Rolls
Rolls are one of the more impressive and important forms of ornamentation in Irish music, and are especially important to tin whistle players, because they're much easier on a tin whistle than some other forms of complex ornamentation.
The purpose of a roll is to apply emphasis to "long" notes, mostly applied in reels, jigs and hornpipes.
The roll is essentially a combination of a cut and a tap. As a result, it's mostly applied on notes E (e), F (f), G (g), A (a) and B (b) on a D tin whistle. Rolls can be done on other notes (e.g. C's and D's), but they're far more complex, and things like triplets and crans often sit more naturally on those types of notes.
There is a distinction between quick rolls and normal (or slow) rolls; it's mostly to do with the original note which the roll is replacing. If it would naturally be a long note, the original note is elongated slightly, then finished with the cut and tap. If the note is short, or relatively short, the original note can be shortened. Short rolls work nicely when you're just after a breath; they don't fit every note, and should be used as variation or ornamentation relatively sparingly.
Learning rolls is best done note-by-note, and I've gone through the five most common rolls below. Each of them is the same note sequences and fingering for high and low reels.
The purpose of a roll is to apply emphasis to "long" notes, mostly applied in reels, jigs and hornpipes.
The roll is essentially a combination of a cut and a tap. As a result, it's mostly applied on notes E (e), F (f), G (g), A (a) and B (b) on a D tin whistle. Rolls can be done on other notes (e.g. C's and D's), but they're far more complex, and things like triplets and crans often sit more naturally on those types of notes.
There is a distinction between quick rolls and normal (or slow) rolls; it's mostly to do with the original note which the roll is replacing. If it would naturally be a long note, the original note is elongated slightly, then finished with the cut and tap. If the note is short, or relatively short, the original note can be shortened. Short rolls work nicely when you're just after a breath; they don't fit every note, and should be used as variation or ornamentation relatively sparingly.
Learning rolls is best done note-by-note, and I've gone through the five most common rolls below. Each of them is the same note sequences and fingering for high and low reels.
1. E Roll:
Sequence: E (A) E (D) E
The E roll cuts to the A with the the top ring finger, and then taps on the D with the lower ring finger. All of the lower-hand rolls (E,F and G rolls) cut to the A; it sounds and is far slicker when two hands are involved in the roll.
I've linked my recent upload "Humours of Castlefin" below; it has four low E rolls in the first eight seconds. Listen and then maybe slow it down to 0.5 and then put back on normal pace. It's a very good example of how seamless it needs to be to fit such a tune comfortably.
Sequence: E (A) E (D) E
The E roll cuts to the A with the the top ring finger, and then taps on the D with the lower ring finger. All of the lower-hand rolls (E,F and G rolls) cut to the A; it sounds and is far slicker when two hands are involved in the roll.
I've linked my recent upload "Humours of Castlefin" below; it has four low E rolls in the first eight seconds. Listen and then maybe slow it down to 0.5 and then put back on normal pace. It's a very good example of how seamless it needs to be to fit such a tune comfortably.
2. F Roll:
Sequence: F (A) F (E) F
The F roll cuts to the A with the the top ring finger, and then taps on the E with the lower middle finger. Same fingering applies in high F rolls
It's nicely heard below in my recent upload "The Thrush in the Morning"; at 0:04 and 0:14 in particular.
Sequence: F (A) F (E) F
The F roll cuts to the A with the the top ring finger, and then taps on the E with the lower middle finger. Same fingering applies in high F rolls
It's nicely heard below in my recent upload "The Thrush in the Morning"; at 0:04 and 0:14 in particular.
3. G Roll:
Sequence: G (A) G (F) G
The G roll is probably the easiest reel on this list. Cut to the A by lifting the top ring finger, and tap with the idle lower index finger
A jig version for a change below: "Billy McCormack's Jig" has G rolls at 0:02-0:03 and at 0:11. Slow it down to 0.5 speed to catch the nuance.
Sequence: G (A) G (F) G
The G roll is probably the easiest reel on this list. Cut to the A by lifting the top ring finger, and tap with the idle lower index finger
A jig version for a change below: "Billy McCormack's Jig" has G rolls at 0:02-0:03 and at 0:11. Slow it down to 0.5 speed to catch the nuance.
4. A Roll:
Sequence: A (B) A (G) A
The A roll is fairly straighforward. A cut on the top middle finger to introduce the B note, and then a brief tap to the G with the top-hand ring finger, before returning to the A.
It's nicely emphasised in the single reel: "Rathlin Island", with four A rolls in the first part, as illustrated below:
Sequence: A (B) A (G) A
The A roll is fairly straighforward. A cut on the top middle finger to introduce the B note, and then a brief tap to the G with the top-hand ring finger, before returning to the A.
It's nicely emphasised in the single reel: "Rathlin Island", with four A rolls in the first part, as illustrated below:
4. B Roll:
Sequence: B (c#) B (A) B
The B roll is nominally simple, but tough to pull off, as it's another single-hand reel. Lift and drop the top index finger for a cut, then tap with the middle finger.
More than any of the other reels, this one is both essential and requires good physical control of the whistle, and a bit of practice to master.
"The Tap Room" has three B rolls inside the first eight seconds, and is linked below:
Sequence: B (c#) B (A) B
The B roll is nominally simple, but tough to pull off, as it's another single-hand reel. Lift and drop the top index finger for a cut, then tap with the middle finger.
More than any of the other reels, this one is both essential and requires good physical control of the whistle, and a bit of practice to master.
"The Tap Room" has three B rolls inside the first eight seconds, and is linked below: