Just a quick note and an apology.
I thought we’d have the first draft done by now. It’s very, very close. Perhaps fewer than 10,000 words from the end. The book in its current draft is already about 145k words but will probably get cut down to something closer to 125 before I’m done with the second draft.
I’d really hoped to have at least the first chapters released to Podiobooks before Labor Day and the Parsec Awards, and for that I apologize. I’m still on track to get it released before the official end of Summer (September 21st).
And I still need music. Suggestions are welcome.
Ok, back to the work already in progress.
Thanks for the update. I think I can safely say that we’re all on the edge of our computer chairs waiting. But, please take your time (especially if it means a longer book ) and put out the story as you want it told, we’ll wait. Just do it before classes start again ;)
Can’t wait.
When you apologize you make me feel like I’m your boss or something. I hope you are having fun creating this story.
Not a fan of the sea shanties, I would have preferred the switch to music that Ish would listen to a few volumes ago (not sure what you think that would be but I just don’t think it would be jigs). However, if this is to be the last volume, then I’ll say that you’ve got to stick with it the theme for cohesiveness-sake. (I know you are looking for actual help recommending songs, that’s all I got.)
Well, I want to balance out quandmeme’s vote. I absolutely love the sea shanties/jigs. I think, as Henry Rubiea(sp?) might say, it adds just the right touch of wimsy.
I keep hearing the Bach Unaccompanied Cello Suites: III: Courante.
@ Bruce:
That’s great music, but I’d venture a guess that it’s not really what Nate is looking for, given the theme established by the theme music for the previous books. Also, using an existing recording of it would involve having to pay some kind of due for copyright infringement to the artist and/or producer of that particular recording.
I think I might have found something that could interest you, Nate:
Take a look at http://www.timetotime.org/html/live.htm for some decent recordings of traditional Irish music. I think these may be particularly suited to your purposes, because they’ve not been heavily arranged, and they usually lack elaborate intros that you’d have to get rid of anyway.
Personally, I’m especially partial to ‘The Pleasures of Housekeeping’ (number 8 on the list), if only because it may be the one that sounds the most different from what you used as theme music in your earlier podcasts.
Although these tracks are free to listen to, I imagine you’d still have to obtain permission from the artists for use in a podcast – but then I don’t think you need me to tell you the obvious.
ETA: Should you like this music, yet not be able to use it for some reason (like lacking the necessary permission), let us know. I’ve got some other ideas.
That’s close.
Not quite what I’m looking for but very close.
What do you all think of The Mason’s Apron?
thats cool
Not bad, but it does not quite seem to fit, but I always think that until about episode 5 or so.
This the best I could find http://www.clivew.com/mp3/shreds.mp3 , but it too seems a little off.
+1 for the Mason’s Apron
Ditto the above. It fits.
Mason’s Apron has the “Share” feel and Ish gives a Captain’s Maturity!
Do you guys really thinks so? To me it doesn’t sound nautical. All the others had a certain flavor that made you smell salt. The Mason’s Apron just doesn’t seem to do that. I vote, keep looking.
If the name were “Bosun’s Chair” would it feel more nautical?
I confess that the title put me off a bit, but I think this is a legitimate sea-farer’s fiddle tune from the 1800s.
@ R Mingus:
I’m not entirely sure about this (and Nathan, correct me if I’m wrong), but I’m guessing that the recordings used in the previous podcasts were older than this one is. That would imply a certain loss of audio quality, due simply to the methods used to register sound at that time; it could also mean that the instruments played there were of a somewhat lesser build quality than the one played in this recording (if you’re having trouble imagining what I mean, try listening closely to the accordeon in Half Share – to me it sounds like it hasn’t been properly tuned, but since an accordeon doesn’t normally need to be tuned, the instrument would either have to be very old and worn by use, or a somewhat sub-standard piece of equipment, as judged by modern standards).
I think these things combine to result in what you call a ‘nautical’ feel, possibly because that same combination of factors makes the music sound somewhat more ‘authentic’. It almost sounds as if it could really have been played by a sailor trying to entertain his shipmates on his grandfather’s accordeon – as opposed to a professional musician doing an impression of what the music played at your average Irish wedding sounded like sixty years ago.
