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P H R A S I N G & E X P R E S S I O N
PLAYING
ON THE BEAT
2/4
MARCHES, DOT
& CUT HORNPIPES & POLKAS
3/4,
4/4, 5/4 MARCHES
COMPOUND
TIME MARCHES
STRATHSPEYS
DOT
& CUT REELS
"ROUND"
REELS & HORNPIPES
JIGS
What follows are some
general pointers to assist with musical
expression and phrasing. While mutually compatible to a degree, these
are better suited to band piping rather than solo piping where
the player is free to indulge in a more individual style. Even within
the upper echelons of pipe bands, there are degrees of style, non of
which are right or
wrong - just different. These styles will however be based upon certain
ground rules which have been outlined here.
It should be stressed that
most bagpipe music is only a guide and it is
usually necessary to play well outside the notated values in order to
correctly interpret the tunes. Due to the fact that the bagpipe is not
able to separately articulate each note from the next, we instill our
music with dynamics and life by creating an exaggerated distinction
between long and short notes. This is known as "dot and cut" or
"pointing".
Please note that while time
signatures have been written as "2/4" etc, in
no way do they represent a numerical fraction - this is just a
convenient
way of representing them without a staff.
P L A Y I N G
O N T H E B E A T
-
This is crucial to
establishing unison of playing and a strong sense of
drive and rhythm. A group of average players all playing on the same
beat will probably sound better than a group of excellent players not
playing on the same beat. The best way to practice this is to use a
metronome. It may feel awkward at first but that's because the
metronome is fighting your natural urge to speed up or slow down.
- For those not experienced with
using a metronome, it might be best to
start at a slower than normal tempo in order to become accustomed to
playing on a regular beat. Normally the metronome will indicate each
down-beat, however doubling the tempo will highlight the up-beats
(aside from compound time tunes). This is known as double-time and can
be quite
helpful when trying to control a new tune at a slower tempo. At a
normal tempo however, a metronome set to double-time will make correct
phrasing
quite difficult.
2 / 4 M A R C H E S , D O T
& C U T H O R N P I P E S & P O L K A S
While these types of
tunes may have subtle differences to each other with
regard to ideal tempos, the fundamentals for each are essentially the
same. Bear in mind that dot/cut hornpipes and polkas are often played
in a more relaxed and flowing manner than a 2/4 march.
- The
first priority is to ensure you are placing place
the
down-beat notes accurately on the beat.
- Place the necessary
accents on the strong beats and to
a slightly
lesser degree the weak beats. A common fault is
to accent the strong beats at the expense of the weak beats and
up-beats - be sure to give them sufficient value to avoid an uneven
rhythm. This will make the tune easier to control and ensure that it
will have plenty
of drive and lift.
- Take care to
give adequate value to the last note of
each
two-bar phrase. This is similar to punctuating a sentence and creates
the
necessary distinction between the question and answer phrases. The last
note of a phrase excludes any introductory notes - these belong to the
next phrase.
- Whilst giving the
correct value to longer notes is
important, the
short notes, such as semi-quavers (2 tails) and demi-semi-quavers (3
tails) must be adequately "cut" or shortened to complete the picture
and to create a strong distinction between long and short notes.
- Another common
issue is to rush through passages of
even quavers,
which will be arranged in groups of two. The usual fault is to rush
over the second of these two notes. This is the up-beat note and it
needs to be controlled in order to avoid placing the next down-beat
note before it's relevant beat.
- Pay particular
attention to the
up-beats in groups of 3 or 4 notes - these will usually be arranged as:
- Quaver / dotted
semi-quaver /
demi-semi-quaver
- Quaver / demi-semi-quaver / dotted
semi-quaver
- Dotted
semi-quaver /demi-semi-quaver
/ semi-quaver
- Dotted
semi-quaver /
demi-semi-quaver / dotted semi-quaver
/
demi-semi-quaver
- Dotted
semi-quaver /
demi-semi-quaver / demi-semi-quaver / dotted
semi-quaver
- Demi-semi-quaver
/ dotted
semi-quaver /
demi-semi-quaver / dotted
semi-quaver
The
notes in bold blue indicate the down-beats. The notes in
bold red fall on
up-beats and are commonly rushed.
