Ornamentation

[Gary]

Hello, as a beginner on the EC I'm wanting to start adding ornaments to my music, I'm finding it very difficulty to know what note or notes to put in.

 

 

All music I see for the concertina is just the melody,(tune o tron, ABC) so I suppose it's up to the individual to put in his own gracings,rolls,crans,ornamentation etc. If this is the case can all types of tunes for the EC benefit from ornamentation? Or is it a question of tempo where slower tunes need less ornamentation.

 

But what and where, and of course how. The how doesn't seem important at the moment because that would just be a question of practice but the what and where is the question

 

I suppose at the end of the day everything will just come with practice and the most important thing is just to play but I would just like to know where to start with ornamentation.

 

a few simple examples would be great, is there any stock phrases that I can use, for example in bag pipe music you have very common gracings that appearing time and time again they are used to make a note stand out. See the attachment of the music for the Skye boat song.

I know the EC is a totally different instrument but it would be interesting to know if such a thing existed.

 

 

 

Thanks again.

 

 

 

Gary.

[davidcorner]

Hello, as a beginner on the EC I'm wanting to start adding ornaments to my music, I'm finding it very difficulty to know what note or notes to put in.

A few simple examples would be great, is there any stock phrases that I can use, for example in bag pipe music you have very common gracings that appearing time and time again they are used to make a note stand out. See the attachment of the music for the Skye boat song.

I know the EC is a totally different instrument but it would be interesting to know if such a thing existed.

I think that for a simple tune like this, I would use very few grace notes.

Remember that bagpipes don't do silence, the chanter is always sounding.

Therefore, to separate notes, there have to be grace notes.

The grace notes are produced simply by lifting a finger, whereas on concertina, you have to make more effort to play a grace note.

 

For this tune, I would suggest only playing the following grace notes.

Line 1 (and 3 & 4)

Start of bar 3, as written (F# and G)

Bar 4, final A preceded by a B grace note.

Line 2

Bar 1, grace note G on the final F#

Bar 2, grace note F# on the final E

Bar 4, grace note C# on the final B

Try these and see how they fit.

[m3838]

I found myself in similar situation, when switched to EC.

And the work-around is to use non-concertina scores. Esp. useful are accordion right hand scores, they often are thickly notated and good on their own, without the basses.

Check this website for some arrangements for EC:

http://www.rowlhouse.co.uk/main.html

Bach's violin works are useable.

I wouldn't use fake books, or simple melody scores. It's for advanced EC players.

There's much written music, adaptable for the EC, lots of classic.

But if you want something like Irish, tough luck.

[richard]

I think listening to many other players is the way to learn. To hear where the ornaments could go! Over time I hope I can internalize where ornaments go, what I like, and when not to use them. For me not trying to reinvent the wheel by learning from others seems to make the most sense.

 

Richard

Edited June 12, 2007 by richard

[JimLucas]

...as a beginner on the EC I'm wanting to start adding ornaments to my music, I'm finding it very difficult to know what note or notes to put in.

Not surprising, if highland pipe ornamentation (the example you've given) is what you're thinking to imitate. It's a world unto itself, and I've never heard even Scottish fiddlers or fluters use that style of ornamentation.

 

Remember that bagpipes don't do silence, the chanter is always sounding.

Therefore, to separate notes, there have to be grace notes.

The multi-note ornaments that have become "required" for highland pipers are far more than is necessary to just separate notes. But as I said, they're only played by pipers, and pipers don't expect others to play those particular ornaments.

 

All music I see for the concertina is just the melody,(tune o tron, ABC) so I suppose it's up to the individual to put in his own gracings,rolls,crans,ornamentation etc.

That pretty much sums it up. But I'll try to give a little more guidance below.

 

If this is the case can all types of tunes for the EC benefit from ornamentation?

