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Author Topic: Badly behaved pinkie!  (Read 2306 times)

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arty

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Badly behaved pinkie!
« on: April 02, 2015, 08:22:45 PM »

I have been learning Rose of Raby for the last few days, There are several triplets in that piece, which all require the use of the little finger. I have practiced them so much, that my pinkie now goes in to spasm when I try to do it and I get 6 or 7 notes when I only want three. So, I'm going to give up on it for a few days.

Why do we do it arrrrggghh!!!???  >:(
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Anahata

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Re: Badly behaved pinkie!
« Reply #1 on: April 02, 2015, 09:37:35 PM »

Good idea to give it a rest. It'll be better when you come back. Then practice the twiddly bits RIDICULOUSLY SLOWLY...

Do you absolutely have to use the little finger? I don't know the tune so I'm asking out of ignorance, but some players avoid using the pinky entirely, and I can see why.
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arty

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Re: Badly behaved pinkie!
« Reply #2 on: April 02, 2015, 10:21:55 PM »

Thanks Anahata...yes I'll give it a break tomorrow. I have been practicing it a lot, because I wanted to record it this evening...sod's law!
 
I prefer to use my little finger, because it falls right on the finger board and saves a change of hand position. Also, if I take my time and keep doing it, it will strengthen my little finger slowly and be useful in the future.
To be honest it's not my favourite tune, now that I have learned it, (it seems a bit depressing and never goes anywhere, in my opinion) but I don't want to give up on it at least until I have made a recording.
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Grape Ape

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Re: Badly behaved pinkie!
« Reply #3 on: April 02, 2015, 11:13:26 PM »

If you could learn to harness the power and control that spasm, that little finger could become unstoppable and possibly play Irish jigs all by itself.  As well as rule the universe....

If three notes make up a triplet what would seven be? Sounds fast!
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arty

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Re: Badly behaved pinkie!
« Reply #4 on: April 03, 2015, 07:49:03 AM »

  :D
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Chris Ryall

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Re: Badly behaved pinkie!
« Reply #5 on: April 03, 2015, 08:19:01 AM »

It's an Alan Lamb mazurka from Blowzabella "Richer Dust" though I hear it more often in France than here. Plays out in chords and lies nicely in Em on a DG (either octave).

Yup, pinkies need strengthening up and its that "practice" word again, agree "slow" but you can also practice its independent movement in idle moments without the instrument. my breakthough followed a vainglorious attempt to remove a grass plug from a working motor mower with index finger. For technical reasons I had to play all music with fingers 2-5 for the next month ::)
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Hugh Taylor

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Re: Badly behaved pinkie!
« Reply #6 on: April 04, 2015, 11:13:52 AM »

I play Rose of Raby in Am with a friend, though at the Hill Inn session near Ingleton they play it in Gm which is the key it was written in - time to get out the C/F box! I understood it was written by Dave Sheppard, not Alan Lamb, and he isn't keen on melodeon players changing his keys. eg William Taylor's Tabletop Hornpipe.
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Hugh Taylor

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Re: Badly behaved pinkie!
« Reply #7 on: April 04, 2015, 11:15:25 AM »

abc for Rose of Raby below.


X:2
T:Rose Of Raby, The
M:3/4
L:1/8
R:mazurka
C:Written by Dave Shepherd, originally in Gm
C:Notes and chords by Hugh Taylor from the new Blowzabella tune book
K:Gmin
GA|:"Gm"B2 BG Bd|"F"A4 AB|(3cBA Bc de|"Cm"dc BA GA|
    "Eb"B2 BG Bd|"F"A4 AB|"Dm"(3cBA dc BA|"Gm"G4 GA:|
  |:"Gm"B2 GB GB|"Cm"c4 dc|"Gm"B2 GB dB|"Cm"c4 Bc|
    "Bb"dc Bd cB|"F"cB Ac BA|"Gm"B2 GA Bc|"Dm"A3 F GA|
    "Gm"B2 BG Bd|"F"A4 FA|"Cm"c2 (3edc|"Bb"d2 dB GA|
    "Gm"B2 GB dc|"Dm"A2 FA cB|"Gm"G2 G2 (3AGF| 1"Gm"G4 GA:|2"Gm" G2||
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Stiamh

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Re: Badly behaved pinkie!
« Reply #8 on: April 04, 2015, 01:43:04 PM »

I prefer to use my little finger, because it falls right on the finger board and saves a change of hand position.

To my mind, using awkward fingering in order to avoid moving your hand makes no sense.

In most cases anyway I wouldn't be moving my hand at all. I just wouldn't be keeping fingers stuck to one button. And whether it's your whole hand that shifts position or your fingers, no difficulty is involved.

Keeping your hand and fingers very nimble and mobile is the key to playing fast and fluently - for me. 

Perhaps your faith in your ability to develop the little finger sufficiently that it will perform quickly, accurately and reliably in these kinds of situations will be rewarded. I abandoned the attempt early on and nothing could now persuade me to spend any time developing the little finger. Except perhaps having my index amputated - and even in that case I'm not sure.  ;)

Nick Collis Bird

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Re: Badly behaved pinkie!
« Reply #9 on: April 05, 2015, 08:46:09 AM »

Seconded :D
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Bob Ellis

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Re: Badly behaved pinkie!
« Reply #10 on: April 05, 2015, 12:04:31 PM »

I agree with Arty. In most situations, I use my little finger rather than move my hand position, not because there is anything intrinsically difficult about moving one's hand but because I am now comfortable with using my little finger. This was not always the case. I used to have poor control over that finger and tended to avoid using it, but decided that not using it limited my options, so I made myself practice using it until it I became comfortable with it.

The same is true of my left hand. I used to use two fingers on the basses until Andy Cutting convinced me of the advantages of using all four. It took a few weeks to get the hang of it, but it now feels perfectly natural, proving that you can teach an old dog new tricks.
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KLR

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Re: Badly behaved pinkie!
« Reply #11 on: April 05, 2015, 08:55:49 PM »

Will this debate ever die?   ::)  If you want to play music such as this, you might do well to avoid using the little finger, aka pinkie, many great players of that music advocate doing so.  If, on the other hand, you want to play music like this, you in all likelihood can get by using the wee digit.  Try both approaches and see what works for you.  It's that simple, add that to the melodeon FAQ.  There's a melodeon FAQ, right?

BTW I think both of these guys are great players.   
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