Two things I’ve noticed. First,
half holing the c nat really has
revolutionized my playing–the
whistle is much more hands on
and expressive. Definitely worth
the trouble of learning this,
especially for the long term.
Second, I’ve noticed that I’m
ornamenting almost unconsciously,
it’s become second nature. Playing
the tunes without the ornamentation
I see that I’m sometimes ornamenting
because it helps me get through
a difficult passage that I would
have some trouble playing otherwise.
So I’m learning those passages
without ornamentation, which I see
has become a crutch.
Also ornamentation as a crutch
usually sounds less good than
the unornamented passage. Best
Do you know, I’ve just begun that myself? I mean, I have only recently started on ornamentation, but I played a song I learned before I learned cuts and automatically cut a pair of notes while playing it. It’s very encouraging, isn’t it?
Yes, it’s encouraging. But the moral
of my story is that it’s good
to stop ornamenting entirely
sometimes, and see what it’s
like playing the same tunes unornamented.
This may be of special value
for people who have been
ornamenting for years.
In the past, I’ve been more of a “striker” than a “cutter”, but I’ve been trying to learn cuts lately.
It seems funny, but much of my “ornamentation” is actually because I make a mistake, then try to correct it quickly. It usually ends up sounding better when I record it with mistakes than when I record it perfectly.
I’ve noticed I have two different approaches to ornamentation. When I play for myself or in session, I usually play a cut here and there and a roll here and there and that’s about all.
When I work up a piece for Scoiltrad, though, or for public performance, I add more cuts, more rolls, some crans, some taps, some trebles, and lots of tonguing on whistle or glottals on flute.
The tunes sound more impressive when worked up and ornamented but are “purer” and more fun to play with only sparse ornamentation.
I do think it’s valuable to be able to play both ways though.