What’s pulsing?
I have an idea,but I
would welcome more info.Best
Pushing the breath rhythmically. You can get the idea by playing a long note, and making a sort of “huh-huh-huh” effect. You’d have to play around with it to get the best effect out of it considering your embouchure and the flute you’re playing. I’ll use it in some tunes to make them more “caloric”, for want of a better term, but usually add it here or there as a form of variation to spice up a tune.
Well, if you’re talking about breath pulsing, it’s using breath or diagphrematic accents to call attention to certain notes in a tune, usually determined by either where they fall in relation to the beat, or to set up a kind of counter-melody effect. An example of the last is the Glass of Beer, a reel where one flute can sound an awfully lot like two flutes when it’s played this way.
You can also use breath pulses combined with glottal stops to make a kind of “barking” sound on a note, especially on D.
For an example of a tune played without and then with breath pulses and glottals, see this thread:
http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=14690
Best wishes,
–James
Also referred to as the “Huff and Spit” school of fluting, sort of like the Sligo style ( I think). Has two main functions. It assures that your “six Pack” muscles are thoroughly worked out, and that the person to the right of you in a session is adequately moistened.
Thanks. I lost sound for a couple of days, just
got it back. Some of these tunes will help, I’m sure.
I thought that it was attacking a note with
a pulse of breath, no glottal stop, tonguing or
ornament. I take it that this might be part
of pulsing, but it isn’t all. Interesting stuff.
Well, Jim, that’s basically it, as I understand it. It serves to accentuate a note, but can be used in a chugging fashion, too. You oughta hear Larry Nugent when he comes to a session…he’ll do that just to give us all a laugh, it sounds so crazy. Funny thing is, he makes it sound good.
I have never got all this terminology straight either. What’s the difference
in what you do, between glottal (closing your throat and make a “uh”) vs.
using your diaphragm and puffing out a “uh”??
While I’m at it is there any difference between huffing and puffing. This
seems to remind me of a story about a woof…
Nanohedron, can you keep up with Laurence? That must be fun playing tunes with him around. He’s way good.
Jimbo,
I think the audio clip at this site,
a piece in Lydian Mode at fast tempo
may demonstrate a fair bit of pulsing.
Grand Bansuri Master Pannalal Ghosh playing Raag Yaman
(Its an old old recording so forgive the scratches.
Also there are many typos there so do not be confused by them.
I emailed them to fixem up but they haven’t done so yet.)
Correct me if I’m wrong but there’s a lot of pulsing
especially in the last 100 seconds.
Kind Regards.
It is fun. winces at his having name-dropped Keeping up isn’t an issue, as he frequently takes a relaxed, deliberate approach during sessions, so the greatest number can play. He’s got a real community mentality, and sticks to session basics instead of grandstanding like some lesser players will, and saves the lesser-known tunes for later when sessioner attrition has taken enough of a toll to warrant it. A real example to all for good session participation, and is pained by starstruck behavior in others, BTW. I can keep up reasonably enough on the rapidly paced tunes if I know them well, if I may be so bold, but in no way can approach his psychedelic virtuosity. I just hold down the fort, if you will.
Back to pulsing: to me, it doesn’t really matter if you apply a glottal stop before or after, but what matters is the push of breath. The glottal stop -or tonguing, for that matter- may change the character of the pulse. You can apply a stop initiating a pulse, or use it to cut it off, or use no stop at all for a smooth pulse. The increase of pressure’s the thing.