Heather Clarke's book?

PJ · Post by PJ » Wed Sep 07, 2005 2:14 pm

Sorry - I went completely off-topic. Now back to regular posting about Heather Clarke's Tutor.

kevin m. · Post by **kevin m.** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 2:15 pm

The Clarke book is the best beginners tutor that I've seen (even if it seems to take a sudden quantum leap around lesson 12 with the introduction of 'Garrett Barry's Jig'-though maybe that's just me being dumb!).
Seamus Ennis's 'The Master's Touch' is very interesting-though ideosyncratic(I think that you need to 'read between the lines' sometimes to see what he's getting at,but fascinating stuff just the same).

PJ · Post by PJ » Wed Sep 07, 2005 2:25 pm

kevin m. wrote:The Clarke book is the best beginners tutor that I've seen (even if it seems to take a sudden quantum leap around lesson 12 with the introduction of 'Garrett Barry's Jig'-though maybe that's just me being dumb!).
Seamus Ennis's 'The Master's Touch' is very interesting-though ideosyncratic(I think that you need to 'read between the lines' sometimes to see what he's getting at,but fascinating stuff just the same).

I would agree with all you have said. SE's tutor is great once you have a bit of piping under your belt. HC's is more suited for the pure beginner.

gold ring · Post by **gold ring** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 2:49 pm

I am agreeing with you djm...........oh what difference...you all win.....forget about it it's been too long a day and I just played Miss McCleods just about as badly as it can be played.....Tough going this piping I tell you. The frustration.!!!!!

Joseph E. Smith · Post by **Joseph E. Smith** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 4:28 pm

HC tutor, get it, you won't regret it.

uillmann · Post by **uillmann** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 4:39 pm

I would suggest that the Dennis Brooks tutor is more comprehensive.

Joseph E. Smith · Post by **Joseph E. Smith** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 4:42 pm

uillmann wrote:I would suggest that the Dennis Brooks tutor is more comprehensive.

I have yet to peruse that one... somebody else was recently telling me about it.

djm · Post by **djm** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 7:13 pm

The Brooks Tutor is definitely worth getting, but it is more of a textbook touching on all aspects of UPs. Like the Ennis book The Master's Touch, it is something to add to your library, but the Clarke tutor is still the one to start learning on. Get the others when you're ready to branch out.

djm

Calum · Post by **Calum** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 3:33 am

As someone who does a bit of pipe teaching myself, I'd have to say I think the Clarke tutor moves too fast for most total beginners; I agree with Kevin regarding the quantum leaps.

That said, it's still the best I've seen and if approached with a good attitude, should yield good results.

Cheers,
Calum

misterpatrick · Post by **misterpatrick** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 8:56 am

I agree with Kevin. I like to refer to this as the Garrett Barry's Barrier (TM). Everything is nice and deedle deedle dum dum and suddenly it's Zoooom and no turning back. Slow down software really helps when working through tunes beyond the Barrier.

I guess one criticism would be that working with the tutor means most likely relying on notation to learn tunes. I've starting playing tunes to which the notation is either just different or non-existant which I've found has helped me quite a bit.

I also love the dominatrix aspect of H.C. "Now play high g, dog!"

-Patrick

ChristianRo · Post by **ChristianRo** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 9:25 am

gold ring wrote:I am agreeing with you djm...........oh what difference...you all win.....forget about it it's been too long a day and I just played Miss McCleods just about as badly as it can be played.....Tough going this piping I tell you. The frustration.!!!!!

By the way, gold ring... have you found out..?:twisted:

Tony · Post by **Tony** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 10:04 am

Calum wrote:As someone who does a bit of pipe teaching myself, I'd have to say I think the Clarke tutor moves too fast for most total beginners; I agree with Kevin regarding the quantum leaps.

That said, it's still the best I've seen and if approached with a good attitude, should yield good results.

Cheers,
Calum

I've said this a few years ago...
It goes from too simple to too hard too quickly and the CD is extremely over rushed.
Reminds me of the game 'Simple Simon'
Chanter down... you're out. Simon didn't say chanter down.

Andy Parnell · Post by **Andy Parnell** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 10:44 am

My experience of it is that it goes for the hard core piping tunes throughout which, clearly helps someone develop a close finger style however, I'd agree with everyone that it really just takes off at some point and chooses some hard tunes for beginners too early on. Also, some of the tunes at the back of the book are more like things to aspire to. Take Spike Island Lasses, one of the harder tunes around let alone for someone to try out just after they've finished lesson 23! I haven't learnt it yet despite having learnt a lot of other hard tunes around I keep going back to it thinking, nah, I'll do that one when I can devote enough serious time to it...

But, given that nearly every piper learns from this book these days along with traditional learning, it means you can walk into any pipers club in the world or any session with a fellow piper, play these tunes and chances are, they'll join in! This is the Globalisation effect I suppose.

In a way, it has united us in a common repertoire. We are free to explore loads of other tunes outside of this book, yet it does really work well for having a unique set of piping tunes that we all can know across the globe.

For this reason alone, it's worth getting!

Cheers!

Andy

gold ring · Post by **gold ring** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 11:44 am

ChristianRo.......found out what?

ChristianRo · Post by **ChristianRo** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 1:12 pm

gold ring wrote:ChristianRo.......found out what?

Oh, c'mon, don't pretend you wouldn't remember... http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=29086&start=0