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Has a particular tune ever made you change an aspect of technique?
Has a particular tune ever made you change an aspect of technique?
I just learned the lovely "The Air Tune" by Liz Carroll, and in the process, discovered I didn't like the way my open E sounded. Learning classical violin, I had been taught to tilt or what my instructor called cant my bow so that I was playing on about the rightmost third of the hair.
So in trying to get a better sound on the open strings, I experimented with tilting the bow more toward the center of the hair. I am really pleased with the difference this has made in my sound. I don't have to push as hard when I want to emphasize a note or phrase. I get a fuller tone with less pressure.
So has this type of thing happened to anyone else, e.g., something about a particular tune has inspired you to change something about your playing?
Re: Has a particular tune ever made you change an aspect of technique?
Lots and lots of them. Off the top of my head, Slieve Russell was one of the first jigs where I used a lot of slurring across the bar line. And Martin Wynne's No 1 did the same for me with reels. That one also taught me how to slur into rolls on the second and fourth beats.
Kid on the Mountain is good for cuts, rolls etc (and great for breath control on whistle, I've recently found).
Then, there's techniques that only apply to certain tunes - like the rocking patterns in (what I call) the Old Copperplate (that's the one in G) and the way you have to bounce off those cran thingies in An Phis Phliuch.
... and the combination roll/rocking string crossings in Dusty Windowsills ...
Re: Has a particular tune ever made you change an aspect of technique?
I'm just thinking that there's something special, technically as well as musically, about just about every tune. Which may be an obvious thing to say ...
Re: Has a particular tune ever made you change an aspect of technique?
Jenny's Welcome to Charlie - when I first started working on
it - from Paddy Glackin's version - I was thrashing around
horribly with the bow but it is 10 times easier now with the bow
floating across the string changes. It has carried over into
everything else now
Re: Has a particular tune ever made you change an aspect of technique?
My favorite too, PaddyCmusic - I found I could make the concertina yelp in the third part of Ballyloughlin - that set me off on "proper" pipe-ornaments.
Re: Has a particular tune ever made you change an aspect of technique?
I think this happens fairly regularly to me.
firstly working on my tone and hard D using Dmajor keyed tunes, just by working on those tunes seems to help me work on my tone and the D.
And since I recently acquired a new keyed flute, I'm using the tunes to emphasise use of each of the keys, so having got to grips with the C and the long F, I couldn't think of a tune that would develop my use of the short F until I came accross the Yellow Tinker, absolutely perfect to work on the short f.
Next is the G#
Rather than tune to technicque, probably for me to develop technique I search for tunes which help it..
Re: Has a particular tune ever made you change an aspect of technique?
something I find very good for technique,and as a substitute for boring scales,is to play a tune intwo different keys,for example A and Bb,which in my case means more playing with one hand than the other.
excuse the thread drift,but does anyone else have problems with putting one part of atune with another,Iam having real difficulty with the Garden of Daisies and the Blackbird.sort of garden of blackbirds.
Re: Has a particular tune ever made you change an aspect of technique?
Interesting point there dickens. I have always experimented changing keys of tunes but only to the extend of bringing a tune in G down to F or up to A. Or bring a tune in D down to C. Or bring a tune in G down to D etc. But going from A into B flat would be an interesting exercise. Or D up to E flat or down to C sharp.
One thing I do find helpful for using unfamiliar notes and getting used to notes further up the neck is playing different genres of music. Sometimes my friends indie band will come down and I'll jam along with the banjo. It doesn't suit the type of music but it's good practice/experience and good fun too!
Re: Has a particular tune ever made you change an aspect of technique?
There are lots of tunes with little quirks that bring an additional technique to your playing.
Of course, there are also those of us who have weaknesses (like my sloppy rolls), that avoid certain tunes that would emphasize that weakness!!!!
Has a particular tune ever made you change an aspect of technique?
Has a particular tune ever made you change an aspect of technique?
I just learned the lovely "The Air Tune" by Liz Carroll, and in the process, discovered I didn't like the way my open E sounded. Learning classical violin, I had been taught to tilt or what my instructor called cant my bow so that I was playing on about the rightmost third of the hair.
So in trying to get a better sound on the open strings, I experimented with tilting the bow more toward the center of the hair. I am really pleased with the difference this has made in my sound. I don't have to push as hard when I want to emphasize a note or phrase. I get a fuller tone with less pressure.
So has this type of thing happened to anyone else, e.g., something about a particular tune has inspired you to change something about your playing?
