Hi all! I am reposting this to the Flute forum, since someone over at the whistle forum pointed out that Seamus Egan may be better known to flute-people
I have this very technical question:
I keep listening to this great recording by Solâs that continues to amaze me; track 2 on the CD âThe hour before dawnâ⌠It consists of 3 reels. The second part, âLilac reelâ features some wonderful playing by Seamus Egan. Being a beginner, I am totally baffled as to how he can possible make what he doesâŚitâs all so fluent. I cant help but to ask: How? Is this just finger ornamention on one single, fluent stream of air, or do you suspect he uses tonguing to achieve this? I d ont know if you alla have heard this track, but you may perhaps be aquainted to his style of playing. What is the most used way to play? One long, where the fingers do all the work, or lotsa tongue?
I wonder, if this is all fingerwork (like the bulgarian âKavalâ is played, anyway); how to exercise your fingers to be able to do this kind of movement this fast and, seemingly, effortless?
This man continues to amaze me, and the recordings of this band, Solâs, are warmly recommended. They may not be very bound to tradition, but have the energy and the beauty to keep me listening to them again and again, also the more simple and transparent arrangements.
Seamusâ playing is indeed perplexing and gorgeous at the same time.
He uses a method of âdouble-cuttingâ the notes, which I finally figured out about 2 years ago and now incorporate into my own play. Essentially, it cuts the note twice before tapping it. Example: The note G. Most cut with either LH3 or LH2, then tap with RH1. Double cutting is done thusly: Cut the note with LH2, then cut again with LH1, then tap with either RH1 or with RH1&2 (simultaneously). The objective is to produce that âgurglingâ sound that Seamus does so well. Mindful, though, the cuts have to be done extremely fast and the fingers barely leave the flute surface.
The tonguing you think you hear is actually something stupidly called âglottal stops.â I prefer calling it âthroating.â Essentially heâs huffing or âcuttingâ the note from the throat instead of using the tongue. Itâs a great method that youâll hear a lot of from some players, such as Larry Nugent.
Hope this helps ya.
PS: interesting footnote about Eaganâs playing. Ever notice that he plays the flute âright handedâ (left hand on top, right hand on bottom holes), but plays the low whistle âleft handedâ (hands the other way around!). Now THATâs dexterity! (not to mention the obvious brain cramping).
If you really want to appreciate Eganâs playing, on a slower reel, but using the same techniques, listen to track 5 from their debut album (titled âSolasâ), the Yellow Tinker. That should give you a better ear on what heâs up to.
Some of what youâre hearing on the other track, too, may be the low D crans, which when done quickly can sound like tonguing.
thank you for your very insightful reply. I especially enjoy it since I am already a great fan of Solas and Seamus Egan. Feel free to recommend recordings with this guy
Anyway, I wish you would elaborate a bit on that âglottal stopâ technique you mention; I dont quite get the idea. If you wouldâŚ? Iâll also look on the internet for some info.
Any recording of Solas is goodâŚwell, except the last oneâŚbut thatâs my opinion. Didnât like it much as it wasnât that innovative from their previous material.
Egan also has two solo recordings out thereâŚone he made while a youngster (not a lot of flute work on it, but good stuff nonetheless) and a second one. Titles elude me, but a google search ought to find them.
Glottal stops: I canât even fathom a good way to explain them. Perhaps someone out there can. Best I can think of is to find a really good old Jewish guy and ask him to properly pronounce âhutzpah.â The first enunciation of the word will give you the idea.
Regarding finger work for ornaments. Best I can say is to feel your fingers work as rubber bands, where there is not tension to slow the fingers but there is a force that snaps the fingers down to the flute. Most have difficulty with their ring fingers, and more so right-handed people on the left ring finger. It moves way too slowly for them, plus the angle to the flute is weird. Ergo, some people try to flatten their fingers or move to a more perpendicular holding of the flute, such as a piperâs grip, on the left hand.
Iâve found the tension of the finger necessary to do double-cuts and double-taps doesnât come from the finger itself, but from the area just below it on the palm, kinda of between the pinkey and ring finger. Thatâs where I focus the motion for rolling that finger. Same is true for right hand, but itâs freer to operate from a straighter 90-degree angle to the flute.
Placement of your thumb also has a lot to do with it. Some extend the left-hand thumb upward along the body of the flute (Larry Nugent and Kevin Crawford among many). I donât (although I will do it with RHthumb when I play a tune that requires crans on the low D). You have to find your own comfortable placement to see what works best for your hands.
Some have trouble using LH2 for rolling the B, often not getting it down quick enough. I watched Matt Molloy closely and found he will often slap both LH2&3 as the two fingers operate better as unit.
Something to think about.
Great place to practice ornaments: On the steering wheel of your car (wellâŚbeing mindful of traffic, too!). Hold it like a flute and run the fingers up and down. I often will do this while trying to learn a tune off the CD while Iâm driving. Nutty, but, hey, finding time to practice is tough!
David: That was a good post. A lot of people have effortless coordination; for the rest of us, descriptions like that are very helpful.
A question: the glottal stop. Ch as in chutzpah, or loch? Where do you use it? Is it to accent/articulate one note occasionally, or do you use it more often, maybe to drive the rhythm?
Use of the glottal is really preference. Some Sligo-style players (ie Larry Nugent) will use it to accent the âup-beatâ rhythym, sometimes nearly constantly. Others will use it to accentuate between two or three of the same note, rather than rolling them (ie, Garry Shannon at times).
Molloy will use them to accentuate certain phrases and others, like Tansey, seem to use it to bring out the upper octaves.
So, all in all, use it where it sounds, and feels, most comfortable!
âŚohâŚand the proper pronunciation for âchutzpahâ actually starts with a âJâ that sounds like an âHââŚhope that helps.
