If you’re like me you’ll be eager to get started on a new party piece for those end of year events!
This week I have completed a new solo cello arrangement of Marriage d’Amour by Paul de Senneville. I am sure you will enjoy playing it. It is passionate and as one of my patrons said, “a strong swirling dance of life”
If you would like to support me in making more music do have a look. When I make an arrangement you will be the first to receive it, and are encouraged to give suggestions about what pieces you would like arranged. I find this platform a good way for me to interact with fellow cellists who enjoy my music.
Video of Marriage d’Amour, as usual made in front of my famous Narnia cupboard… from inside it, inspiration flows.
I have made a profile on the Patreon site and I am hoping to get people to support me. I have nearly 5000 YouTube subscribers, and to these people, especially you who comment, thank you for constantly inspiring me to make more arrangements. As long as I know someone is loving them and getting to play them on their cellos, I am happy. All I need is a small amount of people to pay $1 a solo cello video release and I can continue composing and arranging and making it all available.
I love what I do. If you love what I do, it’s only a tiny amount, but it adds up to support me as a self employed cellist.
So on the video topic, I have just published my first arrangement for solo cello for the year. I have been working on a couple more but this is the first one completed. It’s a relief to actually get a video up, get the sheet music onto Play Cello Music and get out of the sludgy start of 2017. I have so many projects I am juggling so I can to set up my year, and I am constantly wishing I could just get that cello out to work on new material in among the piles of admin, tour planning, websites, organising events for the Midleton Arts Festival, even making a T-shirt site Festival Clothing, (check out the Midleton Festival logo, very cool!), making new arrangements for the Cork Light Orchestra…and all the rest. I love doing everything I do but it is easy to be distracted by it all and dragged away from where I love to be;
Cello in hand;
Ideas swirling around;
Harmonies unfolding;
Finding the perfect key and key change;
Discovering new ways to make the solo cello sound like a full orchestra;
Unlocking the puzzle of a simple melody…
Anyway, have a listen to the newest arrangement and watch the video!
If you didn’t notice it the first time, thank you for noticing and visiting NOW! My Patreon Site
I am pleased to announce the release of my new cello book, Trad on Cello. There are twenty Irish traditional tunes including polkas, slides, jigs, reels, hornpipes and slip jigs, with a guide on how to play them.
I have enjoyed choosing great tunes that fit together in sets so that when you turn up for a session, you are fully equipped to dive straight in and feel good about your playing! It was a challenge to find the perfect keys for the cello for tunes that sit in first position only so there is no running up and down the fingerboard. It makes them really fun to play whatever grade. The second cello parts are also great for playing as a duo, and the chords are included so the tunes can be played with anyone who can read chords. They sound amazing with a group of cellists too, as my friend said “like a big lumbering beast” (I hope that’s good!)
The introduction and chapter information is detailed and interesting for anyone who wants to have a little more guidance and get a brief background info on the tunes.
For teachers looking for something a little different to inspire students post exams, these are a perfect antidote to the earnestness of exam preparations.
I made a video of one of the reels to give an idea of what is in store for you and I hope to see other videos from cellists playing these tunes too!
Living the Tradition is now available through MusicFilmWeb wo have added the film to their catalogue. Here’s a quote on the MFW site. Thanks to Andy Markovitz for his support and writing the kind words!
“This is Irish music stripped of blarney and jig, but still reverberating with politics, myth, liveliness, and loss – of love, of land, even of books (this is Ireland, after all). Throughout de Ziah remains true to her own quest to help keep these songs relevant for modern audiences and to do justice to their stories and settings, even if that means waiting out the rain to play them (this is Ireland, after all). When you’re there, I still recommend you take a bar stool and raise a glass to (and maybe buy a glass for) the local musicians who are also living the tradition and keeping it strong. When you’re home, de Ziah’s musical travelogue offers another avenue into that rich territory.”
Very excited, the trailer for Living the Tradition has now been made and the film will be released January 15, 2014. Have a look at our Living the Tradition website, and enjoy the trailer!
We are releasing a 96 minute documentary along with ten music videos. There will be a DVD and an online version available.
In the last week of this year, we will be pre-selling the DVD version for a reduced price, so stay tuned!
We have just released a full 5 minute taster of the air "A Stór mo Chroí" on Youtube and VIMEO. We are still in need of some support for the final stages of the editing and post-production and if you like what we do, consider leaving a tip in the Tip Jar herewww.vimeo.com/lightcurvefilms/astormochroibythesea
We also performed the first pilot version of the Living the tradition live-documentary on Thursday, which is Arthurs day, a Guinness celebration in Ireland. Guinness showcased 20 acts around Ireland and our projects was chosen to be one of them. We plan to tour it next year.
We are very excited about the progress of the film!
Here is part three of Living the Tradition where I talk
about Danny Boy and make an arrangement of it for solo cello. My
great grandmother used to cry every time she heard it. Find out why
here! part 3 the making
of LTT Or go here if that doesn’t link… On the road…
I composed and played the music for a scary slasher short film for egomotion pictures. It's on the short list for the Blood Games Short Film Competition. Watch and you'll never be able to listen to twinkle twinkle in the same way!
Even if charts are not so important these days (especially as to reach the top you usually have to pay) I was happy to see I have reached No. 2 in the Folk charts for Cork on reverbnation! If everyone goes and has a quick listen there, I may even reach number 1!
I am working on new arrangements for trad Irish tunes and will put them up for sale on playcellomusic.com soon. I'm working towards putting out my next Celtic Cello CD.
After some requests I made a tutorial of College Groves, so incase anyone wants some extra help have a look… there were sync problems as it was a trial of another system which would be easier, but no it doesn't work. I will be doing a series of tutorials, in sync, and a little clearer… so feel free to give me any feedback on the pieces you'd like for this or comments etc.
I've put the original youtube clip of College Groves here too.
A friend sent me a video from her phone today. She was at the City of Cork Symphony orchestra concert in the Limerick University Concert Hall where we played with Nigel Kennedy.
He started playing a trad tune and I couldn't resist joining in. We played a trad set again the next night in the City Hall in Cork, to more rapturous applause and afterwards had a great jam along with Cora Venus Lunny, Donovan and other CCSO improvisers!
