Playing In 3/2

[Trilby]

I have bought the excellent John Kirkpatrick tune book which is full of great stuff.

I am not the best at time signatures but think I am reasonably close with the common ones. But there is one which is in 3/2. Can anyone give me an idiots guide of how to count it ?

 

 

Trilby

[Samantha]

3 2 is counted in 3, each beat in the bar being represented by a minim (half note). Compare this with 3 4, a waltz in which each beat is represented by a crotchet (quarter note).

Samantha

[David Barnert]

But unlike the waltz, the stress is more evenly distributed among the three beats. Where a waltz has a significant up-beat and a weak 2nd beat, a tune in 3/2 has three beats that are more nearly equal. Most of these tunes come from baroque suites. Perhaps the most commonly known tune is "My Country Tis of Thee" (in the USA) or "God Save the King" in Great Britain).

 

Another thing to keep in mind when playing tunes in 3/2 is to watch out for hemiolas. Very often the two measures that precede the final measure (or the end of a phrase) combine as three measures of two beats each instead of two measures of three beats each. Think: I like to | be in A- | me- | ri- | ca. 123 123 12 31 23. Or:

 

If playing's your joy and delight

But triple time gets you uptight,

I'd suggest on the whole, a

Discreet hemiola will

Make the rhythm come out right.

 

(David Goldstein)

[Howard Mitchell]

... Most of these tunes come from baroque suites ...

 

(David Goldstein)

 

I would say that many come from 18th and 19th century manuscripts and printed books in Cheshire and Lancashire.

 

The Village Music Project contains many examples http://www.village-music-project.org.uk/manuscripts.htm and there is an 18th century example at http://www.goodbagpipes.com/pipetunes/collections.htm

 

Also worth looking at John of the Greeny Cheshire Way

 

They're often known as Cheshire Hornpipes or Double Hornpipes and sometimes come in 6/4 (although many of these are jigs in disguise) as well as 3/2.

 

You can hear JK playing a snippet of the Cheshire Hornpipe on -

Cheshire Hornpipe

 

 

Howard

[spindizzy]

I would say that many come from 18th and 19th century manuscripts and printed books in Cheshire and Lancashire.

 

These "double hornpipes" (also called triple hornpipes!) are great fun, they seem to be played quite fast, and the stress often moves between 2 x 3 note groups and 3 x 2 note groups!

 

I've been looking for mp3s of some that I like - the High Level Ranters play a great version of "Rusty Gulley" and "Lads of Alnwick". So far all I've found (that will play on linux computer!) is this border pipe version ....

here

(Look for Rusty Gulley and try the mp3 or real audio below.)

 

Chris

[Boney]

I've been looking for mp3s of some that I like - the High Level Ranters play a great version of "Rusty Gulley" and "Lads of Alnwick". So far all I've found (that will play on linux computer!) is this border pipe version ....

You can also hear my humble versions, mostly influenced by the High Level Ranters'. Jimmy Allen / Rusty Gully is on the C.Net Recorded Tunes Link Page. And here's Lamshaw's Fancy / The Lads of Alnwick.

[spindizzy]

[

You can also hear my humble versions, mostly influenced by the High Level Ranters'. Jimmy Allen / Rusty Gully is on the C.Net Recorded Tunes Link Page. And here's Lamshaw's Fancy / The Lads of Alnwick.

 

Great stuff! and you get your fingers round the last part of Lads of Alnwick at an impressive speed - I always trip up there, and I can't really blame it on playing the EC, after all, Alastair Anderson seems to manage fine

 

Chris

ps love the spoons!

Edited November 22, 2006 by spindizzy

[Boney]

you get your fingers round the last part of Lads of Alnwick at an impressive speed

Yeah, it took a few takes to get that down...

 

I always trip up there, and I can't really blame it on playing the EC, after all, Alastair Anderson seems to manage fine

I play those runs all on the push, I think Lads is probably the most "English Concertina" sounding tune I play (probably influenced by the superb Mr. Anderson). Note the gasping hiss as the air button is engaged on the slower pulled notes after the runs...

 

ps love the spoons!

Bones, actually...

[Tootler]

These "double hornpipes" (also called triple hornpipes!) are great fun, they seem to be played quite fast, and the stress often moves between 2 x 3 note groups and 3 x 2 note groups!

 

The underlying minim beat is not necessarily all that fast, but because the minim is usually divided into crotchet and smaller note values they can seem like they are being played faster than they actually are. I just did a quick check on how quickly I normally play Rusty Gulley and it came out as a minim beat of somewhere around 96 - 104 bpm which is not really all that quick - at least I don't find it especially so and I don't consider myself fast and struggle to keep up at sessions when they are playing fast.

 

Geoff

[David Barnert]

I would say that many come from 18th and 19th century manuscripts and printed books in Cheshire and Lancashire.

Perhaps. I was thinking of the many examples that turn up in the suites of Henry Purcell and G. F. Handel.

[Trilby]

Thanks everybody'

I found the rhyme particularly useful.

 

Isn't music a wonderful thing !

 

Trilby