Pirate instruments?

[Stynky Tudor]

. . .I'd like to see some evidence of the bodhran being in any way a common musical instrument in the GAoP. Most experts are agreed that it entered 'traditional' music no earlier than the 19th century, but it remained pretty obscure until the Irish folk revival of the 1960s. . .

No don't be saying that - you're making me cry!

. . . I'm covering up my ears now, I can't hear you.

all I can hear is that stupid bodhran, someone make it stop, make it stop!

[Fox]

Slightly early, but interestnig nonetheless, the stores for Drake's last voyage (1595) included "sundry instruments of music for 8 musicians and 9 trumpeters" and 13 drums. The instruments are described elsewhere as a lute, "hobboyes sagbutes, Cornettes & orpharions bandora & suche like".

[Jas. Hook]

All this musical talk...

The best inprovised instrument I've seen played recently was a gent tapping along with a Captain Thighbiter tune at Hampton's Blackbeard Festival (2015).

The guy was banging two empty Budweiser aluminum bottles together. Not very pc but it worked.

Jas. Hook

[LadyBarbossa]

I'm surprised no one brought the Hurdy Gurdy or the Nyckelharpa. Has anyone spotted any documentation of other these two old instruments? 

My stretched guess is if there were fiddles aboard, most likely they could be Pochettes/Pocket Fiddles, too. Again, anyone find documentation? 

[Morgan Dreadlocke]

On 2/20/2023 at 4:03 PM, LadyBarbossa said:

I'm surprised no one brought the Hurdy Gurdy or the Nyckelharpa. Has anyone spotted any documentation of other these two old instruments? 

 

There is plans available for several historical models. Have seen a kit for a Henry 111 model...about $2000ish, twice if built. Lowest custom built one I has seen were $1200 with about a year wait for delivery. Theres LOTS on ebay and etsy. Theys mass production from China and Ukraine, very pretty in the photos but the quality ain't there for the @$1300 ticket. If ye MUST have something to play around with, there be a $90 laser cut wood puzzle kids toy from u-gears. It'll either spur ya on to get a real gurdy or kill the urge entirely. Did see a diy plan fer a measly $11 but it ain't historical in any sense.

[LadyBarbossa]

Awesome! Thank ye, Morgan! 😉👍🏴‍☠️

[Stynky Tudor]

On 7/4/2023 at 8:24 PM, Morgan Dreadlocke said:

there be a $90 laser cut wood puzzle kids toy from u-gears

Really? You're not going to provide a link - you're going to make me do a search for this?

If I understand what you're talking about, it actually sounds kinda cool - in a nerdy noise making way.

[michaelsbagley]

And because I have seen it (but also can not provide the link), I have at least one or two people on my Factlessbook who have purchased one of these puzzle boxes, and there is a group on that platform for assembly help and configuration assistance,

[Morgan Dreadlocke]

Here be the missing link-

www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQGgFKdjV_U&t=18s

Theres a ton of videos on youtube of it being assembled and or played and upgraded. Wi' a dash of the paint t'would be at home in a steampunk environment or hangin' off the side of an 1800's gypsy vardo. Truth be knowne, if I didn't have so many irons in the fire I'd probably buy one.

[Mary Diamond]

An unusual sound, to be sure!

[Morgan Dreadlocke]

Perhaps we should be askin' wot sort of modern instruments would be acceptable, or could be retrograded to a reasonable degree. 

[Stynky Tudor]

2 hours ago, Morgan Dreadlocke said:

Perhaps we should be askin' wot sort of modern instruments would be acceptable . . .

In my early Renaissance Elizabethan Sea Dog days, I attempted playing a wooden recorder and failed miserably.

I later gravitated to an inexpensive Clark's tin/penny whistle with a plastic mouth piece, I got discouraged pretty quick, just couldn't make it sound good.

Some time later after much encouragement from Braze, I bought a higher quality Tony Dixon tunable pvp plastic whistle. Once I could sort of play one song, I've purchased a collection of aluminum - High D and Lo D whistles. I still can't play worth a damn, but they're fun.

 

[Mary Diamond]

1 hour ago, Stynky Tudor said:

In my early Renaissance Elizabethan Sea Dog days, I attempted playing a wooden recorder and failed miserably.

I later gravitated to an inexpensive Clark's tin/penny whistle with a plastic mouth piece, I got discouraged pretty quick, just couldn't make it sound good.

Some time later after much encouragement from Braze, I bought a higher quality Tony Dixon tunable pvp plastic whistle. Once I could sort of play one song, I've purchased a collection of aluminum - High D and Lo D whistles. I still can't play worth a damn, but they're fun.

 

And Braze and Stynky have passed this collectible addiction on to myself (rather like the Rob Gorrell Lantern Addicts Society - thanks, William 😁)… I had similarly tried the recorder in high school, but without a teacher (or YouTube!), I quickly became discouraged and set it aside.

Braze and Stynky have been very encouraging, hence the “small” collection you see now (started May 2022, when I complimented Braze on his playing. Later that weekend, he gave me his penny whistle 😌). Top to bottom, in order of acquisition: Braze’s gifted penny whistle, my first Tony Dixon and my favorite; Killarney Music; Tony Dixon DX001 (so I wouldn’t lose/break the gifted one from Braze!); Tony Dixon DX005 (tuneable, in case I ever have the courage to play with others); and, last but not least, a Shush whistle, which I quite like. All in D.

 

[michaelsbagley]

Violin/Fiddle works... the proportions of period violins/fiddles versus their modern counterparts are so nominal, only a pro (or close-to-pro) would be able to tell the difference. Stratavari (the guy who designed/built the violins known as Stratavarius) live through the era. And Stratavari's design are what most modern designs are built upon. Sure Amari (sp?) were pretty popular in era, and they were a little smaller/more-compact, but again, it takes a sharp eye to see those nuances.

