Hello Richard, I think we pretty much agree.
Who, for example, would want to play Rothbury Hills in a staccato manner? (Who, indeed would want to play RH in any manner whatsoever, some might interject.) However it was composed by a significant piper who happened to be the official piper to the Duke of somewhere or other. So like it or not, it's part of the tradition. Often improved, if you get the chance to hear it, by Inky-Adrian's farmyard impressions. That harpsichord comparison is mightily good, since that and the NSP have some principles remarkably in common. However, I think we differ over the harpsichord's ability to play 'long-sustained'. That has as much to do with what the contemporary listener actually heard, knowing the style and nature of the music, rather than the acoustic output of the instrument. While we're usefully on this topic, here's an opportunity to quote one of the greatest of harpsichordists in one of the bitchiest-ever remarks about taste: "Well, you play Bach your way and I'll play him his way". That was Wanda Landowska. Much quoted in that remark, though it turns out that it was playfully said to a dear colleague and longtime friend, the cellist Pablo Casals. Baaaa! . . . Mooo! . . .. Oink-oink!!! Francis On 17 Jun 2011, at 13:50, Richard York wrote: > Hello Francis, > > Quite so, but, playing devil's advocate for a minute, (and loving tradition > except where it becomes tribal), does the fact that we can play staccato and > 99% of other pipes can't, mean it's all we should do? > The harpsichord, after all, could only really play staccato or slightly > sustained, and then the piano came in and could play long sustained, but it > doesn't mean we don't still use staccato as part of the vocabulary on the > piano. > I'm not doubting the value of detached playing at all, it really is the best > thing most of the time, but just wanting the occasional extra bit of > vocabulary. And as a matter of taste more than a tiny bit of smooth really > doesn't suit the nsp's to my mind, but like some spices, the occasional > addition can go a long way. > I speak more as a listener than claiming great expertise in playing here. > > Best wishes, > Richard. > > PS should the "proper" piping movement consider calling itself the "Real" > piping movement? > >> Hi Colin and others, >> >> The closed-fingering technique derives much more from the nature of the >> instrument rather than any opinions about style. >> >> Since the NSP chanter has a stopped end, there would be little point in >> adopting anything other than this fingering style, which allows separate >> notes with (usually) a distinguishable silence between each. This is >> something that no other bagpipe can do. In fact it would be difficult to >> think of another wind instrument capable of silence whilst pressure is >> applied. At present I can only identify the ocarina. >> >> The limits of any bag-blown chanter/ oboe are obvious. Almost no opportunity >> for dynamics, and very little for on-the-go tuning. The scale of the >> primitive NSP chanter is confined to eight notes. This is clearly a chicken& >> egg situation - the construction and the style of playing of instruments >> are closely related, and neither predates the other. What commonly happens >> with almost any musical instrument is that its limitations are adopted into >> the playing style as highly identifiable and positive features. >> >> Hence, closed fingering. Operated by open minds. >> >> Francis >> >> >> >> To get on or off this list see list information at >> http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html >> >> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >> Text inserted by Panda IS 2011: >> >> This message has NOT been classified as spam. If it is unsolicited mail >> (spam), click on the following link to reclassify it: >> http://localhost:6083/Panda?ID=pav_9926&SPAM=true&path=C:\Documents%20and%20Settings\Richard\Local%20Settings\Application%20Data\Panda%20Security\Panda%20Internet%20Security%202011\AntiSpam >> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >> >> > >
