Transitions

[ladydetemps]

Why would an elephant have a nest?

[Bill the Farmer]

Why would an elephant have a nest?

That's probably the point, like fish and bicycles. 

[Ebor_fiddler]

"ha ha ha, hee hee hee,
An Elephant's Nest in a Rhubarb Tree" - I learned these words as a child to the tune of Little Brown Jug, but I've never heard the expression since. I thought it was just my Dad being silly, but maybe not (I must ask him). 

[Theo]

The full rhyme, remembered from my childhood is:

The Elephant is a pretty bird
She flits from bough to bough
She builds her nest in the rhubarb tree
and whistles like a cow

though that does not fit easily with the Little Brown Jug tune.

[GuyWyatt]

Why would an elephant have a nest?

Place to lay their eggs and feed their young I expect.
G

[IanD]

If you're putting two tunes together with the same rhythm, then it's best to run one straight into the other, and keep the rhythm going. That's how it's done for dance sets, for obvious reasons, and will avoid confusion at sessions (because when you stop playing the first tune, they will all think you have finished).
If you have a break, then there really isn't much point in playing the two tunes together.

Playing a set of tunes in a band, a clean snap change can add emphasis to the change and lift the dancers without losing the rhythm -- we use this quite a lot and the dancers never seem to get confused.

Ian

[Chris Ryall]

If you're putting two tunes together with the same rhythm, then it's best to run one straight into the other, and keep the rhythm going. That's how it's done for dance sets, for obvious reasons, and will avoid confusion at sessions (because when you stop playing the first tune, they will all think you have finished). If you have a break, then there really isn't much point in playing the two tunes together.

Playing a set of tunes in a band, a clean snap change can add emphasis to the change and lift the dancers without losing the rhythm -- we use this quite a lot and the dancers never seem to get confused.Ian

Just back from a battery recharge in France and it has emphasised my experience and belief that rhythm is critical. The best is to actually do something with the first tune be it arrangement or something spontaneous. If you feel moved to medley (ideally just after breakfast  ) anything other than a rhythm that carries through will detract to the ear. I've even had problems trying to join a  central French mazurka to a Burgundy one - served me quite right too!

If you are staying in G and want to change tunes - a solid D7 dominant chord will act a as a sort of firewall between them, and even smooth over such matters as alluded to above. The more general rule is to play the dominant for the key you are heading into - so A7 if switching to D, or B7 into Em. Some boxes won't have a full B7 but part chord will often suffice. Even B/F# played as a pair will hint the change.

Any who don't know what or where a D7 chord is on the box - well IMHO you really need to consider actualy learning it. Chords are the 'words' of music and unless you get into that language - communication with other musicians will commonly and simply fail. For the record (as discussed before) D7 is D F# A and C on the G row, all pull, RIGHT end. The F# and C are the important notes as they interact and 'to the ear' force the next chord as resolution - hence 'dominant'. The natural resolution is to G, but resolving to a key of B, or even F or C# is legal.

The dominant for the major key on the D row is A7 and that's what to play if you're headed there. Pulling these chords in one handful is OK, but weaving them into the tunes as a sequence of notes sounds prettier. The actual order is a matter of style and it's also OK to not play them all. A good trick I was reminded of last week is to to get to a note half a tone from the first note of the next tune. 'Resolution' again.

[IanD]

If you're putting two tunes together with the same rhythm, then it's best to run one straight into the other, and keep the rhythm going. That's how it's done for dance sets, for obvious reasons, and will avoid confusion at sessions (because when you stop playing the first tune, they will all think you have finished). If you have a break, then there really isn't much point in playing the two tunes together.

Playing a set of tunes in a band, a clean snap change can add emphasis to the change and lift the dancers without losing the rhythm -- we use this quite a lot and the dancers never seem to get confused.Ian

Just back from a battery recharge in France and it has emphasised my experience and belief that rhythm is critical. The best is to actually do something with the first tune be it arrangement or something spontaneous. If you feel moved to medley (ideally just after breakfast  ) anything other than a rhythm that carries through will detract to the ear.

