Bagpipes lesson #2

[tcm]

well, it is still quite hard work, gasp gasp. But i can now get a scale out of the practice chanter.

It turns out there are only nine notes on bagpipes. Only nine! Although i think i can get a few halftones here and there but mainly - nine notes is the lot. There's also no loud or soft and no vibrato either. So, the way it is made to sound a bit intresting is by grace notes - little twiddly chirrupy notes before the main notes. I thought these were screwups when i heard others playing bagpipes, but apparently it is entirely intentional, and quite vital bit of bagpipery. Gracenotes are quite hard to do tho, dammit.

 

[alanporter]

I play clarinet which has forty five notes. Doesn't say much for the bagpipes, does it ?

 

[CalmSkipper]

have you learnt how to play 'over the hills and far away' yet? /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Kawasaki]

How about"Silent Night" /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[longjohnsilver]

Do we get a rendition in Jan? If so I, er, might have to be otherwise engaged, washing my hair mebbe?

 

[stephenh]

Brave man - I take my hat off to you......
Once you get past the 'diddly' stuff there is Scottish classical music to explore - a smattering of Gaelic helps as the music is written in words rather than notes - writing grace notes in West European Classical notation is, like in jazz, a waste of time.

An example :
The Unjust Incarceration: Colin Campbell develops the tune as follows:
1st. Hiharin hioen, hodrooen, himen hoen, hiotroenem, hihodrooen, hiotroenem hihodroen hioem hiharinen
2nd. Hiharin hioen hodrooen, himotrao hoen, hiotraenem, hihodrooen hiotroenem, hihodroen hioem, hiharinen
3rd. Hihodrotra, cheredea hoen, hadrea hoen, hihorodoenem, hihodrotra, cheredaea,
hihodroen hioem, hiharinen
4th. Hihararache, hiveda reveche ho, haem, bariveche ho, hihararahohio, hihodrotraem,
barivedarevechea, hihodroen, hioem, hiharinen ,
5th.ChedariIe hiririeha, diliedrehia, cheredeaho himbarihia cheho, hadre himbaria, chedaria, hioem hiharinen , hioen hioen himen hoen hoen hinen hioen hioen himen hoen hoen hioem, hinen three times,
Goes on and on - scary stuff, very beautiful , very difficult.
I gather that each word represents one note with up to a dozen grace notes for adornment.

Good luck....

 

[jimmynoboat]

Grace notes eh? ... Amazing! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[FullCircle]

I read in last weeks' Sunday Times that Clarkson has taken up the drums, and formed a neighbourhood band including Stevie Winwood. P'raps there's some future there, especially as you could natter bout motors 'n stuff in the fag breaks.

 

[bobnewbury]

Dammit! My tenor sax only has 44 (mind you, there's about another 15 if you're John Coltrane).

It does, however have 3 different ways of playing B flat, so I claim victory with 46.