With big whistles and both uillean & highland pipes I know that the ‘correct’ thing to do is to cover the hole with the middle joint of the finger.
Can anyone explain to me why this is. It seems to me that, if you spread out your hand, the top joints are further apart than the middle ones, so playing in the traditional way forces you to spread them further than if you played with the finger-ends.
I started life on classical woodwinds, so maybe I just feel more comfortable with what I’m used to, but it does seem odd, to me, to give oneself a mechanical disadvantage.
Hi Jez,
because you hold the big whistles at a different angle (i.e. much lower down from your mouth) the pipers grip reduces the strain on the wrists and elbows, as much as on the hands. I have no trouble covering the holes using pipers grip, but then I also used to play the clarinet and used fingertips for that, of course, and it’s a heavier beast to carry with all that added metalwork and thicker walls. My brother played the bassoon with fingertips too (but not in Irish Music).
Go with what you’re comfortable with, don’t get hung up trying to develop a style that doesn’t come naturally.
My 2 cents!
I experimented briefly with using all first finger pads on a low d. I developed a painful strained feeling in both hands pretty quickly that took the fun away. At a recent session, I watched a guy play a Chieftain low d with his first pads- he played quickly and well. I asked him about it. He said he just made himself used to it. Some people manage to do things like this without injuring themselves- like marathon runners. Others get hurt pretty early on. Recovery can be slow.
Tony
On 2002-07-03 11:23, jez wrote:
… it does seem odd, to me, to give oneself a mechanical disadvantage.
It’s true that your fingertips are further apart than points lower down the fingers - but I think it’s all about the ability to play without any tension in your hand and fingers. And for most people that is considerably easier using the joints. Tension while playing a musical instrument = big trouble down the road.