I'm not aware of a repertoire of tunes specifically for the EC. Even those I've composed on the EC, I hope will also be playable (and even played) on other instruments. So let me try to rephrase your questsion: "...can all types of tunes benefit from ornamentation when played on the EC?" Well, that's largely a questsion of personal taste, but even then it depends on what you mean by "all types". My suspicion is that when you asked that question, you weren't thinking of Scandinavian or Bulgarian dance tunes, baroque compositions, or Dixieland jazz, among other "types". Adding ornamentation, like adding harmonies or chords, can significantly change the "feel" of a tune, and no particular amount or selection of ornamentation is necessarily "better" or more "correct". Particularly on slow airs, I myself like to play through more than once, with different kinds and amounts (sometimes even none) of ornamentation each time through.

 

Or is it a question of tempo where slower tunes need less ornamentation.

In my experience, slower tunes are commonly given more ornamentation than fast ones. And that makes sense, since there's more time to fit them in.

 

But what and where, and of course how. The how doesn't seem important at the moment because that would just be a question of practice but the what and where is the question.

I think listening to many other players is the way to learn. To hear where the ornaments could go!

I agree. But then the question is, who(m) to listen to?

 

When it comes to English concertina, there are no long-standing standards or traditions. Up until now it's been pretty much every man/woman to him/herself. Many folks have tried to copy Alistair Anderson, and at least some are now trying to copy Simon Thoumire. The two styles are very different. There are others, but as far as I know, none are as frequently "quoted" as those two. Alistair's book "Concertina Workshop" is one excellent place to start. It's long out of print, but still available from various sources as an authorised photocopy.

 

But if you want something like Irish, tough luck.

Not at all, since you could also try copying the ornamentation used by other instruments. Instructional materials for fiddle, flute/whistle, and anglo concertina should all be suitable supplements to a program of simply listening to players of these instruments. I wouldn't recommend trying to copy highland pipe ornamentation, though, at least not until you've mastered the simpler cuts, tips, rolls, and maybe even crans used by fiddle, flute, and anglo.

 

Be aware that you're unlikely to find two players who ornament any given tune exactly the same... or even one player who plays them exactly the same on each repetition of the tune. Note also that a kind of ornamentation available on the concertina but not on whistle or most pipes is playing more than one note at a time: chords, octaves, or other harmonies. Frank Edgley's tutor for the anglo has some nice examples.

 

For listening, you should also check out The Recorded Tunes Link Page. There are lots of examples in a variety of styles. If you find some you like, you could try to copy them. And for prior discussions of ornamentation (mostly in an Irish context), try using the Search facility here on Concertina.net (in the menu at the top of the page).

 

I suppose at the end of the day everything will just come with practice and the most important thing is just to play but I would just like to know where to start with ornamentation.

My advice is to start with none. I.e., start by deliberately playing without any ornamentation. Then experiment with adding an ornament here, another there. As you add ornaments in more places, start dropping out some of the first ones you tried. It's very easy to have too many ornaments.

 

a few simple examples would be great, is there any stock phrases that I can use, for example in bag pipe music you have very common gracings that appearing time and time again they are used to make a note stand out. See the attachment of the music for the Skye boat song.

The common ornaments in Irish music are cuts (a leading grace note above), tips (a leading grace note below), and rolls (the details of which vary from instrument to instrument and have been subject to many discussions/debates here on C.net). Crans (also variable, depending on who you ask) are less common. And at least on anglo concertina, sparse harmony notes are often used. My experience is that Scottish fiddlers and fluters tend to use far less ornamentation than the Irish. The amounts and kinds of ornamentation used in other traditions -- Swedish, French, Balkan, baroque, jazz, etc. -- tend to be quite different.

 

By the way, are you planning to use ornamentation in solo playing, or in playing with others? That's another factor that should affect your choice of both which ornaments and how much ornamentation to use. The more players, the easier it is to get "too many" ornaments, turning the music from "crisp and clean" to "muddy". So in group playing, it's often best to play fewer ornaments, and to take turns with them.

 

I hope this helps.