I have dabbled with the tin-whistle for a while and have a Jerry Freeman tweaked Feadog D.
Anyway, it struck me while playing Capercaille’s Crosswinds that My Laggan Love would be great to learn to play.
So, I can download a gif of the basic tune, but what I would really, really like is a source of the sheet music that has the embellishments (taps, strikes, etc.) marked. My thinking is that with the “slow” pace, it would be a good way to learn to play a piece that has feeling.
Can anyone recommend such a source, whether it be online, or in a book that I could purchase.
I suppose, I may also need a whistle in a different key?
I’ve never seen airs written with the ornaments.
It’s rare to see dance music correctly transcribed, either.
You should start taking lessons from a good traditional player- it’s the “teach a man to fish” approach. Once you absorb the style, you will know how and where and when to introduce ornaments, and will automatically arrange anything you play.
This is far better than being dependent on somebody else to do the arranging for you.
Your best bet would be to try to mimic the playing of someone who has recorded a nice version. Easier said than done. You might be able to use the dots as a reference, but that’ll be unlikely.
Ready-made detailed transcriptions are not very common, or even recommended or beneficial. The “embellishments” are a deep part of the performer’s interpretation of the air. They can’t really be represented in written form, and may be different each time. The way to learn these is not from transcription, but by listening and imitation … and more listening. If you’re not yet able to pick up the details by ear and then apply your own technique, you may not be ready.
What you’re asking for is a quick short-cut to the art. And slow airs may be the most difficult and advanced of all tunes to learn and play. The pace and the relationship to vocal style make them harder, not easier. Many decent players, myself included, tend to avoid airs because we know that we can’t do them justice.
That said, here’s a rough ABC transcription. You can use the Concertina.net converter to render it to PDF. To match the recording in C Mixolydian, you’d need to use a low F whistle, but it will work fine on your Feadóg.
X:1
T:My Lagan Love
R:Air
S:Capercaille: Crosswinds, Track 10
Z:MTGuru for Chiff & Fipple 2008-03-26
M:4/4
K:AMix
"Freely"zefg|{g}a4 e{fe}d c>A|{F}G4- GA {B}cd/e/|d2 {ed}cA {F}G3 A|{c}HA4|
zefg{agfg}|{g}a4 e{fe}d c>A|{F}G4- GA {B}cd/e/|d2 {ed}cA {F}G3 A|{c}HA4|
zA{B}cd|f4- f{gf}e (3e>dc|d4-df fg|{g}a3 d (3{e}f>{gf}eg g>a|{c’}Ha4|
z2Jb{=c’b}a|a4 e{fe}d c>A|{F}G4- GA {B}cd/e/|d2 {ed}cA {F}G3 JA|{c}HA4|
OK, I meant embellishments, but blanked on the correct term. I expect that high heels on the banks of the Laggan would likely cause my love to get stuck in the mud!
I haven’t done the ABC conversion to standard notation yet. I am looking for good Mac software to do this - even better would be the ability to go directly from ABC to Sibelius.
Anyway, I have a copy of it in key of C. So, for my Feadog D, I should transpose it to Mixolydian key A???
I have been wanting to buy a low whistle for a while, as it’ll be good practise for my chanter. I’ve read that the Dixon’s are good and fairly good value.
While I may look for a teacher in the Phoenix area, I may simply have to resort to a good book and CD combo - any recommendations?
