Re: First few bars at slower tempo?
Originally Posted by
John Kelly
You will sometimes hear players performing a set of March, Strathspey and reel where the transition from Strathspey to reel will have a couple of opening bars of the reel played at the closing tempo of the Strathspey then brought up to reel pace.
In Cape Breton, it's often the reverse in a medley, speeding up the last bar or two of the air before moving into a strathspey, and speeding up the end of the last strathspey to lead into the reel. However, I'd suggest that at a jam or gathering, the person often begins slowly as they awaken the so-called muscle memory while they recall the tune, then they suddenly recall the tune and start flowing. I have many tunes in my head, and sometimes I play two or three bars awkwardly, then begin again. This isn't a technique, just a memory aid.
Robert Johnson's mother, describing blues musicians:
"I never did have no trouble with him until he got big enough to be round with bigger boys and off from home. Then he used to follow all these harp blowers, mandoleen (sic) and guitar players."
Lomax, Alan, The Land where The Blues Began, NY: Pantheon, 1993, p.14.
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