High Road to Gairlock is our next new tune. It is an outstanding tune for building strong B
and C Doubling technique. Before trying the tune, carefully practice the B & C Doubling exercise you
learned earlier.
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Doublings of any kind are a sequence of notes played in succession in a rthymic fashion to enhance and
embellish the music. B and C doublings are very common in our music and are generally practiced together.
Practicing these doublings together helps to keep them consistent, no matter where we encounter them
in a tune.
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B and C doublings are often followed by an E gracenote on another melody note, creating a rythmic
pattern. This is present in High Road to Gairloch. Go to the tune now and practice it one measure at
a time. Lift your fingers off the chanter and do not rush. Go slowly and deliberately at first, only
building speed as your fingers allow, without sacrificing technique.
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Here's the sound file for High Road. Try to play all the embellishments open. Remember, everything
is distinct and sequential.
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The habits you form today will stay with you a long, long time. Think about how you want to be known.
Do you want to me known as the piper with bad technique? Crushed doublings? No, I didn't think so.
Keep your embellishments open and rythmic. You can always tighten them up within the context of the
tune you're playing.
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Many newcomers to bagpipes make the mistake of playing doublings very fast. Notes collide, fall into
incorrect sequence, and are crushed and mutilated beyond recognition. The correct way to pratice doublings
is "open" and deliberate. The emphasis should be on accuracy and clarity, not on speed.
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When practicing doublings and other embellishments create a rhythm and use your metronome. You'll find
that it is both relaxing and productive to practice like this. Practicing embellishments will take on
greater importance and sense of accomplishments.
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B and C doublings in strathspeys are often followed by "rest" notes as in the example above. We'll
look at this in more detail later. Practice these slowly so that every note is heard. The beat falls
on the G gracenote at the begining of the doubling, always!
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Start every practice session with fifteen minutes of exercises. The benefits are huge. Now. On
with you to Lesson 11!
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