Following the notion that a “lack of understanding” is a primary issue impacting The Average Piper, let’s continue to explore the first measure of Scotland the Brave.

Point of clarification…when I talk about playing a note “on the beat” I’m referring to that precise moment when the beat begins. If you’re using a metronome, it’s the “click”. If you’re playing in the band, it’s when the bass drummer hits the drum (provided he or she is beating straight-time).

Let’s set the metronome to 120 beats per minute or double the 60 BPM we set earlier. No, we’re not going to play the tune at that tempo. We’re going to identify what happens between our “four clicks per measure”!

Referring to the picture above, we’re counting “1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and”. The notes landing on 1,2,3, and 4 haven’t changed, but now we see what’s happening between these notes. We’ve identified the half-way point between clicks with the word “and”. By counting “1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and” we identify the four primary beats within the measure AND the half-way points.

The first Low A is a quarter note and is played for a full beat. In this instance the first three gracenotes in the toarluath are borrowing their value from the preceding Low A. They’re played relatively quickly and are positioned very close to the beginning of the 2nd beat. Time the Toarluath so that the E gracenote falls right at the beginning of the 2nd beat.

The second Low A is an eighth note. Since 1/8 is half of 1/4 we know that this note takes up half of the full beat. Now we come to the “and” part of our cadence. The dot extends the value of the Low A by one-half. In this instance the dot represents a 1/16 note. Following this we have a B with a value of 1/16. So 1/8+1/16+1/16=1/4! All the notes within that beat are accounted for and we know exactly how long each note should be played.

The last four notes of the measure are all eighth-notes. Accordingly they are played equally as “3 and 4 and”. Again, by double-timing our metronome we have the exact placement of these notes.

Below, I’ve written this out a little differently as an alternative explanation. It may or may not help. Maybe it will just confuse you. You now see the first quarter note written at two tied eighth notes. You also see the “dot” on the Low A written as a sixteenth note tied to the Low A quarter note. This is just a different way to see exactly where the primary beats and the half-beats fall within this measure.

Teacher’s note… I generally think of “explanations” as keys on a key-ring. I try to find the right key to unlock the understanding. Not every key works. Sometimes it’s the least-expected key that does!

Student’s note… Don’t expect the learning to come without significant effort on your part. You have to rip these various explanations apart and find the best way for you to gain understanding.

Counting out the beats as “1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and” helps us to understand what the staff notation is trying to tell us. You can apply this thinking across every measure of music you encounter. You should also practice specific measures over and over to achieve perfection. No more tumbling through tunes without regard for correct note placement.

Tomorrow will be our last day with Scotland the Brave. After that we’ll talk about other ways to expand our understanding of the instrument and its music.