Eamonn Cotter and Paul Roche both tongue. Conal O'Grada and Catherine McEvoy use glottals. Matt Molloy seems to do both (haven't asked him). My feeling is that it doesn't matter. It's all in how you USE the articulation. Since I like to keep my throat as wide open as possible, and I can't glottal without vocalizing, I tongue. The attack I use is very soft, more like a rolled "r" than a "ta," and it's well-nigh indistiguishable from glottaling. Works for me.
FWIW, George Leech, a virtuoso player who recorded at the dawn of the 78 era, used a hell of a lot of triple-tonguing. You want traditional precedent, it's right there.
Glottal stops vs tonguing on Irish flute
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glauber
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My point, exactly! If you want to learn, you need to approach this stuff with humility. The greater the distance to the original tradition, the greater your humility should be. If you dont' care to learn, do whatever the hell you want, because nobody cares either!Gordon wrote:Ultimately, you are probably right -- if you are as talented and music-worldly as a Chris Norman, you can break all sorts of rules and get away with it. Me, a non-Irish flute player, played rock and roll most of my life, then silver flute, and learning ITM mostly from Jack Coen in my thirties. I'm a decent player, but if I can even humbly approach the real essence of Irish music when I play, I'm awfully happy with myself. Would I break tradition? Sure -- I don't owe it anything, really, and when I play, I ultimately play for myself or my paying (or non-paying) audience. But when I discuss on this forum how to play Irish music, I don't start discussing OTHER stuff a person can do on a flute that's simply not Irish. It's misleading and, all said, just wrong. Why not just extole the virtues of the Boehm flute, the third octave, the pure tone and vibrato? All good, in their place, no? Slippery slope, my friend...
After you learn, if you're one of the few God has chosen to be Chris Norman or Nial Keegan, then, my friend, do whatever the hell you want, because at that time you will be wanting the right things!
Bossanova and "choro" were my thing originally, and i can tell immediatelly when somebody, even if he or she is a great player, just hasn't bothered to learn. :roll:
On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog!
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peeplj
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Having just read back over this thread, I just wanted to say that I did not intend to start any new arguments (or awaken any old ones).
I'd like to thank everyone who has posted. All perspectives have presented their views very eloquently and persuasively.
I believe the passion with which we approach these subjects reflects the driving passion we all share to play this music and play it well.
So again, my thanks to all who have posted on and followed this thread, and I certainly hope that I have not offended anyone, either by written word or by recorded sound. Starting any arguments was the last thing I intended by beginning this thread.
--James
I'd like to thank everyone who has posted. All perspectives have presented their views very eloquently and persuasively.
I believe the passion with which we approach these subjects reflects the driving passion we all share to play this music and play it well.
So again, my thanks to all who have posted on and followed this thread, and I certainly hope that I have not offended anyone, either by written word or by recorded sound. Starting any arguments was the last thing I intended by beginning this thread.
--James