Bouncing notes / the "bounce" ornamentation

[Gabriel]

Hi list,

I heard about a so-called "bounce" on a workshop last year. I theoretically know how that thing works, but I think don't get it sound how it should sound. Basically, when trying to play a bounce I play (for example):

XXX OOO (musical note)
XXX XOO (very short "blip" of the F#)
XXX OOO (again very short "blip" of the G again)
XXX XOO (musical note)

Taking this approach, it sounds like this (MP3 link, 361KB). Are those "blips" bounces, or are they supposed to sound different? If so, how are they made and how should they sound?

Many thanks in advance!

[matahari_1946]

Hi Gabriel. I've been trying to work out bounces, too. I can do a pretty decent bounce on an "A" and an "E" but the other notes aren't so good. When I think of this sort of ornamentation the first flute player who comes to mind is Seamus Egan. I think probably any track on any album he plays flute on will give you a better idea.

[Ro3b]

Yeah, that's kind of the general idea of what it sounds like. The movement is similar to a tap, only instead of the finger bouncing off the flute, it comes back down for the F#. Gravity does half the work for you.

It might be more helpful to continue down the scale when you practice this. Start by playing G (F#GF#) E slowly and deliberately. Then make it faster. You can also do the ornament on E. It's the same deal: F# (EF#E) G.

[bradhurley]

There's another kind of "bounce" as well, which is essentially a triplet and is most often done by flute players on A or G. The pattern is A-C#-A or G-C#-G; it's a very common fiddle technique as well. Pipers would call this a top-hand triplet; it's usually played staccato on the pipes, but not on the flute, and flute players use it more in the way fiddlers do, it creates a buoyant effect. There's probably another term for it, but I've always heard it described as a bounce.

Kevin Crawford and Harry Bradley are two well-known flute players who use this bounce a lot in their playing. I remember watching Harry demonstrate these bounces all the way down the scale.

This is one of those cases where leaving a few fingers down (which flattens the C# but not enough to notice) makes things a lot easier. So for the bounce on A, it goes:

xxo ooo
oxo ooo
xxo ooo

If you have Kevin Crawford's "In Good Company" album, he leads off the tune "Tae the Beggin'" with this bounce, right at the beginning of the track (he only does it once, it's the very first note on the track).

The bounce on G would be:

xxx ooo
oxx ooo
xxx ooo

[onkel]

Hello Gabe,

Your bounces sound pretty good to me. I think relaxation is key to have them come out nicely. Bounces are not essential, so you should not try too hard to play them anyway. If your fingers are loose and relaxed, the bounces will come more naturally. If you try hard to play them you'll get stiff fingers that don't like to bounce. Just watch yourself playing and imagine your fingers are made out of some rubber stuff. Imagine it's not you who's playing, just observe the flute player in you. That's what helps me anyway. Having multiple identities is a good thing

Good luck,
Norman Bates

[Liney Bear]

Your bounces sound good to me too. I use them all the time. I like how they sound on weak beats.

Another thing I use along the lines of the bounce, is a sort of two finger bounce, which sounds fluttery to me. So, instead of just bouncing the right hand index finger, I bounce the index and middle finger. My clips are probably rife with them.

[Gabriel]

@ onkel

Thanks everyone so far, so at least I know that my bounces bounce into the right direction of bouncing. Will just have to do the triple P.

[groxburgh]

I think this is what is called a "doubling" on the Highland Bagpipe on which it's the most common form of ornamentation.

cheers
Graeme