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Fiddle tunes the right hand and the cran; a question for wind players
Fiddle tunes the right hand and the cran; a question for wind players
Hello, long time lurker raising some questions here.
Recently I learned the Wise Maid (what a great tune). Before learning it a friend cautioned me that this was a real bastard for flutes and whistles and really is a fiddle tune.
What I found with the Wise Maid as well as other great fiddlish tunes (i.e. Salamanca, Martin Wynne´s) is that a loose right hand can make all the difference in the world. For me, being able to roll an F# or E with just the right hand makes a tune like the above mentioned flow much more. Maybe it´s that I´m playing pipes and a cut on G tends to break up the tone a little more, but even on flute I feel much smoother ornamenting below G with only the right hand. Am I relating only a personal feeling here or is this a common phenomenon?
Finally, the cran. I´ve been working on it for about a year now and it is finally starting to come out right. (i.e. I can pull it off and still get to the next note on time) As a friend of mine once said, "the pursuit of the perfect cran is a lifetime affair." That being said, is there any trick to the cran or is it really just a series of 3 short cuts? Also, does anyone ever use it to ornament a low E? That you could do with the same series of cuts.
Re: Fiddle tunes the right hand and the cran; a question for wind players
I never played E and F rolls with the right hand only. I have to try it.( I play the flute)
I have seen a flute player making crans on E and F too.
For me "the pursuit of the perfect cran is a *next* lifetime affair."
Re: Fiddle tunes the right hand and the cran; a question for wind players
Hi Abush.
Here in Manchester UK there is an Irish flute player (previous all Ireland winner in his 70's) that uses "double taps" instead of roles.
In the case of your example of F#: -
xxxxoo
xxxxxo
xxxxoo
xxxxxo
xxxxoo
He does these on other notes and it really makes the tunes flow.
Re: Fiddle tunes the right hand and the cran; a question for wind players
Thanks for the comment on the double taps. Tried a few out and they´ve got a nice bounce all of their own. Maybe I´ll have to start adding that to the ornamentation arsenal as well!!!
Aye, too much to learn and too little time to practice.
Re: Fiddle tunes the right hand and the cran; a question for wind players
Matt Molloy crans his low and high "E"s beautifully.
Rolling the F sharp on a flute with just the right hand would give the same roll normally played on the fiddle. But a lot of fiddle players like to pop the A with the pinky instead of the G with the third finger which is more like flute roll.
Re: Fiddle tunes the right hand and the cran; a question for wind players
When I first discovered rolls on the whistle, I played them all like G or B rolls - cutting with the note immediately above and tapping with the note immediately below. Then I read Geraldine Cotter's whistle tutor, which recommended always cutting with the G-finger for rolls on notes below G, and with the B finger for rolls on A and B. I've been using this ever since, because of the crisper, tighter sound it produces.
Now, what works on whistle doesn't necessarily work on flute but, just last week, I was talking to a flute player, who insisted that the 'proper' way to play rolls on the flute was cut with the note immediately above the note being rolled. As we know, there is no single 'proper' way of doing anything in this music - presumably that was the opinion of a particular flute player whom he had learned from. But playing rolls in this way, particularly on A, certainly has its advantages in anchoring the flute whilst playing. Not being a flute player, one of the (many) problems I have when pretending to be one, is having the flute roll out of my hands whilst trying to roll the note.
Re: Fiddle tunes the right hand and the cran; a question for wind players
It's so true that there is no right way to do anything playing ITM. I started with rolls always using the G finger or B finger, but then I switched to the notes above and below the note being rolled simply because I found it easier and my rolls sounded less forced.
Who knows if someday, when I'm more experienced on the flute, I may go back to the other method...
Fiddle tunes the right hand and the cran; a question for wind players
Fiddle tunes the right hand and the cran; a question for wind players
Hello, long time lurker raising some questions here.
