Is there a place for a deaf musician in Irish music?

I have been to a few sessions with my banjo, and I have been going with them with a deaf friend.

Now, he plays the guitar and has excellent rhythm. However, he is having difficulty playing with the group, unless he lead. In all the sessions I have been in, if you lead; you need to sing. Now, he doesn’t mind singing, but he rather prefer someone else to do it. Now, I am usually the one that end up doing it since no one else will. The problem is I am too uncomfortable matching my baritone voice with the guitar. I rather focus on syncing my mind with my banjo and the tune, than the tenor range of the guitar.

We both agree that this is a problem. So, right now we are looking for alternatives. Alternative roles, instruments, anything. The problem is, I may be a decent musician, but I can’t say if a particular instrument is going to match a person.

Can you help us out here?

i went to a session last night where there seemed to be a few deaf musicians 🙂

seriously - i suggest that you play what YOU enjoy playing - instruments/songs etc - same with your friend - if you enjoy it - others will catch on

have to say though that of all the styles of music I’ve played none requiring the player to hear others well more than ITM

Try using a capo to make the guitar fit your voice better

Why would Irish music disciminate against someone with a disability any more than any other music?

..‘discRiminate’

Evidently, from some of the posts that appear on this site (including my own above), it doesn’t discriminate against those who can’t spell.

Eh, I know it doesn’t discriminate against anyone, but I am wondering if there is a better way of playing. I want him to be able to be part of the group, since he is left out more than half of the time.

I am thinking of a percussive instrument like the banjo or the bodhran that will do just fine for him, but I am no expert.

I have no idea what all the options out there are. There are just so many different possibilities and different instrumentations for each groups!

Here’s a deaf musician who can play a whole bunch of instruments - Dame Evelyn:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brIIEBvwiz8

play video

“In a live performance she can use up to approximately 60 instruments. She also plays the Great Highland Bagpipes …..” She also owns - “over 1800 percussion instruments.”!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evelyn_Glennie

So there’s a thought for your friend ….. I wonder, has he tried the Great Highland Bagpipe? 😛

The place in a session for a deaf person is right beside the piano accordeon or bodhrán.

Regards,

Harry.

“She also plays the Great Highland Bagpipes ….”

That is one instrument for which deafness is a positive advantage. Don’t get me wrong, I love the bagpipes - from a safe distance, or with sufficient cotton-wool in my ears. And Evelyn Glennie is phenomenal musician. I’d love to hear her on the pipes.

TheBlo - whatever you do, don’t let your friend bring a set of Highland Pipes to a session. Being deaf, he might not understand the implications.

“The place in a session for a deaf person is right beside the piano accordeon or bodhrán.”

Harry - doesn’t the word ‘bodhrán’ come from a root meaning ‘deaf’? But then, doesn’t ‘piano’ mean ‘quiet’?

Haha. The only place for a Highland Pipes in a indoor session is beside a drum, and amplified string instruments. Believe me, I have been to a few folk rock/punk concerts.

Nah, he understand some instruments are loud. That why he went with a guitar, he can feel the vibration and it is fretted; and people don’t seem to complain about it. I worked with him in a band before, he is probably the best lead guitarist I ever seen. However, putting on a performance is different than attending a session.

With the bodhran, what brand you guys recommend? All I have ever seen in Canada are the imported Walton’s (which many of you know), Bridget and David Settles. What size would you recommend as well?

http://bridgetdrums.com/
http://www.daveydrums.com/

How difficult is it to learn/obtain the accordion or bagpipes? Even then, what kind would you recommend?

I know that my grandfather played the pibgod (Welsh bagpipes, I hope I spelled it right) when I was growing up.

Seamus O’Kane bodhrans are my favorite sounding drums, and they are very highly regarded by good players:

http://www.tradcentre.com/seamus/about.shtml

He’s a very nice man, very easy to deal with.

All the besht,

Harry.

But, seriously…..we went to a session a year or two ago, and the leader used to recognize a tune then speed it up to what he preferred to play it at; one of our hosts aplologized for him, saying he was loosing his hearing and tended to just go at his own pace once he got started; it wasn’t that he was trying to “dis” anyone who preffered to play at a slower speed.

Last night in Berkeley, I was at an event with Alistair Fraser, Martin Hayes and Bruce Molsky, and there was a sign language interpreter on stage. Very odd indeed, unless some folks can’t understand speech but can hear music. Otherwise, let’s hear it for the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Terry

Ok I am going to kick in an open door here.

Being a “deaf” flutist myself (hearing loss 100/ 110 db and soon going to have an cochlear implant :D )I can say the following.

Is your friend REALLY deaf? I mean, does he wear hearing aids? If so he is NOT deaf but hard of hearing and will be able to hear the music, the rhythm. That is why I put the word “deaf” between brackets.
I take he CAN hear the music, because, when not hearing the music there is no point playing an instrument.

Further, it is indeed true that for us “deafs”, best thing is we do lead and others follow, and that we are told which tunes are going to be played in which sequence.
In general when you have a major hearing loss, you won’t be able to tell the first few years, which tunes are being played.
If you are with nice people, they won’t mind doing this at all and do enjoy having you with them to play, no matter if you are not perfect.
I think this does not close out sessions, but just requires a nice session. (so far not found one myself except the private ones)
I stand up here and thank my german friends ( all four of them musicians!) for helping me along the way.

If I could become a “deaf” flutist, then your friend CAN become a good guitarist, especially when he already has a good sense of rhythm and can perform.
He should feel encouraged to carry on, and try to have a mini/ private session, to get used to the feel and have not too many instruments at once around him.
If he loves guitar, why look for something else.
He should not feel bad about eventually use dots/ abc to learn from, along with some help from you, to get a feel for the tune.Sometimes LITTERALLY.

I disagree with Harry (sorry harry, love you otherwise since you are my inspiration!!!!) with the best place for a “deaf” is near the bodhran player or the piano.
It is NOT, generally spoken since the loudness will distract you from hearing the others well enough. And I find the bodhran distracting, personally.
For ME, it just works to sit in, and lead and have fun and stop when I notice I am losing track.

In the future I hope to be able to just join in and recognize the tunes and start learning by ear and enjoy sessions now and then.
But for now, I take lessons and struggle on and keep loving my aebi flute.
And dream from taking lessons like people as Harry 🙂 (hint)

a well known dancer and flutist had on his website:
follow your dreams!
I took that to heart…..

berti 🙂

I don´t know about complete deafness but, about a year and a half ago, I lost 65% of my hearing and acquired tinnitus, both in my right ear, over a weekend.
I had previously had slight loss of hearing in the right ear, but I hardly noticed it.
The first few sessions after that weekend were quite unnerving and I got a bit panicky. I didn´t know which direction the music was coming from and it seemed that nothing at all was coming from my right hand side, and there were musicians there.
However I managed to adapt - as you do with most things - and now I have to make sure that there is a melody player on my left and only guitars and/or percussion on my right.
Conventional medicine seems to have little to offer so I´m still scouring the internet for alternative remedies and information in general.
I wear a hearing aid sometimes and that helps a bit, but mainly in conversation.
The only annoying thing in sessions is that, as all tinnitus sufferers will know, the noise inside your ear increases to match the noise outside !