The biggest change in fiddle/violin playing, is the bow. The modern bow was developed in the mid/late-18th century. Earlier bows tended to have a convex bow instead of the later concave curve. You can of course buy a "baroque bow" (not the period term, but the modern term applied to the earlier shaped bows) to play with a modern fiddle... However they tend to be more expensive, and harder to find.

[Stynky Tudor]

On 7/11/2023 at 6:29 AM, michaelsbagley said:

Violin/Fiddle works... the proportions of period violins/fiddles versus their modern counterparts are so nominal

I love the sound of fiddles. Michael, are you bringing yours to Massacre Island?

(A long long time ago in a...) I searched for tin penny whistles and even wooden flutes (piccolo) that could be used as period, but finding something that didn't have some sort of obvious modern tooling was hard to find - granted that was 20+ years or more now.

I've got a friend in the Poxy Boggards that plays trombone. I remember he was looking for an earlier instrument that would be applicable (English Renaissance). If I remember correctly, he did find a simple horn instrument of some kind - I think it was still too modern, but it was the closest he could find at the time.

[michaelsbagley]

9 minutes ago, Stynky Tudor said:

I love the sound of fiddles. Michael, are you bringing yours to Massacre Island?

I certainly am... and I am just just enough of a weirdo to have bought a "baroque" bow as well, which travels with my road fiddle.

[Stynky Tudor]

1 hour ago, michaelsbagley said:

I certainly am... and I am just just enough of a weirdo to have bought a "baroque" bow as well, which travels with my road fiddle.

SWEET, Captain Oatmeal in full effect!

What songs do you play?

[michaelsbagley]

45 minutes ago, Stynky Tudor said:

SWEET, Captain Oatmeal in full effect!

What songs do you play?

Period appropriate (or close enough that only the pedantic will complain):

Jamaica (or with Lyrics as "Jolly Broom Man")

Au Claire de la Lune (French folk song)

Chevalier de la Table Ronde (French folk)

J'ai du Bon Tabac (French folk)

We Be Soldiers Three

Childgrove (rusty on this one, but I'll try and brush up)

Packington's Pound (also need to be dusted off).

Famous Ratcatcher (rusty as well)

Leaving period music, a mix of stuff although my teacher has mostly had me working on American Folk/Americana (with a dash of pop, rock, or Jazz now and then to mix things up)... and maybe one or two Irish folk pieces.

[Stynky Tudor]

27 minutes ago, michaelsbagley said:

Jamaica (or with Lyrics as "Jolly Broom Man")

Au Claire de la Lune (French folk song)

Chevalier de la Table Ronde (French folk)

J'ai du Bon Tabac (French folk)

We Be Soldiers Three

Childgrove (rusty on this one, but I'll try and brush up)

Packington's Pound (also need to be dusted off).

Famous Ratcatcher (rusty as well)

Leaving period music, a mix of stuff although my teacher has mostly had me working on American Folk/Americana (with a dash of pop, rock, or Jazz now and then to mix things up)... and maybe one or two Irish folk pieces.

Holy smokes, I'm officially hate you.

But you're in good company, I hate Mary Diamond too - she can play all sorts of penny whistle songs and even plays the cello. 

I look forward to hearing the both of you play!

I can sort of play "Star of the County Down" and a mangled version of "Whiskey in a Jar" - need a lot more practice. Currently I'm trying to learn "Drunken Sailor" in time for Massacre Island.

[madPete]

My singing voice has a very narrow range, so I never spent much time on music. Now I'm wishing I had learned an instrument...

[Mary Diamond]

6 hours ago, Stynky Tudor said:

Holy smokes, I'm officially hate you.

But you're in good company, I hate Mary Diamond too - she can play all sorts of penny whistle songs and even plays the cello. 

I look forward to hearing the both of you play!

I can sort of play "Star of the County Down" and a mangled version of "Whiskey in a Jar" - need a lot more practice. Currently I'm trying to learn "Drunken Sailor" in time for Massacre Island.

Eegads, Stynky! Owning a cello (which looks lovely in its corner of the front room) is not the same as playing. Purchased on a New Year’s sale whim, with full intent to learn *some day*, but that day has not come yet!

As for the penny whistle - I believe the term would be “enthusiastic hack”. I know a few Irish songs, but still make mistakes every time I play, have yet to play along with others, and only practice when no one is around…

[michaelsbagley]

13 hours ago, madPete said:

My singing voice has a very narrow range, so I never spent much time on music. Now I'm wishing I had learned an instrument...

It's never too late... I was 47 years old when I began to learn the fiddle (3 years ago)... outside of being an "enthusiastic hack" as a teenager with a guitar, I have never had any previous musical training.

I'm sstill not a great player by any measure... but I can carry and hold a (easy) tune for campfire settings.

[madPete]

My son played Viola, trying to get him to learn a couple tunes and bring it to Dana Pt

[LadyBarbossa]

Viola is a lovely sound. Anyone have links to the sheet music to the songs they play? If it's in typical Treble clef, that's fine. I can easily convert to Alto clef. 
I can certainly play "Blow the man down" and "Drunken Sailor" on viola, as well as "British Grenadiers". That's awesome ye mentioned "Au Claire de la Lune", Mr Bagley. I think I have that somewhere and shall have to learn that one, too. 

I've a viola and was learning to play that. I had a cheap plastic fife once and always dream of that gorgeous rosewood fife. I suppose a fife could have been an instrument that was possibly played, too, aye? 

🏴‍☠️🎻

[Morgan Dreadlocke]

A question of technique instead of instrument- Tis possible to play a violin in the manner of the pic? (limited wrist mobility)