Has anyone here tried sean-nós?

Is it for people who cant sing?

Sure. Leave the Oireachtas and so on out of it - singing sean-nós at a seisiún is for everybody who can do it and wants to. It's the difference between doing stand-up comedy and sitting around with your friends telling jokes. If you think of a joke or a story that's appropriate, you wouldn't not tell it just because you're not the funniest guy in the room.

On some level it's about communication more than performance. If you can feel the song, and if you can put that feeling across, help other people feel it the same way, that's what matters most.

If you want to really learn about sean nos singing, I highly recommend making the trip to Milwaukee each February for "Sean Nos Milwaukee" weekend. Here's the link for the 2007 event http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/celtic/seannos.html

Singers from the gaeltacht are featured performers and teachers of workshops. Some US guests also perform. 2007 included sean nos dance for the first time. There are usually a good number of native speakers if you want to practice language too. Some years draw instrumental musicians for spontaneous sessiun playing and other years have been dominated by pure song circles in the late evenings/early mornings. Hard-to-find-CDs are also sold.

Sean Williams of Evergreen State College gave a talk on Seosamh Ó hÉanaí/Joe Heaney. She compared Seosamh to the highly edited, polished and commercialized "safe" Irish Tennors as she described the more visceral style of Seosamh and other sean nos singers as too "dangerous and sexy" for the commercial market. The typical voice is not trained in the classic sense. It is very earthy and highly emotional. (By the way, when I met Anthony Kearns in McGanns/Doolin two years ago, I asked him if he sang any sean nos, but he said he does not.)

If you ever go to Miltown Malbay, Marnan's Pub is the place to go for the real thing.

So, to answer your question, "Is it for people who can't sing?" No it is not for people who "can't sing" but it is for people who do not possess polished voices. Breathing and emotion are necessary and some understanding and skill with the language sure helps. All sincere efforts to learn the songs and the art are honorable, but beware, it is addictive.

I heard Mary Jane Lemond speak in the Gaeltacht tent at Milwalkee Irish Fest last year, and she warned that you first learn the language, then the first six years of learning the songs are the hardest--after that, learning new songs comes more easily.

Hello, my name is Eileen, and I am a sean nos student.

Gabh mo leithscéal, but I took BRN's initial posting as a pun of sorts. That is, when he wrote "Is it for people who cant sing?" I thought he had a play on words with "cant" related to "sing."

But, nevertheless, I appreciate the comments by Abigail and Eileen regarding sean-nos singing - probably the most beautiful sound that can be heard.

"probably the most beautiful sound that can be heard"

I recorded a version of Óro sé. Do you want to change your opinion now before its too late, a Mhic?

Eileen, that sounds wonderful! I was wanting to go this year but wound up being stuck at a conference that weekend. Maybe next year...

A BhRN, abair amhrán dúinn is ná bí cúthail faoi!

Well if you insist...

Sean nós reputation suffered in Ireland because many recording of singers who were well past their prime were released to save the huge store of songs such singers had.

But nowadays the recordings are usually by singers in their prime.

(Ní dóigh loim gur amhrán sean nóis is ea Óro sé, ach sin scéal eile)

http://www.ionad.org/seannos/

http://www.goilin.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_n%C3%B3s

Just like been in the Gaeltacht....

www.dulra.net/oro.mp3

Níl sé ró olc, ach tá d'fhoghraíocht saghas aisteach ar roinnt fuaimeanna, go hairithe Mhaol, Ghallaibh.

Maol I produced the 'ao' not as í or é but as an unrounded u for the purposes of keeping it more old sounding (the original sound as far as I can make out). Also, the slender sounds seem to be very hissy in the first verse, probably to the songs detriment.

I followed the Connacht form of í on the end for the old dative -ibh as the recording of a Conemara native on U Tube was singing that way, so I simply copied him. I rewrote some of it to make the words a bit more modern, then modified it again more to his words as well, which might be a second effect.

Some bits dont sound the way they are on the sheet I learnt, probably since lack of practice plus not been native made me scrunch the words. I now appreciate the value of voice/singing training

quote:

I recorded a version of Óro sé. Do you want to change your opinion now before its too late, a Mhic?

A BRN, a listened to the link you provided above and I would say it's not my favorite rendition of the song. I think all that you've pointed out is that it's possible to sing any song so that few enjoy it. Just listen to Barbra Steisand and you'll know what I mean.

But I've heard the song "Óro sé" sung by a couple of the Daltaí teachers and they do the song justice - how beautifully they can sing sean-nos!

Maybe it's just poor sound quality but I didn't seem to hear any of the sounds that make a song "sean nos" - e.g., nasalization, etc. There's more to sean nos than just singing as Gaeilge

quote:

the sounds that make a song "sean nos" - e.g., nasalization, etc.

Sin stíl Chonamara, seachas sean nós!

Tá nósanna dá gcuid fhéin ag gach Gaeltacht.

From the response, good job I didnt play the organ version on my piano keyboard...

