A good point - but if a musical style has any merit, it's worth
studying for musical reasons alone.
That's why, in Ireland, so many non-Kerrymen play slides and polkas....
John
In a message dated 30/06/2011 20:51:14 GMT Daylight Time,
oatenp...@googlemail.com writes:
Hello again, Anthony,
One question arises over the issue of absorbing a regional musical
accent: which side of the hill are we talking about? If the hill is
big enough, the style will be pretty different. Northumberland is a
huge county, where travelling in the old days would not have been
that easy. Aren't we talking about a variety of musical accents
here?
Francis
>
On 30 Jun 2011, at 20:09, Anthony Robb wrote:
>
> --- On Thu, 30/6/11, Francis Wood <oatenp...@googlemail.com>
wrote:
>
> Hello Anthony,
> I don't think we disagree. At Stuart Hardy's musical altitude,
I'm sure
> you're right.
> That's a level I can only admire but never approach. On a more
basic
> level, playing the tune with a dotted rhythm will get you
through in a
> far less exposed manner than playing straight, which would seem
to be
> an ability to acquire before refining the playing to a more
regionally
> idiomatic expertise.
>
> Hello Francis
> I'm still not sure I can agree completely.
> I've taught lots now myself (more or less regularly since 1976
and
> mostly beginners/youngsters) - probably in the region of 3500
> pupil-hours and found that (hornpipes aside - which are slowish
anyway)
> people get get away with jigs and reels played steady and
straight but
> as soon as we try and dot/lilt them they fall away after a bar
or
> two.This is especially true of (even) slowish jigs. I used to
take the
> approach you outline; get them playing evenly and steadily and
then put
> the regional (some would say the all important) accent in
afterwards
> but getting people to feel a good lilt and use it consistently
after
> having spent months mastering the straight version has proved
very
> difficult indeed.
> In recent years I've tried to get the lilt in from the off so
that even
> if fingers aren't responding the brain would be taking something
in and
> it seems to work better. Of course the old guys would never hear
the
> straight version in the first place and they have the steadiest
pace
> and control I've ever heard.
> Scottish and Irish bands were popular in Northumberland but when
the
> old guys swiped their tunes they used their own accent to play
them.
> Sadly that distinctive accent is all too rare these days and it
would
> be great to see more pipers from this area taking it on. The
problem is
> how best to achieve it - which ever way we tackle it results are
a long
> time coming.
> As aye
> Anthony
>
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