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I am supposed to play this at our Son's wedding reception in a couple months. It would be great to be able to add vibrato but that seems unrealistic. What do you think needs the most work?
FYI it is a very small, low key immediate family wedding so not that big a deal. If I really need a lot of improvement... I'll just start serving the wine and beer earlier 
Also, I have already auditioned for our son and his fiance and they liked it as-is but I want to make it as pretty as possible.
Thanks!
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Hi Joe,
I'd say you've pretty much got the song at a good level already--got it memorized, excellent intonation, even rhythm, etc. If you keep playing it multiple times every day until the wedding, you'll have it perfect by then and maybe can even play it a little faster (which at least I would prefer to hear it at). Good start and good job!
Very nice! and how special and memorable to play this at your son's wedding. Good job!
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Very nice! I agree with Steve. Just keep working on it and you'll smooth out the semi-rough spots. Oh, sure, vibrato would be nice but may not be in the cards given the deadline.
You might consider throwing in a few hammer-ons and/or pull-offs in a few places to add some embellishments. They're fairly easy to do. But, that's just my opinion. Others might have reasons why that wouldn't be a good idea.
Great job! Good luck at the wedding and best wishes to your son and his fiance.
-- Diane
When the work's all done and the sun's settin' low,
I pull out my fiddle and I rosin up the bow.
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Is that SNOW outside??? ~~~~~??
I would do as others have said. Play it, Play it, Play it, and Play it, ~~~~~
That can be a bit CRAZY but it will pay off. Each time you will get more intonation, etc and just might find a little vibrato coming out.
When you can not play it anymore but yet have some play left in ya >>>>> RUN the SCALE that is associated with the song. Run the notes in the associated key and modes. Then play the song again and again and then RUN the SCALES within the key.
Again and Again and Again
YOU WILL ROCK!!!!!
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It sounded mighty fine to me, but lots of practice amidst distractions might ensure a more perfect performance.
Was that your dog on tambourine at 2:14?
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Kind of an interesting choice for a wedding. A very pretty song, but a very sad one as well.
The only thing I heard that I think maybe needs work is your fluency. It sounds like you just haven't played the song enough times yet to be fully comfortable with it. Play it a couple times a day, and you'll have that licked easy enough in less than a couple of months.
I think you have it at a good tempo for what you are doing on it right now. If you plan on working in some ornamentation/embellishment like trills or chords in some spots to add interest, it might work better a little slower.
But I think you have it sounding very good, for a couple of months before the event. I think you'll do good at the wedding.
"This young wine may have a lot of tannins now, but in 5 or 10 years it is going to be spectacular, despite the fact that right now it tastes like crude oil. You know this is how it is supposed to taste at this stage of development." ~ Itzhak Perlman
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DanielB said
Kind of an interesting choice for a wedding. A very pretty song, but a very sad one as well.The only thing I heard that I think maybe needs work is your fluency. It sounds like you just haven't played the song enough times yet to be fully comfortable with it. Play it a couple times a day, and you'll have that licked easy enough in less than a couple of months.
I think you have it at a good tempo for what you are doing on it right now. If you plan on working in some ornamentation/embellishment like trills or chords in some spots to add interest, it might work better a little slower.
But I think you have it sounding very good, for a couple of months before the event. I think you'll do good at the wedding.
The Retaw Boyce youtube video was what first really got me motivated to learn to play. When I shared the audio with my son, he put it on a continuous loop and played it for hours. He and his fiance love the song. I offered to play others but they want this one.
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Stone Dog, no snow at the moment... 90+ F this week. We're having an unusually hot summer up here. No snow expected until December. I think it was just sun on the trees.
RosinedUp, that was one of our dogs Brandi. AKA Brandino Damitnokitoff 
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By "interesting", all I meant was that it is not one of the usual wedding cliches. It is a beautiful song.
I first heard it a few decades ago, on Neil Hellman's "Oktober County" album, but the Retaw Boyce version is my current favorite as well. Retaw Boyce's version is what got me started experimenting with chords on violin.
For the actual wedding, are you planning on doing the piece unaccompanied, or against Boyce's backing tracks? Those are some pretty nice backing tracks, and I could definitely see them as something to help make a very nice moment for a special day.
"This young wine may have a lot of tannins now, but in 5 or 10 years it is going to be spectacular, despite the fact that right now it tastes like crude oil. You know this is how it is supposed to taste at this stage of development." ~ Itzhak Perlman
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DanielB said
By "interesting", all I meant was that it is not one of the usual wedding cliches. It is a beautiful song.I first heard it a few decades ago, on Neil Hellman's "Oktober County" album, but the Retaw Boyce version is my current favorite as well. Retaw Boyce's version is what got me started experimenting with chords on violin.
For the actual wedding, are you planning on doing the piece unaccompanied, or against Boyce's backing tracks? Those are some pretty nice backing tracks, and I could definitely see them as something to help make a very nice moment for a special day.
Hey Daniel, I hadn't considered using the backing tracks. Sounds interesting but I'm not sure how I'd work the logistics of it.
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I enjoyed listening to your Si Bheag Si Mhor. I like your rendition of it without vibrato. I'm sure you will perform it really well at the wedding. The above advisor comments should be helpful.
Very good!! I like it as it is now, but if You want to improve a bit, don't take the bow off the string if not necessary (like You did at 1:51). The intonation is good. If You'll try to add more dynamics to your performance - that will be perfect.
You're doing great! Nice to see it =)!
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Hey Joe!!! This is so lovely. Great job.. you are all set now! I think everyone said it best..the confidence that come with practice so you enjoy yourself fully on this life event!
Congratulations and best of luck...
Vibrato Desperato.... Desperately seeking vibrato
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FYI, I think I've figured out a good way to do the backing track logistics... a looper pedal.
Looking at the TV Electronic Ditto for the price and the Boss RC-3 for the features. With the RC-3 I could actually have backing tracks for several songs. It appears much easier to load backing tracks onto the RC-3 as well.
UPDATE: There's also the Digitech Jamman Solo XT that I just read about. It is about the same price as the RC-3 but looks like it might be even easier to use. It has an Aux audio input, a Micro SD Card slot, and software for managing tracks.
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Now me, I'd usually think lower tech. Like an mp3 player into whatever sort of sound system will be available at the event, or burn the backing tracks to a CD and use a CD player. LOL
"This young wine may have a lot of tannins now, but in 5 or 10 years it is going to be spectacular, despite the fact that right now it tastes like crude oil. You know this is how it is supposed to taste at this stage of development." ~ Itzhak Perlman
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Great job Joe. The best part is that you are so far ahead and have plenty of time to make it better. Keep up the good work. You'll make your son proud. 
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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