Category Archives: Pipes / Folk / Instruments

Music Page Turner

UPDATE: 20230320 new version

My first version of the Bluetooth page turner.

This was made using an Arduino and some buttons.
I’m using Fbreader and Ebookdroid on the tablet.

Code:

Note: Volume buttons work for both apps, if you want to use other keys, you need to put a keymap.xml file in your fbreader books directory on your android device to remap those!

#include <BleKeyboard.h>

#define RIGHT_TURN 4
#define LEFT_TURN 5

BleKeyboard bleKeyboard("fashpageturner", "Bluetooth Device Manufacturer", 100);

void setup() {
  bleKeyboard.begin();
  
  pinMode(LEFT_TURN, INPUT_PULLUP);
  pinMode(RIGHT_TURN, INPUT_PULLUP);
}

void loop() {
  if (bleKeyboard.isConnected() && !digitalRead(RIGHT_TURN)) {
    bleKeyboard.press(KEY_MEDIA_VOLUME_UP);
    delay (100);
    bleKeyboard.releaseAll();
  }
  if (bleKeyboard.isConnected() && !digitalRead(LEFT_TURN)) {
    bleKeyboard.press(KEY_MEDIA_VOLUME_DOWN);
    delay (100);
    bleKeyboard.releaseAll();
  }

}

NEW Version

Stupid bagpipe tricks

Playing two chanters at the same time.

Made a bagpipe octopus

I think it was Burns Night 2005. We took one pipebag, took the drones out. And added one blowpipe and three chanters.
We were struggling to play the damn beast with 4 people.

A picture should exist somewhere, add it when found.

Smallpipe adaptor for two chanters.

Xmas tree lights in the drones

I’ve seen some do this, but never with xmas balls also.

Playing the THX sound

Alternative playing

Above in the movie with two chanter you can see tape.
You can tape other notes, for accidentals.

I’ve started a set with our folkband with my hands reversed.
(Left on the bottom part of the chanter, right hand toppart)
After playing amazing grace, I switched hands every few bars.

Playing high A gracenote with tophand index finger.

Play a tune and slide bottomhand over your top hand down.

Tape or block the bottom sound holes.

A old old movie (2005?), when we lift our knees we close the bottom sound hole on the side of the chanter.

Playing with the holes on the inside

Best of Einaudi (lying down)

Music by Ludovico Einaudi, pianist Jeroen van Veen.
And you could lie down in the big “Werkspoorkathedraal” in Utrecht.

Ludovico Maria Enrico Einaudi (Italian: born 23 November 1955) is an Italian pianist and composer. Trained at the Conservatorio Verdi in Milan, Einaudi began his career as a classical composer, later incorporating other styles and genres such as pop, rock, folk, and world music.

Einaudi has composed the scores for a number of films and television productions, including This Is England, The Intouchables, I’m Still Here, the TV miniseries Doctor Zhivago, and Acquario (1996), Nomadland and The Father.

He has also released a number of solo albums for piano and other instruments, notably I Giorni in 2001, Nightbook in 2009, and In a Time Lapse in 2013.

Coline plays some of Einaudi on keyboard, and we play I Giorni with our Folkband.

Update 2023

Working on my Autoharp

I’m missing some chords on my autoharp, so i took it apart and refitted it using simular felt.

Cutting places with a penknife and placing new parts.

C E G – Cmaj
A C D F# – D7
B D G – Gmaj
B E G – Emin

A C E – Amin
B D F# – Bmin
B D F G – G dom seventh
A C# E G – A dom seventh

A D F# – Dmaj
A C F – Fmaj
A D F – Dmin
A C# F# – F sharp minor / G flat minor

Personal BWW music files search engine.

I’ve a lot of bagpipe writer music files, many are the same tune but a little different.

find -type f | egrep -i "bww$|bmw$" | wc -l
34565

Most contain information about composers, complete title, arrangements and information about harmony and seconds/thirds/whatever.

