Banish Misfortune [Jig] - Tune of the Month with Shannon Heaton

[@almatka1]

I love her. My goal is to improve to this level where I could learn from her The best irish tunes. ☘️

[@ShannonHeatonMusic]

Thanks for your good vibes, Judit! Being open to learning (at any level) is a strong sign that you will reach your goal.

[@indignocat]

I knew it had to be Pratten-style, by that dark sound. I remember this tune being whistled by one of my grandmas. I opened the flute case today after a couple of dark years, and this had to be the starting tune. Thanks for sharing this lovely rendition, it's gotten me back on the horse.

[@ShannonHeatonMusic]

oh, this is great! Welcome back to the flute... and the light. Hope your music helps you finish the year with joy, and start a new decade with "too high a spirit to be encumbered by old mistakes and nonsense," as Emerson wrote.

[@Dan.Parker]

Masterfully done

[@highestsprings]

Very helpful, great playing, thanks.

[@ShannonHeatonMusic]

So happy this is helpful!

[@mariapalmer5671]

Fab version . Love it .

[@irishflutegirl9022]

Thank you Shannon !! I love this tune and the way you teach it is awesome. Ive almost got it 🤗

[@dennisferrell3662]

You’re a fine player. Thanks for the instruction. Didn’t appreciate the condescending introduction directed at us newbies, though. When we’re sitting in on a lead instrument we don’t get to decide how fast the tune is played, and we often make mistakes. It’s not for a lack of “care” as you put it. We’re just trying to keep up.

[@ShannonHeatonMusic]

Thank you for your honesty and candor. Understood that you heard this as an attack. And that probably feels a bit crappy. Sorry for that. Now, this was over four years ago. I think I’ve evolved a bit, and have even more appreciation for all of us-for practitioners of all ‘levels’ of engagement. Today I might say “When I learn a tune, I try to take good care with the setting… and I really try to inhabit the melody, so I can give every note its due. This way I can play the tune with rhythmic assurance on my own AND in the company of other players.” Banish is one of these tunes that people tend to learn early on. And sometimes there’s a rush to play the tune without really hearing and knowing it. There’s a lot of power in taking time and care with each note. THANK you for stopping by to learn a tune… and thank you, Dennis, for sharing your thoughts and concerns! I’m taking it in.

[@dennisferrell3662]

@@ShannonHeatonMusic I appreciate your thoughtful response - I feel less "crappy" now! I certainly want to learn any tune as well as I can before venturing into a group setting, but that's not always possible. Another issue is, as you put it at about 1:07, "finding a good version of the tune". I play harmonica in my Celtic adventures (different instruments in other genres), and have found many different versions of Banish Misfortune. Some of these are ridiculously difficult, some easier, and most are arranged for either flute, whistle, or fiddle. I've even found a few for harmonica, but these rarely seem to be a good match for the harmonic arrangements of the tune that I find in the field. Is there an "official" version of this song? At this point in my development I suppose my definition of a "good version" is one I can learn to play correctly at a sufficient speed to keep up with my bandmates, and that matches the chord progression that my guitarist usually plays. Thanks again for the video and your kind reply.

[@ShannonHeatonMusic]

​@@dennisferrell3662 Thank you for dancing this out with me. I value the chance to give each other feedback. "Finding a good version of the tune" probably means finding a setting that is lovely and shaped by the way other (established/experienced) players have it... So that means digging around to find older sources (irishtune.info will give a list of folks who have recorded specific tunes). But to find a good version for you, you also need to dial in a way of playing it and phrasing it that suits your instrument. Mick Kinsella, Rick Epping--such fine harmonica players. Maybe learning from them? I couldn't quickly find a vid of Banish, but here's Rick playing a slip jig in the same mode--you could apply some of those ideas to Banish and other similar tunes (like Buried My Wife and Danced on Her Grave)? kzbin.info/www/bejne/a2K8m4KopZiFg8Usi=PgaBDt12Zw_N_orz Good luck, and let me know how you make out!

