I am good at these - I suppose its a way to avoid practising .
In between slow tunes I am learning to play ‘Harvest Home’. I was intrigued by the repetitive A’s, almost like a drone(?) in the background. This got me thinking… is it possible (not necessarily by modifying this tune) to have two melodies(?) whose notes alternate in this fashion. What I mean is can melody one be played on beats 1 and 3, and melody two be played on beats 2 and 4? Or would the melodies blur together?
I imagine that if one melody was played in the upper octave, and the other in the lower octave the ear might separate them more easily.
Has this been done? Are there any good recordings of this? Am I spouting rubbish?
Saw Cathal McConnell take the Harvest Home around the bend and back recently. That would probably as close to what you’re asking as I can think of. It was a gimmick and musically not particularly satisfying but it was very very clever. He must have been really bored when he thought up that one.
Fast playing, and probably a bit speedy for my ears/brain to disentangle. Nice though, thanks.
So it has been thought of, and done. At least I am not mad, or not alone in my madness (as I have long suspected). I still reckon there must be scope for a demonstration piece by a skilled solo whistle player. Any takers? Not me, the word ‘skilled’ got me off the hook .
I would never have thought to look up ‘pedal-point’ but that was some useful reading. Somehow, no question ever turns out a waste of time. It seems from this forum that pedal-notes (or whatever the sequence in which they are used is called) are common in ITM - I will look out for them.
It was as close to whistle that I could get while attempting to determine if I’d guessed what you were talking about. or sumpin’ like that
Whistle doesn’t strike me as a good choice of weapon for exploring that technique. Flute is only a bit better, Matt isn’t normal.
Coltrane did a lot with it, if you buy the differentiation between pedal-point and call and answer. Ah, no…ignoring that Trane Whistle album I do realize I’ve crossed genre.
Yep, fixed. Thanks. Am I to understand that the two tunes are ‘london lassies’ and ‘jennies chickens’? I must listen to them separately to appreciate the artistry (not being familiar with either).
13 or 14 years old? sheesh, I guess a year under twenty is worth ten over fifty.
Chet Atkins … Also the kind of thing that Tommy Emmanuel is capable of pulling off without breaking a sweat. Tommy being, not coincidentally, the #1 true disciple of Mr. Atkins.
I suppose a classic pedal tone showpiece is Carnival of Venice. There I usually think of trumpets and accordions. Not that I usually think of trumpets and accordions.
Harvest Home … I can imagine … Unleash your crispest rolls and double/triple tongues on the pedal A and have at it …
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or sumpin’ like that
