Description
Christoph Pelgen, known for his extraordinary talent and passion for BalFolk and traditional music, presents in “Pelgen Tunes – Vol. 1” is an impressive collection of 80 new melodies. This volume is a real treasure for anyone who loves and wants to master the art of the bagpipes, hurdy-gurdy, fiddle, flute and similar instruments.
Music that connects
The melodies in this first volume span the whole of Europe as far as the Balkans and the Bosporus. They contain a rich selection of often polyphonic pieces that will take the hearts of both musicians and listeners by storm. The variety of compositions in “Pelgen Tunes – Vol. 1” makes it an indispensable repertoire for musicians looking for fresh and versatile sheet music.
For every voice and every instrument
Although composed specifically for drone instruments such as bagpipes and hurdy-gurdy, the pieces are arranged so that they can be played on a wide range of instruments. Each melody comes with chords, which makes the collection particularly flexible and adaptable for different musical formations and levels.
The inspiration behind the music
In his foreword, Christoph Pelgen shares personal insights into his musical career – from his first bagpipes to his role as a course leader and composer. His story is an inspiration for anyone who sees music not just as a hobby, but as a profound form of expression. “Pelgen Tunes – Vol. 1” is the result of decades of experience and passion, a tribute to traditional music and its timeless beauty.
A call for creativity
Christoph Pelgen encourages musicians to use his compositions as a starting point for their own creative discoveries. This collection is more than just sheet music; it is an invitation to embark on a musical journey, to experiment and to develop your own musical expression. Pelgen emphasizes the importance of sharing and musical community and hopes that his melodies will resonate far beyond the pages of this book.
Discover “Pelgen Tunes – Vol. 1”
With “Pelgen Tunes – Vol. 1” not only gives you access to a world full of new melodies, but also the opportunity to become part of a living tradition. Christoph Pelgen shares not only his music, but also his heart and soul with everyone who turns the pages of this volume. Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of drone music and be inspired by the variety and beauty of the “Pelgen Tunes”.
Foreword
In 1988 I got my first bagpipe, a Gaita galega, built by Dieter Güttler from old table legs from the bulky waste. That’s how it all began. I got to know Breton folk music through Dieter and Toni Weiler from my first group “Sans famille” – a revelation!
The first few years I mainly learned new tunes from records and cassettes. When I joined the Tübingen band La Marmotte in 1990, I found my musical destiny. I watched the musicians in Lautenbach and St. Chartier like a sponge, soaking up everything, enraptured by the melancholy French dance melodies that touched me deeply.
I started giving bagpipe lessons in 1994. The bagpipe instruction book by Bernard Boulanger, which was published later, gave me the certainty that I hadn’t done everything wrong when I took my first steps on the bagpipes. Without ever having had lessons, I had instinctively found the right solutions to transfer what I had heard on recordings to my new instrument, a shepherd’s pipe by Andreas Rogge. At last I had names and descriptions for various decorating techniques.
Over the years, my shepherd’s pipe has had a few additions that are very important to me: I can retune the two drones from G to A, and keys for F sharp and A flat have been retrofitted. It’s also good that Andreas built the small drone with a middle section, so I have the option of using a fifth drone that I can retune to E.
I began to explore the possibilities of my instrument, which keys work, which musical styles can be interpreted on it? The limits were quickly found, the dictates of drone music are too static. By plugging the drones, however, I was able to use the one and a half octaves more or less freely, as long as there was a harmonic accompaniment in the form of an accordion or guitar….
Since Whitsun 2004 I have been regularly teaching bagpipe and ensemble playing courses and writing my own tunes for them (as well as for CD productions of my bands), which should encourage my students to deal with their instrument more intensively than just playing pieces in G or C.
I have benefited greatly from the fact that I was able to look the old hands in the eye, that long before me musicians were composing melodies that are still being played and I now feel called upon to add my skills and melodies to this pot for future generations of musicians. In my understanding, music is there to be played and to touch the listeners and dancers, not to be stored in copyright-protected archives and make life difficult for the organizers and performing bands. There’s no room for this kind of music in our media landscape anyway, you can’t get rich with it.
My pieces are therefore completely GEMA-free and I am happy when they are played. Do what you like with it, change it, find your own variations and harmonies…
If you would like to record one of my pieces on a CD, please mention my name and send me a specimen copy of the CD.
For other commercial use (film, etc.), my consent is required.
And: Please don’t copy this sheet music collection to pass it on, there’s a lot of work in it.
Happy music making
Your Christoph
Author:in
Christoph Pelgen
Born. 1967, grew up in Rheinhessen.
First music lessons at the age of 6 (flute), followed by guitar and clarinet. Self-study of bagpipes, bombarde, mandolin…
Between community service and carpentry apprenticeship, 1989/90 in search of my own self, a common European culture and the music that fascinates me, on foot from the Southern Palatinate to Santiago de Compostela on the Way of St. James.
Then I moved to Tübingen, where I found my musical family in the group La Marmotte in the fall of 1990.
Independent musician since 1993, numerous CD productions, performances as a bagpipe player at the Staatstheater Stuttgart, with the medieval rock band Adaro, with Estampie and L’ham de foc, bagpipe teacher, founder of the Wurmlinger Zupfkapelle Hilaritas and the 20s band die Croonies, passionate note collector and ukulele enthusiast.
My declared aim is to find my own means of musical expression by studying traditional melodies from every region. Music as a feeling, not as a competition – that’s what moves me.
