Technique: The Glass of Beer

[Key_of_D]

In regards to the actual tune The Glass of Beer, since I don’t currently play the B minor version on the pipes myself, (this whole thread has gotten me curious about the tune and I’ve since been learning it on the tin whistle for now) I would just simply play the high a an octave lower, easy enough, unless you just can’t sleep at night knowing you’re not playing those high a’s then knock yourself out Or, you could take the easy way out and play the tune in E minor. No octave cutting necessary friend.

[Key_of_D]

It would seem we’re not on the same page my friend!

@TheSilverSpear

The definition of staccato on Wikipedia is:

“In musical notation, the Italian word staccato (literally detached, plural staccatos or staccati) indicates that notes are separated in a detached and distinctly separate manner, with silence making up the latter part of the time allocated to each note.[1] The rhythm is not affected. Notes identified as staccato are often played or sung abruptly and short. They are usually denoted by a dot over the head of the note when the stem is downward, or by a dot below the head of the note when the stem is upward..”

This would prove a perfect example that I gave earlier per Liam O’Flynn’s Tabhair Dom Do Lamh.

@TheSilverSpear

(I tell undergraduates never to use Wikipedia as a source… oh well)

Not sure what you’re gettin’ at there

@TheSilverSpear

I don’t consider any note where you are venting any other note staccato, as there isn’t a separation between the vented note and the main note. A good player on a good chanter can vent almost unnoticed, but the note is still vented and the next note isn’t detached.

Well, good players is what I listen to, and what I strive for in my own playing.

I suppose I can see what you’re saying, yes, if the vented note is clearly audiable, for example a measureable, or musical sounding note, then yes, I could see that (for example) second octave A-A-A would not be considered staccato. It would be (again for example) vented F A, vented F A, etc., making your three high A’s not truely three staccato high A’s. However if the ultimate aim was to be quick so that the vented note is not a lingering, measureable, or clearly audiable sounding note, then I would still consider this staccato, detatched or not from the vented note, since the aim here is to play three high A’s, or three high B’s, not as I mentioned earlier with the clearly heard preceding or vented note.

If I was to try mastering The Glass of Beer in B minor on the pipes (the first bar just to be clear: fB~B2 fBaB), then I would want my high A’s to be quick and clean, which would call for not a lot room for the vented F note to be heard, right? If you can’t hear it, then it “isn’t” there in my book. I guess in this one of kind case, I would measure staccato by what I can easily hear. If I can hear those vented F’s or G’s then I take that into consideration when classifying what sort of “technique” I maybe doing. No, I do get what you’re saying, and I understand, but if you can’t readily hear the vented note, then how can you take it into consideration? Just a thought.

Cheers,