Kate asked: > In Irish music, I have either played notes with an up or down bow, or > slurred several notes on a single bow stroke, but I've never heard of a > 'straight slur' where you briefly stop then continue in the same bow > direction. It's supposed to sound very staccato. But it doesn't mention > in the book if it is acceptable to lift the bow off the strings! I don't > know if it's ever acceptable to lift the bow off the strings
Yes, it's OK to lift off the bow- it's a big factor in determining your personal style. Some folks keep their bow on the string like it's running on railway tracks, others let it fly about. I'm towards the latter :) But as Kate D says, it's probably not what you want to get your broken slur. First of all, you have to listen to examples of what it is you're trying to achieve. Get that sound in your head. If you're used to slurring notes, then you can begin by playing a waltz time: 123 123... then play each 123 with the bow going in the same direction, but make it sound like it's 3 separate bows. Then slur the first 2 notes, and play 2 strokes to the bar (still in the same direction). Once you have this, play the long-short pattern with 2 beats to the bar as in a strathspey, and gradually shorten the short note more and more, till it's as short as you can get it. The short note starts to sound like it's with the note *after* it, and the sound should remind you of the examples that you've been listening to. One thing you will probably need to work on is varying the pressure on the bow. Learners have a thing about bowing direction- is it an up or down bow? which notes are slurred? etc. When you listen to good players, much of the expression has very little to do with that. It's like learning to sing and worrying about where to open and close your mouth. Of course it's important, but it's not what makes a singer sound good. Variations in pressure (where you lean on part of each note) determines the 'pulse' which gives the music its rhythm. So you will vary the pressure as part of getting the long-short bowing to sound good. In particular, if you just stop the bow between notes, it will croak- maybe that's why you feel a need to lift the bow? Well don't lift it right off, just ease off the pressure at the end, and it'll sound good :) Hope that helps. Derek Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music & Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
