I will lead a master class on ornamentation for tin whistlers and flute players on Saturday, January 17th from 1:00 to 5:00 PM at The Gaelic-American Club, 74 Beach Road in Fairfield, Connecticut. The event is sponsored by The Shamrock Traditional Music Society, Inc.
The class is for musicians who are already comfortable playing Irish dance tunes at a moderate pace, but who are new to ornamentation or would like to review the techniques. The workshop will start with instruction in simple ornaments (cuts and strikes) and then move on to compound ornaments (rolls and crans). We will also cover techniques used in slow air playing — finger vibrato, slides, etc.
All the techniques will be presented in the context of actual tunes — jigs, reels, hornpipes and airs. I will also give you a series of exercises to help you master the techniques, as well as show you how to apply these ornaments to pieces in your own repertoire.
There will be a break at the mid-point of the class during which I will give a talk on different styles of traditional Irish tin whistle and flute playing, illustrated with recordings of master players.
Participants should bring a tin whistle, low whistle or flute pitched in D and a notebook. A recording device such as a tape, flash or mini-disc recorder is also highly recommended. Players of Boehm system flutes are welcome to participate.
The fee for the class is $25. For reservations, please call Don Cavett at 203-655-0852.
I hope to see some of you in Fairfield on January 17.
I went to one of Bill’s mini workshops a couple of years back and it was terrific. This one should be great, and I’d make the trip down myself if I wasn’t already committed to something else that day.
Thanks for the suggestion re Ohio (FJohnSharp) and for the vote of confidence (brewerpaul).
I would encourage anyone with questions about ornamentation and within striking distance of Fairfield to try attend. This is a four-hour session that covers a lot of ground.
I would love to attend, but I’m very new to whistle. I am a composer and read music very well. Will you be primarily teaching by rote or will there be written music involved?
I guess I’m not worried about learning ornamentation without written music, but I don’t really know any tunes. Will that hinder me?
I don’t think you will have a problem, as I will be using written music at the workshop. I find that 80 to 90 percent of the students who attend my master classes can read music. Using transcriptions helps us cover more material and use the time very efficiently.
Having said that, I make sure that we go over the tunes slowly and in detail so that players who don’t read music feel comfortable. We don’t, however, play each tune ad infinitum until everyone in the room has learned it. That can be very tedious.
I encourage attendees to bring a recording device to the class, so that if they don’t read music, they will have a complete breakdown of each tune to work on at home. It’s also a good idea for attendees who read music to bring a recording device to class, as this will help them remember key points of interpretation.
Bill, do you ever make your way to the Buffalo side of New York? I have your book for the Clarke whistle and would really enjoy having a chance to work with you personally. Just wondering…
Thanks, Bill. I haven’t done anything musical in Buffalo since performing there in the late '70s. I could come up sometime if there were enough interest. Please send me a personal message and include your e-mail if you would like to explore this further.