Arm brace. Good idea. Not easy to fabricate but someone who makes such things for the disabled might design one. It would have to be fixed to the arm and be designed so that it would support the edge of the hand without being able to break loose, yet allowing space for the little finger. I think I prefer practising with a short stick or being taught how to do it, but I find that not every player is able to do this. As to Kêvin Dalot, I think the definition of the image is not sufficiently sharp to see what he is doing with his hand and fingers. He plays very well in time but when with others he goes with the crowd and hurries. This is a common fault with group playing, but if the average group of players had a similar arterial pulse they would all be dead! I think our ambition is surely to emulate leading players and play these dance tunes as for the dance. This means keeping a strict pulse so that the dancers can move properly. It is our job to lead them and give them space to move. A steady beat can be given by a dripping tap or tick of a clock (do we still have them?), but better is a metronome. You may easily amplify one, but when you first try you will think it is erratic! Of course you may enjoy the steeple chase just for the fun of it, but true music making is disciplined and its basis is a firm and consistent rhythmic beat which does not hurry. As tunes are commonly played, a little bit of time is stolen from each bar so that the end of the tune arrives some bars earlier than it should, thus demonstrating relativity theory in a new way. Percussion players are trained to hold a steady pulse, which may be demonstrated but not explained here. Listening to Col. Bogie or other military music played by a good band may give you the idea, which is to hold back or wait. Observe how soldiers perform a dead march. Learning to play in a rhythmically controlled way is both satisfying and impressive. There is, however, a drawback, for once you have made this your normal way of performance you will be irritated by those who will not, or can not, do it, and if you try to correct them you will be told with ill grace, that you are dragging. C’est la vie. Happy days. Michael
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