Any ideas on how to keep 3Bcd crisp when playing fast?
Here is a nice example by Conor O’Bryan http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PcmPsppChyk Thady Casey’s
Maybe he is doing something else that I’m not able to pick up on.
What happens is I loose some definition between the c and d notes.
Thanks,
Bob
If you’re talking about what’s known as the “Piper’s Triplet”, i.e. Bcd, I know Conor does what he and other folks call a “back stitch”. In this ornament, instead just playing straight Bcd, you throw in a quick G between the B and the c, thus B(G)cd. That’s what gives the ornament its pop and crispness.
In this tutorial, the back stitch is demonstrated at minute 5:00
Strange thing, but when I had just started, I learnt how to do this “back stitch” thing. Now that I’m better (not great, but better) and my fingering is cleaner, I can’t do it. OTOH, my Bcd triplets seem OK to me in any case. I’m just trying to think why they do. I think it’s just getting a reasonable attack on the B and then making sure the rhythm is tight, with the B and c notes just slightly quicker than the third note.
I can’t do the back stitch myself; been trying, but can’t get it to flow; usually my G is too loud. I get some pop in the triplet from pushing/compressing the B and letting the d honk a bit. Not the same effect, but as close as I can get.
Um. Several points, gentlemen. The figure you are discussing is not a piping backstitch. It is an interesting, and very useful flute technique, but is not a ‘backstitch’ as found for example in the piping of Patsy Touhey. The term backstitching was supplied to us by Tom Busby in describing the piping of the older pipers in America like Dinny Delaney and Touhey. A very detailed discussion of this technique can be found in Pat Mitchell & Jackie Small’s book on the Piping of Patsy Touhey, As the pipers understand the term, it is used primarily in descending tripletts, and generally, although not exclusively found in jigs. The staccatto effect is brought about by interposing the ‘stitch’ from one hand to break up two melody notes played by the fingers of the other hand. . .not quite the figure you are discussing. Perhaps another name for this technique might be in order.
Just being pedantic. 
Bob
au seanduine,
Thanks for the information. You know much more about this than I do. I’m just relating what I’ve been told and shown.
This may be stupid, but what about a super-lazy 3Bc#d? Like
xoo xxx
ooo xxx
oxx xxx …
LOL megapop! 
In all seriousness, I’m not expert or anything here, but is sounds to me like some flute players do a sort of flutter-tongue on the triplets to make them clean and crisp. Just my 2c.
Sounds to me that he’s doing just a very cleanly executed transition between the three notes.
I find that I can do the same thing on whistle using standard fingerings or with all the right hand fingers down.
I agree, this has nothing to do with piping backstitching.
Thanks evryone! I can’t wait to get off of work and try these suggestions. I don’t think it sounds that bad when i play the transition. It’s just not as nice and fluttery sounding as it is in the video I linked. I believe that is a small holed Grinter he is playing.
Definitely not flutter tonguing 99% of the time.