Teach Yourself Bagpipes

HIGH ‘G’ GRACENOTES

A high ‘G’ gracenote is a very short chirpy movement and is the most fundamental of all embellishments. It is made by moving your high ‘G’ finger up and down very quickly. Gracenotes have two functions - to cut a note into smaller pieces and to emphasise a change from one note to another. The correct 'order of events' for doing this is as follows:

1.        Starting note - Low ‘G’ in example 1.
2.        Lift ‘G’ finger (open gracenote).
3.      Change note - go to Low ‘A’ in example 1 (remember changing notes sometimes requires several     extra actions).
4.         Put down ‘G’ finger ( close gracenote).

There is one exception. When going to or coming from High ‘G’, use your thumb instead of the G finger. This is then called a “Thumb Gracenote” or “Back Gracenote” or “High ‘A’ Gracenote”.

Example 2.

1.         ‘C’ (starting note).
2.         Lift thumb (open gracenote).
3.         Make High ‘G’ (don’t forget to put down your ‘C’)
4.         Put down thumb (close gracenote).

Example 1 - HIGH ‘G’ GRACENOTE FROM LOW ‘G’ TO LOW ‘A’’.

XX	XO	XO	XX
X	X	X	X
X	X	X	X

X	X	X	X
X	X	X	X
X	X	X	X
X	X	O	O

Low G	Open Gracenote	Change to Low A	Close gracenote

Example 1.

High G gracenote from low G to Low A

Example 1 Video - slowly

Example 1 Video - quickly

Example 2 - HIGH ‘A’ GRACENOTE FROM ‘C’ TO HIGH ‘G’.

XX	OX	OO	OO	XO
X	X	O	O	O
X	X	O	O	O

X	X	X	X	X
O	O	O	X	X
O	O	O	X	X
X	X	X	O	O

C	Open High A gracenote	Change to High G	Complete	Close gracenote

Example 2.

Example 2 being played at normal speed

High G Gracenotes Exercises

Please complete the following exercises. Please make use of the five steps practise method - this is slow to begin with but will massively speed up your progress later.. Do these at any speed which is comfortable. When you feel confident with these, please return to the gracenotes and strikes page and complete the exercises these, playing along with the videos.

Exercise 1

Scale and high G gracenote exercise 1

Exercise 2

High G gracenote exercise 2

Exercise 3

High G gracenote exercise 3

Exercise 4

High G gracenote exercise 4

Exercise 5

High G gracenote exercise 5

Teach Yourself Bagpipes by Lindsay Davidson