[@dennisferrell3662]

@@ShannonHeatonMusic Thanks for the info. Rick Epping is someone I greatly admire and have followed for a while. His style tends to be a blend of blues and Celtic, which is nice for someone who is crossing into Celtic music like me. Mick Kinsella was a new name for me, but what I've heard so far he will be a great person to learn from. I learned the basics of Banish from a lesson I purchased from Sandy Weltman (kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z2m7p6dspquVndUsi=F-OuuQJttfO0wUfr). It turns out to be a bit "busy" for the arrangement my bandmates play, so I've had to simplify it some. I have boiled it down to a version much more similar to that on the channel "The Fiddler's Way" (kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqLJapeJgrKnn9ksi=H5EUSf29w0zRX_-9). I'm finding that channel to be an excellent resource, both for learning a straightforward version of many tunes, and for practicing them in gradually faster tempos. One other name I'll mention is Greg Weiser, who offers some excellent guitar and harmonica Irish arrangements. Lastly, if you are interested, you can check out some of my original music (more in the folk/Americana genre) here on KZbin, for example: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b2WmfouKZteqn7ssi=YH7dnNZ7wNhNNsqD. Thanks again for the "dance"!

[@jocelync2409]

These Tune of the Month videos have been so helpful to me! I really enjoy the process of learning by ear now because of them, and learning Banish Misfortune has been a blast. I have a silly question...what is the tune you open this "season" of Tune of the Month with (the tune in your intro to these videos)? I've had it stuck in my head for days now and would love to actually learn that one on my flute as well! Thanks :)

[@ShannonHeatonMusic]

So glad you are enjoying the process! Not a silly question--it's The Mountain Road (typically played in D, though I've played it in G on this recording... from the album Lovers' Well that I made with Matt). ALSO: I made a tutorial for Mountain Road here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y2PKfIFvmadlY9k

[@jocelync2409]

@@ShannonHeatonMusic Thank you so much! I can't wait to learn it now lol and I also will check out your album!

[@amandaWL]

Is there any way you could include a chance to tune to A=440 with you for when we want to try it on our instrument? The tuning is even a bit different at times from one video to the next-enough to sound a bit off when I decide to try it on my instrument.

[@ShannonHeatonMusic]

Hi, Amanda. Thanks for your reminder. I have gotten better about doing this in more recent times. Hopefully the newer videos hit the mark more closely...

[@ZionForman]

good

[@ShannonHeatonMusic]

thanks!

[@inthoreauswalls]

Very helpful for learning this tune, thank you. What are those whistle things on the piano behind you?

[@ShannonHeatonMusic]

I missed this comment earlier--those whistle/flute-y things are organ pipes! (From my father-in-law Charles Huddleston Heaton)

[@MissionSilo]

Does this have lyrics? What's the history of this song?

[@ShannonHeatonMusic]

Don't know if there were words with this? But lots of versions have been collected over the years (starting with Ryan's Mammoth Collection, printed in Boston in the late 1880s). If you add words, I'd love to hear 'em!

[@MissionSilo]

@@ShannonHeatonMusic yeah was wondering why it's called banish misfortune and the history of the tune.

[@ShannonHeatonMusic]

@@MissionSilo - The names are funny, huh? Sometimes they really seem to go with the melody, and sometimes just generally evocative. I couldn't find any quick info about the title. LMK if you unearth anything!

[@MissionSilo]

@ShannonHeatonMusic oh I will.

[@MissionSilo]

@ShannonHeatonMusic are you for hire? I want help changing a song for whistle

[@James-fo3iy]

Love the tutorials, maybe not the singing

[@ShannonHeatonMusic]

haha! Fair enough. But the point being, it doesn't matter how you sing, but that singing the tune can be a really great way to learn it. Learn the tune AWAY from the instrument first? Can be so powerful.

[@vintagecamera-p2i]

Singing is often used by instrumentalists to work out phrasing and articulation. It's the most organic way to interact with melodic lines. As a piano and (classical) flute teacher, I make a point of using my mediocre singing voice often during lessons to model to my students that you don't have to be Renee Fleming to break out your singing voice in public. :) I think Shannon's use of her voice here fulfills its purpose!