Spoons and Bones

Jetboy · Post by **Jetboy** » Mon Aug 04, 2003 5:33 am

I fancy dabbling with these percussion accompaniments. Can anyone recomend a website or literature that will start me off?

Roger O'Keeffe · Post by **Roger O'Keeffe** » Mon Aug 04, 2003 10:09 am

Run away!!

(But that's just the reaction of a piper with poor rhythm control)

Seth · Post by **Seth** » Tue Aug 05, 2003 1:21 pm

As a bones player, I can tell you the only method that I have ever seen work in teaching this odd looking musical form. There are only two steps. First, is learn how to hold the bones. Second, look like an idiot for a couple of months until something clicks in your head and suddenly you'll know how to play them. I am not kidding. After it clicks, you won't be amazing, but you'll have the basics and can learn from there. Like I said, the "look like an idiot for a few months" method is the only method I have ever seen work for bones instruction.

Now, on to how to hold the bones. You hold one between your index and middle fingers (the First Bone). And the other between your middle and ring fingers (the Second Bone) on whatever hand is most comfortable for you. They should curve away from each other. Wedge the First bone between your middle finger and palm. Make sure it can't move at all. The second bone should just be lightly pinched at the base of your fingers. This bone SHOULD move. The second bone bounces off the first creating the tripalets and all the other strikes you hear.

The object now is to create a wrist motion like you are waving over-enthusiastically. Eventually you'll figure out how to do this and make some noise. Then it's on to looking like a fool, and you're done.

Hope I could be of some help,
Seth

brad maloney · Post by **brad maloney** » Tue Aug 05, 2003 1:32 pm

Go to sessions, alot (bring a tape recorder) - but leave the bones at home 'til Seth described "idiot" stage is over.

Even when you get it down pat don't play on every tune all night long. It's the every once in a while thing that makes the bones nice.

Post by **Nanohedron** » Tue Aug 05, 2003 1:37 pm

JB, may I make a suggestion? If you take up bones and/or spoons, when you get good at them please play them at sessions with restraint. The enthusiasm of sessions is contagious, and more than one such player has been asked to tone it down as the volume of bones and spoons can be surprisingly piercing, and the melody players get irritated at that. IMHO, that kind of percussion is at its best when subtle. But that's just me.

Pat Cannady · Post by **Pat Cannady** » Tue Aug 05, 2003 3:10 pm

gotta agree with nano and brad. Get past the "idiot" stage before bringing them into a session

, and then play them very sparingly. That way you won't have melody players getting up and leaving in the middle of the session.

Good luck!

energy · Post by **energy** » Tue Aug 05, 2003 9:08 pm

I would recommend skipping the spoons and bones completely, but thats
just my opinion.

Post by **Nanohedron** » Wed Aug 06, 2003 10:38 am

Just to add that it'll help if you have a thick skin. If you're at all aware of your surroundings, you won't help but notice the winces and rolling eyes when you pull 'em out. If you insist on learning to play these items, it'll be your job to allay the musicians' misgivings. That won't come easy at all.

glauber · Post by **glauber** » Wed Aug 06, 2003 1:02 pm

Sticks and stones may break my bones but spoons... that's just silly!

Friends don't let friends play spoons.

BoneQuint · Post by **BoneQuint** » Sun Aug 10, 2003 4:30 am

Hi, I'm new here, but I'm a bones player. I'm not a whistle player, but I'm working on it. Actually, I'm also learning to play the tabor pipe, so I can play bones while playing a tune...I've been working on "Star of the County Down" and it's a bit of a workout...

I don't play sessions often. I've sat in for a little bit on a few with the bones. Recently I asked a lady if I could sit in, and showed her my bones. Her face subtly set into a cold expression, and after a brief pause, she said, "OK, but keep it quiet." I had my nice bone bones from Ireland, choked up on them a bit, and jumped in, keeping it quiet and simple (which I prefer for Irish music anyway). After five seconds, she turned towards me and quietly said, "nice." So, yes, some people will be dubious, but I think many people do like to hear them played tastefully with restraint.

The best way to learn is in person, with someone who knows how to play them. Failing that, a video will get you started. Percy Danforth's is good for the basics, although it's not Irish in style.

A few quick pointers. First of all, the fingers don't move! 95% of the people who try it want to "make it happen" by moving their fingers, or "pushing" one bone into the other. That's not it -- it's a flicking or whipping motion, the momentum of the moving bone causes it to bounce off the stationary bone when your hand changes direction.

