Ed Pearlman and Laura Scott Workshop Summary
Ed started us off by teaching us a “Good Old Tune” by ear, focusing on the notes that drive the tune. In the case of the A part, it is the notes in the pentatonic scale. In the B part, the notes are those in the chords – D, G, and C.
A couple years ago, Ed taught a workshop on the strathspey where he taught us that the “Scottish snap” is not really a 16th note, but should be as short as possible, giving the dotted eighth note a longer value. During this workshop, the takeaway, for me, was that when a dotted eighth note in the strathspey is followed by a 16th note, the same thing happens in reverse. You want to hold onto the dotted eighth note as long as possible. Laura talked about the importance of that in giving a dancer enough time for a “lift.”
Asked about how the same written rhythm is often found in a march, Ed said that the 16th notes would more likely be held for their true value, as the tune corresponds to a walking pace rather than a dance.
Ed talked about the importance of tempo being flexible as regarding the purpose of the tune. An air or waltz played at a wedding might have a more upbeat tempo than when the same tune is played for a funeral. A reel played for a dance is often played at a slower tempo than when it is played at a concert.
Strathspeys are always counted with 4 beats to the measure while reels are in “cut time,” or two beats per measure.
Another interesting takeaway was with respect to playing a jig. As they are played with two strong beats to the measure – “jiggety jiggety” – we’ve learned that the important note is the beginning of each “triplet” (the beginning of each strong beat). But Ed gave us a little more to consider. Sometimes jigs are played with a dotted eighth note followed by a 16th note and then an eighth note. The middle note can have a different value, but the third note must always retain its full value. So basically the first note of the “jiggety” can be held a bit longer, but you can’t come in to late on the “ty.”
— Connie Eppich
