The Peacock tunes should be played at a speed such that the shortest note passages (usually the semiquaver figures) can be played well - accurately, comfortably, and with a sense of phrasing. Too slow, you can lose the sense of the underlying harmonic rhythm, but too fast, and you get a heap of semiquavers all over the floor. Even if that doesn't happen, the effect can be unmusical.
John -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Richard York Sent: 09 June 2009 17:36 To: NSP group Subject: [NSP] Re: this list is safer now I find this very reassuring, Matt! I'm still bashing away at Peacock, and only recently took note of the metronome settings in the recent edition, some of which are, to me, stratospherically fast. I've been wondering if these were based on general practice, either current or historical, or other evidence, or personal editorial preference. I know that in other traditional dance music I play, slow is often increasingly better, but was ascribing my falling well short of these "target" speeds here to my lack of nsp experience & skill. - but I also noted that on some recent CD's I've heard, some of the pieces feel as if they're played slower than the figures given, and they feel right to my untutored southern ear. I'll have to go check now with CD & metronome! Best wishes, Richard. Matt Seattle wrote: On 6/9/09, Di Jevons [1]<[email protected]> wrote: I do think however there is a danger that 'life and bounce' can be mistaken for 'breakneck speed' Well said, Di. Going further, 'life and bounce' are (imho) incompatible with 'breakneck speed'. Try, for example, to play a jig with any kind of lilt AND to play it fast, and you'll soon stop wanting to play it fast. This is so obvious to me now, but I admit it took me years to arrive at the obvious
