Added: 4 years ago
From: TheFolksinger
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  • I didn't know toasters could record video.

  • I agree that this is the most beautiful song in the english language. I really love your arrangement of Danny Boy. I'm not sure, though, that it's a beginner's arrangement. It's unadorned and simple but very affecting.

  • One of my favorite songs :)

  • Spirited Away - One summers day

    better :D

  • @cacheec Another truly beautiful melody. Thanks for the comment.

  • Not the most beautiful piano song

  • @taianwar89 That is of course possible. Much of piano would depend on the arrangement. The one above is deliberately too simple to qualify as a "best" of anything. It is to assist beginners in "hearing" some of the sounds that "harmonize." So I think you are not incorrect.

  • My grandfather was missing a finger because he was a butcher , but not on the piano he still made great music and would tease me kindly about my 3 note cords , thanks for posting this piece it brings back fond memories :)

  • @ungwigwi Thanks for this part of your history. Seems like desire to make music can usually surmount formidable obstacles.

  • and on another note ..i dont play the piano but i wish i could . this would definately make a good basis for those learning . and they say its women who multi - task . you are using all ur fingers at one time :) good job , well done regards from scotland (wish u had chosen a scottish song as best ever :) )

  • this song is definately ...danny boy , an old irish folk song . EVERYBODY knows danny boy....look it up maybe by irish folk singer danile o'donnell and u will find that this fits PERFECTLY with the notes being played ...once you do hear i rest my case :) xx

  • When I was in school and we was in the choir, my friend couldn't stop crying to this song.

  • is something with your finger ir is it just normal XD

  • @666gambler I think you may be referring to a misshapen contour that resulted from so many sprained thumbs from years of basketball in the late 40's and 50's (dates, not my ages).

  • WOW your fingering is SO WRONG

  • @LULUANDLILI1 I'm smiling as I read this, because you are so right. But you miss what I am doing here. I am simply calling attention to possible notes to use when constructing a by-ear arrangement of the melody for a beginner. If you watch some of my other vids, hopefully you will notice I don't choose these fingerings.

    The other reason I am smiling is that a bit of my class yesterday at AUC dealt with helping beginners to see why their pinkies ought to get involved in forming piano chords

  • Ok, nothing against your song or your opinion (its actually a very beautiful well arranged song) but the language is music not english.

  • @OthafaSG Excellent point.  Thanks for the comment.

  • It's pretty. You're very good. I see that the title is a question so I'll give my answer: Kiss the rain by Yiruma. Although, he's Korean (I think) so I don't know if that constitutes toward the 'english language.' Much better than Bella's Lullabye mentioned by Pikachuandriachu below. Eww, I hate Bella's lullabye. It's creepy sounding. It's like a movie score for a horror

  • @katherine9997 Perhaps one needs to check out many other performances of Danny Boy or Londonderry Air as well. The performance here is reducing the piano part to a very basic level for learners. Other versions may help one appreciate the actual melody more.

  • GAH! people are ASSHOLES!!! hey guy ignore the comments...justa typical assortment of typical youtubers using their typical brainpower for the typical non-intellectual assortment of typical thoughts and words that alll spring upward for the common STUPIDITY, IGNORANCE, and INDECENCY of the everyday typical human being...no troubles here that one with such abilities may look over with an eye of carelessness as well as apathy for their words x]...good day to you sir :)

  • @vampireheart5007 Wow! Pretty intense for a gentle melody like this one. Thanks for the energy.

  • Bella's lullaby wins over this

  • no sorry the song is called river flows in you

  • WHO'S SINGING? A SONG HAS WORDS OR DON'T YOU KNOW?

  • @rol24red Actually, I do know, but assumed that most persons who work with this melody have the words in their heads: Danny Boy, or Londonderry Air, or Good is the Lord, or some other set that fits the melody and comports with the simple harmonies presented here. As a folksinger I tend to treat the instrumental part of instruction as accompaniment. That might explain why the title is a bit misleading. Thanks for the reminder.

  • ....yeah.....hah.....no offense but thats your opinion, definitly not mine. favoritethis if you were brought here by paige collinsons pretty piano song :D

  • @theZeldadork No offense. The title was a question, not an assertion, so it invites negative responses as well. The real purpose of putting it up is for beginners in playing piano by ear to try their hand(s) at a melody that makes beautiful use of possible relations to good harmonic structures.

  • @theZeldadork No offense. The title is a question, and can withstand a negative answer. Paige's song is pretty, but lacks the grand simplicity of Danny Boy. My main purpose in posting this was to encourage beginning ear-base piano players to try a melody that is superbly structured to create emotions when supported by appropriate harmonic structures. (I should be able to state that more simply, but you get the idea.) Thanks for posting your comment.

