Hello all, just a couple of questions for the board. I hope thats OK.
Firstly, I am picking up tunes aurally and through sheet music pretty well, however My speed at fast tempos is inconsistant, I have began practising with a click track through my keyboard. Anyway, does anyone have any tips or practise suggestions for becoming more fluid at fast tempos?
Secondary, on a soprano whistle, do u whistlers play on your tips or on your pads. Is playing right on tips more beneficial for control on fast tempos?? Im currently playing somewhere in between. Love any feedback/advice.
On 2002-09-24 07:49, andy wrote:
Hello all, just a couple of questions for the board. I hope thats OK.
Firstly, I am picking up tunes aurally and through sheet music pretty well, however My speed at fast tempos is inconsistant, I have began practising with a click track through my keyboard. Anyway, does anyone have any tips or practise suggestions for becoming more fluid at fast tempos?
Secondary, on a soprano whistle, do u whistlers play on your tips or on your pads. Is playing right on tips more beneficial for control on fast tempos?? Im currently playing somewhere in between. Love any feedback/advice.
See ya Andy
Hi, Andy,
I’m a pretty new whistler, myself, but I picked up a couple of speed tricks playing oboe in Uni, and the Civic Orchestra in Kansas City. Probably the best trick is keeping your fingers as close to the holes as is practical (without changing the tone). The less distance you have to move the fingers, the faster you can do it. The other is to figure out, for each piece, whether to use half-holing or cross-fingerings where needed.
As to which part of your finger to use, I think that’s pretty much personal preference - whatever works best for you. I will note that you can probably finger faster by keeping the finger straight as possible, and using the pad, but that may just be a practice thing, too.
Cheers,
Bill Whedon
If you can’t play them slow, you can’t play them fast. Play tunes slower until you are note perfect, then try speeding up.
Tips vs pads, I also play somewhere in between. Tips is easier for half-holing I guess, but with my guitar calluses, I don’t think I’d get a good seal on the holes.
Different people learn in different ways, and just as no two whistles are alike, no two whistlers are either.
Given that, I agree with what’s been said: to play fast, practice slow and steady. Be sure you add the ornamentation while slow as well–learn it in the same form you intend to play it.
On the other hand, it’s been my experience music isn’t something you can learn piecemeal–so don’t focus on tempo to the exclusion of phrasing, or breathing, or even ornamentation. Again, the time to learn ornamentation is while you are playing the tune slow–ornamentation is sometimes viewed as the “icing on the cake,” but I think it’s fair to say that it is also an essential part of the music.
My final advice: don’t forget to have fun. To paraphrase, “If it ain’t fun you ain’t doin’ it right.”
Tempo and breathing and phrasing are all part of the “feel” of the music, and they will all come with time. Just play, have fun, and put in the playing time, and the rest will follow.
I play with pads on a soprano which I feel works best for me.I Think its also more ergonomic than finger tips which becomes even more obvious on low whistle.Speed develops over time.I know a few players who play very fast but have lousy rhythm. Attention to note definition and rhythm in the early stages of learning pays big dividends for later on.A good rule of thumb is to play your tunes slower than you are actually capable of, especialy jigs.Regular physical excercise and meditation doesnt hurt either.Good luck. Mike
Looks like everyone agrees on getting the tunes down slow before proceeding to a faster tempo. A few essential things for me are: Complete, confident memorization, no guessing. If I have a problem spot it is tempting to lay a sloppy ornament down and move on, but it always catches up with me (even a drummer’s raised brow is unwelcome). So, figure out where the tune goes, and go there by learning a particular setting (you can always learn others later). Having the tune in my head makes getting it under the fingers somewhat mechanical. Don’t get hung up on “pre-planning” (a term recently associated with funeral home sales pitches) the ornaments. They won’t sound natural and spontaneous if they aren’t.
When learning more complex tunes from fast recordings I sometimes use the mini-disc to set temporary track marks and work segments. Revert to simplicity and try other things if stuck. Move a hand up or down with the pitch, then figure out how far the pitch moves, or pick the tune out on the piano because it is visual. Playing a new tune on multiple instruments (even different keys of whistle) seems to burn the “image” of them into my brain a little deeper, which accommodates speed and overall style. For me it is no coincidence that playing improves at a pace consistent with my listening skills. Rusty ears can contribute to chops being down.
A technique that has helped me on some tunes is to learn the last section first and work back towards the beginning. Most players learn tunes by repetition from the beginning, or A part first, resulting in having the A part better than the B part (simply more reps.). Intensity, consistency, patience in practice are key for me. Hope something in this post helps. All the best.
edited for grammatical content, or lack thereof.
[ This Message was edited by: U2 on 2002-09-24 12:01 ]
[ This Message was edited by: U2 on 2002-09-24 12:03 ]
Mike