About Ornamentation

[Gary Chapin]

Inspired by the front matter in the La Chavannée tunebook, I've been thinking about ornamentation in this trad world of ours.

 

http://accordeonaire.blogspot.com/2012/07/about-ornamentation-aka-twiddly-bits.html

 

I'd love to know what all you think. This has been an area of anxiety for me for years and decades.

 

Thanks, Gary

[gcoover]

Inspired by the front matter in the La Chavannée tunebook, I've been thinking about ornamentation in this trad world of ours.

 

http://accordeonaire.blogspot.com/2012/07/about-ornamentation-aka-twiddly-bits.html

 

I'd love to know what all you think. This has been an area of anxiety for me for years and decades.

 

Thanks, Gary

 

"It's all about interpretation. The point is not to get it right. The point is to continue to play in a reasonably simple way that allows the tune to shine, and to continue learning the language of interpretation. Always continue learning." Amen!!!

 

I love John Kirkpatrick's theory that you should play a tune over and over and over until you're completely bored with it, and then keep playing it, since only then will you start discovering the variations and ornamentations that make it come to life.

 

Gary

[David Levine]

....you should play a tune over and over and over until you're completely bored with it....

 

Half right. If you're bored with it then you aren't playing it right. Good players aren't bored with tunes. They may be bored with their playing, but not with the tunes.