Why do we bother having a g string? (here come the underwear jokes...) I am a relative newcomer to this music, but I don't think I know a single tune that uses the g string. Any suggestions for tunes that make use of that string?
The Galway Hornpipe starts with a AB Csharp triplet on the g string Seige of Ennis a polka, Rattigans
a reel are some. Maybe there arnt that many due to the limitations of some instrument but when the g string is used
it gives another lift to a tune (my opinion)
Listen to the hornpipe and reel on the virtual radio session in session links
I use the g string fairly commonly. And there's always double stops. Fly Fishing Reel, Bobby Casey's (the one I posted), Lads of Laois...there's three.
It's 5.30am so it's hard to think,(on night shift-just in case you lot think i'm insane enough to be reading this discussion at this hour) but the hornpipe "jug of punch" uses the G string a bit, "kid on the mountain" has a note at the start on the G string.......zzzzzzzzzzz....thankfully not that many other tunes that i play use the G string as i find triplets on it a curse!
there a lot of tunes using the G string: farewell to Ireland, Lafferty's, Martin Wynne's, O'Dowd, Lad o' Beirne's, just a few crosng my mind, anyway you can also use it as a drone or for double stops..
If you dispense with the G string on the fiddle you'll find that the tone will be different and will lose some resonance. Even if the G string isn't being played it will resonate with other notes being played higher up that have harmonics matching those on the G - g, d, and b of those higher notes being the most important. Also, I am inclined to believe that removing the G string will alter the loading on the belly to the possible detriment of the instrument - but I would like a luthier's opinion on this before I commit myself.
The G string is also important for providing drones and double stops - see "Tame Her When Da Snaw Comes" for a typical example of a G string drone. And you can end many a tune in D with a fine double stop of the D string with a fingered A on the G.
A friend of mine who lives in Buxton (not far from Manchester) has an extra string on his Fiddle a low C; this gives him a Viola and a Fiddle in one instrument. Certain tunes he plays an octave down and it really adds a lot to a session.
I think the Tailor's Twist goes down to the G string. I love the sound of double stops, and thanks Trevor--I will try that open D and A on the G string one when I practice later on...
When I took an Appalachian fiddle class last fall, we raised the G string up to an A for some tunes in D and it just resonated the whole time beautifully. But that's not traditional for Irish music. Or do some well-known Irish fiddlers actually do that? Anybody know?
Being rather fond of random thoughts I'll chime in.
Trevor's got it! The G string on my mandolin resonates powerfully when any G soungs. While tuning I feel the whole instrument respond when either of the G strings comes to pitch.
Double stops give my relativly quiet instrument a bit more punch when needed. I'd not trade that away.
As for notes on the G string, there's C In _Wheels of the World_ and also in _The White Pettycoat_ A and B in the variant of _Whiskey Before Breakfast_ played in these parts. That's just the W's!
In Donegal style fiddling it's not uncommon for one player to play the tune an octave lower. My teacher, who is into Donegal style, does this in workshops sometimes when we're working on a suitable tune. On the TV programme about the Donegal fiddle earlier this year I saw one of the fiddlers tune his G string down for droning purposes. If you're in to tuning the G up to A a lot then it's advisable to use a light gauge G (rather than the more usual medium gauge) so as to avoid overloading the belly with too much tension.
Octaving (playing an octave below) is also fairly common in Sliabh Luachra circles and is very effective on some of the slides and polkas not to mention Cronin's Hornpipe. Some other tunes using the G string include the Donegal Reel (A,B,C, D intro), Jackie Colemans, the Dawn, Martin Wynne's, Tommy Peoples' Green Fields of Glentown - the list goes on, come to think of it, some of the best session tunes (in my opinion anyway for what it's worth)!!
I love the dark resonance of the G string, and would be heartbroken if it was gone.......My favourite tunes go down to the G string......Master Crowley's, Lads of Laois, Castle Jig, Jack McCann, Rediggan.s, Sherlocks, Farewell to Erin etc.....and it's great to play tunes like the Kesh Jig an octave below.
Aside from the fact that there *are* a good number of tunes which drop below the open D-string, and even in those that don't necessarily normally do so, the G-string may be used in variations (double stops, drone-effect or melodic variation), one must bear in mind that the violinwas no invented for Irish Traditional Music, and it had already been in existence some 200 years before it began to gain popularity in Ireland. Assuming that the presence of the G-string is not a major obstacle to the playing of those tunes that do not utilise it, why do away with it?
