Is it just me or do others have difficulty getting a clean bottom d when coming from back d. I’m thinking of tunes like The Three Merry Sisters.
What you really want to achieve on bottom D is what is called the “hard D”. In dropping from back D to bottom D (or any other note) it is normal to first cut with an A and add a little bit of pressure to achieve the hard D, i.e. {A}D.
djm
A quick ‘bip’ or stacatto back D, then a quick pause (to let the reed rest) and then bottom D works for me, as in the jig Daniel O’Connell.
This used to fill me with dread in tunes like “The Glen Road To Carrick” or “Sean Reid’s Favourite.” Following the above advice, make sure your thumb is securely returned to the closed position on the back d, then DIVE! DIVE!!!
Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiinnnng.
My current reed goes cleanly (most of the time) between back d and hard D. Previous reed have not done this without using pauses or A cuts.
Handy in tune like Hand me Down the Tackle and the Merry Sisters, a great tune, especially good for crans in the first part.
David