With example 2, the up-beat falls on the second note, however the accent should be placed on the following dotted semi-quaver.
With example 5, the up-beat falls on the third note, however the accent should be
placed on the following dotted semi-quaver.
With example 6, the
down-beat and up-beat fall on the first and third note respectively,
however in each case the accent should be
placed on the following dotted semi-quaver.
3 / 4 , 4 / 4 , 5 / 4 M A R C H E S
-
Similar in style to 2/4 marches,
these are usually quite simple to play.
- As with 2/4
marches, ensure that you are placing
down-beat notes
on the their beat.
- Place a strong accent on
the first down-beat of each
bar, with
slightly less accent on the remaining down-beats. Remember to give
sufficient value to the up-beats - this is essential for controlling
the tune and giving it lift.
- Give
sufficient value to the last note of each
two-bar phrase.
- Whilst accenting all of
the long notes, remember to cut
the
short semi-quavers and demi-semi-quavers.
- As with 2/4 marches, be
sure to control passages of
even quavers.
These will be arranged in groups of two and it is quite common to rush
the second of these notes. This is the up-beat note and it
needs to be controlled in order to avoid playing the next down-beat
note too early.
-
Pay attention to the
up-beats in groups of 3 or 4 notes - these will usually be arranged as:
- Quaver / dotted
semi-quaver /
demi-semi-quaver
- Quaver / demi-semi-quaver / dotted
semi-quaver
- Dotted
semi-quaver /
demi-semi-quaver / dotted semi-quaver
/
demi-semi-quaver
The
notes in bold blue indicate
the down-beats. The notes in bold red fall on
up-beats and are often rushed.
With example 2, the up-beat falls on the second note, however the accent should be placed on the following dotted semi-quaver.
C O M P O U N D T I M E M A R C H E S
This applies to
6/8, 9/8 and 12/8 type marches. This style of tune is open to a
variety of interpretations, ranging from extreme swing to an almost
square
style. Most would agree the ideal is somewhere in the middle with a
definite swing but still with a strong sense of control and lift.
Listen to any recording of the Strathclyde Police Pipe Band from the
1980s for a master class in compound time phrasing and phrasing in
general.
- As
always, ensure that all
down-beat notes are placed
accurately
on the beat.
-
The key to compound time march expression is to give
adequate
value to the crotchets or dotted quavers. Dotted quavers will either be
the first or second note in each group of three. Not accenting these
notes will rob compound time tunes of their distinctive swing.
-
While accenting the above mentioned notes is critical,
two major
problems with compound time marches relate to cut semi-quavers and the
up-beat quavers. Semi-quavers will occur at the
beginning or more commonly the middle of a group of three. Up-beat
quavers will always occur after a
crotchet or
at the end of a group of three. It is quite
common for pipers to pay all of their attention to accenting the
down-beats, but to then inadequately cut or shorten the semi-quavers
and then not give sufficient value to the the up-beat quavers. This can
result in too much swing and turn the tune into a fast waltz, lacking
the drive and lift a march should have. Rushing over up-beat quavers
can also cause the following down-beat notes to occur before the beat
which will make the tune sound rushed.
S T R A T H S P E Y S
Strathspey
phrasing is also open to a
wide range of interpretation, ranging from extreme
Strong/Weak/Medium/Weak (SWMW) to a style that is more
or less Strong/Strong/Strong/Strong. Bands sometimes favour the latter
style for the sake of control and unison, however most will attempt to
inject a sense of SWMW, but not to the point that the tune becomes
noticeably uneven in it's rhythm.
- It is essential to place the
strong beat
notes on a consistent, steady beat and to give them as much value as
musically possible. The following weak beat note should be less
accented but not to the point that it sounds rushed. The next medium
beat note should be stressed nearly but not quite as much as the strong
beat. Again, the following weak beat note should be less accented but
not to the point that it sounds rushed. If a cut note (semi-quaver)
occurs on the beat, then the accent should take place on the connected
dotted quaver immediately after.
