I recently had a few low whistles lessons on Skype and the teacher suggested I use two fingers for taps on F, G and B rather than the normal one (tapping on B2 & B3 for F, B1 & B2 for G and T2 & T3 for B). I don’t use taps on their own very often but obviously all the time in rolls and short rolls. The thing is that I’ve never come across this anywhere else so I’m wondering how valid this technique is. Does anyone else do the same . . . or have any thoughts on it?
If it works, it’s valid. Why wouldn’t it be?
I do it all the time, getting the bottom note or a note more distant than the note just below the one played ‘darkens’ (for want of a better descriptor) the ornament. I took it from the pipes by the way, off the knee rolls, Séamus Ennis playing the F rolls in the Dublin reel and all that.
The more fingers you use, the stronger is the effect… e.g. Conal Ó Gráda in his tutor even suggests to tap the G with all remaining three fingers. More power. 
Interesting! Thanks guys.
This ‘more distant note’ thing is also standard practice for the E, D, C and B strikes on Highland-fingered Scottish pipes, where you’re moving between one and three fingers to separate these notes with the low A (for the E strike) or G (for the others). And you can see/hear me strike a whistle B with the low D (which would be outwith the GHB range) at c.1:20/1:21 and 1:32/1:33 in my Atholl Highlanders video.
Very interesting post. Wondered about this myself as some fingers move better in pairs.
I’ve done double-fingered finger vibrato.
But not taps. Sounds worth a try.
I do double-fingered vibrato and have to agree with Dulcimer Bill that some fingers move better in pairs, though in passing, I’ve never managed to do vibrato on the bottom hole like Davy Spillane where his ring finger and pinkie unite as one. Glad to hear that the double-fingered tap is more widely used than I thought. I’m not sure I understand Mr Gumby’s thought that it “darkens” the ornament. Do you want to enlarge on that at all?
some fingers move better in pairs,
That is ofcourse fully a product of how well practiced you are in the use of your fingers.
Darker. Hm, as I said I used that for want of a better description. When I separate two G, Fs etc with a bottom D the tone colour will be lower, darker if you will, than when I cut them or even tap them with the note below. Same for rolls where a note well below the usual is used.
Thanks for the clarification. Much appreciated.
It’s interesting, how certain shared techniques are often seen between whistle, Uilleann pipes, Highland pipes, and perhaps other instruments. Sometimes it’s the very lack of these things, in the whistleplaying of some people, which reveal their background as Recorder or Boehm Flute players.
With Highland pipes the pats are all different because of the presence of an extra hole for the subtonic and the nature of the fingering. These pats are standardized:
B, with Low G pat
x xxx xxoo
x xxx xxxx
x xxx xxoo
C#, with Low G pat
x xxx xoox
x xxx xxxx
x xxx xoox
For D, two different pats are used, one finger and three finger:
x xxx ooox
x xxx xoox
x xxx ooox
x xxx ooox
x xxx xxxx
x xxx ooox
The rest of the pats are one-finger, though due to the nature of the fingering the E pat sounds a fifth away:
x xxo xxxo
x xxx xxxo
x xxo xxxo
F#:
x xoo xxxo
x xxo xxxo
x xoo xxxo
High G:
x ooo xxxo
x xoo xxxo
x ooo xxxo
High A:
o oox xxxo
x oox xxxo
o oox xxxo
The topic of pats on the uilleann pipes is a complex one. For one thing, it varies from player to player. For another thing, the same player might use different pats for different situations.
Pats can be done by patting with one finger or more, creating a silence or creating a note one or more notes below, depending on the fingering used.
What interested me is the workshop I attended given by a very well-known piper. He never mentioned his patting approach, but I took careful note of it, and notated his fingerings for patting various notes. What he would do was use a ‘close’ pat for most notes, and lifting the chanter off the leg for a split-second so that a Bottom D pat was created. He did this for F#, G, A, and B.
I found the lower-hand pats easy to do, but I couldn’t get my B pat to sound as clean as his. His patting with both of the raised fingers for B was incredibly quick and precise. Likewise his chanter movement was very quick, so that the Bottom D pat was heard but the melody note wasn’t affected.
x xoo xxxx (x)
x xxx xxxx (o)
x xoo xxxx (x)
On the whistle I often do these pats:
F#:
xxx xoo
xxx xxx
xxx xoo
G:
xxx oox
xxx xxx
xxx oox
C natural:
oxx oox
oxx xxx
oxx oox
Interesting stuff, Richard. I’m particularly intrigued that you cover the bottom hole for your pats on G and Cnat.
