I have been listening closely to CDs of the great players and hear sounds between the notes which puzzle me. The sounds are either intentional embellishments or unavoidable crossing noises as the musician moves from note to note at great speed. One of the best examples of a tune with these sounds is Jerry O’Sullivan’s “Mike in the Wilderness”, track 5 of The Gift. The sounds are chirps which do not seem to fall just before a main note as a grace note would. I am trying to move from one note to the next cleanly but do hear myself play slight sounds, especially when moving from a C natural to low A. If this is what I am hearing from the masters, maybe I should not work so hard to eliminate the sounds. May I please discuss this with one of you experts? Thanks
I got my start from a player of both Highland and Irish pipes, who had noticed this as well, that most Irish pipers were chock full of crossing noises. It’s nothing to worry about, all part of the music. If you don’t like hearing it in your own playing you can work on getting rid of them if you so choose.
Belcaro, just to expand a little on Kevin’s response. It depends on where you are in your development, and where you want to go. Some pipers are very smooth in their playing with few cuts or other ornaments. If this is the sound you are after, then you want to learn not to make these additional noises. If you are trying for a more “chippy” sound with lots of ornamentation, then these additonal noises are hard to avoid, and don’t stand out as much. It really depends on what you are trying to achieve style-wise.
djm