I put a cran in song today in a spot I usually don’t without thinking about it. I didn’t even know I could play a cran correctly.
Woo!
This was very exciting for me. Carry on with your lives.
Congrats.
cool 
These little breakthroughs are indeed very exciting. One day you can’t do something then all of a sudden you can.
I remember working on Drowsy Maggie for ages with no success. I finally stopped playing the tune for quite a few months. One day I tried it again and out it came, near perfect.
Well done. Goes to show that funny things happen when we practice.
My whistle guru has been trying to get me to do crans, and frustration was creeping in. Then he heard me do one in a tune that I’d been learning on my own.
“That!!! That was a cran! Right there! Do it again!”
The cran-block ended.
beginning to wonder why I should be different…being retired I spend about one hour per day practising on my whistles and accordion…sometimes I do some amazing things…trouble is I can never repeat them!..it’s either that I’m 65 and the old brain is going into reverse…or…and I think this is more likely…there are times when I am able to just let myself go,put the theory into practice and …other times I seem to think too much about what I’m doing…well ! I think I do some amazing things sometimes…Les.
Overthinking? Play for a baby (pets are OK too), making faces and dancing like a fool the whole time. Think of the old guy trying to cheer up the pig in the movie Babe. I find this very theraputic.
Trivia question: What ‘classical’ piece is the theme from Babe a dead copy of?
Do you have a clip of the Babe theme?
That was my problem for the first few years. Thinking too much while playing.
Once I learned to be proficient with the scale, and the ornaments, and beat I got into the habit of letting the creative side take over. You said it well: Theory into practice.
It aint age, Les. I am 53 and you are echoing my feelings exactly. I cant tell you how many times I questioned whether I was too old to be able to play well. Why is it taking me so long to play to my satisfaction? After all, it is 6 holes and a fipple.
But the moment will come when you will know that you can play it with ease.
And then you will soar.
I never thought I would get there, but I did. It took longer than I wanted, but it does come.
Saint-Saens Symphony 3 (Organ Symphony).
Congrats!!! Organ Symphony it is. Makes for a cute folky-song. Bragging rights only, khl, but I may post a prize for my next question. The Pub would be more appropriate for that thread. Sorry for the brief thread-hijacking.
what"s a cran???
A college kid who hangs out in the pub?
In all seriousness, a cran is an articulation separating three or four notes of the same pitch. Usually that note is a D or E.
Here’s how I do a low D cran:
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Most people do this (or similar):
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If you want to hear a lot of crans, listen to “Floating Crowbar” on the 2nd Lunasa album. It’s on pipes, not whistle, though.