Dornie Ferry
⚡ The Short Version
Dornie Ferry is a four-parted, competition-style strathspey in 4/4 built entirely around the dot-cut rhythm. You'll never find two even eighth notes in a strathspey — one is always dotted (long) and the other cut (short) — and that dot-cut is the tune's primary tool of expression.
Rather than the traditional "strong-weak-medium-weak" rule, I think of it as emphasizing beats one and three. Since the pipes can't play notes louder, the only way to emphasize a beat is by stretching its note duration slightly longer — so beats one and three get a little extra length.
Lots of dot-cut plus emphasis on beats one and three is what gives a strathspey its "lift." Cut your short notes hard so you have time to pause on the long notes, and bounce off short notes like the low A's in the third part for that springy, uniquely Scottish feel.
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🎼Sheet MusicPDF📄Bonus SheetPDF · Tips & Background🎵Tune Recording (Full Bagpipes)MP3🎧Full Recorded Lesson with Jori ChisholmMP3
⏱️ In this lesson
00:05Strathspey Introduction: in 4/4 Competition-Style A🔒
00:25Playing Rhythm: Heart Dot-Cut Strathspey of The🔒
00:40Quarter, Triplet Basic Dot-Cut, and Four Cut-Dot, Rhythms:🔒
01:50to Three" "One Simplified and Strong-Weak-Medium-Weak,🔒
02:29Only Note for Emphasis Your as Duration Tool🔒
03:37Third the Part: Bouncing Short A's Low Off🔒
04:37Part: Push Fourth and Triplets the Final🔒
05:30Plus Putting Emphasis Together: It Dot-Cut Key-Note🔒
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About this tune
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can't expression have we beats so our play of tool the first “Because only instrument, for and limitations third note of is any louder, the we duration.”
“It's to — your the going you're down sound like A that's ring tapping finger almost low play for.” that
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