picking a jig- dud-udu, or dud-dud ?

[Perry]

Oh and it never hurts to go back and practice tunes you already know really, really slowly - focusing on getting the right feel and emphasis in your playing, and in that way developing muscle memory for it all.

Cheers,
Jill

Besides being great for building technique I've come to appreciate how nice these tunes are played at moderate, even slow, tempos. Conversely many bluegrass fiddle tunes don't really sound right at slow tempos.

FWIW I try and pick DUD DUD but there are times when crossing strings or whatever that I break the pattern.

[Loretta Callahan]

I’d say learn as many jigs from fiddlers as you want – but don’t copy their bow direction for your right hand, because it’s likely to be, well, less effective.

I favour the DUD DUD approach, but only as a ‘guideline’. It’s really good for maintaining the underlying pulse of the tune. I start off with it as a ‘default’, but really it depends on what’s happening in the tune.

Bingo, Trevor. You said what I was trying to convey much clearer. I listen to fiddlers constantly to learn tunes, but not to learn pick style and direction. I mean, who couldn't learn from Martin Hayes! Achieving a rhythm on a fiddle takes a different set of skills than on a mandolin: plectrum vs bow.

And yes, I'm learning that the DUD DUD isn't set in stone for jigs. I'm just very happy that I really dug in and learned that technique. The process really allowed me to hear myself and to feel comfortable with jig picking in general. Perhaps my teacher could see that there was some "stuckness" for me to get over. If he did .. it worked.

I'm much more relaxed with my playing now than in February, Dagger ... being able to change pick direction has done loads for my confidence.

Please repeat yourself, Jill; I'm all ears!

Perry: yes, I break the pattern sometimes as well ... depending on note and string changes. Just knowing I can venture from DUDUDU ... is just plain awesome.

I, too, enjoy how these Irish Trad/Celtic/whatever tunes can be played at different tempos as well. I'm learning to "love slowing down".

[crisscross]

"It's harder to relearn a tune the right way, than it is to learn a new one the right way."

It is even easyer to learn a new technique, while learning a new instrument
I always played DUD UDU, but when I got my new Tenor Banjo, I thought, why not try a new approach and practised "Haste to the Wedding " in DUD DUD fashion.
It kind of worked out, not incredibly fast yet, but kind of even.
https://soundcloud.com/tele1310/haste-to-the-wedding

[Colin Lindsay]

I, too, enjoy how these Irish Trad/Celtic/whatever tunes can be played at different tempos as well. I'm learning to "love slowing down".

Many of these tunes should be played in a recognisable dance rhythm i.e. so as people can dance along with them. A lot of players, even on ‘professional’ recordings, just thrash away and it sounds terrible. Slow it down, get a nice rhythm and get people’s feet tapping. This is one I wrote a few years back for a recording and it’s played with a nice steady tempo on a Williams Gazuki:
https://soundcloud.com/corncrake/the...ig-the-road-to
Actually it’s a pair called 'The Shelter Jig' plus 'The Road to Astros', which is the Greek town where I wrote the second one to follow the first for a performance… the coast road goes up and down and in and out, a bit like the tune… or a bit like the whistle-player who wasn’t au fait with it and played his own version..

[Richard Eskite]

Well, the way I learned it, jigs are ONE-two-three-ONE-two-three. D-u-d-D-u-d. Hop jigs are ONE-two-three-FOUR-five-six, ONE-two-three-FOUR-five-six. For myself, this is a philosophical ideal which is only occasionally approachable in reality, but if you really listen to the music and insist that the emphasized notes are played with a down stroke, then it's a valid rule.

[rwesleycarr]

Here's my humble opinion on the issue :-)

[Dagger Gordon]

It's been a while since I've seen much on this hoary old question.

I enjoyed the feature on Ashley Broder today, and some comments she made reminded me of it.

https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/c...-Ashley-Broder

She said, in response to the question "From a classically-trained viewpoint, how important is pick direction?":

"I am very aware of it, and I feel like it's become instinctual at this point, weaker beats with an upstroke, stronger beats with a down. I don't really have to work it out anymore, unless there's some really weird situation like a slip jig. Jigs are usually the culprit with me, anyway. I've never been a fan of the down/up/down/down/up/down/down/up. I don't like that sound at all. I usually end up alternating all the way through, depending on the tune, though I probably end up doing a lot more ups in jigs than reels. "