The audacity I used would not allow me record it well -I was practically screaming into the mic there.

I didnt know nasalisaton was dynamic in Sean-Nós. I just thought it was part of the general nasal quality of old native men!

I'm no sean-nos expert, but I think an important aspect of that sytle of singing is that it is arhythmic. That is, it doesn't use the rhythms usually found in sung pieces of music. It's similiar to Gregorian chant where the sung music has a free, unstructured and varying meter to it. It's very pleasing to the ears, at least mine.

(Message edited by mac_léinn on May 29, 2007)

"But I've heard the song "Óro sé" sung by a couple of the Daltaí teachers and they do the song justice - how beautifully they can sing sean-nos!"

Is there a recording?

There is a powefully given version of the song (tho not sean-nós-ified) on the Gaelic Hit Factory record

Tá leagan ag John Beag.

http://www.cic.ie/product.asp?idProduct=741

quote:

Is there a recording?

I don't know, but if not, maybe the Daltaí teachers who I've heard sing the song could make a CD containing it and some of the other songs that they sing and offer it for sale here at Daltaí.

Can you remember their names? I don't ever recall hearing any of them singing sean nós?

Ní raibh mise i láthair ach aon uair amháin, don deireadh seachtaine lán-Ghaeilge ar Inis Trá Fhada cúpla mí ó shin. Ní cuimhin liom ainmneacha chuile dhuine a bhí ann, ach bhí cuid mhaith amhránaíochta - agus cuid amhránaíochta maith! - ar siúl againn oíche Dé hAoine.

Bhí leagan rídheas den "Buachaillín Bán" ag Tomás Ó Cathal, is cuimhin liom é sin. "An Seanduine" ag Hilary Mhic Shuibhne (bhí sí fós á fhoghlaim ach is dócha go bhfuil sé ar a toil aici faoin am seo.) Agus a lán daoine eile nach iad, ár ndóigh, ach nílim go ró-mhaith ag cuimhneach ainmneacha...

Dála an scéil, a Bhirn, bhain mé sult as a bheith ag éisteacht leat! Is deas i gcónaí glór duine a aireachtáil seachas ach focla scríofa amháin uaidh.

Dá mbeadh d'oireadsa de mhisneach ionam b'fhéidir go ndéanfainn comhad fuaime mé féin...

(Message edited by Abigail on June 04, 2007)

Scríobh Eileen:

quote:

Sean Williams of Evergreen State College gave a talk on Seosamh Ó hÉanaí/Joe Heaney. She compared Seosamh to the highly edited, polished and commercialized "safe" Irish Tennors as she described the more visceral style of Seosamh and other sean nos singers as too "dangerous and sexy" for the commercial market. The typical voice is not trained in the classic sense. It is very earthy and highly emotional. (By the way, when I met Anthony Kearns in McGanns/Doolin two years ago, I asked him if he sang any sean nos, but he said he does not.)

A few minutes ago I stumbled across one of my CD's entitled SAY A SONG. It's sub-titled Joe Heaney in the Pacific Northwest. The liner notes indicate that many Irish music lovers considered him the finist living exponent of sean-nós sing. I can see why. I just finished listening the his rendition of Óró, Sé do Bheatha 'Bhaile! It's a superb example of how well this song can be sung.

More information on this CD can be found at:

http://www.nwfolklife.org/P_REC/Recordings.html#_JH_

The comments by Sean Williams, contained in Eileen's quote above are very accurate. The reason I like sean-nós singing so much is that "earthy and highly emotional nature," as I also find in a different genre, jazz. Some people consider jazz low-class and crude, just as some people consider sean-nós in the same light. Oh well, it's their loss.

Eileen, it's also interesting that you mention Evergreen State College above. My niece is graduating from there this month!

quote:

Evergreen State College above. My niece is graduating from there this month!

Go maire sí a céim nua! Is iontach, agus aisteach, an ollscoil í: cosúil le time warp as na seascaidí.

Go raibh maith agat a Dennis.

frása an lae: time warp - freangadh fir ama
(from http://www.focal.ie/Search.aspx?term=time+warp)

But thanks for putting "time warp" as Béarla, because I couldn't find it in my dictionaries.

FRC-GRMA

Freangadh ama! (fir stands for firinscneach)

Abigail,
cén sort taca a ba mhaith leat? Comhad le gach focal, nó comhaid an ghutha agus consain? Chuir Lughaidh a lán fuaimeanna i mp3, agus rinne mé a lán palletographs (pitiúirí na teanga sa bhéal)

quote:

Freangadh ama! (fir stands for firinscneach)

'Sea. Bhi a fhios agam ach mo dhearmad, go raibh maith agat.

It is with some amusement that I see some here think sean-nós singers aren't able to sing. I would suggest that anyone who wants to put this theory to the test should go and hear Roisin Elsafty sing live.

"It is with some amusement that I see some here think sean-nós singers aren't able to sing."

No, I said it in jest. I thought it was just singing in Irish. However, it is more than that as I found out