  • well there's no words. so i'm not sure how it can be catergorized into the english language. therefore my answer: NO.

  • @bread0666 You are right, of course. I should have focused on the melody. But in a way, I think that the words of "Danny Boy" have sort of taken over the song, whether one posts them or not.

  • This has to be the most moving melody. It has endured over the years in many songs with an array of different words. It tugs at the heartstring.

  • @fernhollow1928 My sentiments as well. Thanks for the comment.

  • Danny Boy (Londonderry Aire) is a classic. I have never heard it sung badly, either! Very pretty and touching...

  • @fondamartin48 Yes. Often the melody appears in my mind when I want comfort, or pleasure, or even sometimes a substitute for religious "elation". The lyrics are less in control of the emotional power than the melody is.

  • gotta ... barf

  • @svenman1996 Music can do that sometimes. But consider whether you were at this site for the right reason or not. This video has attracted many viewers because of it's (somewhat misleading) title. Actually it is supposed to follow several videos introducing would-be ear-base pianists to a simple way of designing their own beginner arrangements. It may be you missed the point. If not, and you still feel awful, my apologies. I meant to make your day better!

  • @TheFolksinger you made my day better!!! tomorrow ill start learning the song by watching your vid cause i dont have a piano teacher but i play almost all day long and ive learned alot of songs by watching vids and many many other just by ear

  • @jilb07 Good luck to you! And thanks for watching and listening so closely.

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  • @WaterLily728 You are right in suggesting the caption is not accurate. Probably it should have been: The Most Beautiful Melody in the Western World? Though, sometimes, the words might "shape" how one hears the melody. To me, the words set to this tune are usually those of Danny Boy, but as a youngster I more often heard it sung as a religious tune, with grandeur but less emotional "kick." Thanks for the comment, even though you seem to have removed it.

  • It is actually Londonderry Air, Danny boy is the words of the song

  • @apmclean Correct as to the tune. Danny Boy is only one set of words often used with this melody. Would God I Were the Tender Apple Blossom is another, as is Good Is the Lord and Full of Kind Compassion. There are probably others as well. Thanks for the comment.

  • Nowhere close to the most beautiful. It's like gravle being pured into my ears. The Celtic Woman version is barely tolerable and they're amazing.

  • @EddyVitkauskasXband I commiserate with you on your ears. Cheers.

  • This song blows... Check out Dexters Tune from the film Awakenings. Also see Playing Love by Ennio Morricone.

  • @EddyVitkauskasXband Will do. Thanks.

  • Comment removed

  • Even though it's supposed to be in the Irish language hurrrrr

    Also, Grainger's original arrangement for military band is by far the best

    "Irish Tune from County Derry"

  • @dimsimlord Probably right on both counts. But the melody has entered the hearts of most people in the western world with almost no respect to which words or sentiments are attached. The reference to the English language in the title is misleading...unless it is the language you use for the lyrics to this melody. Cheers.

  • @TheFolksinger

    The original arrangement (the one I mentioned) doesn't use lyrics.

    I suggest you listen to it, it's all over Youtube

  • @dimsimlord I have, and it is beautiful. The purpose of the arrangement is different, however, since theFolksinger is presenting the melody with a super-simple harmony for beginning pianists to work on.

  • from how this guy is moving his fingers...it really looks like he has no idea how to play piano

  • @blumpkillyinz That may appear so. But the point of the video is not fingering, but displaying a simple chording idea left hand for a simple melody idea right hand. The fingering another uses should be appropriate to him- or herself. Check other Folksinger piano videos to see the same fingers with other ideas. Cheers!

  • why is one hand old and the other not

  • @lazyElMocrazy159 It might be the lighting angle catches more left hand veins, etc. Or it could be I am a right-hander and my left hand is wearing out faster?? Interesting question, though, and just now I am noticing that, indeed there are less veins prominent on the right hand typing this note. Thanks for calling my attention to it.

  • @TheFolksinger oh ok i thought u were like cheating and gettin help from someone else

  • @lazyElMocrazy159 No help from anyone on these videos. Just part of my home-based project to go on getting old, hopefully with a bit of grace. Cheers.

  • "none but the lonely heart" Tchaikovsky

  • @canaan1967 I'd likely be willing to accept this as co-equal. Thanks for suggesting it.

  • @TheFolksinger

    The piano version is the best. It's made for piano in my opinion. I heard it on a Greatest hits of Tchaikovsky an got really got to me. Didn't know that people like Frank Sinatra gave it a go as well.

