strathspey@strathspey.org:11715

Michelle C. Nogales

Re: Dancing to pipes - or not!

April 22, 1998, 5:24 a.m. (Message 11715, in reply to message 11659)

On Tue, 21 Apr 98 09:48:36 GMT Norman BETT <xxxxxx@xxxxx.xxx> writes:
>This talk about pipes and drums raises very deep questions:
>How do we as dancers (or listeners) discern `the beat' and just as 
>importantly, the end of the phrase? 

	 I myself am lucky enough to have a good instinctive ear for
rhythm; I can't understand how anyone can fail to hear it in most cases,
and arhythmic music is almost literally painful to me.  As for bagpipes,
I was first introduced to SCD in a Renaissance Faire guild, and all we
had for music most days was a piper.  At first I had a hard time hearing
the rhythm because I wasn't accustomed to piping, but I learned to watch
her feet for the first few bars.  Then I would get the rhythm of the song
and I only lost it during particularly complex figures - I'd have to look
for her feet again.  Now, however, I can just listen for it.  But I'm not
sure I can explain just what I am listening for; it just happens.
	By what mechanism *do* we sort out which sounds in a stream of
music we are listening for?  In the case of music with strong a strong
drumbeat or bass line, it's obvious.  With piping, all I can say is I
listen for a moment; when my foot starts tapping, that's the beat.  
	Cheers,
	Michelle C. Nogales 
	Dunsmuir Scottish Dancers
	San Francisco Bay Area