tunes. The link above (if you're looking from blogger is the podcast mp3. It is 13Mb, so if you're on dial up you could be some time! If anyone on dialup would like to take part drop me a line and I'll snailmail a copy on CD.

This is a flute tune I wrote called 'To Catch a Cat' .The mp3 above teaches the tune, two bars by two bars, then four bars, then one part etc. Gradually building the tune up. Included is the duet version from the album Thumb Twiddling.

If you'd like the dots, right click and download from here.
I hope this all works ok, it's still an experiment. Give me feedback!
:-)
Vix

Vix's First Podcast

Podcast 1