2 against 3 regulator exercises?

Uilleann Pipes
1

Anyone have any suggestions on how to bootstrap oneself into playing 2 against 3 regulator rhythms for jigs? I’ve tried various methods to get the whole feel for it in my body, but keep hitting a wall.

For example, I’ve tried setting up a loud metronome playing a 3-beat jig pattern while then having my right hand tap on my leg on the offbeat. I can do that fine after a while, but when it comes to actually playing a jig on the chanter while doing the offbeat on the regs, I’m completely flummoxed and can’t see how to get there from here. I have no problem with the 1_34_61_34_61… sort of jig patten on the regs where the regs correspond to one of the beats in the jig pattern, but I’d really like the option of doing the full 2 against 3.

Just to be absolutely clear, I’m talking about where the regulator playing doesn’t exactly correspond to any of the notes in the jig:

Jig: 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 …
Jig subdivided: 1 x 2 R 3 x 4 x 5 R 6 x 1 x 2 R 3 x 4 x 5 R 6 x …

where R represents the point in the the reg is struck.

I’ve asked about how to bootstrap oneself into this at this at a few tionols, the general response has been “you just have to do it…” Not having much luck just doing it. :slight_smile:

Any suggestions for exercises or success stories?

Michael

2

deleted duplicate, sorry

3

The “classic” 2 against 3 rhythm (which you can practise with two hands) gives you a resultant rhythmic pattern of dum-tuck-a-dum, dum-tuck-a-dum. I’ve never (I think) heard it on the regs, though I’ve tried it.

In a jig, the jig part would be the 2 beat (ONE 2 3, TWO 2 3) and the regs would supply the 3-beat, thus:

Tune: One 2 3 Two 2 3 |One 2 3 Two 2 3
Regs: 1 2 3 |1 2 3
Dum Tuck - a - Dum |Dum Tuck - a - Dum

One way to practise it (once you’ve got the hang of slapping your leg with 3 in one hand and 2 in the other) would be to start with a jig with just 2 long rolls to the bar, such as the Legacy, and try and feel it. It comes down to feeling it really: trying to mathematically keep track of each beat is impossible at speed.

Is this what you were after? Or something simpler?

I guess you could try and do twos in the regs against each group of three in a bar of 6/8, bu that would be a lot of very fast beating.

Hope this helps/is not too obscure.

4

No, I can do the pattern you describe, its the true 2 against 3 pattern I’m fighting with where you count a double jig essentially in 2 and play the regs on the offbeats while playing groups of three on the chanter.

Here’s what to me is a difficult exercise (thank goodness I didn’t take up Gamelan instead of Uilleann pipes):

With your left hand tap out a jig pattern on your left thigh as:

1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 (with emphasis on the 1 and 4)

while tapping your right hand on your right thigh as:

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 (with emphasis on the 1 and 3)

where the 1 match up in both patterns and the 3s in the second pattern correspond to the 4s in the first. The right hand strike on 2 and 4 in the second pattern comes between the 2 and 3 and between the 5 and 6 in the first pattern

Next step would be to take away both the 1 and 3s from the second pattern and leave just the 2 and 4 while taping out the full 6 beat pattern with the left hand. That’s the ultimate goal, except the left hand pattern corresponds to the chanter playing the jig melody and the right hand the regulator strikes.

5

Sounds like you just need to do it :smiley:

Seriously though, it sounds like you really know what has to happen.

In my head (not in reality) I hear it like this: One regulator hit then another followed by three, like this: (so hard to explain this stuff in type!)

^ = regulator hit

1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6

1 2 ^ 4 5 ^ 1 2 ^ ^ 5 ^

Wow is this getting complicated! :slight_smile: It translates over from the reels hit on the up beat. The feel is that you are hitting the jig on the up beat.

As far as exercises just break it down and take it slow just hittin gon the 3 and 6 at first and then build on it from there.

Hope this helps in some way,

PD.

6

Patrick,

I can do the 3/6 thing, its the true offbeat thing that has me going nuts.

The funny thing is that in the heat of a session at full speed, sometimes it just happens, so maybe the answer is that I just need to do it. :slight_smile:

It definitely is easier to do when playing faster and harder to do after a shot of whiskey.

M

7

Sorry, my post deleted all the spaces between the numbers, and I don’t know how to reinstate them. What you describe is exactly what I meant. 2-beat on the chanter, 3 -beat on the regs.
Do you see what I mean about the Legacy?

Here’s the corrected diagram; the dashes are just to get things to line up properly.

Tune: One—2—3—Two—2—3—|One—2—3—Two—2—3—
Regs: 1-----------2-----------3--------|1-----------2-----------3-----
====Dum-----Tuck—a----Dum-----|Dum-----Tuck—a-----Dum

8

Can you think of an example I can listen to?

PD.

9

Wouldn’t that best be done in the beginning by playing a repeated pattern on the chanter so that you could concentrate on the regs?

e.g. |: GEF DFE | GAG FED :expressionless:

If I understand you correctly, the underlined notes are the ones you want to practise hitting the regs on (?).

djm

10

http://comhaltas.ie/music/detail/comhaltaslive_211_5_tim_dowd_on_pipes

Here is some nice off the beat regulator playing in the third and fourth repeats of the tune.

11

Nope, its two beats on the regs, three beats on the chanter.

Here’s an example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pQkEjTTatA

Benedict at
1:36
1:55

Its more of a shift to the true offbeat..

Subtle stuff…

M

12

Thanks! Great examples of all sorts of variations of both true offbeat as well as in-rhythm reg work.

13

sorry, duplicate again

14

Sounds to me like Benedict is just playing beats 3 & 6 of the jig on the regs.

Tune: One—2—3—Two—2—3—|One—2—3—Two—2—3—
Regs: -----------Blarp-----------Blarp|-----------Blarp-----------Blarp------


I understand why you might call that “2 against 3”

15

I’m still talking about true 2 against 3 as the end goal, if I find some definitive examples, I’ll post them…

I hear this more as:

Tune: One—2—3—Two—2—3—|One—2—3—Two—2—3—
Regs: --------Blarp-----------Blarp------------Blarp-----------Blarp------

With the Blarps taking place between the 2 and 3. :slight_smile:

16

That’s what it sounds like to me too. Benedict himself once suggested simply listening to a recording of yourself (or somebody else) playing a tune and practicing hitting regs at the precise moment you want to. He said that gradually the rhythm gets into your wrist and you find yourself doing it as you play. I am just starting out on regs, and so can’t yet report any spectacular success with this advanced rhythmic stuff – but thought you might find the suggestion useful.

Cheers,
KAD

17

Listened to Mikie Smyth lately? I think there’s a fair smattering of blarps in there.

PD.

18

Sounds like a good name for you debute cd: A Fair Smattering of Blarps :smiley:

19

Here’s an snippet of Mikie Smythe doing exactly what I’m talking about, particularly in the middle of the clip:

http://members.cox.net/eskin3/mikieregs.mp3

and the same clip slowed down to half speed.

http://members.cox.net/eskin3/mikieregs_slow.mp3

If I beat my foot to the rhythm, I hear the strikes truly on the up beat, not aligned to the jig rhythm…

20

I think you may be overanalyzing it. I reckon the pattern is best understood as a pulse on 3 and 6, with the timing shifted very slightly relative to the melody. There’s a bit of swing in that rhythm which lengthens 1 and 4, which IMO accounts for the reg beats coming between 2/3 and 5/6.

To look at it another way, it’s like the melody lagging the rhythm or the rhythm leading the melody slightly in a rhythm section vs. melody setting.