Andi
TIPSY
Composing Again
Posts: 19
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Theory
Jun 19, 2004 12:55:56 GMT
Post by Andi on Jun 19, 2004 12:55:56 GMT
There is a whole lot more to theory than just understanding the scale and the clef. Familiarity, which comes from regular application of the correct rules, makes one a more accomplished, more confident, more comfortable piper and this should be everyone's goal with piping.
More if you want it. Let me know.
Andi
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bdot
TIPSY
Posts: 11
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Theory
Dec 29, 2005 17:40:52 GMT
Post by bdot on Dec 29, 2005 17:40:52 GMT
A self taught , hack guitarist here. I have made the big jump to pipes about a year age. No one really talks about theory in the pipe world like they do in other areas. Pentatonics are a big one. Modes is another. Bright sounding tunes vs those sad laments must rely on this somehow. Any thoughts?
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Theory
Jan 7, 2006 2:33:50 GMT
Post by mrzdavid on Jan 7, 2006 2:33:50 GMT
In my piping experience there seems to be a general lack of musical theory knowledge amongst pipers. I don't know why this is but many pipers I've met don't even know the the basic differences between time signatures. Many that I've spoken to don't even know the basic difference between simple and compound time. is this because pipes are often an instrument that is taught by ear? Yes, we have the sheet music but how often do you need to hear the music before being able to play it?
Is this the same situation for other instruments?
Just my thoughts.
Marcus
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Theory
Jan 8, 2006 22:32:48 GMT
Post by FINN on Jan 8, 2006 22:32:48 GMT
i hear that, thankfully i'm taking a music theory class for the next 6 months so i'll be nice and caught up on this whole "music" thing. who needs to read and understand sheet music anyway???
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Theory
Jan 9, 2006 17:41:49 GMT
Post by Administrator on Jan 9, 2006 17:41:49 GMT
In my piping experience there seems to be a general lack of musical theory knowledge amongst pipers. I don't know why this is but many pipers I've met don't even know the the basic differences between time signatures. Many that I've spoken to don't even know the basic difference between simple and compound time. is this because pipes are often an instrument that is taught by ear? Yes, we have the sheet music but how often do you need to hear the music before being able to play it? Just my thoughts. Marcus Agree with that. One of the reasons for that are people are inspired by the sound of tunes more than what they are seeing on sheet music or tunes they learn without hearing first. When i first leant the pipes i was just interested in the neat tunes the older guys where playing not the theory that went with it. But you need theory to be a good piper.
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Theory
Jan 9, 2006 23:54:55 GMT
Post by mrzdavid on Jan 9, 2006 23:54:55 GMT
When i first leant the pipes i was just interested in the neat tunes the older guys where playing not the theory that went with it. Same here, until I was taught the basic music theory on one of those RSPBA courses they ran (quite) a few years ago. The best thing I've done piping wise was to learn to sight read music. In my first band all the tunes I had were band tunes so we never had to sight read. I moved away (to Dundee as it happens), left the band and stopped piping completely for three or four years. When I went back to piping in a different band I was amazed by these folk who could get a piece of (IMHO) tricky music and play it straight off and nearly up to speed. After this I bought the Scots Guards Vol I and I suddenly had the music for hunners of tunes that I'd never heard before. After many years practice and much to the annoyance of my wife I can now play through new tunes without much bother. Shaves a good few weeks off learning new tunes. Some of the bagpipe music software also help with this to some extent if you have the file with the music or have the patience to insert the data. I still think that they are no substitute for sight reading. All the best, Marcus
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bdot
TIPSY
Posts: 11
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Theory
Jan 12, 2006 18:48:46 GMT
Post by bdot on Jan 12, 2006 18:48:46 GMT
Theory will also help you memorize tunes. Think of the sound your hearing and relate them to the scale your playing. An example, Major thirds , perfect fifths. These notes stand out.
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Theory
Jan 13, 2006 2:23:24 GMT
Post by mrzdavid on Jan 13, 2006 2:23:24 GMT
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Theory
Jan 15, 2006 16:16:12 GMT
Post by jimick01 on Jan 15, 2006 16:16:12 GMT
hi ,I've been on the practice chanter for the last year and started my pipes,im about to sit the level 2 chanter certificate but am struggling with the theory,my tutors not to clued up any ideas.
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Theory
Jan 16, 2006 11:22:31 GMT
Post by mrzdavid on Jan 16, 2006 11:22:31 GMT
What sort of thing are you struggling with? If you google music theory you will find many decent web sites discussing this. I used the RSPBA books. Book 1 is all about basic musical theory like time signatures etc and book 2 goes into more depth discussing harmonies etc.
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Theory
Feb 23, 2006 1:55:58 GMT
Post by mrzdavid on Feb 23, 2006 1:55:58 GMT
Gype!
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Theory
Mar 1, 2006 0:10:46 GMT
Post by FINN on Mar 1, 2006 0:10:46 GMT
whaa?
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tcheuchterloon
STEAMIN'
Tha f?ram math fh?in, chan eil fhios agam far am faighte ?ite na b' fhe?rr.