I think the solution might be to find actual sixty-year-old recordings of this kind of music – but personally, I have no idea where to start looking for those.
The Half Share music was a field recording done in 1938 (I think) of a guy who actually sailed on the clipper ships. Not only was the recording equipment primitive but that concertina he was playing had been around the Horn.
By comparison to Great Big Sea, a modern band using state of the art equipment, the older recording sounded rather poor. Authentic but poor. I loved it, but a lot of people hated it.
The other two pieces are James Curran’s recordings from the middle 80s. Not exactly state of the art, but they are actual studio recordings and not done in the field. They’re authentic in as much as the tunes themselves are old traditional ones.
I just noticed something, tho … Is Mason’s Apron the same tune that This Old House uses as theme song on a hammered dulcimer???
I need to look into that.
How about “Garrison Frolick” instead??
I can’t be sure about what This Old House uses, since I’ve never seen a single episode of that, and the tune identified as the theme song for This Old House on TelevisionTunes.com sounds so completely different from this that I wouldn’t suspect my grandma of confusing the two, and she’s got all the musical feeling of a lawn chair.
That said: I think ‘Garrison Frolick’ sounds rather sage; it’s missing the upbeat quality that I have come to associate with your stories, and therefore should (IMHO) also be present in the theme music used as a backdrop for them.
Then again, you’re the author, and who am I? :-)
Yea .. I’ve been trying to track it down and not having any luck. I apparently is NOT “This Old House” nor is it “Victory Garden.”
I’ve got permission to use the Archer recording of Mason’s Apron and I think I’m gonna go with it.
Now, where did I put the end of this story line …
I think you have to pair Garrison Frolick with something else
I like them both… now just pick one so you can start recording already!
j/k
After listening to Garrison’s frolic, I still like The Masons Apron.
It wasn’t the title of Mason’s Apron that put me off, it was more the tone. I listened to many tunes over about four hours searching for my recommendation, many with seafaring titles and only the one I suggested had anything close to the flavor I mentioned before.
After listening to Mason’s Apron yet again its growing on me, but it still does not have quite the same tone as in the previous installments. But I think its alright. This song is more mature(?) than the others, more sophisticated(?); and I imagine that will also be true for Ish in this book (while still having a load of fun).
In any case the decision is made and: Trust Nate
I’m all for Mason’s Apron! It reminds me of seafearing cinema, like Master and Commander. Although the title is rather land based, titles essentially should not convey the music, sound should, and I think Mason’s Apron fits Ish’s epic quite well.
Seafaring, not seafearing cinema. I certainly hope Ish never feared his “sea.”
Mason’s Apron, definitely!!
I know its too late but here’s one I forgot about. Very catchy and fun.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SH2CO99q1JQ
Lucy MacLean by Hullabaloo as posted by R Mingus is a faster noving tune. I like it.
Thanks for the Contact Info on Hullabaloo. I’ve got it in the moderation queue but I’m loathe to publish it here since there’s real specific contact phone numbers and all. I’ll definitely consider it.
Hi Nate. Can’t wait for Captain’s Share. Keep plugging away at it.
How about one of these?
Red Haired Boy – http://www.archive.org/details/Joad_Jacks_Red_Haired_Boy
Hanafins – Bantry Bay Hornpipe – http://www.archive.org/details/Hanafins-Bantry_Bay_Hornpipe
Larry O’Gaff – http://www.archive.org/details/larry_ogaff
Boys of Bluehill, Fisher’s – http://www.archive.org/details/LeoRowsomeandFrankOHigginsBoysofBluehillFishers
The Fisherman’s Widow (Rudyard Kipling mentions a Boston Fishermens’ Widows society in his Atlantic seafairing novel Captains Courageous) – http://www.archive.org/details/ShaunONolanTheFishermansWidow
Hope you like them.
Phil
I’ve actually looked at a couple of these already – the Bantry Bay Hornpipe for one and I almost took Larry OGaff as the music for South Coast.
Thanks for the suggestions!