- Particular attention
needs to
be paid to the triplets. These are often played in a clipped fashion
that will do the tune no favours whatsoever. Others tend to play
triplets in an almost totally round fashion which is certainly the
preferable of the two extremes. Despite the fact that most triplets
are written in a fashion to suggest 3 notes in the time of two, it is
quite safe to assume the first two are semi-quavers and last note is a
quaver or the accented note. Some composers will notate their triplets
in this style. This is somewhere between the above mentioned extremes
and is at the very least a starting point. Bear in mind that if the
middle note of a triplet is higher in pitch than the two either side,
it will often, but not always, be the longer or accented note of
the triplet. Adding to the confusion, the melodic line itself will
sometimes dictate how the
triplets should be played which may not follow any hard and fast rule.
- Another stumbling
block is the
lack of fluency of G, D, E gracenotes. These may occur on a single note
or in the context of a doubling to a lower
note such as a G, D, doubling on C to Low A with an E gracenote. In any
case, these should
flow as described above for triplets and effectively be interpreted as
two semi-quavers followed by a quaver. Be careful not to separate the D
and E gracenotes with a pause, the three G, D, E gracenotes should flow
evenly.
D O T & C U T R E E L S
Again
these tunes can be interpreted in a number of ways, ranging from quite
round to a strong dot and cut style. Reels perhaps sound their best
with a definite dot and cut feel but are still allowed to flow freely
as opposed to the control applied to 2/4 marches. That said, the
principles of reel playing are quite similar to 2/4 marches.
- Ensure you are
placing place
the
down-beat notes on the beat.
- Place the necessary
accents on the strong beats and to a slightly lesser degree the weak
beats. With the faster tempo of reels, it is vital to give sufficient
value to the weak beats and
up-beats to maintain control and lift.
- Take care to give
adequate
value to the last note of each phrase.
- Whilst giving the correct
value to longer notes is
important,
remember to cut the semi-quavers.
-
Pay attention to the
up-beats in groups of 4 notes - these will usually be arranged as:
- Dotted
quaver / semi-quaver /
dotted
quaver / semi-quaver
- Dotted
quaver / semi-quaver /
semi-quaver / dotted quaver
- Semi-quaver /
dotted
quaver /
semi-quaver / dotted
quaver
The
notes in bold blue indicate
the down-beats. The notes in bold red fall on
up-beats and are often rushed.
In example 2, the up-beat falls on the third note, however the accent should be
placed on the following dotted quaver.
In example 3, the
down-beat and up-beat fall on the first and third note respectively,
however in each case the accent should be
placed on the following dotted quaver.
A
typical problem is when a sequence of G, D, E gracenotes occur on Low
G, Low A, B or C, in this order:
Dotted
quaver /
semi-quaver / dotted
quaver / semi-quaver
The up-beat dotted quaver with the
E Gracenote is often ignored and
rushed.
" R O U N D " R E E L S & H O R N P I P E S
To their detriment,
these are often played in a square, mechanical fashion. A certain
amount of
pointing will enhance these tunes and make them easier to control.
- As always, ensure that all
down-beat notes are placed
accurately
on the beat.
- Any long notes should be
held to their maximum value.
- With regard to pointing,
there are no hard and fast
rules. This
is not a march style of pointing, but a subtle accenting and cutting
that will largely depend on the compositional style of the tune. In
simple terms - play what sounds right and best serves the tune. Listen
to recordings of top pipers and bands and you will hear that so-called
"round" tunes are anything but.
- To avoid
a rushed effect, ensure each phrase is
completed
in full.
J I G S
As with
round reels and hornpipes, jigs are often played in an overtly round
fashion, which, aside from not being particularly musical, can actually make
them awkward to play and
control.
-
Once again, pay
attention to playing on the beat.
-
Ensure all
crotchet notes are held to their maximum length.
- As a general rule,
accent the first quaver of each group of three with a slightly weaker
accent applied to the third - this is critical for maintaining control.
The middle quaver will need to be shortened however not to the extent
that it is noticeably clipped.
- Certain jigs
require a
different pattern of expressing the groups of three and will usually be
notated with dotted quavers and semi-quavers as required.
- As always, fully
complete each phrase.
Williamstown
R.S.L. Pipe
Band Inc.,
C/O The Secretary,
11
Vivid Court,
Tarneit,
Victoria,
Australia, 3029
Phone: 03
9749 5723
EMAIL - SECRETARY
EMAIL - PIPE MAJOR
ABN - 63
578 773 610
Inc. no. - A0021634H
Webmaster
Last
Updated: 27/07/2008
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