Loftus jones

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benoit trémolières
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Loftus jones

Post by benoit trémolières »

A bit more of the "steampunk pipes"...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOw-U2- ... e=youtu.be
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rorybbellows
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Re: Loftus jones

Post by rorybbellows »

Sounds good Benoit, just wondering how do you work out your regulator accompaniment ?

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benoit trémolières
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Re: Loftus jones

Post by benoit trémolières »

Skill and talent ! :P
I'll take time for a better (and more specific) answer soon.
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Re: Loftus jones

Post by benoit trémolières »

Wel well, more seriously then...
About "skill" first, I often have at the beginning a tiny idea concerning the tune key. Hence I know I always can start with this key note on the regs, played as a drone.
In case I don't know the key (I have to mention I don't read music and have not much knowledge about harmonie theorie...), I refer to the chanter holes. I open on the regs the note matching with the one opened on the chanter, wich therefore can't be wrong.
I know also the matching note, on the same chord row on the next regulator, can be usually suitable. This allows another possibillity. If it doesn't work, I quickly switch on the suitable note. (things are a bit more complicated on my own regulator system, because there's always two notes matching with another one. Waiting to be used with it, I keep using the traditional rows).
From that starting note, I then go on wandering on the keyboard. As long as I keep playing one note at a time, I can keep an eye on the ongoing chanter fingering.
Using the chords implies some experience, because the have to suit with the key.
Some of them are more compliant than others. Class champions being D-F#, D-G.
What happens now is that I "hear" in some extend wich chord I can go to from another one , but it doesn't always work perfectly...
With these basics, you can choose between sustaining the melody in sort of a countrapuntic way, or beating the rythme, or both.

"Talent" is another job...
The biggest problem is that you can't really fully harmonize a tune with regulators, and even, supposing you could do, it is not of the nicest effect, in my opinion...
If you don't wan't to play regs all along the tune, you must be carefull that the more loud the accompaniment gets, the more difficult it'll be to find a way to get out of it...
But this is the part where there's no theorie. Talent is to feel when regulators effects, whatever they are, really add something to the chanter playing.
I'm afraid I'm better at skill than at talent...
I realized that first when I heard Ronan Browne, and his fantastic ability at finding exactly the two or three notes perfectly enhancing some specific part of the melodies.
Something that has everything to do with the Seamus Ennis A-B-C on the third part of the "pipe on the hob" jig.
I try since to find where such things happen in the tune, but it's a matter of sensitiveness, and I can't decide to be a genius ! :puppyeyes:
I generally have to replace gift by search and tries.
Actually, on such a tune as "Loftus Jones", there's a lot of practice behind, and a lot of wrong tracks. Now I have got a few tricks I know I can use. But honestly, there's still a lot to do before doing something like Padraig Mc Govern does on his "Queen of Sheba"...
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Re: Loftus jones

Post by bensdad »

Yeah, there's the course of steroid injections in the right hand thumb, and the tendon stretching apparatus...
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rorybbellows
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Re: Loftus jones

Post by rorybbellows »

Thanks Benoit for your in depth reply, very interesting.

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Re: Loftus jones

Post by benoit trémolières »

I heard one of our great pipers in France: Marco Pollier, explaining his system.
He's refering with odd and even notes from the chanter: "odd" notes are the ones played by only one finger, "even" played by opening two holes.(it works better in french, where "pair" and "impair" are somehow refering to "one" and "two").
"impair" (odd) notes: D, F#, A, are matching with the first (D-F#), third (A-F#-A) and fifth (C-A-B) rows;
"pair" (even) notes : E, G, B with the second (G-D-G)and fourth (B-G-B) rows.
I can't use this system very well, because I'm too often using open fingering to see clearly where I am.
But I have to add at what I previously said that I know somehow wich other rows than the one containing the note I'm playing are matching with each chanter note.
Marco calls the D the "joker" note: you can always play it !

I wonder what other pipers invented to cope out with the thing?
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