Finger Bounce

Uilleann Pipes
1

I recently heard Mikie Smith describe a ‘finger bounce’ as an UP ornament.

He claimed it was ‘indescribable’. Fair enough. But I failed to pick it up from watching and listening to his playing.

Perhaps someone who’s mastered it, can give a go at describing how to perform the ‘finger bounce.’

Mike

2

Would that be the same thing that Seamus Ennis called a “shiver”? You flex your hand at the wrist and let the finger for the desired note vibrate over the tone hole, is the best way I can describe that.

3

I learned how to do it while attempting to do trills. I also thought the “bounce” name was confusing, but then I noticed that if I only “trilled” once it was a bounce.

4

Here is Sean Potts doing lots of finger bouncing, something his style of piping is known for:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFsx39t0EeU

The name is as it suggests…you bounce your finger upon playing the note; not quite the same as playing a trill where your focus is on lifting the finger. Bouncing seems to just happen when you focus on bouncing the finger down as if it is a rubber ball. Obviously it involves lifting the finger, but for some reason if you think of it as a lift, it won’t work, at least not for me. It’s more of a slam down and let the finger lift and slam down again. In this sense it only works when stepping down the scale (A to G for example) rather than going up.

5

I always found it easier to get the bounce by bringing the joint of the finger down on the hole rather than the pad.

You can hear Mikey doing it a lot in this vid.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZF8uHVu4Res

Personally I like to hear more notes played straight.
Mikey and Sean obviously don’t.

6

You’ll hate me then! :laughing:


I may be wrong, but It seems it’s more common to do on flat pipes, it it because of tonal flexibility? Or the traditional playing style?

I think I mentioned this kind of stuff in my chanter reed thread, very cool stuff.