Speed Merchants

Irish Flute
21

Heh heh, this thread reminds me of when I visited Sam Murray in Belfast as part of my “Self-Indulgent Flute-Makers Tour”.

(http://www.mcgee-flutes.com/2002trip.htm.)

I’d hooked up with Sam at a pub late in the day near where his workshop was. The plan was that I’d then go off, get a feed, and go to a local session, then join him next morning at the workshop so we could chat flute-making things at our leisure. So, next morning Sam says, “And how was the session?”

Well, I felt a bit self conscious having to say I hadn’t enjoyed it at all, and indeed had left it not long after it started. This was on a 64 day trip where I’d enjoyed 30 odd sessions in five countries, so I didn’t want to be seen slagging the local product. “Too fast, too competitive”, I cautiously advanced.

(Now it has to be remembered that I routinely play reels for dancing at ceili band pace, so I’m no stranger to speed. This seemed more like aggression than speed. Very fast, very flat, very relentless.)

“Ah”, said Sam, with a wry smile. “Befast PowerDiddle”.

So, since then, whenever I see young players attempting to set a new land-speed record, I remember Sam’s description and smile.

Terry

22

:laughing:

Thanks, Terry! You made my day.

23

I for one have just (re-discovered) the joys of playing everything at a nice relaxed tempo, since some of our local folkies here in Hamburg have organized a weekly slow session for beginners.

Everything is played very sedately, so this is also a fantastic opportunity as a non-beginner to re-assess aspects of your flute-playing.

For example

  1. Tone (often forgotten, but it distinguishes excellent players from the merely good)
  2. Ornaments. For example, it’s surprising how difficult a known tune becomes with just a few taps and cuts thrown in in different places. But being able to throw in an ornament when you want it is a useful skill
  3. Rhythm. It is also surprising how even playing things slowly does not always make the rhythm easier. Often it gets much harder.
  4. Memory. Assuming the tunes are new, the tunes are played slowly enough for you to learn them then and there, if you can. Recommended: don’t learn them at home if you don’t know them already – try learning them in the session, since this helps to develop your ear.

Of course, you could just play slowly at home, but the slow session has the following benefits:

  1. You are playing in a group: so you should still play musically and as far as possible without error, even though you are not playing as fast as you (think you) can.
  2. Since you don’t want to unnecessarily annoy people who are just learning an instrument, you have to do things like 2. and 4 with reasonable musicianship. This is important, since for example playing a roll musically and at exactly the right time is more difficult than just hammering loads of rolls out at home.
  3. It’s a session and its practise. It’s the best of both worlds!

And as far as playing tunes fast or not: for me, I’d agree with others on the forum here – it’s a question of rhythm. Fast often just translates as “with the wrong rhythm”. I think all tunes have certain a rhythm – in fact many definitely have more than one rhythm – at which they sound “right”. Faster or slower than this rhythm makes the tune sound “wrong”, somehow.

Difficult to explain precisely!

Cheers,


Ed