Translating Pipe Tune Grace Notes

[Gary]

Hello, I'm learning to play the chanter at the same time as learning the english concertina, a jackie.

I play the tunes I'm learning on the chanter on the concertina.

 

For example, Brown haired maiden, Scots wha hae and She moved through the fair. Although I can play the melody I would very much like to play the grace notes too, on the concertina.

 

So how do I do it, is it possible to play the very same gracing as it's printed on the sheet music or should I just go for a sound alike.

 

Do you have any links for youtube etc that I can hear or see a pipe tune being played on a concertina.

 

Thanks.

 

Gary

[Christian Husmann]

Hello, I'm learning to play the chanter at the same time as learning the english concertina, a jackie.

I play the tunes I'm learning on the chanter on the concertina.

 

For example, Brown haired maiden, Scots wha hae and She moved through the fair. Although I can play the melody I would very much like to play the grace notes too, on the concertina.

 

So how do I do it, is it possible to play the very same gracing as it's printed on the sheet music or should I just go for a sound alike.

 

Do you have any links for youtube etc that I can hear or see a pipe tune being played on a concertina.

 

Thanks.

 

Gary

 

Hello Gary,

 

I can´t really answer your first question as I don´t know what the printed music looks like

 

Second one can be answered here.

Leo produced a nice collection of videos on currently nine pages.

 

Christian

[Leo]

Here is the originating page of the fine English concertina turorials on YouTube from Nytram, a member of concertina net. It's up to 15 lessons so far, and all of them are interesting and helpful.

http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user...ram1309&p=r

 

Here is another cnet member contribution to English tutorials on YouTube.

 

Just to put them all on one page. There is also a small introduction on reading sheet music.

 

Thanks

Leo

Edited May 25, 2007 by Leo

[davidcorner]

Hello, I'm learning to play the chanter at the same time as learning the english concertina, a jackie.

I play the tunes I'm learning on the chanter on the concertina.

 

For example, Brown haired maiden, Scots wha hae and She moved through the fair. Although I can play the melody I would very much like to play the grace notes too, on the concertina.

 

So how do I do it, is it possible to play the very same gracing as it's printed on the sheet music or should I just go for a sound alike.

I tend not to go for sound alike, more for grace notes in the spirit of the tune.

Since you can't play repeated notes on the pipes, many of the grace notes are there simply to break up a continuous note to give the effect of repeated notes.

I don't play these grace notes, but I usually use alternate fingers to play the repeated notes.

Rather than the groups of grace notes that you find in the pipe settings of tunes, I tend to play one or two grace notes,

e.g. when there are grace notes followed by E, I play an F# grace note, or sometimes E and F#.

I tend to play these grace notes only on longer held notes.

 

Most tunes are in dotted rhythm with pairs of long/short notes.

Sometimes, in place of the short note, there is a group of grace notes, e.g. (in ABC notation)

e2 e>c

with grace notes between the Es.

I tend to replace the group of grace notes with another short note, e.g.

e>A e>c

Which note I use depends on what seems right for the tune, so that I might use

e>f e>c

in another tune.

Similarly, I replace grace notes in a 6/8 match (P.M. Sam Scott)

a2a f2f g2g e2e

where there are grace notes between each pair of repeated notes, with

a>ga f>ef g>fg e>de

or

a>Aa f>Af g>Ag e>Ae

 

I hope these suggestions are helpful.

I enjoy playing pipe tunes on English concertina.

I'm glad to know someone else is having a go.

[JimLucas]

Hello, I'm learning to play the chanter at the same time as learning the english concertina, a jackie.

I play the tunes I'm learning on the chanter on the concertina.

 

For example, Brown haired maiden, Scots wha hae and She moved through the fair. Although I can play the melody I would very much like to play the grace notes too, on the concertina.

 

So how do I do it, is it possible to play the very same gracing as it's printed on the sheet music...

Possible, but not necessarily easy. In addition, you may find some of the fingering sequences rather awkward, and if your ornaments aren't sufficiently crisp, then the result may be a far cry from the effect you want.

 

...or should I just go for a sound alike.

"Sound alike" is in the ear of the beholder, and is therefore dangerous ground to tread.

 

I agree with davidcorner that you're better off using ornaments that you feel fit the character of the tune -- and the instrument -- than to try to imitate the pipes.