Chapter 11 Short Rolls.

I’ve now come to the discussion of the compound ornaments.

Here again are all the ornaments with their symbols: see chapter 6 on whistle ornamentation.

01 What are rolls?

The word ‘rolls’ already indicates that, with these techniques, you can roll quickly and fluently through a melody.

Playing fluently is a matter of connecting notes and musical sentences by the use of slurring.

Fiddlers make long, fluent strokes with their bows. I already indicated that pipers use ‘slurring’ out of necessity because

they’re dealing with a constant flow of air through their chanter.

Several techniques came into existence that, with the use of slurring, still create ‘separate’ and ‘crispy’ notes.

The pipers brought with them several techniques into flute/whistle playing, among which are the rolls and the cranns.

Below you’ll see two well known and much appreciated pipers from the last century: Seamus Ennis and Willie Clancy.

The rolls were also an important part of their unique style on the uilleann pipe and the whistle.

Yet, there are musicians who play few if any rolls and cranns, because tunes can sound all right without them as well.

This could also be a style or regional preference. It’s my opinion that you enrich your play using them.

You can always determine how much you want to use them.

The short rolls and long rolls are made with cuts and strikes. Usually rolls consist of 1/8, 1/16, 1/32 notes: the same base note that’s being played two, three or four times.

With the so called ‘condensed rolls’, you’ll always have to use one or more 1/16 or 1/32 notes. (advanced technique)

Within this method, I limit myself to the most widely used rolls: the short roll (2/8) and the long roll (3/8).

The short roll is a double sound and the long roll is a triple sound.

The short- and long rolls consist of groups of 2x 1/8 note (a double tone) and 3x 1/8 note (a triple tone).

Example: a short G-roll where you play/hear the G twice by first playing a G-cut followed by a G-strike (tap/tip).

77 Seamus Ennis (1919-1982) 78 Willie Clancy (1918-1973)

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1 – 5 = Singular ornaments 6 – 12 = Compound ornaments

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

1 Tonguing 6 Short Roll 10 Short Trill

2 Single Cut 7 Long Roll 11 Long Trill

3 Strike / Tip 8 Short Crann 12 Fingered Vibrato or

4 Rising Slide 9 Long Crann Breath Vibrato

5 Struck Slide

Symbols that you’ll find above the base note in my music notations are 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12.

Symbols below the base note are 4, 7, 9.

The Struck Slide (5) is both above and belowthe base note.

02 Practise short rolls D major: D – C# in 4/4 time. Nr 31 Nr 43 Notation 34

The tablature: The order is from left to right and the above playing holes are those of the lower hand.

The arrow points at the end of your whistle. Row 1+2 represent the cut, and row 3+4 represent the strike movement.

The notation: The upper staff shows 1/4 notes + the symbol of the short roll + the pause sign for 1/4.

The lower staff shows that 1/4 = 2x 1/8 note = ‘da-bla’ = 2x the base note by means of the cut and strike-movement.

Exercise: First use slurring and then use tonguing, which means to put extra stress on the cut: 1-2 = ‘da-bla’ etc.

Play a very short strike! Pretend that the flute is hot at that spot.

Also, play backwards from C# to D and from C#+ to D+.

The alternative ‘D short roll’: from the D position on the soprano D-whistle, you can’t easily play a strike.

Therefore, I play two D cuts: first closing the E hole followed by opening and closing the F#.

You can start from the D position too and open/close the E hole followed by opening/closing the F#.

D E F# G A B C#

Alternative ‘D-roll ‘ E F# G A B C#

03 Practise short rolls D-major: D+ – C#+ in 4/4 time. Nr 32 Nr 44 Notation 35

D+ E+ F#+ G+ A+ B+ C#+

Alternative ‘D+ roll ‘ E+ F# G+ A+ B+ C#+

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04 Reel ‘The Limestone Rock’. Nr 33/34 = A/B Nr 45/46 = A/B Nr 47 = faster

This is an example of how short rolls can be used in a reel. As you can see the key is G-major.

Should you prefer to practise a reel without the C’s first, then go to O5: ‘Callaghan’s Reel’ on the next page.

In the notations for Irish Trad, 1/4 note is usually shown with a symbol of the short roll on top of it. (see measure 8)

In the notation below, I’ve also shown 2x 1/8 notes with the symbol on top, showing that you can hear 2 x 1/8 notes

because of the roll (see measures 1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 11). Of course this is an unusual notation to represent the double sound.

In the beginning of measures 1, 3, 5 and 7, you’ll see that you can play these with or without the short roll.

I don’t play a short roll (2/8) in measures 3 and 7; instead, I play just a 1/4 note to create more variation and phrasing.

The same thing occurs with the only long roll (3/8) on E+ in measure 13. I’ll get to the long rolls in the next chapter.

In measure 9, I play a 3/8 note on E+ without a long roll, and I start with a rising slide.

A 3/8 note is also a good moment to take a breath: play a 2/8 note on the beat first and 1/8 to take some air.