1. Double stops
2. Comping/chords
3. Doubling down the octave
4. The Galway Reel
5. Paddy Fahy tunes
6. Tunes in G minor
Check out the five-string fiddles - you get a low C string as well - they're so cool.
As a random comment, I came back to my apartment one night, picked up my guitar and noticed that the G-string was gone. I immediately blamed my banjo playing roommate on it's untimely disappearance/breakage, and assumed that he had taken the G-string off of my guitar and put it on his banjo. He is forever breaking strings. So, I left him a note on the coffeetable that simply said, "Martin, where is my G string?"
His response scribbled below my note: "I don't wear women's underwear."
by the way, "je suis une vache", i must ask you the question, which puzzles me from the start; are you really a cow? it would be an interesting case from a scientific point of view..
a random thought
a random thought
Why do we bother having a g string? (here come the underwear jokes...) I am a relative newcomer to this music, but I don't think I know a single tune that uses the g string. Any suggestions for tunes that make use of that string?
# Posted on March 25th 2003 by jeSuisUneVache
Re: a random thought
The Galway Hornpipe starts with a AB Csharp triplet on the g string Seige of Ennis a polka, Rattigans
a reel are some. Maybe there arnt that many due to the limitations of some instrument but when the g string is used
it gives another lift to a tune (my opinion)
Listen to the hornpipe and reel on the virtual radio session in session links
# Posted on March 25th 2003 by Bryan
Re: a random thought
I use the g string fairly commonly. And there's always double stops. Fly Fishing Reel, Bobby Casey's (the one I posted), Lads of Laois...there's three.
Zina
# Posted on March 25th 2003 by Zina Lee
Re: a random thought
It's 5.30am so it's hard to think,(on night shift-just in case you lot think i'm insane enough to be reading this discussion at this hour) but the hornpipe "jug of punch" uses the G string a bit, "kid on the mountain" has a note at the start on the G string.......zzzzzzzzzzz....thankfully not that many other tunes that i play use the G string as i find triplets on it a curse!
# Posted on March 25th 2003 by Celtic1234
Re: a random thought
The Mountain Road, Bonnie Kate
Night Shifts Stink
# Posted on March 25th 2003 by Lat
Re: a random thought
Dowd's Favorite spends a lot of time there.
# Posted on March 25th 2003 by mandocaster
Re: a random thought
mulhaire's reel
# Posted on March 25th 2003 by sarahc
Re: a random thought
there a lot of tunes using the G string: farewell to Ireland, Lafferty's, Martin Wynne's, O'Dowd, Lad o' Beirne's, just a few crosng my mind, anyway you can also use it as a drone or for double stops..
# Posted on March 25th 2003 by paul95
Re: a random thought
What about Farewell to Erin/Farewell to Ireland? Not that
I know much about G strings being a sax player
# Posted on March 25th 2003 by Noah Treeman
Sorry Paul-leray I am clearly a blind sax player.
# Posted on March 25th 2003 by Noah Treeman
Re: a random thought
If you dispense with the G string on the fiddle you'll find that the tone will be different and will lose some resonance. Even if the G string isn't being played it will resonate with other notes being played higher up that have harmonics matching those on the G - g, d, and b of those higher notes being the most important. Also, I am inclined to believe that removing the G string will alter the loading on the belly to the possible detriment of the instrument - but I would like a luthier's opinion on this before I commit myself.
The G string is also important for providing drones and double stops - see "Tame Her When Da Snaw Comes" for a typical example of a G string drone. And you can end many a tune in D with a fine double stop of the D string with a fingered A on the G.
# Posted on March 25th 2003 by Trevor Jennings
Re: a random thought
A friend of mine who lives in Buxton (not far from Manchester) has an extra string on his Fiddle a low C; this gives him a Viola and a Fiddle in one instrument. Certain tunes he plays an octave down and it really adds a lot to a session.
All the best
PP
# Posted on March 25th 2003 by Pied Piper
Re: a random thought
I think the Tailor's Twist goes down to the G string. I love the sound of double stops, and thanks Trevor--I will try that open D and A on the G string one when I practice later on...
