Cursed Tunes, what's yours?

[TnWhistler]

Alright,

I have heard a quote,I think Seamus Ennis or Clancy or somebody said...

once you learn the scales, notes, cuts, rolls, crans, etc. you should be able to play any tune.

I find some tunes, none come to mind at the moment, but some are impossible to play. Are there any tunes that are...

1.in GMaj, DMaj, Emin, or Amin
2.either a jig or Reel
3.IMPOSSIBLE TO PLAY ON THE PIPES

no matter how hard you practice, how slow you play it. it is imossible. I find some tunes with big jumps from lower to upper octaves like Col. Frazer seemingly impossible, but I have heard pipers play them. Namely Eamonn Dillon and Jerry O'Sulliven for instance.

Are there any jigs, or reels in standard playable keys (aformentioned) that you should just avoid at all cost???

Timmy

[brianc]

"A man's got to know his limitations."

- Clint Eastwood as 'Dirty Harry'

**********

Also, understand that Dillon and O'Sullivan have been playing for years, and as such, their long hours and dedication to practicing and playing have put them on a level that many will never reach - not because of inability, but for sheer lack of the time on the pipes. That's what makes it so enjoyable, to me, to be able to hear pipers at their level play.

My $0.02.

As for tunes - I have, for some reason, have a consistently difficult time with "When Sick Is It Tea You Want?" - and what's particularly frustrating is that it's one of my favorites. When I play it at 1/2 or 3/4 speed, it's OK, but I can feel the wheels coming off when I start pressing the tempo upwards. I learned the tune about 2 years ago, and to this day it still gives me fits.

[Pat Cannady]

"

My $0.02.

As for tunes - I have, for some reason, have a consistently difficult time with "When Sick Is It Tea You Want?" - and what's particularly frustrating is that it's one of my favorites. When I play it at 1/2 or 3/4 speed, it's OK, but I can feel the wheels coming off when I start pressing the tempo upwards. I learned the tune about 2 years ago, and to this day it still gives me fits.

It sounds fine if you take it slowly, too. To quote one of my favorite box players, "It's not a race". Sean Og Potts's recording on Drones and Chanters II is nice but it's still a good tune at a more leisurely pace, cf. Brian McNamara.

Back to topic: I do find some tunes endlessly frustrating, like Ennis's "New Demesne", but most anything in G major, G mixolydian, A Dorian, E Dorian, D major, D mixolydian, or even D Dorian is playable on the pipes, if it goes no lower than bottom D or doesn't lose its shape if you cheat your way around the low, low notes.

A mixolydian tunes will usually work well on pipes, but A major is a different story if there are a lot of prominent, accented G#s in the melody. It's just an awkward note, even with a keyed chanter. Even so, it is possible to work around the G#s or work through them with diligence. Pipers tend to shy away from tunes with lots of G#s in them because there are so many great tunes that take much less work.

I would stay away from anything in Bflat major unless there was a set of Bflat pipes in my hands...

[Rick]

It seems to vary very much here..
Some "hard" (read weird fingering) tunes i play with little or no difficulty while relative easy ones i can't do decently...

I guess it also depends how bad you want to play a tune...
I think if you really want to play a tune you can practise it till your fingers fall off and know it.., uhm.., hold on..

Then along come variations...

[marcpipes]

The Mason's Apron is a rough tune to get your fingers around on the uilleann pipes. I first learned it on GHP's, then whistle but a good setting eludes me still on U.P.'s.
Marc

[unregulated]

hi guys
this one does it for me
J.S. Bach Partita No. BWV 1004 in D Minor The Chaconne for unaccompanied violin ( with UP traditional ornimentation )
made Jerry O or John McS will get round to tackling it ( with regs ? )
give it a go yourself
yours un