Interview #1 Listener

Interview w/Listener (5.9.13) @ The Ould Sod Pub

During a night at the pub (The Ould Sod) I interviewed one of my friends who learns Irish Traditional Folk Songs from time to time. We were first having a regular conversation about the session going on with mostly tunes being played until one guy stood up and decided to sing a song. I took some notes after asking her questions of her perception of it and what else we spoke about. I also then emailed her a few more questions because I felt like I hadn't covered enough and was curious about a few more things.

In the email I asked some more direct questions rather than  how I approached the pub where it was pretty informal and we just chatted. These were some of the questions I was curious about:

1) Do you have any experience with Traditional Irish song? 
2) When you hear Irish song/music does it make you feel a type of ownership/stronger cultural identity?
3) How would you define tradition/traditional? 
4) Does the tone of someones voice matter to you when listening to the sing? Would it effect the meaning of the song to you? 
5) Do you think you connect more withe the lyrics or the melody/harmony & why? 
6) Irish Traditional song is usually sang with one person, how do you feel about it being used in a different setting such as in a band? 
7) Pub singing vs. performance/concert hall - does the performance and different aspects of it change the meaning for you personally? and if so why?

Here are some of her responses:

2) When you hear Irish song/music does it make you feel a type of

ownership/stronger cultural identity?

Yes and No.  My cultural heritage is a mixture of Norwegian, Italian,
Scottish, Irish, and English.  So I feel somewhat connected to my heritage
when I sing or hear the music, but I think I almost use the cultural
aspect as an explanation for why I like Irish music.  Like, I can't figure
out what I like about it, so I just assume it is because it is in my
heritage.  If that makes sense.

3) How would you define tradition/traditional?

I think of a tradition as something that has been cultivated over many
generations and handed down.  I think that traditions change and adapt to
different periods of history or function differently in different eras
without losing their "traditional"-ness.

4) Does the tone of someones voice matter to you when listening to the
sing? Would it effect the meaning of the song to you?

Yes, I don't know if it effects the meaning.  I think it is more  of a
sonic preference.  I actually don't like the more nasal Irish singers, the
sound gets too pointed and harsh for me.

5) Do you think you connect more withe the lyrics or the melody/harmony &
why?

Generally I won't like a song unless I connect with the song lyrics, but
in Irish music, I love the melody lines so much I sometimes care less
about the song lyrics.  Maybe this is because many Irish songs are
stories, so I feel like I can listen to many types of stories without
having to fully connect with every part of them.

6) Irish Traditional song is usually sang with one person, how do you feel
about it being used in a different setting such as in a band?

I am actually fine with the songs being presented in different settings.
I think it is important to know that they were originally sang solo and to
make a distinction between the more traditional way and then the newer way
that they are being performed.  It is interesting to me that the songs can
have harmony added to them fairly easily...like the harmony is implied yet
it isn't normally performed with accompaniment.  It makes we wonder if
there was accompaniment (like a band or something) a really long time ago
and that was lost somehow.  (I have no historical backing for my musings
whatsoever...)

7) Pub singing vs. performance/concert hall - does the performance and
different aspects of it change the meaning for you personally? and if so
why?

I think that when a song is being performed in a concert hall it changes
the dynamics of the experience.  Instead of a casual sharing of a song, it
becomes a performance, which leads to expectations of standards such as
staying in tune, executing ornaments well, remembering to sing all the
verses...it is a lot more pressure.  And it puts the focus on aspects of
singing that could take away from the story-telling/sharing aspect of the
songs.  I guess I don't think it changes the meaning of the song, but it
might distract from the meaning.

Here is The Ould Sod's website for those of you interested in going. Sessions are on Tuesday nights, and you must be 21 to get in! http://www.theouldsod.com/