The more I have been practicing the whistle, the more I have been speeding up my songs. I know that this doesn’t seem like such a big deal, but it gets to be so fast that I can’t add any embelishments. For those who know some music theory I have been bringing it up past 120 bpm. Whenever I realize this I try to check my speed and bring it under controll, but I also like every once and a while just letting loose and playing as fast as I can (cleanly of course).
Is there any room for this reckless style of music, or am I better off going back to the drawing board and doing it the “Right” way?
What is the “right” way? A lot depends on what you are trying to accomplish.
Remember what John Skelton says:
“Speed + volume = applause” as far as many of the younger musicians are concerned.
What kind/style of music are you playing? Are you trying to play in a tradition or be “your own person”? Listen to your favourite performers and try to learn what they are doing. Don’t forget that they may have been playing for 20years or more, so you may have to be patient with yourself.
I’m still chewing on all the pithy sayings by Chris Langan in the book about him that came out last month. Here’s another quote that may be appropriate (love that word) - I can’t find it in the book just now but this is pretty close:
Speed has nothing to do with the liveliness or deadness of a tune.
To be able to play a tune fast is great - but if you can’t play the same tune slowly and have it sound very good, something is wrong.
At Willie Clancy School in 1994 I spent a week listening to Junior Crehan, Bobby Casey, Joe Ryan and Peter O Loughlin. They all played reels at a leisurely 95 bpm. A glorious speed, glorious playing, full of life, not a touch of deadness anywhere.
Oh, that clarifies things. 120 isn’t all that fast for a reel (4 beats per bar) but it’s pretty fast for a jig. But if you want to play in sessions, it’s great to practise at the faster speeds. Many session players do everything at lightening speed - one of the greatest frustrations for newer players. If you keep practising at both speeds, you’ll soon be able to put the ornamentation in at any speed.
On 2002-03-12 19:36, Blackbird wrote:
Oh, that clarifies things. 120 isn’t all that fast for a reel (4 beats per bar) but it’s pretty fast for a jig.
I think reels are comonly played at 120 bpm in cut time: two beats per bar. I seem to remember that that is the speed that dancers like for reels. So Steve’s 95 pbm is noticeably slower.
BTW, have you ever realized how many notes you cram into a minute of playing at 120 bpm? There are 4 eigth-notes to a beat in a reel, that makes 480 eigth-notes per minute. Which gives you 8 eigth-notes per second, and that is not counting grace notes, triplets, sixteenth notes. No wonder good rhythm is hard.
Strictly speaking, beats-per-minute (BPM) is derived from the time signature and has nothing to do with the type of music being played. The bottom note in the time signature represents the kind of note that gets one beat… at what ever speed you happen to be playing. Plain and simple as that.
Some examples:
Time signature of 4/4 says that a quarter note gets one beat (from the bottom number in the time signature), and there are four quarter notes in a measure (from the top number in the time signature), or four beats per measure, at whatever speed you are playing.
Time signature of 3/4 says that a quarter note gets one beat, and there are three quarter notes in a measure, or three beats per measure, again at whatever speed you are playing.
Time signature of 6/8 says that an eighth note gets one beat and that there are six eighth notes in a measure. Now… in this time signature, this can lead to a lot of foot flapping, and for faster songs, people will often count only two beats per measure and treat three eigth notes as occurring in one beat, or a dotted quarter (equivalent to three eighth notes) note one beat. So you could have six beats per measure, or two beats per measure, depending on how you are counting.
Simple, eh? This holds true for all music… Irish, jazz, country, rock, classical, Baroque, whatever
Bloomfield wrote: “I think reels are comonly played at 120 bpm in cut time: two beats per bar. I seem to remember that that is the speed that dancers like for reels.”
I’d be interested to know if this is accurate - any dancers out there care to comment. I remember one occasion when session musicians were asked to slow down to dancing speed for a couple of fairly accomplished Irish dancers.
My own best speed for a reel is about 180: that’s in 4/4, and it sounds pretty darn fast to me, though I’m sure it doesn’t compare to the professionals. When I use a metronome for jigs, I set it to two beats per bar, that is, one beat for each dotted quarter note. I think this contributes to the triplet feel that is needed for jigs. I wonder how other whistlers work with a metronome? If you do at all, that is.
Note that dancing to music is like marching to music… The feet have to hit the ground/floor on a beat, or your gonna fall over them. You have to just use a tempo that comfortable for what you are doing at the moment.
Seth, I believe anything you do in music that you are conscious of is effect. You play a gazillion notes for an effect a kind of wash or tumbling sound. A bunch of cuts and rolls to make the road bump to a happy rhythm, or whatever it is to get a texture across.
If your not conscious of what your doing, then yeah you might want to take it back to the drawing board. You get out what you put in.
I think if you keep pushing it you’ll be able to bring it back down to 120 and throw in more stuff. Just do it knowing why your doing it.
[ This Message was edited by: jackorion on 2002-03-13 01:58 ]
On 2002-03-12 23:02, Blackbird wrote:
…I remember one occasion when session musicians were asked to slow down to dancing speed for a couple of fairly accomplished Irish dancers…
Interesting note about playing for dancers, specifically the more advanced/accomplished dancers: beginning dancers dance to tunes played at a higher speed, while the more advanced dancers will dance to slower music so as to be able to fit in more complex steps.
Interesting note about playing for dancers, specifically the more advanced/accomplished dancers: beginning dancers dance to tunes played at a higher speed, while the more advanced dancers will dance to slower music so as to be able to fit in more complex steps.
There is one issue that has arisen in this discussion that I see time and time again on this board that seems to me to be counter to the very essence of music: that is the issue of dogma. “You must never tongue;” “you must only learn tunes by ear;” “you must never play too fast.” I’ve heard the Bucks of Oranmore played slowly and jauntily by Martin Hayes and loved it; I’ve heard it played faster with driving excitement by others and loved it; what matters is that they all played with heart. If you play like a slow machine, that’s no good; if you play like a fast machine, that’s no good. But if you play from a pulsing, feeling heart, it’s always good, fast or slow.
There, I’ve had my temper tantrum.
Hope you all are having fun playing the whistle, fast or slow.
Jon Michaels
Time signature of 6/8 says that an eighth note gets one beat and that there are six eighth notes in a measure. Now… in this time signature, this can lead to a lot of foot flapping, and for faster songs, people will often count only two beats per measure and treat three eigth notes as occurring in one beat, or a dotted quarter (equivalent to three eighth notes) note one beat. So you could have six beats per measure, or two beats per measure, depending on how you are counting.
Simple, eh?
Too simple. 6/8, 9/8, etc are examples of compound meter. In order to get the number of beats per measure you must divide the top number by 3. Obviously that gives 2 beats per measure. Each beat is divided into three eighth notes.
“You’re right. No more techno-crap. That’s our dogma.” Bloomfield
Not at all, Bloomfield my friend, at least, that’s not my dogma. So-called “techno-crap” is a completely different subject. I have no problem with offerings of technical information about how to play better; in fact, I welcome them with open arms and deep appreciation. But (lawyer that you are, you should understand this) dogmatic statements that exclude musically vibrant possibilities on the grounds that one way and one way only is correct are an entirely different subject. For myself, my only dogmatic statement would be this: Almost never say never.
[ This Message was edited by: Jon-M on 2002-03-13 14:28 ]
[ This Message was edited by: Jon-M on 2002-03-13 14:33 ]
