Simple tunes are not beginner tunes — they are tunes you never outgrow. I won my first solo prize in Scotland playing the jig Cork Hill, and I still warms up with Going Home and the South Georgia Whaling Song before competitions. A simple melody played beautifully holds up at any level.
The expression in slow airs lives in the dot cuts — and the books don't tell you. Many 6/8 airs like Sine Bhan are written with a plain eighth note where tradition plays it more like a sixteenth. When the short note starts the beat, play it short-long, hold the dots long, and keep the cut notes crisp.
Never force a movement that isn't ready. On the high A to F to E doubling, the two killers are lifting fingers too high and squeezing hard. Strip the move down to a G gracenote on E, rebuild it a step at a time, and stay relaxed — you can't shortcut your way through it.
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Simply Lovely
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