Gajda

[makedonka]

I recently bought a CD with the music from all regions of Hrvatska. I was surprised that the gajda was used on a lot of the songs - I've never heard any tambura groups here use that instrument (?).

Maybe there are some tambura groups here that use this instrument, but I've never heard them play? Anyone know of any? Hvala lepo!!! :)

[Tominellay]

...damned thing's louder than an accordion...who's going to put up with that?

[mac]

LOL!!! You got that right!!!

[Djuroslav]

I think it would be great if mac were to 'change hats' occasionally, and play gajde with the Yeseta Brats...

http://www.worldmusiccentral.org/staticpages/images/gajde.jpg

[mac]

I gotta tell ya, I wouldn't mind fiddling with this instrument! I am curious enough to learn something on it. I play sax so I'm thinking it's just a matter of figuring out the mechanics of the thing!! Bag pipes have always fascinated me and I've always wanted to try them. As long as I don't have to wear a kilt, I'm kool!! Does any one have I can borrow for a while? Accordion and Gajda might sound interesting together!!

[Djuroslav]

...you can thank me later, Tominellay... ;)

[makedonka]

Yes, they are loud, Tominellay and Mac, but they sound GREAT with tambura, accordion AND tapan - this Makedonka knows!!! LOL!! And, no kilts are needed when you play it Balkan style. :D :p

Mac, if you ever pick this thing up, record it and put an mp3 of it out here!!! :)

[Tominellay]

...thinking if you don't wear a kilt, then maybe I won't either...

[mac]

Ok!!! Kiltless pleasure!!! LOL!! No Kilts required!! LOL! Sounds like the name of the first CD!!

Makedonka, do you know anyone that has one that would be willing to lend it to me? I'll give it a try!!

I'll be in Ohio in June, so if anyone has one, maybe I can try it then!!

[makedonka]

Mac, that's right, your first CD should be called 'Kiltless and Loving It'. LOL!!!

I have been informed that someone in beautiful, bucolic Steelton, PA may have one - I will be speaking to said individual tonight since I'm heading out to Sv. Lovro's for a fun evening of fried ribi and tambura. :D :p I'll see what I can do!!! :D

[Djuroslav]

Ohioans BEWARE in June...


http://img506.imageshack.us/img506/8525/bozic039rm.jpg

[modedo]

Maybe you can find one on ebay.. . .or just attach a Hefty bag to your saxophone. . . .and you have just kilt me with all these puns. I applaid you all!

[Tominellay]

...the younger, smarter brother says that playing the bagpipes is "blowin' goat's a**"...

[mac]

Mo, I'll attach a hefty bag to my sax first. I don't want to buy one unless I know I can play it. When I learn to play it then I'll buy one!!

Tominalley, I've heard your brother say that before. How would he know that??

Makedonka, It could be called "Kiltless in California" too!! That would be kool if your friend would let me try it.

DJ!! Are all those pipers on Ohio? I would be worried!! LOL!! Hey, I may take a drive to Detroit during that time!! SO, look out Detroit!!

So, if a bag pippers tries to play a "Gajda" would he feel Kilty or Kiltless??

[morovich]

There are a number of examples of bagpipes (dude gajde, and diple) playing with tambure. The first two can be found in Baranja and Slavonija primarily and you can sometimes hear them playing with a tamburica orchestra. It's a very nice sound...mostly used in dance music. I have heard the diple playing with dangubica in Lika.

Of course it is very common in Makedonija.

[Snajper]

who would willingly blow into a goat's ass.

[Djuroslav]

http://www.tamburaland.com/column/kirin2.jpg

[kats]

LIKA LIKA LIKA!!!!
Did I mention my grandpa was born there? ;)

[makedonka]

LOL on the goat's a**!!! LOL!!!!! :D And, the Hefty bag. Hmmm, wonder what that would sound like? LOL!!!

Mac, I've got bad news for you - that gajda was borrowed from a New Yorker and, well, it got damaged when the Steeltonian took it to Hrvatska. :( But, he told me that he surprised (and scared!!! LOL!) everyone with it at a show, which I believe was in NY.... they weren't expecting THAT!!! LOL!!!!

Tominellay, I know you are highly disappointed. I will have to post mp3's of Pece Atanasovski out here, just for you. LOL!!!

Morovich, thanks for the information, I only ever heard it called a gajda and yes, it does sound great when played with other instruments, but can be rather grating on its own... What's the difference between the diple and the dude gajda? Thanks!!!

[Goran]

Well in the USA, I used to play Slavonian gajda with the Zivili Yugoslav group (Columbus, Ohio) back in the mid-1980s. I bought my instrument from a maker and fine player who was travelling with a Croatian group on tour in the US in 1983.

There's a really good Croatian tamburica group across the Danube in Hungary called Tanac, which had one really, really good dude player. I think his name was Vizin Antus. The group is called Tanac [contact and artistic director: Szávai József, info@tanac.hu ]. He played a kind of Croatian dude that has nearly (had nearly?) disappeared from the scene--a chanter with four reeds in it--and he played old style, using rhythmic pumping of the bag (so the pitch varies slightly with the beat and the pulsing keeps time with the music). I heard them play on their visit to Washington DC in the early 1990s and talked with him about his music.

For more about Croatian bagpipes, there's a good site run by Stjepan Veckovic (maker and palyer): http://scena.hgu.hr/stjepan%2Dveckovic/

As for Serbian bagpipes, well Mark Levy used to occasionally play his at Balkan Camp in the 1980s and perhaps other forums on the West Coast. I don't know of any more North American players of Serbian bagpipes or tamburica groups who've combined tamburica and bagpipes on a regular basis, but I'm sure there must be a couple.

As for combinations, I would never ever combine accordion and bagpipe--the chanter+reeds combination yields scales that can clash with fixed-pitch western instruments, especially accordion. In other words, most bagpipes have justified tunings that don't exactly correspond to the standard or tempered versions of A=440 (or for accordions, A=441/442) scales.

For an excellent recording of Croatian bagpipe music with tambura, consult "Gajde su gajde", which includes Vizin Antus and that great Hungarian duda player Juhasz Zoltan: http://www.passiondiscs.co.uk/e_pages/balkan_e/gajde_ercd015.htm

[tone deaf tamburasi]

www.larkinam.com/ check it out. These guys have just about every european instrument you could want and if they don't have it they'll get you one. gajde, samica bas bug celo and 2 bracs is a pretty sweet sound.

[striko]

There is a DIPLE in my garage in Steelton, not a gajde. We never had a gajde. There are also three or four in Astoria, NY. It was never damaged. The reeds are sensitive to temperature/humidity. Long story. MAC...you're welcome to "play it" the next time you are in Steelton.

[mac]

striko,

Thank you for the offer!! Now, I just need to get to Steeton to "play it" (like I have any idea as how to do that!! LOL)!! Steelton is along way from California!! Do you play the diple? Is it a double reed instrument? Is it like a bag pipe?