Level 2 Content

Lesson 14 to 26 will start to introduce you to many different elements of ornamentation used in Irish tunes. In each lesson you will learn at least one type of ornamentation which is commonly used. You will then practice this ornament as you learn the tune in each lesson. As we go through more lessons you will build your repertoire of ornamentation. When we get to lesson 25 & 26 we will be able to freely insert ornaments as I teach you new tunes. At this stage you will have learned most of the ornamentation you will need to be a confident player.

Lesson 14 - The Silver Spear Reel - A Roll Ornamentation.  In this lesson you will learn what ornamentation is and what rolls are. You will learn how to play the A roll where you can practice playing along with the sound of the A roll also. You will hear it in the context of the tune. You will learn the tune by breaking down parts and playing along with live ABC notation. You will play through parts after you learn them. I will give you tips on getting clearer high notes. You will learn how to take more breaths in the tune to keep your lungs fuller. Towards the end of the lesson you will play using the A roll you learn in the context of the tune. You will then be challenged to speed up the tune while keeping the structure of you’re a roll in the melody.

Lesson 15 - The Connaughtman’s Rambles (Jig) - B cut & E roll Ornamentation. You will learn about the type of dance and how the 6/8 jig rhythm works. You will learn to play the B cut and have an exercise to practice this. You will embed this B cut into your tune while learning it. You will learn an E roll and practice this. You will then embed this into your tune while learning it. Towards the end of the lesson you will be able to play the tune through twice at a slow pace and then at a faster tempo while inserting your new elements of ornamentation. All lessons will be accompanied by live ABC notation.

Lesson 16 - Touch Me If You Dare (Reel) - G roll Ornamentation. You will hear the tune first with the new element of ornamentation. You will learn the makeup of the G roll, when it is used and how it should sound. You will systematically learn the tune in sections while embedding your new element of ornamentation. Towards the end of the lesson you will play the tune at a slow pace and then speed it up to about 60% of session ready pace. I will also experiment with different places to take breaths in the tune.

Lesson 17 - Haste to the Wedding (jig) - A cut & G cut Ornamentation. Here you will learn how to play an A and G cut. When learning the 2nd half of this tune you will now start to use ornamentation you learned in a previous lesson as well as embedding the A and G cut into the tune as you learn it. You will play through each part after learning it. Then you will play the tune twice towards the end of the lesson. The first time at a slow learning tempo and the second time close to a session ready pace including all elements of ornamentation.

Lesson 18 - Miss McLeod’s Reel - B Roll Ornamentation. You will learn how to play the B roll as well as now using other ornamentation learned in previous lessons e.g. the A roll, the B cut and the E roll.  We look at the grip on the B roll and develop an exercise to help getting to the B roll. We will talk about the value of only adding ornamentation when it suits a melody. You will learn the tune in sections and embed your new and older ornaments into the tune as you learn it. You will be able to perform the tune at the end of the lesson at different tempos.

Lesson 19 - The Sally Gardens (Reel) Ornamentation/Technique is a rhythmic triplet.

We will learn how to use a rhythmic triplet here based on the notes B,Cnatural and high D that can be used in many tunes. I will give you an exercise to help you to play this triplet. You will embed this triplet in the tune as you learn it, as well as your G cut, G roll, A cut and A roll that you learned in previous lesson. You will learn the tune in sections and have an opportunity to play both parts after you learn them as well as playing the tune through twice at the end of the lesson. The first time you will play it slow and then challenge yourself to speed it up. So far, the ornamentation that we will have learned is the A roll, B cut, E roll, G roll, G cut, A cut, B roll and a rhythmic triplet.

Lesson 20 - The Lark in the Morning Part 1 (Jig) Ornamentation F roll. This is a 4 part tune which will take two lessons to learn (lesson 20 & 21). As well as learning the F roll you will insert B cuts, A cuts, A rolls and G rolls from previous lessons into this tune as we learn it. You will learn the tune in small sections and play through each part as you learn. You will play through the tune towards the end of the lesson at a slow and faster tempo accompanied by live ABC notation.

Lesson 21 - The Lark in the Morning Part 2 - Ornamentation F cut. You will learn part C and D of this tune as well as embedding the F cut into your melody as you learn it. You will also be given an exercise to practise the F cut. We will look at the strong beats of a jig and how to use your breath control to create the rhythm within the jig. You will learn the tune in segments accompanied by live ABC music notation to help with phrases. You will also insert other elements of ornamentation learned in previous lessons. Towards the end, you will play the tune at a slow learning pace and then again challenge yourself to speed it up.

Lesson 22 - The Galway Rambler - Ornamentation Half G roll. This is the first single reel we will learn. We will learn the half G roll as well as embedding this into the tune along with other ornamentation eg. Triplet, G cut, A cut, B cut and a G roll. You will be able to differentiate between the full G roll from lesson 16 and the half G roll here. You will have options to change notes to take more breaths. As in previous lessons you will learn the tune in segments and be able to play along with the tune towards the end of the lesson including all your elements of ornamentation.

Lesson 23 - I Buried my Wife and Danced on Her Grave - Ornamentation E cut & G slide. You will learn how to play the E cut and use a G slide (portamento) which is used by some flute players eg Matt Molloy. You will embed these into the tune as you learn it as well as other elements of ornamentation from previous lessons. You will learn about the idea of the flattened 7th within this tune. You will learn the tune in sections and play through the tune at 3 different paces towards the end of the lesson. The last playing is really close to a session speed which should be a good challenge and a guide to how you are doing with the course. The lesson will be accompanied by live ABC notation.

Lesson 24 - Give us a Drink of Water (Slip Jig) - Ornamentation Chirp/Cuts. We will look at the idea of programme music and how composers sometimes used the sound of instruments to create images in music. This element of ornamentation is like the sound of a bird hence the name ‘Chirp’. You will learn how the rhythm of a slip jig works and how your breath can create a proper rhythm within the bars of the slip jig. You will learn the tune in segments as well as inserting ornaments from previous lessons. You will play through the tune towards the end of the lesson. The tunes at the end are gradually getting faster now. We will look at the idea of variations used in music also.

Lesson 25 - The Reel of Rio - Lesson 25 and lesson 26 are really where I wanted to get to in this course. As we have now looked at the most common ornaments used on the flute, we can now embed them into the tunes as we learn them, but most importantly, when we feel like it might be suited to a particular part of a tune. At this stage you will have learned the ornamentation needed to play the tune to a high standard. So in this lesson we will insert ornamentation freely at suitable points. You will still learn the tune in parts and play it together at the end at 3 different paces. The last tempo will be a real tester for you.

Lesson 26 - The Kesh Jig - Again, we are now at a place where we can learn this tune, but insert ornamentation when we feel it is suited to the melody. You will learn the tune in small segments and play through each part, accompanied by live ABC notation. You will then play through the tune at a slower and faster tempo concentrating on the ornamentation we have embedded in the tune as we learned it.

Lesson 27 - Trad Session.