# Posted on June 5th 2008 by cathrynb
Re: Has a particular tune ever made you change an aspect of technique?
Shoe the Donkey played on slurred bows with Rainey-style bow pressure... quite fun.
# Posted on June 5th 2008 by mutatis mutandis
Re: Has a particular tune ever made you change an aspect of technique?
Lots and lots of them. Off the top of my head, Slieve Russell was one of the first jigs where I used a lot of slurring across the bar line. And Martin Wynne's No 1 did the same for me with reels. That one also taught me how to slur into rolls on the second and fourth beats.
Kid on the Mountain is good for cuts, rolls etc (and great for breath control on whistle, I've recently found).
Then, there's techniques that only apply to certain tunes - like the rocking patterns in (what I call) the Old Copperplate (that's the one in G) and the way you have to bounce off those cran thingies in An Phis Phliuch.
... and the combination roll/rocking string crossings in Dusty Windowsills ...
# Posted on June 5th 2008 by ethical blend
Re: Has a particular tune ever made you change an aspect of technique?
I'm just thinking that there's something special, technically as well as musically, about just about every tune. Which may be an obvious thing to say ...
# Posted on June 5th 2008 by ethical blend
Re: Has a particular tune ever made you change an aspect of technique?
Certainly. Tunes like The Galway Rambler, Fred Finn's and Music in the Glen helped with my third finger bridging technique on banjo.
On flute, The Humours of Ballyloughlain and Fraher's are two of many tunes aiding me in getting the low D. I've a long way to go yet though.
# Posted on June 5th 2008 by 52Paddy
Re: Has a particular tune ever made you change an aspect of technique?
Jenny's Welcome to Charlie - when I first started working on
it - from Paddy Glackin's version - I was thrashing around
horribly with the bow but it is 10 times easier now with the bow
floating across the string changes. It has carried over into
everything else now
# Posted on June 5th 2008 by Hup
Re: Has a particular tune ever made you change an aspect of technique?
My favorite too, PaddyCmusic - I found I could make the concertina yelp in the third part of Ballyloughlin - that set me off on "proper" pipe-ornaments.
# Posted on June 5th 2008 by geoffwright
Re: Has a particular tune ever made you change an aspect of technique?
I think this happens fairly regularly to me.
firstly working on my tone and hard D using Dmajor keyed tunes, just by working on those tunes seems to help me work on my tone and the D.
And since I recently acquired a new keyed flute, I'm using the tunes to emphasise use of each of the keys, so having got to grips with the C and the long F, I couldn't think of a tune that would develop my use of the short F until I came accross the Yellow Tinker, absolutely perfect to work on the short f.
Next is the G#
Rather than tune to technicque, probably for me to develop technique I search for tunes which help it..
# Posted on June 5th 2008 by Andyras1
Re: Has a particular tune ever made you change an aspect of technique?
something I find very good for technique,and as a substitute for boring scales,is to play a tune intwo different keys,for example A and Bb,which in my case means more playing with one hand than the other.
excuse the thread drift,but does anyone else have problems with putting one part of atune with another,Iam having real difficulty with the Garden of Daisies and the Blackbird.sort of garden of blackbirds.
# Posted on June 5th 2008 by Dick Miles
Re: Has a particular tune ever made you change an aspect of technique?
Interesting point there dickens. I have always experimented changing keys of tunes but only to the extend of bringing a tune in G down to F or up to A. Or bring a tune in D down to C. Or bring a tune in G down to D etc. But going from A into B flat would be an interesting exercise. Or D up to E flat or down to C sharp.
One thing I do find helpful for using unfamiliar notes and getting used to notes further up the neck is playing different genres of music. Sometimes my friends indie band will come down and I'll jam along with the banjo. It doesn't suit the type of music but it's good practice/experience and good fun too!
# Posted on June 5th 2008 by 52Paddy
Re: Has a particular tune ever made you change an aspect of technique?
The Cottage in the Grove by Kieran Hanrahan. Probably changed my life.
# Posted on June 6th 2008 by millionyears_bc
Re: Has a particular tune ever made you change an aspect of technique?
Marvelous tune isn't it? I don't know of anyone who hates that tune.
# Posted on June 6th 2008 by 52Paddy
Re: Has a particular tune ever made you change an aspect of technique?
There are lots of tunes with little quirks that bring an additional technique to your playing.
Of course, there are also those of us who have weaknesses (like my sloppy rolls), that avoid certain tunes that would emphasize that weakness!!!!
# Posted on June 7th 2008 by AlBrown