So I made a PHP search script and a BASH indexer.
(This is NOT a safe script to use servers with internet access)

PHP

Strict Search: <form method="post" action="?"><input type="Text" name="words" size=40 value=""><input type="Submit" name="submit" value="search"></form>
Fuzzy Search: <form method="post" action="?"><input type="Text" name="words2" size=40 value=""><input type="Submit" name="submit" value="search">Fuzzy-ness<input type="Text" name="words2key" size=1 value="3"></form>
Parsons Search: <form method="post" action="?"><input type="Text" name="words3" size=40 value=""><input type="Submit" name="submit" value="search">Fuzzy-ness<input type="Text" name="words2key" size=1 value="3"></form>

<P><PRE>
<?PHP
if ($_POST['words']) {
$words = preg_replace("(\r\n|\n|\r)", "", $_POST['words']); 
$words = preg_replace("/[^0-9a-z]/i",'', $words);
$command = "/bin/cat /var/www/html/findbww/bww.list |/bin/grep -i $words | sed 's/*\w\+//' | sed 's/\\/private\\/Private\\/Henri\\/save\\/move\\/cds-uitzoeken\\///g' ";
$blah=shell_exec($command);
$blah=str_replace("$words", "<b><font color=red>$words</font></b>",$blah);
print $blah;
}
if ($_POST['words2']) {
$words=$_POST['words2'];
$words2key=$_POST['words2key'];
$words = preg_replace("(\r\n|\n|\r)", "", $words); 
$words = preg_replace("/[^0-9a-z]/i",'', $words);
$command = "/bin/cat /var/www/html/findbww/bww.list |/usr/bin/agrep -$words2key -i $words | sed 's/*\w\+//' |  sed 's/\\/private\\/Private\\/Henri\\/save\\/move\\/cds-uitzoeken\\///g'";
$blah=shell_exec($command);
$blah=str_replace("$words", "<b><font color=red>$words</font></b>",$blah);
print $blah;
}
if ($_POST['words3']) {
$words=$_POST['words3'];
$words2key=$_POST['words2key'];
$words = preg_replace("(\r\n|\n|\r)", "", $words); 
$words = preg_replace("/[^0-9a-z]/i",'', $words);
$command = "/bin/cat /var/www/html/findbww/bww.list.parsons |/usr/bin/agrep -$words2key -i $words | sed 's/*\w\+//' |  sed 's/\\/private\\/Private\\/Henri\\/save\\/move\\/cds-uitzoeken\\///g'";
$blah=shell_exec($command);
$blah=str_replace("$words", "<b><font color=red>$words</font></b>",$blah);
print $blah;
}
?>
</PRE>

Bash indexer (uses agrep)

#!/bin/bash
[ `find /FULLPATH/Music/Bagpipe-music-writer/ -type f  | wc -l` -eq 0 ] && exit
cd /var/www/html/findbww
: > bww.list
: > bww.list.parsons
locate -i bww |  egrep -i "\.bww$" |grep -v html.bww|  while read tunepath; do
tune=$(basename "$tunepath")
keywords=$(cat "$tunepath" |  egrep -vi "FontSizes|FrequencyMappings|GracenoteDurations|InstrumentMappings|MIDINoteMappings|TuneFormat|VariationTempo|TuneTempo|Bagpipe Reader" | awk -F',\\(' '{ print $1 }' 
| grep -v \"\" | grep -v ^! | grep -v "Converted from" | grep ^\" |tr '\n' ','| tr -d "\015")
parsons=$(./parsons "$tunepath")
echo "$tunepath,$tune,$keywords" >> bww.list
echo "$tunepath,$parsons" >> bww.list.parsons
done

locate -i bwm |  egrep -i "\.bwm$" |grep -v html.bwm|  while read tunepath; do
tune=$(basename "$tunepath")
keywords=$(cat "$tunepath" |  egrep -vi "FontSizes|FrequencyMappings|GracenoteDurations|InstrumentMappings|MIDINoteMappings|TuneFormat|VariationTempo|TuneTempo|Bagpipe Reader" | awk -F',\\(' '{ print $1 }' 
| grep -v \"\" | grep -v ^! | grep -v "Converted from" | grep ^\" |tr '\n' ','| tr -d "\015")
parsons=$(./parsons "$tunepath")
echo "$tunepath,$tune,$keywords" >> bww.list
echo "$tunepath,$parsons" >> bww.list.parsons
done
chown www-data bww.list*

Converting for parsons code.
See https://www.henriaanstoot.nl/2022/03/23/20-years-www-pipetunesearch-org/
and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parsons_code

