I have been admiring Sean Potts playing on “The Drones and The Chanters”, and I notice that he often moves from a semi-tone below the note to the note itself. Like a “cut”, I suppose, but with the “grace note” below rather than above.
I tried to imitate this on the fiddle, but I find it difficult to get the springy, blippy quality.
So I was wondering, does anybody know what I am talking about, do you pipers have a name for that particular ornament, and there any fiddle players here who know how to do that on the fiddle?
That’s a coincidence, I am just listening to Martin Hayes, and thinking how he slides up to notes. I don’t know Martin Hayes well, I stopped listening to traditional music for a while, and he came along.
The slides he does don’t have the rythmic effect of the upside down “cut” thing I am talking about though, do they?
Martin does play as a solo from time to time. I have long been an admirer of his playing and have implemented a lot of what he does in my own fiddling… though, admittedly, nowhere near the caliber of his execution.
An old high quality fiddle, probably gut or syn-gut cored strings, and many many many (a life time actually) years of playing. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have studio technology on your side either.
He sounds pretty much like himself when playing out in the wild though. I was in Feakle today.. ah never mind.
The whole atmosphere of his music (especially his earlier recordings) is very strongly informed by the playing of piper/fiddler Martin Rochford.
His slides do sound different but as he sometimes overindulges in them I gave him as a bit of a tongue in cheek example. What Potts (and a lot of other pipers) does though is opening the holes for the note below the one he wants to play and then very rapidly slide to the note itself. You can achieve something similar on the fiddle I suppose.
I agree here, and I’ll also say his Dad and Uncle can also be heard in his fiddling.
I have had the pleasure of listening to Martin play in a non-professional setting (afterhour parties and the like) and I will say that technology only adds a bit of colour to his playing… if anything at all. His playing is as lyrical and sweet in person and un-amplified (actually… even better) as it is on any recording of his I have ever heard. Mighty fiddler is Martin, and a decent fellow to boot.
I sat playing in Pper’s on the bench with leaning against the sign ‘P Joe’s seat’
we just went in for a few hours and had some quiet tunes and listened a bit here and there. Listened to billh play his pipes but he didn’t notice us : Feakle</a](http://www.feaklefestival.ie/fest05.htm">Feakle</a)>
