The bounce in a great 2/4 march comes from the dot-cut, not the notation. That springy, lifted feel top players get isn't written on the page — it comes from deliberately stretching the dotted note and shortening the cut note well beyond what strict rhythm would suggest.
Musical emphasis can come from stretching time, not just playing louder. Since the bagpipe can't get louder or softer, you create emphasis by making the front half of a beat longer relative to the second half — the same trick classical musicians call agogic stress.
Solo playing is more expressive than pipe band playing. In a solo march you have more freedom to bend the tempo and lean into that rhythmic bounce; in a band, the drumming needs a steadier pulse, so the expressive pointing gets dialed back.
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2/4 March Playing
1h 0m · Full class available to Inner Circle members
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50:50march often is the part the a hardest of Why third🔒
58:49expression, and tempo, Bringing technique together🔒
About this class
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