#!/bin/bash
echo -n "\""
for f in `cat "$1"` ;do echo "$f" |  tr -cd "[A-HL]_[0-9]" ; echo  ; done | grep -v '^$' |grep _ > /tmp/parsons
let count=0
for f in `cat /tmp/parsons| tr -cd "[A-HL] \n"` ;do
  if [ "$f" = "LG" ] ; then g=0; fi
  if [ "$f" = "LA" ] ; then g=1; fi
  if [ "$f" = "B" ] ; then g=2; fi
  if [ "$f" = "C" ] ; then g=3; fi
  if [ "$f" = "D" ] ; then g=4; fi
  if [ "$f" = "E" ] ; then g=5; fi
  if [ "$f" = "F" ] ; then g=6; fi
  if [ "$f" = "HG" ] ; then g=7; fi
  if [ "$f" = "HA" ] ; then g=8; fi
 if [ $count -eq 0 ] ;then 
  echo -n "*"; 
  ((count++))
  last=$g
 else
 if [ "2$g" -eq "2$last" ] ; then echo -n "r" ; fi
 if [ "2$g" -lt "2$last" ] ; then echo -n "d" ; fi
 if [ "2$g" -gt "2$last" ] ; then echo -n "u" ; fi
 last=$g
fi
done
echo "\""

Just place all files in a directory on a php enabled webserver.
The bash script is being run daily.
(parsons bash script is called from this main script)
These will generate 2 files
One with the filename and all useful text like composers.
And a file with the filename and the parsons code.
Example:

11th of September, The.bww,"*udduddudduddudurrdudrrdudduddudrrduuuuududurrdudrrurrdududurrdudrrduddudurrduudduddudduddududdurdudrurdduddududr
urduuudrduddurdudrudrurduududdurdudrurdduddururdududduddudduddudruddudruddudduddudruddruududududududrudurddrududruddudrudduddudurddrudrrudrrudrrudrrudrrudrrudrrudrrudrrudrrudrrudrrudrrudrrudrrudrrudrrudrrud
rrudrrudrrudrrudrrudrrudrrudrrudrrudrruuduuduuduuduuduuudrduuduurduuduuurdrduuduuduuuduurduuduuduuduuduu"

Example screenshots

Sun in the stream on my Uilleann Pipes

Irmgard told me a week ago she liked “Sun in the stream” by Enya.
I found a midi file a while ago, which i edited to get the accompaniment part only, without the melody line.

I played this after 4 times practicing, and learning to use some extra keys on the chanter while doing so.

I played the midi file on my Yamaha QY-100 sequencer.

Holes and keys on a Uilleann Pipe Chanter

Merry xmas and a happy 2018

Joe Mooney Summer School

UPDATE: 20230426 – Book with info

While on holiday in Ireland, Coline, Monique and i went to the Joe Mooney Summer School of Traditional Irish Music, Song & Dance.

Every July Drumshanbo plays host to the award winning Joe Mooney Summer School, a week long festival of traditional Irish music, song and dance named after the man who did so much to promote the cause of Leitrim and his beloved town. The committee continue to emulate his high ideals, endeavouring to promote Leitrim’s heritage of traditional music while handing on the best traditions of the past to future generations.

While being in Ireland from 9-27 Juli, we drove around and visited many places.

One week was reserved for attending the Summer School in Drumshanbo, Leitrim.

Coline followed the Flute Course, Monique Bodhran and I Uilleann Pipes.

I was being taught by Brain McNamara.

Internationally respected as a performer and tutor, Brian McNamara hails from a musically rich rural region (County Leitrim) of Ireland which has produced notable musicians past and present and which has been prominently associated with the preservation and performance of Irish Traditional Music.

During daytime there were lessons, and concerts in the evening.
We learned a lot!

Some evening practising by the lake

Tunes i’ve learned from Brian are:

  • Gander at the Pratie Hole
  • Honeymoon
  • Kitty goes a milking
  • O’Sullivans March

Beautiful interpretation of the tune “Battle of Cnoc na ndos”

UPDATE: 20230426 – Book with info

While flipping through some books i own about piping i found this little book: “The Man & his Music” An Anthology of the writings of Breandan Breathnach. ISBN: 09509743

Passing places and The Road East.

Did a simple recording on one of our practice sessions.

Two tunes by Fred Morrison.

Fred Morrison was born and raised near Glasgow, but it’s the celebrated Gaelic piping tradition of his father’s native South Uist, in the outer Hebrides, that forms the bedrock of his intensely expressive, uniquely adventurous style.

We’ve been to South Uist in 2022, there are many passing places in the North and on the Isles.
But the tune Passing Places was writting because Fred was commisioned to produce a soundtrack for a film/documentary about the Hebrides.
The tune “The Road East” was written on a car journey from Glasgow to Edinburgh.

This is my low D whistle, I also want to play this on our Irish Flute.

Fixing a accordeon

In our folkband i play also the Accordeon.

I only know a few songs on this, but i needed to learn at least one to play in our band. This is in honour of my mother who alway encouraged us to play musical instruments.

This accordeon was het one she and her sisters learned to play on when they where young.

In 40+ years some things needed replacing!