Two: Keep your arms and wrists loose and supple. You can't "force" it with tense muscles and rigid movements, your wrist has to move with a smooth, flowing motion. You're almost "throwing" your hand with the motion of your arm, with the wrist mostly passive.

Keeping the one bone held firmly while the other is a bit loose so it can move is tricky for most people. They usually let both bones flop about, or hold them both too tightly. Also, the spacing is important -- there shouldn't be a huge gap of an inch between them, but they shouldn't be almost touching either. Experiment.

And last, bend your wrist somewhat, at least 30 degrees, the back of your wrist bending towards the back of your arm. The wrist does not hinge back and forth as you're playing, it stays in that same basic position. If you keep the wrist bent and the palm facing away from you as you "fan" the bones back and forth, you'll probably pick it up soon enough.

Once you get them going, trying to play triplets as evenly as possible in many different tempos will help immensely.

Browse around http://www.rhythmbones.com/ and see what you can find.

Good luck, let us know how it goes.

Post by **Nanohedron** » Sun Aug 10, 2003 9:55 am

Welcome, BoneQuint.

BoneQuint wrote:I don't play sessions often. I've sat in for a little bit on a few with the bones. Recently I asked a lady if I could sit in, and showed her my bones. Her face subtly set into a cold expression, and after a brief pause, she said, "OK, but keep it quiet." I had my nice bone bones from Ireland, choked up on them a bit, and jumped in, keeping it quiet and simple (which I prefer for Irish music anyway). After five seconds, she turned towards me and quietly said, "nice." So, yes, some people will be dubious, but I think many people do like to hear them played tastefully with restraint.

Per my previous post on this thread, this was straight from the horse's mouth. And I agree with you about simplicity of tasteful backup for trad music. It's about the melody, first and foremost, and things can really degenerate when an "ornateness competition" ensues. But, again, it depends on the moment, IMHO.

Best,
N

fancypiper · Post by **fancypiper** » Wed Sep 03, 2003 5:59 pm

Spoons???

Please don't!

Mel Mercer's (the Chieftain's percussionist) son made an excellent video tutor for bodhran and bones, but I couldn't google up a link for it. That's the only tutor worth looking at or listning to IMHO.

Don't jump when the peat fire cracks!

Fill a tape with mostly hornpipes and reels and learn the bones in the privacy of your car on the way to-from work and on trips. Add jigs when you start getting control of the animals.

A little boning goes a long way and you absolutely need to know the tune and how to lift the tune and "touch it up just a taste" not be obnoxious. It's sort of like using very strong seasoning in cooking.

I hate it when our band does 2 tunes in a row where I play bones. I think it overpowers the tonal changes I like in our band. It is usually at the end and I am tired, so I miss some of my fancy licks to end the night.

The Weekenders · Post by **The Weekenders** » Wed Sep 03, 2003 8:02 pm

Good stuff BoneSquint and Seth!!

To further the idea, maybe bones in one tune per tune set would be even more dramatic, fancy. i think it can be kind of a frontman thing, to grab em and play a bit.

I never got beyond really-fast triplets. Have been trying to figure out what to do next.

fancypiper · Post by **fancypiper** » Wed Sep 03, 2003 8:23 pm

I think a couple of tunes in an hour set is about right.

I have had other bone players tell me I have a very unusual style.

For tunes with a moody sounding A part, I like to do a tik-i-ly tok with the tok coming on the downbeat and I do that either each phrase or every other phrase.

If it's a 3 part tune, sometimes I will rest my arm on B and do some on the C part. I try to follow the lead player's triplets and hit those when he does (but he loves variations, so it's a guess lots of times), keeping something going on the downbeat.

Some tunes just lend themselves to some variations at certain places. It's hard to explain.

I would guess my general rule would be, the moody sounding parts, just touch the tune once in a while, the bright happy parts more constant rhythm, matching the "fancy bits" of the tune, and the jumpy, bouncy parts, jumpy bouncy bone rhythms to fit.

I try to keep my left arm (I am left handed but play my pipes right handed, bones left handed) rested enough to do either bones or pipes, whatever my son call next. We seem to never actually have a set list at gigs..

fluter_d · Post by **fluter_d** » Wed Sep 03, 2003 9:08 pm

Quote: fancypiper

Mel Mercer's (the Chieftain's percussionist) son made an excellent video tutor for bodhran and bones, but I couldn't google up a link for it. That's the only tutor worth looking at or listning to IMHO.

Mel Mercier is actually the son of Peadar Mercier, who was the percussionist for Ceoltoiri Cualann - if you search for Mel Mercier and bones/bodhran, you won't have a problem finding that video. He is a great player.

Deirdre

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