Reels come in three styles: pointed, round, and smooth. For MSR playing, hold the dots and truly cut the cuts. The round style strips the dot cuts out entirely — but then everything must be perfectly even and faster, or the tune drags. The smooth in-between style Alasdair Gillies mastered is the hardest of all.
The most common timing error is playing a short beat note early. Pipers instinctively turn short beat notes into pickups to the next beat. The only way to rush the short note is to shorten the note before it — so hold the preceding long note for its full value and the short note lands where it belongs.
Don't fall for the musical trick. Syncopated passages sound like the time signature is changing. Keep your foot and your beat rock steady — the surprise your audience hears only works if your timing never moves.
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Practice Chanter Session — August 27, 2024
45m · Full class available to Inner Circle members
01:21Do get dot cuts like strathspey? a held reel🔒
02:10styles of two round: vs reel Pointed🔒
04:56and smooth style Alasdair the Gillies🔒
07:02Chilliechassie example The Smith of🔒
08:26than round harder Why playing is sounds it🔒
10:07Sound The Armadale and Skye, Sleat, of🔒
13:23Jigs cut round, dot played not are🔒
17:01the and Wright McCallum beat: Anchoring🔒
19:47an marches: beat with 6/8 9/8 extra a🔒
22:53The pitfall short-note-on-the-beat🔒
26:15full the before on value fix: The note🔒
28:48feel the shifted-beat The of Lossie: Banks🔒
34:29the fall Syncopation: trick for don't🔒
38:56The of and sets 9/8 Dargai building Heights🔒
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