I've never found the verbalisations of rhythms particularly helpful - but that's just me. And I did once know about spondees and trochees (didn't James Thurber illustrate these rather brilliantly?) but it became surplus info many years ago.
Faced with a tune that I'm not sure is a rant or reel - either one out of a book, or one of my own - I sandwich it between two tunes of known rhythm that I can play in appropriate style and see how seamlessly they join up. So for example for a rant I might play Cheviot Rant (an archetype if ever there was one, composed in the C20), then tune X, followed by St Cuthbert crossing the Rhine, a modern but very classic rant written by that fine tunesmith, Mr Ormston. I don't use Morpeth Rant (first published around 1780-ish, I believe) since I find that is capable of much wider interpretation. For reels I use the Hesleyside for one. I base the sense of whether the tune is one or the other on my experience of dancing them, and of playing with, or listening to, experts in their various fields. Knowing the tunes and having danced them before playing the pipes apparently puts me in a minority, and at an advantage, I realise that. Like John, I hope we don't get down to standard tunes, though a list of essential tunes for beginners is very useful as a guide, and is the basis of the "First 30 tunes" book which will be coming out shortly. Like Chris, I am concerned at some of the material now being preferred by players. There is a difference between "playing music on the Northumbrian smallpipes" and "Northumbrian piping", and the latter must not get swamped by the former or the tradition will be gone. That said, there is nothing wrong with good music on the Northumbrian smallpipes once in a while, provided it is an informed choice by the individual. My twopennorth Julia To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
