BEABETTERPIPER Phrasing
HowtoGettheBestOutof
YourCompetitionMarches
ROBERTWALLACE
O
N CoP Radio a few weeks your technique in cleanly.Your tune
ago I was chuntering on needstogoatthespeedatwhichyou
aboutphrasingin2/4march can accurately accomplish the most
playing,more specifically,the lack of difficult fingerwork. I cannot
it.As when judging,I don’t like to be emphasise this enough.Adjust your
critical without offering a solution, tempo to fit the fingers. Another
hence this column. important point to appreciate with
Most ‘competition’ marches can tempo is this: the lift in a tune does
befairlywellputover,atleastasfaras not come from the speed that you
expression is concerned,if we adhere play it at but from the rhythm you
to the following rules: impart.
1. A steady tempo Thisbringsusneatlytopointtwo.
2. Two beats in the bar All2/4marcheshavetwobeatsinthe
3. A‘strong/medium’pulse bar,one for the left foot and one for
4. Demarcation of two bar phrases the right.These must be presented in
In addition there are often a steady fashion, timed neither early
idiosyncrasies particular to individual nor late. How do we achieve this
tunes,but generally if you can satisfy whenwehavenopercussiontohelp?
rules 1-4 you can be pretty certain –byusingoffbeats.Thesearethehalf
youwillbemakingagoodfistofyour beats which come precisely between
music. Let’s look at tempi firstly. the left foot and the right foot.Pipe
Professional pipers will need to play marches are full of these helpful little
their tunes fairly briskly if they are to notes. They are marked out on a
besuccessful,roughlyroundabout65 passage from ‘P/M Willie Gray’s
beatsperminute.Thereisnoneedfor Farewell to the Glasgow Police’ in
amateur pipers or juniors to attempt Figure 1 below.
their tunes at this tempo. Anything By paying due attention to our
between 55 and 60, or even slower offbeatswecanensurethatwegeton
willbesufficient.Theimportantthing to the next main beat in time.The
to understand is that you must get all accordion players in dance bands use
Figure 1:The first four bars of‘Willie Gray’showing the off beats.To get the first off
beat in bar 1 proper we would have to split the C crotchet into two quavers placing the
offbeat on the second.
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