Back D ....3 notes in a row....sheep & goats, wheat & chaff,

A forum about Uilleann (Irish) pipes and the surly people who play them.
Post Reply
User avatar
boyd
Posts: 1381
Joined: Fri Jul 20, 2001 6:00 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: Sets in D and B by Rogge and flute by Olwell, whistles by Burke and Goldie. I have been a member for a very long time here. Thanks for reading.
Location: NorthernIreland/Scotland

Post by boyd »

OK everybody....time to confess !!!

Who lifts and lays the thumb on the back D tone hole...off..on.off.on etc in a rapid fashion?
Who among us flicks the thumb pad rapidly to and fro across the hole, so the thumb is always touching the back of the chanter?
And is there anyone out there who can do the "across the hole" thing with the tip of the thumb?!

Or would anyone be as slimy as me and confess to not being able to commit to one technique?

STEP RIGHT UP...place your bets...and then maybe Peter or Brendan will tell us if we're wheat or chaff...
...[or, in my case, probably something worse than that]...
Boyd.
http://www.strathspeyinmay.com
A festival of traditional music full of chiff and free from chaff !!
Dionys
Posts: 969
Joined: Tue Aug 21, 2001 6:00 pm
Please enter the next number in sequence: 1
Location: Greater Northwest, America

Post by Dionys »

Personally, I tend towards phasing my thumb in and out of existance on this plane of reality. It's a real smooth way of achieving that sequence.

Dionys
AlanBurton
Posts: 41
Joined: Mon Feb 25, 2002 6:00 pm
Please enter the next number in sequence: 1

Post by AlanBurton »

Well, am I first with the Ennis quote "The rubbing of the back D with the thumb is definitely out" (or so I was told).
User avatar
boyd
Posts: 1381
Joined: Fri Jul 20, 2001 6:00 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: Sets in D and B by Rogge and flute by Olwell, whistles by Burke and Goldie. I have been a member for a very long time here. Thanks for reading.
Location: NorthernIreland/Scotland

Post by boyd »

Thanks Alan.
But what about Paddy Keenan...how does he get those Back D triplets that he's always playing??

Boyd
http://www.strathspeyinmay.com
AlanBurton
Posts: 41
Joined: Mon Feb 25, 2002 6:00 pm
Please enter the next number in sequence: 1

Post by AlanBurton »

Aaaah Boyd, I was only quoting Ennis. My thumb has a lovly callous from trilling that back D. : )
Alan
Roger O'Keeffe
Posts: 2233
Joined: Wed Feb 20, 2002 6:00 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 10
Location: Back home in the Green and Musty Isle, in Dublin.

Post by Roger O'Keeffe »

I have to confess that I prefer to vary what I play (i.e. cheat to mask my lack of skill) and alternate between D-D-D and D-Csharp-D, and occasionally just lengtheni the preceding note and play two Ds. I find it too hard to get the D-D-D repeatedly with the right rhythm, and anyhow I find it boring if it's done too often.

For completeness' sake I should be able to do the rubbing thing. It used to impress me greatly when I first heard it, but somehow it just seems like vulgar showmanship to me now. Am I a snob?
Dionys
Posts: 969
Joined: Tue Aug 21, 2001 6:00 pm
Please enter the next number in sequence: 1
Location: Greater Northwest, America

Post by Dionys »

It doesn't make you a snob, but I think that everyone should have and use whatever tools/techniques they have for playing even if they seem 'flashy.' As long as they sound good and the technique is sound, that's what matters (IMHO).

Dionys
Post Reply