  • @canaan1967 Yes it is beautiful. Nice violin renditions as well on Youtube sites.

  • this not the most i think it the last..

  • @RockCocoPuffs Wow! You must have missed a great many lovely melodies...

  • *hum along*

    I'm going to be singing this at someone's funeral in the future...

  • @NaliniMarcasite I don't wish for anyone to depart this world, but I think I could enjoy the idea of Danny Boy being a tune at my funeral. Only "in the future" though.

  • such a beautiful song i could barely cry

  • @memememe375 There is an inherent sadness in the melody, I agree. Thanks for the comment.

  • Greensleeves

  • @wicaco Danny Boy and Greensleeves and other sets of lyrics are set to this tune. It;s often labeled Londonderry Air. I think the words help to create message and meaning, but it's the melody I would nominate as truly beautiful. Glad to see this sparks lots of interest.

  • Comment removed

  • i think its pretty(:

  • @applelemonhead3345 Me, too.

  • I want my money back!!!!!

  • It's all a gift of love, with no money involved, at least to speak of. And the point of the video is to get you to play it even better...

    Cheers!

  • @TheFolksinger HAHA only a joke mate, I love the song.

  • wheres the language ?

    i couldnt hear it in that.

  • You are right. In English the melody is that of "Danny Boy" and "Would God I Were the Tender Apple-Blossom" and possibly others. I should have said "in the Western World?" rather than "in the English Language?" but I wasn't quite thinking straight, I guess. And then lots of people have enjoyed pointing out this mistake, so I guess I can leave it up that way.

    Hope, though, that you enjoyed the melody, and maybe tried your own version on a keyboard near youl. Cheers!

  • Sounds like "Danny Boy" to me. This is an ok version but far from the best.

  • That should be understandable. The intent of the video is to present a simple approach to playing this melody by ear, at a beginner's level. And yes, it is "Danny Boy" although there are many names for the tune, depending on which lyrics are attached to it. Cheers!

  • i love the harmony section when the screching cambelt joins in lol

  • It's the beauty of recording without soundproofing, in the ambient noises of Cairo. Fortunately, we live off a major road, protected from traffic by a park and the apartment buildings on the other side of it.

  • this is really pretty!

  • @spellcheckgirl Thanks! My hope is that pianists will use it as a springboard to their own arrangements, because it is a wonderful melody.

  • tripods between legs are always good.... nice car with a slipping belt at 0:21

  • Yes, it's hard to figure out a way to do a closeup of the keyboard with my very-less-than-expensive equipment. And Cairo must have half a million cars with slipping belts, though I am not sure that is the sound outside the window, because Cairo also has half a million surprising sounds. Nice to know some viewers pay such close attention to some of the stuff in my video. Cheers!

  • definitely not, ' a river flows in you '

  • It's almost as if the support for A River Flows in You is an organized scam. Or it's got more appeal than I can see in it. To me it is far more repetitive and less perfectly structured than the melody of Danny Boy. But youtube opinions are free, and that's a good thing, most of the time.

  • this is great, can you play bellas lullaby?

  • I'll have to look it up, since I am not familiar with the name of the melody. Thanks for the lead.

  • its called "a river flows in you" by yiruma

  • Okay, yes, I know the melody, but have not played it, probably because it is played by so many others. It is an very sweet melody, though.

  • lol at 1:11 - 1:12 !!!

    But really good playing, i like.

    So this song was made for maplestory or what ^_^ lmao

  • ='(

  • Every opinion welcome, though I'm not versed in reading these symbols with absolute certainty. So I will feel encouraged.

  • Sounds like something from Maplestory :O

  • It's a melody that was around long before the game, but it's probably true that it can work as music in almost any situation...

  • not really :X

  • @lawrencexmoon i think it the other way, something in maplestory sounds like this :P

  • @ALuckyDonkey This is most likely correct, since this is a very old melody...

  • @lawrencexmoon I'll buy that.

  • I love the timing belt squeaking in the background at 0:16.

  • I believe that is a sound from the Cairo streets outside the window of the livingroom where this electric piano stands.

  • @yodizzlefoshizzle lmao! i swore that was someone outside my house

  • @yodizzlefoshizzle I thought it sounds more like the fan/alternator belt bud, most cars have a "geared" cam belt, so if it's slipping like that me think's he best get it changed ;) ain't saying i'm a mechanic either, just a logicated guess :)

  • @yodizzlefoshizzle then again it could have been the overhead fan in the living room.

  • that was sexy

  • Not sure what "sexy" means here, but I'll assume it's a good thing (as it usually is...). Thanks!

