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The Top of Maol, Part 2: Polka Bowing and Drones


This lesson is part of the course Irish Fiddle with Dale Russ.
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About This Course

 
Learn traditional Irish fiddle, with an emphasis on playing the dance music of Ireland, including jigs, reels, polkas, slip jigs, hornpipes, and more, with an Irish feel and ornamentation.
 
 
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The Tar Road to Sligo
 
In this lesson, you’ll learn one of the most distinctive ornaments in Irish music, the “roll,” which combines grace notes and slurs. Dale explains the roll, and shows you a roll on different fingers and strings. He recommends practicing them slowly and repeatedly with a metronome so that the motion becomes natural, and he shows how you can use rolls in jigs whenever the first and third note of a three-note pattern are the same. You can also roll on the first notes of arpeggios, as in the last phrase of the B part of “The Tar Road to Sligo.”
 
 
 
The Irish Fiddle Subscription Includes:
  • Extensive lessons on playing 30 complete Irish dance tunes, including reels, jigs, polkas, hornpipes and more.
  • Detailed notation for every tune, with bowing and ornamentation
  • Technique lessons on ornamentation for both hands
  • High-quality video with multiple camera angles so you can see closeups of both hands in action
  • Play-Along Tracks so you can practice what you’ve learned
 
 
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The Top of Maol  
 
The Top of Maol  
 
The Top of Maol, Part 2: Polka Bowing and Drones
The Top of Maol, Part 2: Polka Bowing and Drones
 
In this lesson, you’ll learn some more nuanced ways to play polkas. Dale starts by showing how to add a pulse or lift to the second half of each bow stroke, putting an emphasis on the offbeat rather than the downbeat. He also talks about the concept of “nyeah” or playing “ragged but right” in Irish music, recommending that you listen to old players like Denis Murphy, Julia Clifford, Padraig O’Keefe, and Bobby Casey. And he shows you how to put a bit of “nyeah” in “The Top of Maol” by doing things like playing the G a bit sharp. He also talks about using drone notes that imitate the sound of the Irish pipes, like using an open D string as a drone note at the ends of phrases where you might expect an A note.

  "The Top of Maol" (Available to subscribers)
 
 
 

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    ● Courses
    ● Live Workshops
    ● Instructors
    ● Sample Lessons
    ● Notation Guide
    ● For Beginners
 
 
    ● Vintage Vault
    ● New Gear
    ● Fine Lutherie
 
 
    ● Workshops
    ● Advice
    ● Repertoire
 
 
    ● Recordings
    ● Events
    ● Breaking News
 
 
    ● In The Studio
    ● Live Onstage
    ● Backroom
 
 
    ● New Products
    ● Inside Look
    ● Performances
    ● Partner Pages
 
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© Copyright 2024 PegheadNation.com