Author: Fraser Kevin

Tips for learning to play tunes

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Tips for learning a new tune

When you sit down with a new piece of music, it might look scary depending on how complex the rhythm is, the number and type of embellishments, etc.

Never fear, you can learn any new piece. But it does take a methodical approach.

When learning a new tune, you need to simultaneously consider:

  1. Rhythm (timing)
  2. Expression (Feel/style)
  3. Embellishments
  4. Fingering (proper fingering for a note, no crossing noises)

Mark up the tune

On a 2nd copy of the tune (1st copy is your master and is left clean) mark up any phrases of music that is repeated throughout the tune. A prime example is in Marches the last 2 bars of each part is typically repeated through out the tune, and often the last 2 bars of the first line of each part is also repeated throughout the tune in the first line of each part..

Similarly, the first 2 bars of each line are repeated on each line WITHIN THE SAME PART.

There may also be shorter phrases/runs of notes that appear throughout the tune.

Identify phrases within the first part

Looking at the music, try to identify the phrases within the music.

  • There will usually be a longer note (compared to the rest) that ends the phrase.
    • for example – 1/8 1/8 1/8 1/8 1/8 1/8 1/4
  • Other logical phrasing points will have a run of music going either up or down, and then the melody changes direction.
    • for example = up up down up up up down up up down down down down …
  • Most phrases will last slightly less than 2 bars in length, but the rare case might go 4 bars.

Learn a phrase

When you start to learn the phrases, here are some things to keep in mind:

  1. play slowly and deliberately. Resist the temptation to play beyond your capabilities.
  2. when sight reading music, it was important to execute the piece correctly the first time through.
  3. When working through exercises for embellishments, pay attention to the cardinal rules:
    1. Play each step accurately
    2. Play each step evenly

Take the first phrase, and learn it.

  1. Start slow. If you can’t play it well slow, you won’t be able to play it well quickly.
  2. Try to incorporate the correct time and feel right from the start.
  3. Play the correct embellishments.

You need to play the phrase more than once. It will take around 10 times before it starts to enter “muscle memory”. Because of this, you can make an error or two, but don’t practice the error enough that it becomes the muscle memory!

Learn the next phrase

Once you’ve repeated the first phrase 10 or so times, move onto the second phrase. Repeat the same steps.

Tie the 2 phrases together

Once you’ve played the second phrase around 10 times, now you want to incorporate the 2 phrases. Chances are this will put you right to the end of the first line of the tune.

Play the 2 phrases together about 10 times. Once again you are building muscle memory (really long term memory neural pathways).

Rinse, Lather, Repeat

Phrase three is probably a repeat of phrase one (due to the nature of pipe music). If so, you can just tack this phrase onto your previous 2 phrase line and repeat. Then add the 4th phrase, and so on until you have learned the part. At this point it is probably memorized or nearly so.

Repeat these steps for the remaining parts of the tune.

Snowball

Another name for this method (or another way to look at it) is called the snowball. Like a snowball, or snowman, you start small and add to it. So:

  • you learn the first bar
  • You learn the second bar.
  • You then play bar 1 and 2 together.
  • You learn bar 3
  • You learn bar 4
  • You play bars 3 and 4 together
  • You play bars 1, 2, 3 and 4 together
  • Continue this method for the rest of the tune.

Remember that most pipe music has a large amount of repetition. From entire lines becoming second endings for other parts, to the last 2 bars of each line repeating through all parts, or the first 2 bars of the part being bars 5 and 6 as well.

Basic Tune structure  (: represents the repeat sign)
:A A B B
A A C C:
D D B B
D D C C:
:E E B B
E E C C:
:F F B B
F F C C:

–OR–

Repeated second endings (1 means 1st ending, 2 means second ending)
:A A B B
A A C C:
D D B B
1D D C C: 
2A A C C 
:E E B B
E E C C:
:F F B B
1F F C C:
2E E C C

 

Flats

A flat is when a note in music is lowered a semi-tone (half step) below what would normally be played. If a flat is written within a bar (rather than in the key signature) that flatening of the note remains for the entire bar. When the flat is in the key signature it applies for the entire song.

Flat symbol.png
This shows a flat and a double flat

The orders of flats written in a key signature is B E A D G C F (Battle Ends And Down Goes Charlse Father)

Note: The same pitch can have different names (see Enharmonic) depending on the Key of the scale (C# equals Db).

Sharps

A sharp is when a note in music is raised a semi-tone (half step) above what would normally be played. If a sharp is written within a bar (rather than in the key signature) that sharpening of the note remains for the entire bar. If the sharp is in the key signature, it applies for the entire song.

A Sharp and a double sharp

Pipe music does not usually indicate the key signature (sharps and Flats). The bagpipes play a C# and an F# naturally. As we don’t have a way to play sharps and flats (without false fingering), you will seldom see them written in pipe music.

The orders of sharps written in a key signature is F C G D A E B (Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle)

Note: The same pitch can have different names (see Enharmonic) depending on the Key of the scale (C# equals Db).

Named Key Signatures

Keys with Sharps

To find the name of a key signature with sharps, look at the sharp farthest to the right. The key signature is the note a half step above that last sharp.

Key signatures can specify major or minor keys. To determine the name of a minor key, find the name of the key in major and then count backwards three half steps.

Sharp key.gif
Sharp key2.gif





Keys with Flats





 To find the name of a key signature with flats, look at the flat 2nd farthest to the right. The key signature is named for that flat. 





Flat key.gif





Flat key2.gif

	


	





	

		
		
Mixolydian Scale
	


	
	
	

		

mixolydian scale





The Bagpipes has a range of nine notes, low G to high A. 





The bagpipe scale is tuned close to but not exactly on the “concert bb” scale. 





The traditional (western) scale is tone-tone-semitone-tone-tone-tone-semitone, with the octave divided almost evenly into 12 parts. The 





Bagpipe scale is an octave (fairly) evenly divided into 8 parts. The tuning is close enough to the traditional scale that you can play along with a concert band, but be aware that your 7th (high g) is flat. 





This is known as an mixolydian scale.






	


	





	

		
		
Key Signature
	


	
	
	

		




The key signature has a number of either sharps or flats. There will be either:





  • no sharps or flats
  • one or more sharps
  • one or more flats.





There will not be both sharps and flats in a key signature.





The key signature of a tune indicates which sharps, flats or naturals are used within the tune. 





In modern transcriptions of Bagpipe Music, you will typically not see a key signature written.  That is because we don’t have a good (nor consistent) way to produce sharps, flats or naturals.  In theory bagpipe music should have 3 sharps written (key of A).  In practice we would only write 2 sharps because the scale that the bagpipes plays (mixolydian) has the 3rd sharp flattened always.  This would require a “natural” symbol written in front of every occurrence of the G in any/all tunes.




Key of D.  What the bagpipes scale would be written in if we wrote a key signature.





For more details see Named Key Signatures

	


	





	

		
		
Octave
	


	
	
	

		

An octave is eight notes (whole tones). 





In the physics realm of music, going up one octave is the doubling of the frequency of the pitch.





Concert B flat (standard pitch tuning for concert bands and orchestras) uses 440 HZ (Herz – cycles per second) for the A, otherwise known as A440. The next octave up, the A would have 880Hz.





The bagpipe Low A is tuned near the B flat of the A440 scale which would be about 477Hz.