MEDIEVAL MUSIC - BLUEGRASS STYLE!?! (1 of 2)

[xXstrightstonedXx]

OMG an English men with a BANGO, lol

[ToonLinkTink]

Sounds a lot like Eastern religious music also, but with more structure. Not knocking it.

[ooooooooser]

really great stuff, have been trying to adapt clawhammer to more European stuff my self but with very little luck! could you please tell me what tuning you are using?........also, do you sometimes play fiddle in a pub in Manchester with a Northumbrian small pipe player with tattoos all over his face? if so it was one of the best displays of folk music i've seen. regards

[Klezfiddle1]

What a small world! I take it you mean at the Peveril? There used to be a really cooool Irish music session 10 years ago - now, only said tattood piper & a few aquaintances go, as there is nowhere now to park :o( The tuning is AEADE (the same tuning used in such lonesome Appalachian classics, as "Old Cluck Hen" !)

[ooooooooser]

brilliant, thanks for tuning! it must be nearly a year ago since i went to the peveril, it was so good it must have truly embed its self in my memory, very well done to all of you!

[ROBOTkw]

Very interesting! BlueGrass meets King Richard the LionHearted! [Aeolian?] The weird thing is; I stumbled here while looking up lyrics for Riu Riu Chiu, 16thC Spanish. [The MONKEES version is by far the best!] Then I stumbled onto some 13thC Harp, and now Banjo! Oh, and before Riu Riu Chiu, I was looking at SYNTH xmas MusiK, and fancy house lights. 'Strange path through CyberSpace, heading backwards in time. Next up: Gregorian chants, Plainsongs, etc- MusiK is TimeLess. :]

[petejel05]

great vid, how long you been playing for and did you teach yourself or have lesson?

[Klezfiddle1]

YEE HA! I got bubonic blisters on ma fingers!;o) I taught myself clawhammer way back in 1991 from a Mel Bay instruction book...but only recently discovered just HOW versatile the 5-sting banjo is. Check out my somewhat "Semitically Surreal" series of "JEWGRASS BANJO" videos here on my Youtube Channel - quaint, traditional Eastern European Jewish Klezmer music...KENTUCKY-STYLE!! OY VEY..this could be the start of a whole new "musical" genre..."Hillel Billy" music, perhaps??;o)

[FlamingLavaOwl]

Going on the crusades to the middle east must have given middle eastern musical influence to the English? because this does sound a bit middle eastern.

[LuciusOctavion]

Cool song. I like stuff like this a lot. This sounds like it would sound better on a bouzouki or octave mandolin but it still sounds ok on banjo.

[GooseGreen82]

A fine piece of music, expertly played. Yet to modern ears it sounds oddly mournful. Why is that, Klezfiddle? If you could go back to the Middle Ages and play them an upbeat, cheery number, like Paddy McGinty's Goat, would it stike them as it strikes us? Upbeat and jolly?

[Klezfiddle1]

I have had a go at more lively bits of medieval dance music in some of my other "musiocal" experiments on the banjo, but this is meant to be a mournful song...it was composed 800 years ago, during the Crusades, by Richard the Lion Heat, as he languished in a suitable dank and dismal dungeon whilst awaiting randsom!

[thehardcoremetalist]

sweet accent

[minerva506]

amazing

[Talos402000]

Excellent song. Well performed.

[AliceLJohnson83]

cool...I have always wanted to learn to play the banjo....sounds neat to hear it used in a different way:) BRAVO

[hasiwally]

how is it tuned?

[Klezfiddle1]

My banjo is tuned in standard modal clawhammer tuning, 5th string to 1st string:

GDGCD...exactly the same tuning used in such oldtimey Appalachian classics as "Shady Grove" & "Old Cluck Hen"...YEEEE HA!

[hasiwally]

Thanks cool.

[maniac79410]

i like this kind of music...so relaxing

[danieldraco2000]

I went to your Myspace website And I downloaded the music.thanks.

I myself play the persian musical Instrument "santoor" but I also like medieval music especially Lute chitarron rebec' and medieval Harp.If you know any websites that has or sells these music please let me know(I have a visa credit card)thank you for sharing the joy of music!

[Klezfiddle1]

You could always try the Early Music Shop in Bradford, UK. This is where I got my replica of the 3000 year old lyre of King David from, which features most in my little home-spun "Youtube Gigs".They also sell rebecs, viols,lutes,citerns & an almsot countless variety of harps...

[danieldraco2000]

please tell me where can I get more of this music

[Klezfiddle1]

The URL to my Myspace Musicians site, where I already have 6 freely downloadable MP3 files of some of my "Youtube Gigs", can be found by simply visiting my Youtube Channel Page!

[Gilgoreth]

CLAWHAMMER = ouch, please just stop

[weizenheimer1226]

CLAWHAMMER = BAD

[arbitratusmoirae]

So I take it that if it has strings and is less than 1500 years old you can play it?

[kjaheo]

this is So great and beautiful, that it opens a new era on this youtube thing. you are showing some real talent man!

I hope you put some more tunes.

Keep up the good work!!!

