Chiff and Fipple Forums

in the notation of "Kitty's Rambles" in the Clarke tutor, there is an FGA tight triplet in the higher octave. i am not able to do it at all as a true tight triplet in that octave. if i don't slide up to the high A from the high G, i loose the octave every time. it does not make a big difference in the tune, but still i be curious.
is there any trick to that? i know in a seminar, BK once taught that at the beginner-early intermediate level, you should not expect to be able to hit high A without slurring-sliding up from some lower note. Therefore, is this tight triplet just for those more advanced? or is it easier on a flater instrument? Or is it possible on some chanters or reeds but not others?(i am in my second year of playing- preshaw concert chanter, reed fairly hard, sounds so nice i have not attempted to make it easier)
thanks


meir

Seamus Ennis used this quite a bit to good effect. I like using it myself, it sometimes makes it easier to run up to high B.
I think of it as a tight triplet but I haven't the chanter out of the box at the moment so i am not able to check to what extent (if at all) the a gets opened up to facilitate it sounding in the octave.
I would say practice should get you there, try playing gabg a few time and then whe nthat goes well without dropping the octave play it as (3fga bg that may help (or not as the case may be)

Staccato triplets are almost always shown as all 3 notes staccato, although they are virtually never played as all 3 notes staccato. Usually it's only the first 2 notes.

In the case of an FGA triplet in the upper octave, you may have to do it as only the F staccato. Open a single stop for the G, and get the A from there... which is probably exactly what you're doing now.

If you are able to get high A by venting the F, then I can envision a way to get the G staccato as well (same movements as the FGF "nipping" triplet, the 2nd F used only to "lead" high A-- know what I mean? Do the more experienced players actually do that?). But, with my current setup I can only get high A by venting the G, which must be left open. That keeps me from trying that out. Anyone out there able to get F & G staccato up there?

Did you get the book with the CD? If so, just pop it in, record the part where she plays the triplet, and cut the speed in half. You'll be able to hear what's really going on regardless of the notation.

When playing this in the lower octave I play a stacatto F and G (one finger). In the second octave I play the F stacatto, then a single finger G and move legato to the A.

Hope that is some help.

David

Also, when bringing this up to speed, try and think more about closing the tone holes (or putting the finger down) for f and g, rather than lifting the finger off of them... it will aid in giving it that staccatto sound. I found this to be sage advice from Patrick Hutchinson and it took what may have been a long time trying to learn and basically cut that time in half.

I've been trying to play this as written in h clarke's book - does anyone else that this is quite a hard setting of the tune - the tight triplets in part 2 and going up to high d in the third