# Posted on March 25th 2003 by Andee
Re: a random thought
When I took an Appalachian fiddle class last fall, we raised the G string up to an A for some tunes in D and it just resonated the whole time beautifully. But that's not traditional for Irish music. Or do some well-known Irish fiddlers actually do that? Anybody know?
# Posted on March 25th 2003 by Andee
Re: a random thought
Some of the Buozouki/Octave Mandola players I've met tune the G upto A particularly when playing Scottish Pipe tunes.
PP
# Posted on March 25th 2003 by Pied Piper
Re: a random thought
Being rather fond of random thoughts I'll chime in.
Trevor's got it! The G string on my mandolin resonates powerfully when any G soungs. While tuning I feel the whole instrument respond when either of the G strings comes to pitch.
Double stops give my relativly quiet instrument a bit more punch when needed. I'd not trade that away.
As for notes on the G string, there's C In _Wheels of the World_ and also in _The White Pettycoat_ A and B in the variant of _Whiskey Before Breakfast_ played in these parts. That's just the W's!
Peace,
Gra5ity
# Posted on March 25th 2003 by Gra5ity
Re: a random thought
In Donegal style fiddling it's not uncommon for one player to play the tune an octave lower. My teacher, who is into Donegal style, does this in workshops sometimes when we're working on a suitable tune. On the TV programme about the Donegal fiddle earlier this year I saw one of the fiddlers tune his G string down for droning purposes. If you're in to tuning the G up to A a lot then it's advisable to use a light gauge G (rather than the more usual medium gauge) so as to avoid overloading the belly with too much tension.
# Posted on March 26th 2003 by Trevor Jennings
Re: a random thought
Octaving (playing an octave below) is also fairly common in Sliabh Luachra circles and is very effective on some of the slides and polkas not to mention Cronin's Hornpipe. Some other tunes using the G string include the Donegal Reel (A,B,C, D intro), Jackie Colemans, the Dawn, Martin Wynne's, Tommy Peoples' Green Fields of Glentown - the list goes on, come to think of it, some of the best session tunes (in my opinion anyway for what it's worth)!!
# Posted on March 26th 2003 by Bannerman
Re: a random thought
I love the dark resonance of the G string, and would be heartbroken if it was gone.......My favourite tunes go down to the G string......Master Crowley's, Lads of Laois, Castle Jig, Jack McCann, Rediggan.s, Sherlocks, Farewell to Erin etc.....and it's great to play tunes like the Kesh Jig an octave below.
# Posted on March 26th 2003 by aoife
Re: a random thought
The G string is not much used by flute players, but Ian Anderson had great effect with a codpiece.
# Posted on March 26th 2003 by glauber
Re: a random thought
Aside from the fact that there *are* a good number of tunes which drop below the open D-string, and even in those that don't necessarily normally do so, the G-string may be used in variations (double stops, drone-effect or melodic variation), one must bear in mind that the violinwas no invented for Irish Traditional Music, and it had already been in existence some 200 years before it began to gain popularity in Ireland. Assuming that the presence of the G-string is not a major obstacle to the playing of those tunes that do not utilise it, why do away with it?
# Posted on March 26th 2003 by CreadurMawnOrganig
Re: a random thought
1. Double stops
2. Comping/chords
3. Doubling down the octave
4. The Galway Reel
5. Paddy Fahy tunes
6. Tunes in G minor
Check out the five-string fiddles - you get a low C string as well - they're so cool.
As a random comment, I came back to my apartment one night, picked up my guitar and noticed that the G-string was gone. I immediately blamed my banjo playing roommate on it's untimely disappearance/breakage, and assumed that he had taken the G-string off of my guitar and put it on his banjo. He is forever breaking strings. So, I left him a note on the coffeetable that simply said, "Martin, where is my G string?"
His response scribbled below my note: "I don't wear women's underwear."
Cara
# Posted on March 26th 2003 by carafiddle
Re: a random thought
by the way, "je suis une vache", i must ask you the question, which puzzles me from the start; are you really a cow? it would be an interesting case from a scientific point of view..
# Posted on March 28th 2003 by paul95
Re: a random thought
The *cat* is supposed to play the fiddle, not the *cow*...
# Posted on March 28th 2003 by Nell
Re: a random thought
Forgot the smileeeee.... just incase you thought I was being genuinely pedantic...
# Posted on March 28th 2003 by Nell