English tunes

[ruby]

I need learn some proper english music that is know to my audience. Do people know of such that they can sing a long to? maybe it is online . But what are the tunes,? Annot for pipe and tabor, panpipes or harmonium.
I also need s new drum for the english shows. Who makes them please?
I do not have a drummer, i play myself.

[Chris]

Go to a good book shop Ruby, and ask for a "Community Song Book" - or better still go to a second-hand bookshop and ask for the same thing and you will most likely be offered a selection at very reasonable prices.

Drums are available from shops which sell musical instruments.

Also have a look at this:
http://www.spyrock.com/nadafarm/html/punchTrumpet.html

[ruby]

How smashing is that. Thank you.
I try all music shops bu t they only have the modern drum that need screwing,not with the ropes . I must have traditional for Mr punch?

[Trev]

The 'string' drums are more likely to be found in places for marching bands. Maybe try to find a marching band (maybe army or police if there isn't a 'public' one). I imagine there's a few in Spain.

You might also try to find some of these large Andean drums which have strings. The theatre group I worked with in Poland had one and it made a great sound.

Another popular drum is the Irish bodhran (bow-ron) which is the single sided one (like a tambourine with now jingles), although there is a special way to play it which takes some learning.

Here's a link to some English folk music, although its worth remembering a lot of people wouldn't know some of these tunes (which is why Chris's suggestion of 'The Community Songbook' is such an excellent idea as many of the tunes are still widely known)http://web.ukonline.co.uk/martin.nail/Folkmus.htm

Another person to ask might be Morris, who is connected to English (folk)Morris dancing.

[Chris]

Ruby, there is really no traditional drum for Mr. Punch. But if you want the type with strings then this is a period military bass or side drum and will probably cost hundreds of pounds. Drums are pretty expensive instruments anyway. But a tabor would be just as traditional.
Have a look at http://www.drumshop.co.uk/category.php?id=4

A source for cheaper equipment might be boy scouts' supplies.

Or even children's drums. Look at:
http://shopping.msn.com/results/shp/?bCatId=6475,av=12-5620685
Scroll down to Children's Drum $31-95
It is cheap enough but well made and very usable and could be used as a tabor.
It is a snare drum, not a boom boom - but would be in keeping for a period presentation.

I don't think folk music is what you want. Certainly not if you want people to sing along - and certainly not morris dancing music.

Community song books are certainly your best bet, and they have words, and music, and often tonic solfa (doh rey me fa etc) and chord symbols. And they will include popular Punch tunes like "I do like to be beside the seaside" and "For he's a jolly good fellow".


<p>

[Trev]

Ruby, I assume you are thinking of these big drums seen in the old Victorian pictures? I don't think they've been used for a long time. I think they are more from a time when drummers were more common in the army (19th Century)

Chris is right that these military drums are hellishly expensive. The other thing would be that if you are playing it yourself, don't forget you have to get it on and off before the show and store it somewhere during the show (it would be a bit big to have inside the booth).

[Morris]

Winkleigh Morris are selling a big drum at the moment, otherwise you could look at this link for a variety of drums.

http://www.hobgoblin.com/local/drumframeuk.htm

They have side drums, as well as a varity of others. Having bought instruments from them before, I can attest that they are a good company.

Hope this helps.

[Tony James]

I hate those drums. These days they are becoming very common and are played by groups of people, often anything from 15 to 30 in a group. Individually they may not make much of a noise but in quantity the noise is incessant.

It's not the volume i object to but the constant rhythm - it is very difficult to maintain the rhythm of my show against the penetrating rhythm of the drums.

And that's the problem with groups on sound stages at events.. For sure, the sheer volume of thousands of watts blasting at you kills anything else stone dead but even a distance away it's the rhythm and the beat which messes up my rhythm.

Then the timing goes and show just isn't as good as it should be.

[ruby]

yes thanks, I had mail and found the Hobgoblin, this afternoon. so will go on rouye for ferry.and get a side drum, also a new tabor and a set of pipes as they are in sale and cheaper.
However same person also say that English will not sing, so maybe it doesnt matter which tunes.
I like the military drum , for the usual , but also as a show prop. Bouncing the baby on it is good fun , when Punch thinks it is a rampoline. But I have yet to cathc him so have a piece of string and a yo yo ho and a bottle of rum.It also good for dropping chickpeas to make thunder.
The tabor pipe is also of us as it can be played with one hand while someone is dancing or playing their own tooter.
I will say short goodbye as I have to fix broadband into mobile phone,and make it work from my bus.
I am coming back in August.

[Morris]

''The English will not sing''


It depends on who you find. It has been suggested by some that the drive for multiculturalism led to a loss of English musical identity. The kids will sing, and the folkies will sing (the latter almost anywhere, and know most of the lyrics) but somehow doing things like starting a song session in a pub is only the folkies.

Of course, I suspect that many will disagree with me...