Irish Reels

[david_boveri]

david_boveri said:

 

one should aim for quality and perfection in one's slow playing. however, what does that sound like? It should sound like somebody playing lovely music.

 

playing a reel with air-like sonority at a slow place will do little for one's ability to play a tune quickly. I don't know about "air-like sonority." I think you know that's not what I meant. Don't put words in my mouth. That said, there is no substitute for playing a tune slowly when learning it. It will speed up of its own accord. Trying to play faster than is comfortable is almost always a musical disaster. My best times are playing with people who get this, who are in no hurry, who don't push the tune past their comfort level. If you want to play for dances, then first learn the tune at a walking pace. Otherwise your music will be f--ked.

(Noel Who?)

 

i understand what you meant, and i think it is good advice. i did not mean to put words in your mouth, and it was not my intention to infer that you were trying to say something like that. i agree that playing slowly is essential, and irreplaceable. it was not my intention to disagree, but rather to clarify--provide more information that might be helpful to readers. i know, of course, what you meant, and i am also sure that if someone struggling with this issue heard you demonstrate slow playing, it would both be helpful in their development, and also probably be different than what they would do if they themselves just tried to play slowly.

 

perhaps i should have just left it at the question, "what would it sound like?" i think that might have been more clear that i in no way intended to disagree! then you could have posted those clips, without unnecessary misunderstandings.

 

my reference to "air-like sonority" was an allusion to how i used to try play reels slowly when practicing (and hint: it didn't help). i have since then moved on to practicing reels slowly, nicely, with the rhythmic emphasis intact. or, in other words: a reel played slowly does not sound the same as a slow tune played at the same tempo. i would even go so far as to say that to practice well, one should practice their reels slowly in a way different than they might PLAY a slow reel, if that makes sense.

 

if you listen to mike rafferty, for example, his reels can be slower than other people play hornpipes, yet they still sound distinctly like reels (and lovely ones at that). i think that this distinction--between playing merely slowly and slowly with good lift--is very important. i also think it is something that takes people a while to figure out. of course, i know that you get this, but i think that some others may not. it is for them i made my comment, albeit possibly misspoken.

 

Beautifully paced tunes. Not fast, but faster than they seem because the playing is so relaxed and unforced.

 

 

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=4NsG9mCESSQ

 

 

 

 

 

these are all very lovely videos, and i am sure will be helpful to those who are trying to learn to play "up to speed," so to speak. these videos are all a great standard to strive towards. kitty hayes is always a delight.

[Azalin]

I'm a little late to the party, but thanks for these links David! I already saw most of them, but the second one is nice because it allows us to see what Dymphna does with her rigth hand. I've got a Firefox plugin that can download Youtube videos on my computer, I am 'leeching' those videos right now!

[David Levine]

Dave B, thanks for the clarification. I started a separate thread on playing fast, since so many people seem concerned with that.

[david_boveri]

Dave B, thanks for the clarification. I started a separate thread on playing fast, since so many people seem concerned with that.

 

yeah, i saw the other thread. as noel hill told me many years ago: "david, you're confusing speed for rhythm: they're not the same thing."