The best thing to do with the first tune -- and the second tune, and indeed any tune -- is to "do something with it", not just play it dead straight time after time. Variations, harmony and ornamentation (not done to excess, of course) are the life-blood of good music.

When arranging tunes for the band we're always thinking "if I was dancing this, what would lift and inspire me and hold my interest?"

Ian

[Steve Jones]

Have to agree with Ian on the "snap" change, playing for Irish ceili dancing and contradancing: with the right tunes, a beat's silence at the end of one before a very emphatic start of another one always seems to lift the dancers.

I tend to avoid going into a tune of a different rhythm in an informal session, but for something to go on a record or play in a concert, why not? And for dancing too... we're all familiar with My love is but a lassie into Atholl Highlanders or similar changes for Cumberland Sq 8. Jigs into reels work very well in some dances too, giving the impression that the music has gone into overdrive even though you keep the same beat.

When you go from a brisk slip jig into a reel in a strip the willow dance (Stoke Golding country dance etc.) the effect is even more supercharged. Too much fun not to do!

To add to Theo's point about tune's ending and starting notes, I usually pay attention to this as well as to the key change in putting sets together. You can get dramatic effects where one tune ends on a high note (literally not necessarily metaphorically) and the next starts on a low one, and vice versa. Or an incremental buildup of tension where the next tune starts a tone or a semitone higher (or lower) than either the last note in the previous tune (or the first note of the previous tune that everybody with ears is expecting).

[strad]

The band I play in has a fairly loose attitude with regard to arrangements. In one dance we were playing for, we suddenly realised that all three fiddles were playing harmonies and no-one was playing the actual tune! After a moment of panic we all slammed back into the tune and the dancers didn't even notice.

Occasionally I've found that it is sometimes better to play an extra A part before changing, but that's very much up to the tune being played.

Nigel

[Lester]

My favourite transition of all time is Harper's Frolic into Bonny Kate. Change of key and the actual transition notes lifts the whole dance

[Steve_freereeder]

My favourite transition of all time is Harper's Frolic into Bonny Kate. Change of key and the actual transition notes lifts the whole dance

Yes - that's a good'un!

[Chris Ryall]

The band I play in has a fairly loose attitude with regard to arrangements. In one dance we were playing for, we suddenly realised that all three fiddles were playing harmonies and no-one was playing the actual tune!

Given your continuation below it seems you were truly 'doing something with it ... 

After a moment of panic we all slammed back into the tune and the dancers didn't even notice.

    .. the morale to this happy tale perhaps then being that you didn't need to have panicked 

[Falseknight]

The full rhyme, remembered from my childhood is:

The Elephant is a pretty bird
She flits from bough to bough
She builds her nest in the rhubarb tree
and whistles like a cow

though that does not fit easily with the Little Brown Jug tune.

Sits reasonably with "New York Girls" though.

[sticky fingers]

wow, this realy is down to personal experience and contrasting styles of play!. from an irish music style of playing it all depends on what other musicians your'e playing with. in our band (fiddle, octave mandola, dadgad guitar and my d/g box, its very easy to slip from one tune to another in the same key because other instruments can take the lead or vary the tempo of accompiment to make everything sound like its moved up a gear!. if i was just playing in a duo or solo i would always go for a key change inbetween tunes for maximum impact that way you avoid the old adage of (all irish music sounds the same).transition between tunes is so personal i doubt any of us on this forum can advise you, (whats good for one is awful for another)best to decide for yourself, listen to what you have chosen, and if it works for your style of music stick with it and dont let anyone change your mind!. hope this helps. 

[tallship]

For the record (as discussed before) D7 is D F# A and C on the G row, all pull, RIGHT end.

This baffled me a bit as I didn't recall having a pull D anywhere on the box. A few minutes of investigation have revealed That my box is a bit of an oddball, it's 23 button with extended low scale but the second button (from the chin) on both rows is non standard. On the G row I have (push/pull) B/E instead of B/D and on the D row F#/B instead of F#/A

Can anyone shed any light on what advantage/disadvantage this might give? Do I need to get it to Theo for fettling? (it's about ready for a brush up tuning anyway)

Pete.

[Theo]

It's just continuing the scale downwards,  whether it needs to be changed entirely depends on what you want to play.