Need for Speed!

[Rick]

Stop being so wise Patrick..
It's annoying..

[brianc]

When it comes to speed, I apply the statement made by the legendary Joe Burke:

"The way some of them (Irish trad musicians) play today, they ought to be given speeding tickets."



Stay tuned,

Brian

[j dasinger]

Orbis,
Ive done some "clocking" with a metronome to see how fast some players are actually playing. Its pretty consistent that the standard "fast" performance speed is ~120 bpm for a reel. The average "really fast" speed (eg. Robbie Hannon or Gay McKeon on Drones and Chanters 2) is about 130 bpm. I would say that if you were playing reels any faster than 130 bpm that you would be among the fastest pipers in the world. Hope this is some help.
James

[Uilliam]

[quote="orbis"]Hello once again......This time I'm posting a question, and need as much input as I can get from everyone. quote]

Orbis its no use getting what you asked for and then moaning when its not what you want to hear is it?Everyone who replied to you is bothered enough and cares enough to give you an honest opinion and then took time to type a reply..so perleeez give us a little bit of credit.Happy pipering
Uilliam

[Patrick D'Arcy]

Okay Rick... sorry about that

BTW - how is Amsterdam these days? A marvelous town by all accounts I wrote a couple of articles for an Irish pub newspaper there a good few years ago... they were threatening an invitation over to play... never heard any more about that

Patrick.

[Rick]

First.., thanks Uilliam for saying exactly what i was thinking as well but couldn't find to put into (nice) words...

Patrick:

Amsterdam is really very boring when you live here...
I am just now "coming out" as a piper and trying to get a band and some gigs together.

As far as pipers go.., we don't have that much over here so i wonder why you never heard anything from that pub you mentioned.., God knows we could do with some decent piping here.

Give me the name/location of the pub and i'll ask them what they were thinking..

If you are ever in the neigbourhood be sure to give a yell, won't you?

[unregulated]

if its notes per bpm
live the dream
take up piobaireachd the ceol mor
un

[Mypipes]

Can anyone tell me how I can play so fast that I destroy the beauty of the Pipes and the Music?? I 've only been playing a year but I think im ready??

[stew]

"I"
Sniff some speed thats good for the Imagination.

[stew]

"I"
Sniff some speed thats good for the Imagination.

[kevin m.]

"I"
Sniff some speed thats good for the Imagination.

Do they have Uilleann Pipers in Columbia?

[stew]

Mr M
Speed don't come from Columbia Just Bandits and coffee

[stew]

Mr M
Speed don't come from Columbia Just Bandits and coffee

[Rick]

Damn stew.., got a bad echo going there

[ston]

I'm disappointed with the response this speed question has gotten. I would lke this forum to be a welcoming one, but Orbis has recieved some almost hostile responses. I don't see how his request is at all out of place. He's working on what he wants to work on, and that's his choice. Let him practice how he wants.

In my opinion, any instrument can be played however the player wants. It may not be the traditional way, but it can still make nice music. There's no right and wrong. Some people have achieved some wonderful things over the years, playing instruments differently than the traditional way -- just look at Edgar Meyer, Bela Fleck, or Ian Anderson (of Jethro Tull). All great musicians who have achived some very nice results playing their instruments in ways that were previously unheard.

I can understand if you were to say "In my opinion, pipes should be practiced like this...." Or "The most commonly accepted method is...." But the tone seemed more like "Orbis, you are wrong, and you are going to butcher the music in your efforts to learn it."

-David