I got my thinking cap on after a good discussion on another thread so here for your listening pleasure is a recording I made today after a great practice session. I think the Dixon (D) came out really well over the G major backing track anyone interested in tech details check below. Feedback/Critique on my recordings is welcome.
Thanks wanderer for this feedback I listened to my recording and heard precisely what you were pointing out. Thinking back to when I recorded Katie Bairdie that phrase was a sticking point so I’ve been working on it and will re-record. The reversal of the notation to create that snap is also in Lewis Bridal Song so more work need to get the technique solid in it too
Yeah, I was primarily referring to Mairi’s Wedding (Lewis Bridal Song), but was unable to go back and edit the post to make things more clear I can’t get to YouTube at work, but will give a listen later.
Yes, it was one of many tracks that came with a Tom Kolb book on chord progressions. I don’t have much to say with whistle yet and I’m hoping exercises like this will help to increase my whistling vocabulary.
Helping whistling vocab, I’m not so convinced; that’s a matter of technical skills. But as an exploration in general listening, sure. Which, I hasten to add, is IMO a good thing for any musician to have; just don’t mistake that it will make you more technically skillful - they’re two different things. It’s not a bad informal exercise for the beginner’s ear, for responding in appropriate ways on the fly to something else that’s setting the rules, which leads me to ask: do you already play backup at all?
I’ve been playing cowboy chords on acoustic guitar for a couple of years though only for myself as my rhythm variations/skill is limited. To improve I’m listening and reading up on ITM rhythm guitar it’s slow going but better focus than drifting from genre to genre
So finally here is my comment to the recording of the “Lewis Bridal Song” (the others I did coment elsewhere already )
I am just a Newbie and so, for me it is, of coure, very interesting to read what an experienced Whistler as the Wanderer think, but I cant hear those things like a “scotish snap” or even a “missed scotch snap” not even being sure what it sounds like .-) yet.
So my feedback may seem “musically uneducated” (for not to say stupid or wrong) to the experts but its maybe also interesting how a Musicbeginner think and feel about it.
And for you a Newbie I know its interesting for you what other Newbies think:
So here we go:
I hope Mr Ochs will never read what follows but I have to say it.
This is really very good. And even better.
Ok, maybe not for an experienced whistler, it’s an easy beginner’s tune but you are a beginner and being one myself i can say “i wish that i could play this tune, I will learn it soon and hope to be able to play it same good as you … ok, or better if possible ”
why do i say that its so very good?
I did hear this tune at least 2 times already, one time on the CD which came with the tutorial we both use.
There it was played by our Teacher Bill Ochs. And normal Bill play all the tunes on that CD so well that we can not expect to play it as good as he does, but when i did listen to this song played by him, it didn’t catch me, i didn’t think, “what a nice tune, i want to learn it…”, but your version directly catched me, and i am sure we both will never be so good as Mr Ochs on our whistles but for my beginners opinion you played this tune better than he did on that CD. It’s “catchier” if this is a correct word and I hope that you understand what i want to say (Maybe Bill Ochs play the tune so easy to encourage us, but he missed to play it that catchy Everybody can make a mistake, that’s ok. But you should be proud that you did so well here.
So I have lift my Hat and say; “Very well done Mr”!
P.S. I hope it was worth to wait a little time for my feedback
Dunno how this will work for you, Andreas, but I teach it as ‘porridge’ because:
It’s the natural rhythm of the word (short accented syllable followed by longer unaccented one).
It chimes in nicely with the ‘Scotch’ association.
So your Scotch snap (short accented note followed by longer unaccented note) is basically porridge… and there’s even a song full of them (in characteristic Strathspey/Schottische rhythm) about porridge!
Katie Bairdie has more or less correct rhythm in the new recordings..but no ‘lilt’. The tune should be light and jaunty, but instead is just kind of flat. But I assume that will come with perseverance and practice. It took me a long time to ‘get’ that, and i don’t really expect the average person to have it at 2-3 weeks.
Lewis Bridal Song is still missing the ‘snap’ at the end of the phrases. The specific notes I’m talking about are the last two in the first phrase of each measure, that look like this:
The first note is a 16th, so should be 1/2 the time of the 8ths in the measure. The 2nd note is a dotted 8th so it should be 50% longer than normal (essentially the length of an 8th+16th). The way you’re playing them is almost like 2 8ths…but not quite–your first note is actually longer than the 2nd, which is the opposite of what it should be. You need to shorten the first one quite a bit, and lengthen the 2nd one.
Depends on your source, and I accept that we’re talking here about correct interpretation of the Ochs staff notation. But that snap just sounds wrong to me there when I’ve known the tune my whole life like this:
And might add that I’d never say ‘Katie’ in ‘porridge’ rhythm!
I get what you’re saying, Peter. Naturally, I was speaking to the Ochs notation, rather than any traditional interpretation–After moving on from the Ochs book, I often ran into tunes I learned from it that varied considerably from any session I’ve heard them at since.
The Ochs version has the end of the tune noted thusly:
Wanderer with regards to my recordings I’m still working on these tunes the recordings you are listening to are my originals, I haven’t re-recorded yet and thanks for the additional feedback and encouragement. Bill Och appears to have made the tune more challenging for the beginner i.e. the reversed dotted 8th & 16th did have me fumbling but not so much now. Being able to read standard notation already has probably given me a jump start in my learning…but there’s a lot more in Ochs book than reading melody lines. So I’m prepared to invest time and effort to get better at whistle
)
