I think I’m having trouble with playing a consistantly good hornpipe rhythm. What then, constitutes a well played hornpipe? Are there any tricks into getting into the swingy hornpipe rhythm?
I know that listening to more old masters and such will help. But all the same, I would like someone(s) to point out what I should be looking out for and etc. Thanks!
It’s as always all in knowing the phrases, know where the tune is going, then it’s a matter of following the pulse of the music.
Listen, play for dancers, or where you are
download the lateest hornpipes.
Peter’s reply (he’s right, of course) got me thinking about phrasing. How about going right back to basics to work on a good hornpipe backbeat/pulse?
Here’s an exercise for you. Take a simple song in hornpipe time, such as Phil the Fluter’s Ball, or even better, Paddy McGinty’s Goat. If you sing these to yourself, you can’t help but produce a great hornpipe swing. At any rate, it would take a special kind of effort not to.
And if you can sing them with a swing, there’s a good chance you can find how to make them swing on the whistle. And once you can play these tunes with a strong swing, then you’ll be able to get the same feel out of standard dance-tune hornpipes very naturally.
The words to Paddy McGinty’s goat scan beautifully, making it so easy for the offbeat pulse to come through. Lyrically, I think it’s a work of poetic genius - and it has a kickbutt tune to boot.
I’m not being facetious here: if you can play Paddy McGinty so that people will want to dance to it, or at least tap their feet, I reckon you’re ready for something with a more complex melody. Otherwise… not.
Can I add an additional question about tempo. I had never heard Paddy McGinty’s Goat so I did a search and ran across this nugget: [edited because of bad link]. Seems like it would be a fun song to take to a session.
Listening to the singing of the song, my question is about the tempo of a sung hornpipe vs. a danced hornpipe. Seems like the above version would be too slow to dance to. However, I like the feel of a hornpipe (even played in session) to be a bit slower than I’m used to hearing it.
So I guess my question is this, is the above song about the right tempo for a whistle tune? Does your average person play hornpipes too fast?
Hoping my questions made sense,
Erik
[ This Message was edited by: ErikT on 2002-01-06 15:34 ]
[ This Message was edited by: ErikT on 2002-01-06 16:11 ]
Is the above song about the right tempo for a whistle tune? Does your average person play hornpipes too fast?
I can’t tell if it’s the right tempo, Erik, because my RealPlayer refuses to play the clip. The counter-question would be, would you enjoy playing it at that speed (whatever it is)?
All I know is that if I sing the song as I hear it in my head (the only version I have ever heard was recorded by Val Doonican, an Irish entertainer who was very popular in England in the 1960s, and it seemed to be played on the “Children’s Favourites” radio show every week), then I can lead straight into the Home Ruler, Stack of Wheat or whatever at a very nice tempo, not overly slow at all, keeping the same beat.
Maybe I sing too fast! Seriously though, it seems that hornpipes can be played at all sorts of tempos. Unbearably boringly slowly for a fancy hard-shoe step dance, a nice jaunt for an old-style soft-shoe step dance, a fast clip for the barn dance “Stack of Barley”, or at almost reel speed for some figures in Kerry sets.
In sessions - whatever speed allows you to do justice to the tune, surely.
As for your average person - well, half of the whistle playing population will play faster than him or her, and half slower. Or should that be your mean person?
Here’s a picture of your man Val, BTW. Is that a young Antoinette McKenna he has his arm around?
[ This Message was edited by: StevieJ on 2002-01-06 15:54 ]
Well, the answer to your first question is that I would enjoy playing it at the speed sung on the link, but I don’t hear most hornpipes played that slowly (kind of meandering horse clip-clop type of sound). Seems like I hear most hornpipes at least at a trot if not a full sprint.
But your explanation of ‘each hornpipe in its place’ makes sense to me. I was just wondering if there was a feeling that folks often push the tempo to add to the Wow Factor at the expense of the song/tune.
Erik
On 2002-01-06 14:50, StevieJ wrote:
Take a simple song in hornpipe time, such as Phil the Fluter’s Ball
I actually learned a version of the the tune from Seamus Ennis’ playing as a reel, works great too. Music at the gate he called it.
Didn’t mean to mess up the example.