Connaughtman's Rambles Set
Back at the Massapequa Preserve, a heron stood on the leafy tier of a causeway and fished in the mid-day sun, coiling its long neck like a snake and stabbing its needle-sharp beak into the water, coming up with tiny wriggling fish, then swallowing them with a shake of its head. Mallard ducks swam past, no one seeming to take much notice of anyone else.
For the soundtrack (see link the video below) I played three jigs - Connaughtman’s Rambles, Morrison’s Jig, and Geese in the Bog - on fiddle, octave mandolin, and bodhrán. The octave mandolin is the most recent of the instruments I’ve snatched up into my greedy wee hands. I’m splitting my time between trying to play melodies on the octave mandolin, and chords behind melodies on other instruments.
I’m principally a melody player on the fiddle and the pipes, which can sometimes make for a narrow focus. Learning about chords and chord progressions on the octave mandolin is deepening my understanding of the music I love.
Most of the tunes I try to play are designed for dancing or marching, so the pulse of the tunes is vital. I didn’t understand how difficult it is to stay faithful to the pulse until I started making multi-track recordings, which prompted me to notice when I’m playing the different instruments in synchronicity with each other, and more glaringly, when I’m not. You can hear examples of both phenomena in this recording.
I’ve returned to regular metronome practice as a remedy for losing the groove. Opinions vary regarding the best and worst ways to employ metronomes in practice. I’ve been trying to play tunes along with the metronome, usually at slower-than-normal tempos, kind of splitting my listening between the clicks coming from the metronome, and the notes coming from the instrument. That listening practice on its own is starting to give me a better awareness of when I’m grooving and when I’m not, even when I’m not playing with a metronome, which I reckon is the lion’s share of the point.
I’m learning the pulse of the tune in dance and marching music is just as important to this music as our own heartbeats are to our bodies. The most important step in bringing life to music intended to get us marching or dancing: establish a pulse.
