

Then, when Tim played it for the first time, it was as if he put salt on it. But for those I played it for, they were not convinced. For “Morning Galliano,” deep down I believed in the piece, even though I was not confident. How did that connection work for you?įor sure, I feed off my musical environment and am completely affected by my accompaniment. You mention that the melody of “Morning Galliano” didn’t gel until you heard Tim Edey play it on accordion.

I usually don’t force it-I accept and then go on to another piece. Sometimes this will happen easily and other times not so much. Being able to channel it creates the deeper beauty. When you play a new piece of music, it really brings its own story. My husband always says, “The music dictates.” It’s true. Playing tunes from different genres gives me a chance to feel a fresh musicality. How is your own interpretative skill integrated into the music? Lots of those other colors come from Tim and his guitar accompaniment. If each of them requires its own technique, I am not thinking about it. How do you keep them all straight in your head? There’s a wide range of styles and influences, from Irish to French, Quebecois to Cape Breton. What were the challenges?ġ2 Questions Violinists Ask About Fiddling I then brought all that to Tim and we played through them and picked the best 12. After I compiled lots of favorites and finished writing some of the tune ideas, I just kept my choices until I ended up with about 20 pieces-some medleys, some stand-alones. Some are reminders of old gems and others are starts of new tunes. On here are bits of melodies and musical ideas randomly thought of over the last four years. I would take a few hours everyday to go through my precious voice memos on my iPhone. How did you select the repertoire for this project? I counted 33 tunes, including originals and parts of medleys, on the album.
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I am getting a lot of questions like, “What have you been doing these last eight years?” Answer: playing music, touring, writing, recording, releasing a Christmas special in Canada and the States, starting a Celtic folk fest, collaborating, mothering, wife-ing.Life has been full and rich with music and love! I loved playing music in his style so much that I promised him we had to do a whole recording together-just guitar and fiddle. Now, recording my 12th solo album was a simple, but determined urge started five years ago when Tim Edey and I played some tunes together at my home. My husband and I have had four children in those years and made two recordings as a duo. What led to your decision to record at this time? This is your first solo album in eight years. Strings asked MacMaster to discuss the album and challenges of these fiddle styles. The tunes range from Irish and Cape Breton–style fiddling to pop. Sketches, her first solo album in eight years, draws on a lifetime of inspiration. “It is a moment during my 47th year of life, my 37th year of fiddling, my 16th year of marriage, and my 13th year of parenting,” MacMaster says, adding that the album is “a moment of joyous appreciation inspired by years of parenting, marriage, friendships, music, and life.” Over the years, she has received an abundance of nominations and award wins, including a Grammy Award and nomination, a JUNO Award and seven nominations, 19 East Coast Music Association awards, and five Canadian Country Music Association “Fiddler of the Year” nods, as well as three honorary doctorates, an induction into the Casino Nova Scotia Music Hall of Fame, and a membership in the Order of Canada.īut the music world has heard little from her of late-until now. But it boasts some of the liveliest music around, and few have mastered it as well as Celtic-music superstar Natalie MacMaster. By Greg Cahill | From the January/February 2020 issue of Strings MagazineĬape Breton, an island on the northeast end of Nova Scotia, Canada, is one of the most remote regions on the planet.