[ionut111]

good job :)

[MJBLJG]

i really like how you play that thing

[puritoman]

Total y completamente desafinado, molesta escuchar tu musica.

[SolsticeBride]

LOVE IT! I am getting married in December and am walking down the aisle to this song (but not the banjo version!). Does anyone have a version on medieval instruments they could post on here? Thanks also for the english translation of the words!

[debverdi]

There is an organ arrangement of this song attributed to Coeur de Lion (Lionheart). Ask your church organist about this.

[rakkav]

Amazingly enough, this works. :) And I finally get to hear you speak, too. :D

[BIGBLAQFLUTE]

Nicely done!

[Nastrandir]

As far as I know, he was released, after his mother had payed the ransom.

[Nastrandir]

Here the english translation: No prisoner ever tells his story objectively; rather, it is cloaked in sorrow. To comfort himself, however, he may write a song: I have many friends, but their gifts are few. Dishonor will be theirs if I remain in prison these two winters; my ransom unpaid. My men and my barons, from England, Normandy, Poitou, and Gascony, know that I would never forsake even the least of my friends. I do no say this as a reproach. Still... I remain a prisoner.

[Klezfiddle1]

Thanks so much for the fascinating translation! Was Richard I released from his captivity? My "knowledge" of history is somewhat crap!

[pwei34]

Richard was imprisoned by the Duke of Austria who he had insulted while on Crusade. Traditionally he was discovered by his minstrel Blondel. It was his mother Eleanor of Aquitaine and the officials he left in charge of England, who raised the 150,000 Marks from the common people, that secured his release in February 1194.

[Tobywoods13]

shut up i Know that dude

[ESSoulHunter]

Nobody gives a shit about you.

[speedstick77]

This is an eye opener. Thank you for sharing.

[go2guy369]

This shit should be on MTV

[greyxwolf]

thanks a great video

[SirBran]

It sounds similar to "Ja nuns hons pris" circa 1150-1200ish?

[Klezfiddle1]

That's the one!Do you know a translation of the text of this song? All I know is that it was written by King Richard I whilst in prison awaiting randsom during one of the Crusades

[SolsticeBride]

Hi there! Do you have a recording of "Ja nuns hons pris" which you could upload on to here? I would love to have a link which I could put on my wedding cd. I would be grateful for any help you could offer.

[SirBran]

They can be found all over AmazonDOTcom mainly crusader and early medieval Cds.

[ilanreisin]

Sounds very good - if you're interested in some other serious medieval stuff just watch my channel....

[MRMITCHELLZ]

You sound lik richard the lionheart..heheheee..good stuff...good show

[pauloxaxb]

different.

[Nastrandir]

Nice Work! Where do you get the score?

[Klezfiddle1]

I heard the melody on a fascinating CD available from Amazon, called "Music From the Time of the Crusades".I love all the improvisation which was a feature of most Medieval music...in this respect, it's just as hot as Jazz!

[thedukeofantioch]

ive been hearing his song on a cd.

[JuniixForever]

That was beautiful!

[BanjoNaps]

That's pretty cool, is that just open G? Also I was thinking about scooping out the last few frets on my deering as well. How do you go about doing this?

[Klezfiddle1]

The tuning is g d g c d - a great mournful modal clawhammer tuning I really like.Had the neck scooped by a luthier who knew what he was doing...which is ALWAYS advisable!A pity Deering doesn't manufacture them like this in the 1st place - the scoop enables the strings to be played at the top of the neck to give that mellow classic clawhammer sound - without risk of injury to fingers bashing the fretboard!

[totospirits]

i slayed 10 goblins today with one swings om my mighty axe, and then enjoyed a fine herb to your song

[michaeljking]

Did you scoop out the fingerboard yourself? this piece sounds great,

I am thinking about making a banjo myself for clawhammer playing, what do you think of nylgut for strings?

[Klezfiddle1]

I had the neck scooped by someone who knew what they were doing!The scooped neck enables MUCH greater ease of playing...& less potential damage to my poor fingers,which used to keep bashing the frets!I prefer the brighter tone of metal strings for clawhammer - only use a LIGHT string gauge for clawhammer (eg 9,20,13,10,9)Nylon sounds best on a fretless banjo - I sadly had to sell the fretless banjo I once had the pleasure of owning :o(

[xiotihuapl]

yea, that sort of sounded asian and sort of reminded me of Don Quixote for some reason. Thinking it sounded asian jus shows how much i know about medieval music.

[jamesl1]

i hate british ppl cuz theyre alwase so smart! <:(

[lolita000001]

lol.

[Paladin1983PL]

It's a great old music. Too bad you didn't sing the words.

[gamguy777]

sounds like Japanese koto music. Sakura!

[noronisnotme]

That sounds like japanese tune

[SiMoFkr]

love old world music. To bad so many stray from there roots. Great job man

[TwangyMcStrum]

That sounds like a modal tuning. Sort of like Journey of the Sorcerer. Anyway good post and nice picking.

[elvorette]

sounds like something from a medieval ninja movie/game

[Ophel]

that was pretty cool