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MatthewVanitas Senior User
Joined: 01 Mar 2010 Posts: 108
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Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2010 5:42 pm Post subject: Non-Swedish tunes which fit the Am/Amaj E-e range? |
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Though I'm certainly interested in learning the standard Swedish pipe-tunes, I'm also curious to explore what other tunes work well on the pipes. The limitations of the pipe, in range and in mode, present some interesting challenges.
I'm reckoning that Amaj won't be too hard, as there are a good number of well-known Western folk-songs and hymns that range a fourth below and above the tonic. That is, Amazing Grace played in C goes as low as G and as high as g an octave above, so could easily be played in Amaj from E to e. There are a decent number of other common songs that follow that pattern and sound good with drones.
I'm a little more confused as to what to play in Am from E-e. Off the top of my head, most of the minor tunes I know tend to run from a full octave plus a leading note a step below the tonic; like most Irish tunes I know are in E-Dorian and run D-e.
Anyone have any suggestions as to folk tunes, classical bits, or hymns that your average folkie American or Brit would know, which fit well into the sackpipa's range and mode (actual fixed pitch being unimportant)? |
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Olle Site Admin
Joined: 21 Oct 2006 Posts: 435 Location: Uppsala, Sweden
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Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2010 10:33 pm Post subject: |
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How about "Miller of the Dee" from my web site? I don't know how well known that tune is, but it may give you ideas on what kind of tunes to look for (e.g. nursery rhymes and lullabies). _________________ Info on Swedish bagpipes at http://olle.gallmo.se/sackpipa
More about me at http://olle.gallmo.se |
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Corwen
Joined: 07 Jul 2010 Posts: 3 Location: Dorset, England
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Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2010 10:12 pm Post subject: |
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There are something like 200 Welsh pibgorn tunes on John Tose's website, all of which will fit on the pipes as they are all one octave tunes, and most of which work with a drone on the lowest note of either a major or minor scale. A few require a drone on the fourth or fifth.
http://www.pibydd.fsnet.co.uk/music.htm |
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Aaron K. Holt Senior User
Joined: 01 Nov 2006 Posts: 291 Location: Pennsylvania
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Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 6:35 pm Post subject: |
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Depending on the "options" you chanter offers, you can actually play quite a lot of music. After I learned the tunes on Olle's site, I ordered a book of music from Alban Faust (more Swedish tunes), but also two books of English music from Julian Goodacre. A lot of these worked very well on the Swedish pipes.
If you know ABC, or better yet, if you have some software that will play ABC tunes for you (I like to actually HEAR the tune before I sit down and learn to play it) Richard Robinson's Tunebook is a great place to look for tunes:
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/music/Info/RRTuneBk/tunebook.html _________________ Aaron |
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texasbagpiper Senior User
Joined: 24 Oct 2006 Posts: 352 Location: Texas
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Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 7:56 pm Post subject: |
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I too prefer to hear a tune and get it in my head before I play it. In my early highland bagpipe days, I was taught to sing the notation and embellishments before I played them. They call it Canterid or something like that. I know it's spelled wrong. |
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Stuart
Joined: 28 Oct 2006 Posts: 12 Location: Comox, BC Canada
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Posted: Sun Oct 24, 2010 9:00 pm Post subject: |
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texasbagpiper wrote: |
I too prefer to hear a tune and get it in my head before I play it. In my early highland bagpipe days, I was taught to sing the notation and embellishments before I played them. They call it Canterid or something like that. I know it's spelled wrong. |
Canterachd , canter-ak. I learned the same way using Campbell canterachd system. For those who don't know, every note, every movement has a sung "word" for it. It dates to before written music in Scotland and is still a great way to learn as you know the tune before you know the movements for your fingers. Also, if you have a piece of paper you can quickly note down a tune from hearing it, rather than drawing out the staff and notation. Not the easiest thing for modern folks to learn though.
works for me, I like it.
Stu |
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MatthewVanitas Senior User
Joined: 01 Mar 2010 Posts: 108
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Posted: Wed Oct 27, 2010 1:05 am Post subject: |
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Since I posted the above and got my Hamon set, I've actually been able to play a pretty substantial number of Americana, Brit, and Irish tunes (mainly ballad melodies due to the limited range), so finding way fewer restrictions than I thought, despite having only one double-hole.
A few of the Americana tunes that come out pretty well (with links to their non-bagpipe recordings):
- Streets of Laredo
- Dreary Black Hills
- Greenland Whale Fishery Song
- Old Home Place
- Wild Bill Jones
- House Carpenter
- Farewell to Old Bedford (takes some fake-outs due to short range)
The pipes sound particularly good on the darker-sounding Mixolydian tunes.
Also having fun cinching in the drone to F# to play in minor, though with that the lack of a High 9th key becomes more of an issue. In that mode some Breton tunes and the like come easily, and I can also figure out some Nirvana tunes.
I'd definitely recommend any of the above Americana tunes for those looking to explore that tradition on sackpipa (though most of those work well on SSP as well).
I have a bellows-blown D/G set with all chromatics and a high E key that should be ready in a couple months, so with that I'll be able to play more modes, get that extra high note, and be in a key more accessible for Irish/American/Scottish tunes. The dilemma with that will be that I'll really have to start teaching myself to sing with the pipes, and to arrange some backup vamps so I'm not just holding a drone or playing the same melody as I'm singing.
So, not the most traditional of Swedish tunes, but it is indeed a very flexible type of bagpipe, and I think the tone sounds great for a lot of Appalachian music. |
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