No doubt that my whistle/flute cuts and strikes have got more adventurous since I took up the pipes!
With Highland pipes the pats are all different because of the presence of an extra hole for the subtonic and the nature of the fingering. These pats are standardized:
Thought about giving the fingerings myself above, but tried going for concision instead.
Did you watch my video, Mike? Because I’m supporting the whistle the same way for a bell-note strike to B. And did so (struck with the low D) to get the different colouring/degree of ‘pop’ I think Mr.Gumby’s hinting at.
A question then for all you woodpeckers a-tap-tap-tapping …
When would you tend to use a tap as a stand-alone ornament, not in a roll, in such a way that the tonal difference between a single vs. double fingered tap would make any difference at all?
I suppose if I examine my own playing, I could find spots when I might reach for a tap instead of a cut to subdivide a note, for ease of fingering. But for the most part I would mid-cut the note. And in rolls, and at speed, I can’t see that tapping with 2 or 3 fingers makes much difference at all in the coloration or “depth” of the tap. You’re simply adding multi-finger coordination as a technical issue for very little expressive pay-off.
I admit I sometimes tap B with two fingers. But that’s as a fudge for poor finger independence between T2 and T3 on my “weak” hand, and not as an expressive choice.
Just curious.
The difference on high whistles is admittedly subtle (I happened to be looking at the differences a couple of weeks ago after recording a few clips for a discussion) although I think there’s for example a considerable difference between say a figure like BGG DGG using tongued notes, a cut with a higher note or using the bottom note to separate the Gs.
I would imagine there’s a greater gain on the lower keys.
I believe strongly that all these little things, even if not readily identifiable, make their own contribution to how an overal soundscape or the texture of music as it is heard and perceived. For that reason I strongly dislike and disagree with the way of thinking that holds that there’s one finger to cut the lower hand notes and another for the upper hand notes.
When it feels right…
Have to say I also cut more than strike, and strike with one finger more often than more (at least on whistle or flute), but ‘when it feels right’ is the only halfway logical (?) answer I can give you!
Me too. Though it look me some time (many years!) after learning the ‘simple’ way to really start exploring the alternatives…
When to use a cut? When to use a pat? I don’t know. I might do it each way in the same phrase as I repeat the tune.
I nearly always would use a pat in a phrase like
6/8 | DG’G BG’G | AG’G BG’G |
I suppose a lot depends on the situation, but in many cases it doesn’t matter, and either a cut or a pat will do the job.
Ray Tubridy, cousin of Michael Tubridy, would do a variation, only on G, where he would play a long string of pats with no cuts. It was really cool. I can’t remember ever hearing any other fluteplayer doing that.
Highland pipers’ default thing is to play a cut on every major beat. The Irish roll, where you hit the major beat without a cut, then play a cut off the beat as part of the roll, rarely occurs in traditional Highland pipe music (but is becoming more common as Highland pipers borrow more and more Irish tunes).
An interesting aside to the issue of double pats is the special double pat that Highland pipers do only on one note, low A:
x xxx xxxo
x xxx xxxx
x xxx xxxo
x xxx xxxx
x xxx xxxo
This is called a ‘birl’ and is done with a special movement of the little finger. There are several ways to do it. I don’t know of any Irish equivalent.
Here, at 2:00, is the start of the tune Crossing the Minch, famous for all the birls in the fourth part, which starts at 3:10
Peter, I did check out your video and the way you tapped on B. It seems there’s no right way to do it although the tutors teach a one finger tap. On B, I tap T2 & T3 perhaps with an anchoring finger on B3 but in the second octave, the whistle doesn’t like that anchoring finger so I play B XOOXXX with a tap on T2 & T3. I don’t use taps on their own very often just as part of a roll so the sound gets lost in the ornament but I do understand what Mr Gumby’s saying about lower notes darkening the tone and since my main whistle is a Low D, the effect is a little more pronounced.
although the tutors teach a one finger tap.
You probably need to realise most tutors, out of necessity, usually teach a single, basic (generic, if you like) way of doing things. They will teach a beginner the basics. They’re an introduction. The abundance of detail and variety found in the playing of the great stylists is something you will have to seek elsewhere.