Exercise: look, listen and play the A part until you can slowly play it by heart with the short rolls.

Play with the emphasis on slurring. Leave out the other embellishments in the beginning phase.

Once you master this you can start adding the other ornaments.

You’ve possibly heard me do some tonguings, which adding more emphasis to certain notes.

4/4 = quadruple simple meter: ‘one & two & three & four &’ in 1 measure. (see page 76)

Notation 36

79

Wall of limestone rocks / The Burren, Co. Clare

44 www.whistle-flute.com Whistle Basics ©2009

05 ‘Callaghan’s Reel’. Nr 35/36 = A/B Nr 48/49 = A/B Nr 50 = faster

This reel bares the name of a well known fiddler from the beginning of the last century, Cal O’Callaghan.

With names like this it’s not always sure whether this musician has composed the tune or even often played it.

For instance, there are a large number of tunes travelling about that carry the name of fiddler Tommy Peoples, and

it is a fact too that most Irish tunes have more than one name!

Exercise: the notation of short rolls here is the usual one: a symbol above 1/4 note.

This eventually gives you the freedom to choose whether you make it 1/4 or two 1/8 notes using the short roll.

Leaving out a roll also gives you an extra moment to breathe, especially with the long rolls of measures 6, 9 and 13.

These are ‘dotted 1/4 notes’. 1/4 = 2/8 note, so it is prolonged by half by the dot (1/8) = 3/8 = ‘da-bla-da’.

Again, you don’t have to play these as yet because I’ll discuss them in the next chapter.

Be sure to look and listen a number of times, and take in the melody until you can almost hum it.

Naturally, study part after part and repeat often until it becomes natural, and if you like use MP3 Nr 95: bodhran.

I play with a combination of tonguing and slurring. Try to find out where I use tonguing.

Notation 37

80 Siobhain Peoples, Tommy Peoples daughter(O’Connor’s Pub Doolin 1995)

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06 March : ‘Bonnie Charlie’. Nr 37/38 = A/B Nr 51/52 = A/B Nr 53 = faster

The A-part of this march you’ll recognise from the chapter on strikes, and now you’re going to play the B part as well.

I’ve slightly re-arranged the ornamentation: there are several short rolls; and, in measure 17, you’ll see and hear a so-

called ‘short D crann’. I’ll explain about this in chapter 13. For the time being, you can play a single cut on D+ here.

Furthermore, in measure 26 you’ll see a rising slide and a cut: the slide comes just before the cut/beat.

I’m playing with several tonguings, particularly on the first note of the measures. It’s a march, after all. (see page 76)

With the short rolls I also begin with tonguing. It’s a good learning strategy to learn the A part by heart and to play

slowly in one or more practise sessions, and to build up the number of ornaments.

Once you can play it from the top of your head, or can play along with the video/MP3, then do the same with the B part.

MP3 Nr 53 can be used to listen to the whole tune and/or to play along with.

This arrangement with ornaments is also meant to guide you and lend support to learn certain techniques.

Of course this tune can also be played in various ways. Try to find Cathal McConnel’s version…(see picture 81)

Notation 38

81 Cover of the first LP of The Boys of the Lough with Cathal McConnell,

flute player from Co. Fermanagh.

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07 Jig : ‘Scattery Island’. Nr 39/40 = A/B Nr 54/55 = A/B Nr 56 = faster

This jig is also often played (fast!) and notated as a slide:‘Scattery Island Slide’. In the special intro of my CD

‘Druid Dance’ you can hear me play this slide version with some Irish musicians in Miltown Malbay.

Here I have written and played it as a jig because I do not want you to rush in this stage of the learning proces.

Short rolls can be applied in jigs/slides on 1/4 notes. With this you need a good timing.

The single cut has to be exactly on the beat. I often initiate it with tonguing to achieve a clear emphasis.

Naturally, there are the necessary single cuts included here. As you can see and hear, you can play them on the

downbeat as well (see measures 3, 4 and 14). Strikes or taps are a welcome variation to this simple musical structure.

You can play them as a short/struck slide as well.

In anticipation of the next chapters, I’ve put in long rolls (measures 3 and 4) and long D cranns (measures 6 and 14).

For the time being, you might want to play just what is written and possibly try those ornaments later.

Notation 39

Scattery Island is situated in the estuary of the River Shannon close to the town of Kilrush. I’ve kayaked this fast flowing

tidal river there several times to see the dolphins. Currents in the middle were so strong that it took a lot of effort just to

stay in one place. This effort was worthwhile because dolphins were jumping very close to my ‘Amarok’ (meaning ‘wolf’

in the language of the Inuit). That same week I was fortunate to be able to listen to Sean Ryan (whistle) in Crotty’s Pub

in Kilrush. Below is an image of me paddling in Dingle Bay looking for a close encounter with the famous local dolphin,

Fungi. And indeed I had a few unforgettable moments with this lovely creature.

82 Dingle 1997

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