  • I had to comment, not only for the wonderful music shown here, but to acknowledge the fact that you have a decent method of dealing with remarks or comments that are negative in their nature. I find this highly admirable and it is a pleasure to have people with your manners and skill at the piano in this world. Thank you, and have a good day.

  • Thanks for this encouragement. I do believe Youtube works best when participants respect and value each other. As a performer, I don't exist without viewers willing to expend energy watching and responding, and I hope I give others the same sort of courtesy regarding their videos that I wish for mine. Thanks again.

  • i think the most beautiful song in the english language is A river flows in you by yiruma. its so beautiful......

  • I'll keep differing with you on this. It still surprises me that ARFY has such a following, since many other songs might come closer to Danny Boy in elegance, complexity, and melodious grace. (Boy, that's a mouthful!)

    Anyway, both songs benefit by being compared. That is, if we really listen to both and discern their separate but very real beauty.

  • sung it one for 8th grade once for 9th. i hope i dont have to sing it again for 10th.

    not the most beautiful song in the english languge. i could name more then 3. >=[

  • 2 times in three years is okay. Name the others for us, if you have the time and inclination. Thanks.

  • six[interlude]by the hush sound

    bellas lulaby bycarter burwell

    star [k]night by nightmare

    the winds nocturne my somebody

    fireflies my owl city.

  • Thanks. A list worth checking out.

  • the answer to your title ...NOPE yiruma plays the best songs

  • Every so often I go back to Yiruma and try to determine what it is that "catches" so many hearts. I find the melodies to be too repetitive and "dreamy" to really make the grade.

    But that's just me. I still opt for "Danny Boy" as one of the very finest of popular melodies. And I am happy for those who prefer Yiruma to see many of his performances easily available online.

    Cheers!

  • nice melody

  • Agreed, and thanks.

  • It is beautiful yes but I would favor Guide Me Oh Thou Great Jehovah & Bread of Heaven which although popular in Wales and written by Welshmen were composed and written in the English language. There is an emotive force to these two I do not feel with Danny Boy also written in English by an Irishman although usually described as traditional. It's a question of taste and effect really, I suppose.

    Aled.

  • I can easily be led to agree, because I grew up listening to these two, or are they two parts of one melody? Perhaps a video of the melody would be appreciated by many. ...Thanks for the suggestion.

  • And do not forget Myfanwy which is sung in both English and Welsh. People can be reduced to tears listening to this song.

    It is sad but hauntingly beautiful too.

    Aled

  • Yes, Myfanwy is indeed a true contender, lovely in melody and structure.

  • okay thanks

    -P.D.C.J.S

  • what is pdcjs?

  • perhaps your right do u think u could make a video showing how 2 play...that would be very helpful 2 me and my Irish and Scottish friends and family...

    -P.D.C.J.S

  • I don't have a video specific to this melody, other than this one. But going over the early piano videos, say lessons 1 through 5, and then watching specific parts of this one, might help you work out a personal way of playing it. I'll keep your suggestion for another one in mind, though. Thanks.

  • its funny cuz u said it was the most beautiful song in the english language but i think danny boy is irish....and the irish gaelic arem't english there irish...

  • You're right. Perhaps I should have titled the video "The Most Beautiful Melody in the Western World?" That would have avoided the language confusion, though millions of people sing "Danny Boy" in the English "translation." The question mark is in the title, though, and so your answer is much appreciated.

  • True, I have heard it, and it is a fine song and well sung. To match Danny Boy, it has to stand one other test, the test of time. And it well might. Thanks for the mention of it.

  • I think there is one. Have you heard Mad World by gary jules? Its almost...chilling.

  • i thought this was 'oh christ the same' and danny boy uses the same tune

  • I would guess that there are many more sets of lyrics to this melody than most of us know. I know one religious one that begins: Good is the Lord, and full of kind compassion (at least I think I remember that right...).

  • My vote for the most beautiful song in the English language is a toss up between "Someone to Watch Over Me (as sung by Ella Fitzgerald) or "Here There Everywhere." But this is nice. It was one of the first things that I learned to play on the guitar (but my guitar instruction book called it Londonderry Air.)

  • I can go along with these "toss ups" and specially the EF "Someone to Watch..." The English, I think, know the melody as Londonderry Air. The lyrics for that, I think, are often those that begin: "Would God I were the tender apple blossom..." Ah, all the fine songs in the world! Thanks for the comment.

  • i had 2 sing this for chorus.. it was soo beautiful

  • It is definitely a song to be sung. Thanks.

  • yupp anytime : )

  • Another great song is "The River Flows in You", by Yiruma.

  • I agree.

