Where can I breathe in Sally Gardens Reel?

[MTGuru]

Here's an alternate setting with (fewer) breath points at the half-bars, and completely avoiding the downbeats, which may be more along the lines of Mr. G's approach.

X:1
T:Sally Gardens
M:4/4
K:G
F|G2DG Bz GB|dBeB dBAB|d2Bd ez ge|dBAB GEDE|
G2DG Bz GB|dBeB dBAB|d2Bd ez ge|dBAB G3:|
B|dggf gz dg|g2bg aged|eaag az ea|a2bg ageg|
dggf gz dg|g2bg ageg|d2Bd ez ge|dBAB G3:|

[DrPhill]

Thanks MTG, now I have two exercises to learn. It sure beats endless repetitions in a quest for speed.

I am not sure whether to practice what you have given me - which may not be what the local session plays - or transfer the breathing spots to the Paul Hardy version. I suppose that the lessons will be learnt whichever I choose.

Unless I learn both sets of breathings in both versions of the tune. That would be four exercises, and probably overkill.

[MTGuru]

Well Phill, that Paul Hardy setting is almost identical except for the turnarounds (half-section endings). It's OK, but I've never heard those turnarounds played here. To my ear, the phrase ascending to climax on that high g is part of the character of the tune, and the Hardy version weakens that.

|(d2Bd efg) (e|dBAB G3)| vs. |d2Bd egdB|AcBA G2| ??

I also play a few variations on this, like |d2Bd edge|, |dG (3Bcd eg{a}ge| etc.

The Hardy setting also feels like it wants to "sanitize" the hexatonic melody by using a C-nat in the cadences for a V7 feel. But of course, it's partly just a matter of what one gets used to.

Added: I notice that Dave Mallinson also uses the "Hardy variant" in his book (100 Essential). So maybe it tends to be an English thing?

[JTC111]

There's a leading note (the D below the first G) added at the beginning.

I'm an eejit; that's all it was. I was looking for that low D in the music and couldn't find it and that's what was throwing me. If I was familiar with the tune, I'd have figured that out.

I think I'm just having a bad weekend. My mind is mostly wondering what the bill is gonna be when they tell me I need a new AC unit.

[benhall.1]

There's a leading note (the D below the first G) added at the beginning.

I'm an eejit; that's all it was. I was looking for that low D in the music and couldn't find it and that's what was throwing me. If I was familiar with the tune, I'd have figured that out.

Moral: never start at the very beginning. It's a very bad place to start.

[DrPhill]

Well Phill, that Paul Hardy setting is almost identical except for the turnarounds (half-section endings). It's OK, but I've never heard those turnarounds played here. To my ear, the phrase ascending to climax on that high g is part of the character of the tune, and the Hardy version weakens that.

|(d2Bd efg) (e|dBAB G3)| vs. |d2Bd egdB|AcBA G2| ??

I also play a few variations on this, like |d2Bd edge|, |dG (3Bcd eg{a}ge| etc.

The Hardy setting also feels like it wants to "sanitize" the hexatonic melody by using a C-nat in the cadences for a V7 feel. But of course, it's partly just a matter of what one gets used to.

Added: I notice that Dave Mallinson also uses the "Hardy variant" in his book (100 Essential). So maybe it tends to be an English thing?

I think that I have reached a point where I am going to learn a tune in depth, and have arbitrarily chosen this tune. So I will learn the variations as well as the breathing. I guess I will need to record the local session, and attempt to determine whether or not they are playing what is in 'the book'.

Are any of the variations incompatible? What I really mean is 'Is it OK to learn the variations and use them at random?'

Continued gratitude, kind sir.

[benhall.1]

In general, any of 'the usual' sorts of variations, such as those that Mr Guru Sir has provided above, will be "compatible". But I'd add a word of caution. In a session situation (or other situations, come think of it), they have to sort of flow, be relaxed, natural. If they are very carefully and delberately 'placed', they'll stick out like a sore thumb and people will stare.

[DrPhill]

In general, any of 'the usual' sorts of variations, such as those that Mr Guru Sir has provided above, will be "compatible". But I'd add a word of caution. In a session situation (or other situations, come think of it), they have to sort of flow, be relaxed, natural. If they are very carefully and delberately 'placed', they'll stick out like a sore thumb and people will stare.

Yes Ben, if I play something compatible and deliberate they most likely will stare.

But thanks for the reassurance. My plan is to practice breathing and practice the variations until they are easy, and then maybe they will flow naturally. Well, its a theory. And it could take a while.

[Mr.Gumby]

I have done a quick soundfile..



and now it's gone again.

[benhall.1]

That's lovely. Really nice.

[DrPhill]

Thank you Mr G. I enjoyed that; even if it does remind me how far I still need to go.

The breathing places show up really well when displayed as a waveform in Audacity - the visuals help me identify them in the music. That helps, as if I know they are coming I can listen to them closely.

If I played like that then I wouldn't care if the session stares. Actually, I would be worried if they didn't.

[jemtheflute]

Lovely, Mr.G!

Phill, I did a low whistle demo clip of this a while back - linked with the unrelated air of the same name - so you need to skip to the second half of it. The first time through, played slow, I think I probably had to take some extraneous breaths in places I wouldn't playing it at speed. I probably wasn't especially thinking about the breathing even on the faster run-through - maybe a couple of things I'd change (particularly in the B music) if I did it again paying more attention to that aspect than to the fingering/ornamentation. It's a more basic version then Mr G's - pretty much session-generic (that's how I learnt it) - I hope it helps.

[killthemessenger]

I liked both demos (especially the Sally Gardens air) - and to a classically trained ear, Mr. Gumby's version brings out the very different phrasing and pulse of this music. Definitely something you could only pick up by listening to a lot of it.

But the issue of breathing seems to be rife in this headlong, non-stop music. So what instruments were these tunes originally written for or played on - fiddles? Bagpipes, concertinas?

[Mr.Gumby]

Definitely something you could only pick up by listening to a lot of it.

I don't play that tune much actually and as such I don't think I have ever actually sat down to learn it. But it's one of those tunes that is very popular with set dancers here and I have picked it up when playing with others for sets. If you have the rhythm of the feet dancing a battering set in your mind it all makes perfect sense.

[DrPhill]

Lovely, Mr.G!

Phill, I did a low whistle demo clip of this a while back - linked with the unrelated air of the same name - so you need to skip to the second half of it. The first time through, played slow, I think I probably had to take some extraneous breaths in places I wouldn't playing it at speed. I probably wasn't especially thinking about the breathing even on the faster run-through - maybe a couple of things I'd change (particularly in the B music) if I did it again paying more attention to that aspect than to the fingering/ornamentation. It's a more basic version then Mr G's - pretty much session-generic (that's how I learnt it) - I hope it helps.

Thanks for that Jem, It certainly does help.

It is amazing how much there is to learn about 32 bars of music.