Hello folks,
This is a plea for help: two tunes that I play–The Bucks of Oranmore and Bunker Hill–call for low E rolls and low D crans in very close proximity to each other. The problem is that with that particular combination I can never get the roll as clean as I would like. With the slight shift in balance in the right hand my right ring finger just doesn’t respond as flexibly as the ornaments require. Any words of wisdom?
Heartfelt thanks in advance for all responses,
Jon Michaels
[ This Message was edited by: Jon-M on 2002-03-18 13:02 ]
I don’t know these tunes, and in general
this seems good advice:
Do it very, very slowly many times
before playing it fast. Also sometimes play
the tune very slowly without ornaments.
When the ornaments begin to dissolve
again at speed, do it very slowly again.
Also I’ve found that sometimes
just playing for another few months
and returning to something that
was beyond me, I now have advanced
to where it’s no problem.
On 2002-03-18 13:00, Jon-M wrote:
This is a plea for help: two tunes that I play–The Bucks of Oranmore and Bunker Hill–call for low E rolls and low D crans in very close proximity to each other.
I don’t have any advice other than make sure your fingers are nice and relaxed.
“Call for…”. Hmm. Nobody says you have to do it that way. Bunker Hill will sound just fine with a long, plain vanilla, bare naked unornamented D in the first bar (if that’s where you’re talking about).
Similarly, if you’re talking about the very first low D in The Bucks, which is the only part where I could see a cran following an E roll: instead of trying to cran on the first low D, just run up the scale to the A instead.
Scuse me for asking, but are you using LE McC’s tutor? If so, you don’t HAVE to play all those ornaments you know. Enjoy playing the tunes without the crans, and the crans will be ready when they’re ready - before you know it. In the meantime maybe you’ll make a nicer job of the tune without them…
Hi Guys,
Thanks for responding. I know I don’t HAVE to play those ornaments, but I WANT to play them. And I can, just not as well as I’d like to. I want to develop a sound that is absolutely crisp (when I want it to be). I’m not looking to get around these issues but to overcome them. The combination of rolls and crans gives a good feel to the tune and is also a good exercise for moving, however slowly, toward mastery of the instrument. The main issue for me here seems developing the independence of the ring finger.
P.S. Both the first and second sections of the Bucks have places where a roll on an E can be followed by a cran. Keeps the right hand very busy!
[ This Message was edited by: Jon-M on 2002-03-18 14:25 ]
I know I don’t HAVE to play those ornaments, but I WANT to play them.
Fair enough then. If it’s the ring finger that’s giving you strife, have you tried Eldarion’s trick of fixing your intention on flicking your little finger down, rather than the ring finger? This will take the ring finger with it. Might help here.
Edit: PS - just in case - are you by any chance keeping your right little finger down through all of this? I’ve seen people attempt this… if so, try it with the little finger off.
[ This Message was edited by: StevieJ on 2002-03-18 14:38 ]