  • is this like two diff ppl playing that cause if not ur watch is WAY to tight but all right song ive heard better tho

  • Perhaps you missed the intention of this video. It is to give ear-based beginners a chance to focus on some of the basic simple harmonies that can be used for this melody. A bit of the awkwardness was because I was playing with a tripod between the hands, so that one could more easily see the keyboard. Still, Danny Boy remains one of my favorite melodies for working out very basic harmonies.

  • I love Danny Boy! Beautiful, I really enjoyed it, thank you!!

  • And thank you for enjoying it.

  • Music has no inherent language, just so you now. and I've heard more beautiful. Thank you though, you are a great pianist

  • Your language comment is completely correct. Again, my choice for "beauty" is a suggestion, or a question, and not a blanket assertion. Thank God or Nature for all the beautiful songs.

  • indeed. good luck with your future piano playing!

  • NOT THE BEST SONG from the American Language. Stevie Wonder has BETER songs, and Elton John has better.

  • Another one or two hundred years will tell for sure.  Thanks for the suggestion, though.

  • American language LOL

  • C'est bien joué ... c'est dommage que ce soit un peu ennyer mais bravo.

  • Thanks. I'd enjoy hearing "Danny Boy" sung in French.

  • Might be more interesting if one makes use of other versions of it as well. But of course tastes differ.

  • It is nice, but I dissagree with the most beautiful song. Try "Until we Sing again" Piano, or choral. But everyone is enttled to their opionion and that's what's great about it.

    I must say this is a wonderful piece, though. You play very well, additionally. :]

  • Right on. And thanks.

  • WOW! I agree this is a beautiful song whoever said it was boring is intitaled to their oppinion but they should keep it to them selves. And Im only 16 so that just shows that some of us teenagers have good taste in music :D... 0_o

  • Part of the tender emotion in the Danny Boy lyrics is that the relationship is between an older person, a parent or a friend, a mother or a father - we don't know - and a young person who will likely outlive the older one, and who will remember the older one. Maybe that is one reason the song can appeal to all ages. Cheers for 16 from 69!

  • woow. this song is amazing, im in love with it

  • Yes, you are very right.

    And you're very welcome.

    _Linda

  • Fantastically done! It doesn't matter what other people's foul mouths have to say, it was beautiful.

    I agree with PaNDaLaDii, don't take people's comments to heart because they don't understand. They are just immature little kids that do not know a thing about music. There is you everyday rock, hip hop, pop, rap, and there's your slow, soothing, relaxing music! They just are not smart enough to point that out for themselves.Don't listen to those kids.You played this song beautifully.

    _Linda

  • Thanks, Linda. Maybe a time comes for all of us when we mature into, and need, and can appreciate a touching melody that lends itself to both sadness and love, as does this melody.

  • Very nicely done.

    It is very soothing and relaxing, I actually liked it. People just don't understand, that's all. Don't take their comments to heart, they're all just immature jerks. This song is fantastic-know that.

  • Thanks for the comments. I welcome the discussion in general, but I am more encouraged, of course, by the positive ones. Yes, I agree, it is a very fine song, deserving of better performances than I can give it.

  • you think this is the best song ever? well... whatever ..people have different opinions, and this is just mine, but i'm sure i'm not the only one who doesn't think this is the best..

  • Please notice the question mark in the title. The point is that many people love the tune and the Danny Boy lyrics, and that it is an interesting melody to learn to play. Really, whether it is the best or not is just advertising, perhaps.

  • no BORING not beautiful :S

  • Everyone 's entitled to their own view. But check out the Youtube video named

    DANNY BOY, AS IT SHOULD BE . . . . NATURAL

    I think it would be hard to say it is not beautifu. I notice that entering Danny Boy in the search box gave me 11,500 choices. Some of us certainly like this song.

  • I love this song (both the original Irish version "Londonderry Air" and the 20th century English re-write "Danny Boy"). I sing it when I do shows and it's always a favortie. One of the prettiest songs in the English language indeed but is is the words in both versions that really sends it over.

  • ABSOLUTELY NOT THE BEST SONG EVER!... in my oppinion

  • Good to have opinions. Still, it is a song that many people like to hear sung or played.

  • this song is too low and dull for my experties :P

  • from a pianest's point of view, strange fingering on the piano..

  • True. In this video, I was just setting forth tentative chords, bass walks, and melody to suggest an approach for those who play by ear to construct their own arrangement, bettering this one. The focus was on simple chords and scales rather than the fingering of them. Apologies to "pianiests".

  • oh no..don't take it the wrong way. It was really nice, i was just pointing out that the fingering was a little bit interesting and different