This is interesting to me, but may have been discussed before - I couldn't turn up a relevant thread with a search.
In the harmonic thread Rob mentioned his friend who makes the (common) criticism that ITM fiddle playing "uses only half of the instrument" by not making a common practice of shifting . This is largely true, as we tend to have tunes in a limited set of keys and ranges presumably to make life easier for the pipe and whistle players in our lives. As a fiddle player, I'm fine with this, but on some tunes (or parts of tunes) will drop the octave for either "musical interest" or "viola practice". There are a limited number of tunes which I'll play up an octave higher, but tend not to in session out of a feeling that that enters whistle player territory. How do other fiddle players work with going up the octave?
Big thing in Sliabh Luachra playing, so yeah, I do it a lot. Padraig o'Keeffe was like, "Julia. You're my go-to gal on octaves." Nowadays, find a recording of Caoimhin o'Raghallaigh with Mick o'Brien, and you'll hear some really amazing octave work. In Bb, his bass string is an elastic band and it rings like crazy. Remarkable sound!
Playing in different octaves is kinda cool, but generally just a novelty. Nothing is that much better in a different octave than it would be in the normal octave (in fact, it's more often much worse). Nuff said.
Dan - Playing an octave *below* is a big thing in Sliabh Luachra playing, yes? I'm speaking about the other way. And yeah, those recordings with the Cliffords/O'Keefe/Denis Murphy are great - really important to my own playing, anyway. I'll have to seek out the other players you mentioned - thank you!
Georgi - a lot of times I come up with new ways of ornamenting a tune when I play it an octave lower on fiddle due to the different set of fingerings necessary - that's something that creates variety, anyway.
Playing in the lower octave (as mentioned for Sliabh Luachra music on fiddle) is very effective and also works well for the concertina where many players use it for tune variation purposes. You often hear the dropped octave effect with good céilí bands (the Kilfenora and Turloughmore are examples) and it gives the music that much more body. In my own view, it's dropping down an octave that that I'd go for as I think going up with music, that already leans towards the higher register, would not be desirable.
Ah, yeah Reenactor, that clarification would important - playing *down* versus up. Bannerman has the right idea, I think: ITM tends towards higher stuff, so the drop is really thick and sweet.
Georgi, I'd have to question the thought that dropping octaves doesn't give an appreciable effect to the music. Different fingering means different bowing, different phrasing, different drones, different string dynamics, all of which can make a tune sound VERY different overall - at least as big a change as a modulation of key.
going up the octave
going up the octave
This is interesting to me, but may have been discussed before - I couldn't turn up a relevant thread with a search.
In the harmonic thread Rob mentioned his friend who makes the (common) criticism that ITM fiddle playing "uses only half of the instrument" by not making a common practice of shifting . This is largely true, as we tend to have tunes in a limited set of keys and ranges presumably to make life easier for the pipe and whistle players in our lives. As a fiddle player, I'm fine with this, but on some tunes (or parts of tunes) will drop the octave for either "musical interest" or "viola practice". There are a limited number of tunes which I'll play up an octave higher, but tend not to in session out of a feeling that that enters whistle player territory. How do other fiddle players work with going up the octave?
TJH
http://www.myspace.com/tjhullandjeffk
# Posted on May 30th 2007 by reenactor
Re: going up the octave
If there are no whistles or pipes present why not try it so as to give a different sound to a tune, perhaps on the 2nd or 3rd play.
# Posted on May 30th 2007 by Trevor Jennings
Re: going up the octave
Big thing in Sliabh Luachra playing, so yeah, I do it a lot. Padraig o'Keeffe was like, "Julia. You're my go-to gal on octaves." Nowadays, find a recording of Caoimhin o'Raghallaigh with Mick o'Brien, and you'll hear some really amazing octave work. In Bb, his bass string is an elastic band and it rings like crazy. Remarkable sound!
--DtM
# Posted on May 30th 2007 by Dan the Man
Re: going up the octave
Playing in different octaves is kinda cool, but generally just a novelty. Nothing is that much better in a different octave than it would be in the normal octave (in fact, it's more often much worse). Nuff said.
# Posted on May 30th 2007 by Georgi
Re: going up the octave
Dan - Playing an octave *below* is a big thing in Sliabh Luachra playing, yes? I'm speaking about the other way. And yeah, those recordings with the Cliffords/O'Keefe/Denis Murphy are great - really important to my own playing, anyway. I'll have to seek out the other players you mentioned - thank you!
Georgi - a lot of times I come up with new ways of ornamenting a tune when I play it an octave lower on fiddle due to the different set of fingerings necessary - that's something that creates variety, anyway.
# Posted on May 30th 2007 by reenactor
Re: going up the octave
Playing in the lower octave (as mentioned for Sliabh Luachra music on fiddle) is very effective and also works well for the concertina where many players use it for tune variation purposes. You often hear the dropped octave effect with good céilí bands (the Kilfenora and Turloughmore are examples) and it gives the music that much more body. In my own view, it's dropping down an octave that that I'd go for as I think going up with music, that already leans towards the higher register, would not be desirable.
# Posted on May 30th 2007 by Bannerman
Re: going up the octave
Ah, yeah Reenactor, that clarification would important - playing *down* versus up. Bannerman has the right idea, I think: ITM tends towards higher stuff, so the drop is really thick and sweet.
Georgi, I'd have to question the thought that dropping octaves doesn't give an appreciable effect to the music. Different fingering means different bowing, different phrasing, different drones, different string dynamics, all of which can make a tune sound VERY different overall - at least as big a change as a modulation of key.
--DtM
# Posted on May 30th 2007 by Dan the Man