crans

jim stone · Post by **jim stone** » Wed Oct 10, 2001 11:56 am

Ok,here's a technical question that
I have: how do you play a cran on high
D?

One starts with all fingers down, not
with the left index raised, I think.

My problem is that the cran keep
breaking up--one method that works
is this:

xxxxxx xxxxox xxxxxx xxxoxx xxxxxx
xxxxox xxxxxx

I think this may be from Grey Larsen...
What do you all do?

ndjr · Post by **ndjr** » Wed Oct 10, 2001 12:06 pm

Hello, Jim!

Maybe there's something I don't understand, and, if so, perhaps you or someone else can help me.

I always thought that crans were done on low D as a substitute for a roll, which is not possible from that note. It is possible to do a proper cran on other "lowish" notes, as E for instance, where the top hole is closed, and I do this for effect at the start of "Kid on the Mountain."

My approach would be to just roll that middle or upper D.

StevieJ · Post by **StevieJ** » Wed Oct 10, 2001 2:49 pm

Jim, This is one place where it is interesting to leave the top index up. When you do this, the grace notes come out as lower than the D, whereas with the top finger down they come out higher. The sound is quite different. I think the whole thing sounds quite a bit crisper with the finger up, but it's a matter of taste.

For the third grace note you could use your G (3rd) finger, too.

I'm not sure what your problem is, though... What do you mean by the cran breaking up?

TonyHiggins · Post by **TonyHiggins** » Wed Oct 10, 2001 2:56 pm

Jim,
I recently sat in on a workshop with Kevin Crawford and he demonstrated the cran you described. But, he went up from lifting and dropping e, then f, then g, returning to all holes closed in between. Essentially what you graphed, but going higher instead of back down to e. I'd say yours is a different cran, but a cran nonetheless. When he and a female flute player who co-chaired the workshop compared technique, they both did the same thing. It was a rapid flickering movement, barely lifting off the holes. This was all done on the low octave d (on flute).
Tony

_________________
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<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: TonyHiggins on 2001-10-10 16:57 ]</font>

jim stone · Post by **jim stone** » Wed Oct 10, 2001 9:49 pm

Thanks for the advice, gang.
When I say the cran breaks up I mean
the notes squeal/squeak, especially
the high G. The top-index up suggestion
is very interesting. The cran I
diagrammed above doesn't break up
so readily. I guess I'm an ornament
freak--it's fun to roll the high D,
and the notes are stable, too, but
people have said on the board there's
a cran up there, too, and I want to
do it. Thanks again

Cayden · Post by **Cayden** » Thu Oct 11, 2001 5:26 am

The cran is an ornament associated with the Uilleann pipes, which is my main area of expertise if I may say so. The cran was introduced to the flute (and whistle) not too long ago but has become part of the stock in trade of a lot of whistleplayer (even though some players may still frown upon its use sometimes).
On the pipes crans are employes on low D and E exclusively although on the flute/whistle they work well in both octaves.
In general pipers will play the cran from higher cut (I use cut here instead of grace-note which is generally used for the little thingie where you play the note itself, rapidly the note above and then the note itself again as opposed to the cut which employs only a flick of the finger on the note above (or one of the notes above) the note to be ornamented).
Now, without going into the different patterns too deeply here, there is a variety of patterns of cutting and rythms employed in different tunes: for example the starting E of the kid on the mountain (where the note 'cranned' is preceded by the same note i.e. E in this case) would get what we call a double cran, this is a more elaborate rythmic devise incorpaorating a triplet of cuts followed by a distinct stop in the rhythm before ending with the final a cut.
Various types of crans are well explained in Seamus Ennis' posthumous tutor for the pipes 'The Master's touch', in Pat Mitchell's Dance Music of WIllie Clancy and Pat Mitchell and Jackie Small's 'The piping of Patsy Touhey'.
A bit of reading about music for ye there!

PS, I tried to make the cuts 'break up' but failed to do so, try to make all cuts distintly separate and with short and deliberate movement of the finger, should work well then. I also think opening left index is a much better, less muffled way of doing it.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Peter Laban on 2001-10-11 07:29 ]</font>

nickb · Post by **nickb** » Thu Oct 11, 2001 6:06 am

Hi Jim. I cran on both octaves, except that I do two beat, three beat or four beat ones, depending on the type and speed of the tune I am playing
two beat :
xxxxxx xxxxox xxxxxx xxxxoxx xxxxxx

three beat:

xxxxxx xxxxox xxxxxx xxxxoxx xxxxxx xxoxxx xxxxxx

four beat:

xxoxxx xxxxxx xxxxox xxxxxx xxxoxx xxxxxx xxoxxx xxxxxx

I did'nt have anyone to teach me to cran.I just followed pipers around and stared at their chanters until I worked out something that sounded about right. I don't know how traditional they are, But they suit me.

jim stone · Post by **jim stone** » Thu Oct 11, 2001 8:57 am

Thanks again, Great stuff. Jim

Tyghress · Post by **Tyghress** » Fri Oct 12, 2001 3:16 pm

okay, would all of you people please please put a snip into the files please...not just the cran, but maybe a couple of bars of a tune where/when you employ it?

Danke

PhilO · Post by **PhilO** » Fri Oct 12, 2001 5:21 pm

tyhgress - I use crans in first couple of bars of the lonesome jig (aka the rolling waves). A lovely tune. Philo

Tyghress · Post by **Tyghress** » Sat Oct 13, 2001 7:39 am

PhilO, I don't see the clip in the Clips n Snips. . .am I not looking in the right place?

PhilO · Post by **PhilO** » Sun Oct 14, 2001 4:28 pm

Sorry tyghress, it's not there. I think I can find the sheet music, scan it and e-mail to you, if you'd like. I'm not set up yet to record; I'm either too lazy, too busy or too depleted by all the floating anxiety here to get a simple microphone and do it.

Tyghress · Post by **Tyghress** » Mon Oct 15, 2001 6:11 am

Thanks, PhilO, but that isn't necessary, as I usually can find what I'm looking for online when it comes to written music. What I can't find is someone who says here is a specific ornament, this is how I play it, and this is what it sounds like in a tune.

Anyone else out there who can put a cran in a tune and tell me where to go listen for it?

Thanks!

Bloomfield · Post by **Bloomfield** » Tue Oct 16, 2001 8:13 am

I would like to second that. Sound clips of crans would be great. I am also confused about the rhythm. I have seen crans transcribed with eights and two or three cuts in between, but I have also seen them where the first two Ds were sixteenths, followed by eights, all with the cuts in between, of course.

cj · Post by cj » Tue Oct 16, 2001 9:23 am

I'm definitely no expert, but you might try the Complete Irish Tinwhistle Book (Mel Bay) with the accompanying CD. They have sections on all ornaments, including crans, and they break down the explanation and fingerings very well. It also has some tunes with crans in them, and this might give some indication of how they're placed.