First posted Jun 1st, 2012 by newpiper
The fan is at a session and much as I like to be
with him when it’s a choice between sitting in a corner watching other people
play and actually playing myself there’s not much competition, especially as I
find that watching other people play really makes me want to play.
I’m again being reminded of the difference between
a chanter and pipes. The chanter is for dull and dreary practice and the pipes
are an instrument on which you play and that play just happens to be practice.
On the chanter more than twice through a tune drove me mad. I've spent nearly
two hours so far this evening on just two tunes over and over. I flip between
the two to give myself some variety and also because I find sometimes when I
begin on the Highlanders I find I am actually playing Nigel’s Tune. Yes,
dotless! I still need to glance at the dots to remind me which order things
come in, but it’s coming. Listening to lots of versions online. And that’s what
I am posting this evening*. Not the best – have still fluffed notes and timing,
but that’s more red button-itis than any lack of ability. I also garble some of
the faster parts - I sort of gabble them out at speed and it's not quite right.
But look at the timing – run through twice in the same time that Nigel plays it**, so my speed is coming along
well! I feel I could put some nice ornamentation in this, but the basics and
the speed aren't leaving room for experimentation at present.
What I can’t get is the order of the phrase
for part four of the highlanders. Will need the fan to run through it again for
me.
Oh – and spot the difference. Playing with the full
three drones tonight. The fan says it adds a layer of harmony and makes it
sound more GHB-ish. It sounds a bit out of tune to me – and quite probably one
or more drone is adrift, as I have no fan on tuning duty tonight.
*The first attempt a month ago here, and I do feel there's some
serious improvement since the last time.
**Mysteriously added a few seconds between
transferring off the recorder and converting from wav to mp3. Still close
though when you remove the faffing about at each end.
Recording - Halsway Schottische. Two version on the old blog - just one retrieved, not sure which this is!
Halsway Schottische on Chirbit
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