Recently I learned the Wise Maid (what a great tune). Before learning it a friend cautioned me that this was a real bastard for flutes and whistles and really is a fiddle tune.
What I found with the Wise Maid as well as other great fiddlish tunes (i.e. Salamanca, Martin Wynne´s) is that a loose right hand can make all the difference in the world. For me, being able to roll an F# or E with just the right hand makes a tune like the above mentioned flow much more. Maybe it´s that I´m playing pipes and a cut on G tends to break up the tone a little more, but even on flute I feel much smoother ornamenting below G with only the right hand. Am I relating only a personal feeling here or is this a common phenomenon?
Finally, the cran. I´ve been working on it for about a year now and it is finally starting to come out right. (i.e. I can pull it off and still get to the next note on time) As a friend of mine once said, "the pursuit of the perfect cran is a lifetime affair." That being said, is there any trick to the cran or is it really just a series of 3 short cuts? Also, does anyone ever use it to ornament a low E? That you could do with the same series of cuts.
Thanks for taking the time to reply.
Alex
# Posted on May 12th 2003 by abush
Re: Fiddle tunes the right hand and the cran; a question for wind players
I never played E and F rolls with the right hand only. I have to try it.( I play the flute)
I have seen a flute player making crans on E and F too.
For me "the pursuit of the perfect cran is a *next* lifetime affair."
# Posted on May 12th 2003 by gian marco
Re: Fiddle tunes the right hand and the cran; a question for wind players
Hi Abush.
Here in Manchester UK there is an Irish flute player (previous all Ireland winner in his 70's) that uses "double taps" instead of roles.
In the case of your example of F#: -
xxxxoo
xxxxxo
xxxxoo
xxxxxo
xxxxoo
He does these on other notes and it really makes the tunes flow.
All the best PP
# Posted on May 12th 2003 by Pied Piper
Re: Fiddle tunes the right hand and the cran; a question for wind players
Thanks for the comment on the double taps. Tried a few out and they´ve got a nice bounce all of their own. Maybe I´ll have to start adding that to the ornamentation arsenal as well!!!
Aye, too much to learn and too little time to practice.
Alex
# Posted on May 12th 2003 by abush
Re: Fiddle tunes the right hand and the cran; a question for wind players
Matt Molloy crans his low and high "E"s beautifully.
Rolling the F sharp on a flute with just the right hand would give the same roll normally played on the fiddle. But a lot of fiddle players like to pop the A with the pinky instead of the G with the third finger which is more like flute roll.
# Posted on May 13th 2003 by llig leahcim
Re: Fiddle tunes the right hand and the cran; a question for wind players
When I first discovered rolls on the whistle, I played them all like G or B rolls - cutting with the note immediately above and tapping with the note immediately below. Then I read Geraldine Cotter's whistle tutor, which recommended always cutting with the G-finger for rolls on notes below G, and with the B finger for rolls on A and B. I've been using this ever since, because of the crisper, tighter sound it produces.
Now, what works on whistle doesn't necessarily work on flute but, just last week, I was talking to a flute player, who insisted that the 'proper' way to play rolls on the flute was cut with the note immediately above the note being rolled. As we know, there is no single 'proper' way of doing anything in this music - presumably that was the opinion of a particular flute player whom he had learned from. But playing rolls in this way, particularly on A, certainly has its advantages in anchoring the flute whilst playing. Not being a flute player, one of the (many) problems I have when pretending to be one, is having the flute roll out of my hands whilst trying to roll the note.
# Posted on May 13th 2003 by CreadurMawnOrganig
Re: Fiddle tunes the right hand and the cran; a question for wind players
It's so true that there is no right way to do anything playing ITM. I started with rolls always using the G finger or B finger, but then I switched to the notes above and below the note being rolled simply because I found it easier and my rolls sounded less forced.
Who knows if someday, when I'm more experienced on the flute, I may go back to the other method...
# Posted on May 14th 2003 by Jayhawk