Posts: 193
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Theory
Mar 20, 2006 10:09:44 GMT
Post by tcheuchterloon on Mar 20, 2006 10:09:44 GMT
whaa? Pants are sma's and a gype is a kind o' feel. Music theory is very important if you want to do well. After I'd been playing a while I went to a different tutor to improve. I said I knew all the tunes in the CoP Green tutor, and he said "Ah, but do you know music?". He plunked down a sheet of exercises in various time signatures in front of me, and it turned out I didn't. I found that learning a bit of theory made life much easier.
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Theory
Mar 20, 2006 20:35:29 GMT
Post by FINN on Mar 20, 2006 20:35:29 GMT
god yes! theory is something, i'm taking a course on it now, it is amazing how much i had missed and didnt know
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Theory
May 30, 2007 23:45:49 GMT
Post by snarf on May 30, 2007 23:45:49 GMT
Music theory is a huge part of what I do in college, both classical and jazz theory. It actually hurts my piping skills, because I can identify easier the common sequences of notes, and sometimes I start playing different parts from different tunes in the middle of playing . . . a bad thing. It helps me a lot when composing inventions and concertos, though.
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Theory
May 31, 2007 18:31:20 GMT
Post by greginlondon on May 31, 2007 18:31:20 GMT
Don't worry - the more tunes you learn, the more you'll be able to confuse them - knowing the theory won't help there.
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windmage
TIPSY
I'm indecisive!
Posts: 16
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Theory
Jun 1, 2007 23:33:19 GMT
Post by windmage on Jun 1, 2007 23:33:19 GMT
Oh, I think theory is essential. I don't know crap about it, but I certainly think it's important. ~_^ >.< I wish I could take a music theory class at my college, but I don't think I have enough room in my schedule. I've got to concentrate on getting all the credits for high school graduation. Before I started my piping lessons, I couldn't sight-read at all. The best I could do was write the little letters above the notes, and if I hadn't heard a tune, I couldn't play it at all because I had no sense of what it sounded like. Once I started lessons and I was forced to learn the notes on sight, I became okay at that. And after some research online about time signatures, I was able to understand how to find where the beats go..etc. I was able to puzzle out a good part of Scots Wha' Hae this way, and I applied it to going home without problem. But...all of those notes were as long as, or longer than, the bottom number on the time signature, so it wasn't hard. What's really throwing me now is that I'm being presented with dotted eigth notes and sixteenth notes in, say, a 2/4 tune. And I've tried to get people to explain it to me, but it makes no sense. My instructor has also tried to explain it (albeit breifly) but that doesn't work because I'm definitely -not- an auditory learner and it just goes in one ear and out the other. (Which is funny, because I can memorize tunes pretty easily, but if someone gave me directions to drive somewhere I'd -have- to ask them to write it down. >.<) Dy'a figure that once I've been playing for longer, I'll just get a feel for how long the sixteenth notes are supposed to be? Because at present, I still can only learn a tune if I've heard it before. (Not surprising, I haven't been at this long. But it poses a bit of a problem when my instructor assigns me a song. He plays them for me so I can hear what they sound like...but I have to hear them several times for it to stick. Aiyah. I'd download that Bagpipe Writer thing, but I don't think there's enough room on my old computer.) (Ack -dies- long post. Sorry...I babble. )
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Theory
Jun 2, 2007 22:36:34 GMT
Post by piperlady on Jun 2, 2007 22:36:34 GMT
:-/Hi, Windmage ~ If you tap your foot or count in your head, you can beat eighth notes or even sixteenth notes if you slow the tune down. It's all mathematical - instead of looking at the phrase or tune as 2/4, you can slow it down to 4/8 (4 beats per measure, eighth note gets a full beat) or even to 8/16 (8 beats per measure, sixteenth note gets a full beat, eighth note gets 2 beats, dotted eighth gets 3 beats, etc.) Obviously this works only to figure out the tune - you'd be dancing a jig if you tried to march to it - lol. A dotted eighth note equals 3 sixteenth notes - slow the phrase down to the point that you can grasp the timing, then gradually speed it up without loosing the rhythm. A metronome can help some people - just frustrates others. And, yes, eventually you will automatically see dotted and flagged notes (pointed and cut) and play them correctly. Here's a little trivia that helps my students with triplets - three notes with a 3 over them in an arc - just say to yourself "banana" (ba-na-na) so that the 3 notes get the same amount of time.
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windmage
TIPSY
I'm indecisive!
Posts: 16
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Theory
Jun 4, 2007 19:46:22 GMT
Post by windmage on Jun 4, 2007 19:46:22 GMT
Uwah! -dances- Thanks so much! It never occured to me that I could just do that. Thankyouthankyouthankyou...
This has been bothering me for months now. (And now that I see it in writing...I realize this is what Tom was trying to explain to me two lessons ago. >.<) Ah, I'm so grateful for this board!
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Theory
Jun 26, 2007 20:55:25 GMT
Post by funkypiper on Jun 26, 2007 20:55:25 GMT
Any one who is needing a good book about theory should look into buyin the AB guide to music theory helped me through my grade 5 theory exam it goes deep into the realms of music theory
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