warmups and exercises for the fife

[HangarFlying]

Hey all,

I'm looking for suggestions regarding music I can use to warmup and for fingering and tonging excercises while I'm practicing in my crash-pad in Denver. The only music that I have immediately available is B&E and Howe's Drum & Fife Instructor.

Does anyone have any songs in particular they like to play to help build their "chops"?

Thanks

[markj]

Re: warmups and exercises for the fife

Try "Better, Stronger, Faster" by Bill Hart:

http://companyoffifeanddrum.org/store-musicbooks.htm (listed toward the bottom of the page)

Regards,

Mark Jaeger

[33rdaladrummer]

Re: warmups and exercises for the fife

Yes, the fife exercises in B&E seem to go from easy to very difficult in about three pages (at least for me). Dan Emmett was one weird dude. I wonder what it would be like to have him for a fife teacher. Probably not a pleasant experience considering the talent and practice required to just play his "standard" fife quicksteps.

Have you tried out Fifer's Quickstep in Howe's? It drove the fifers in my corps crazy. It sounds like it could have been written as an exercise the way it can give even an experienced fifer trouble. I guess you have to try it to know what I'm talking about.

It's a tune no one ever plays, but "Fifer's Quickstep" is listed under the Silver Eagle beat in Hart so it was aparently played in New York as well as Boston, suggesting it may have been fairly well-known.

I've attached the fife tune from Howe's and the page from Hart where he lists Fifer's Q.S. as a tune that goes with his Silver Eagle beat.

[HangarFlying]

Re: warmups and exercises for the fife

Hey guys, thanks for the input, I'll check them out!

[DOC1861]

Re: warmups and exercises for the fife

Greetings James,

The one I like to use to most to limber up my fingers first thing in the morning is the Quick Step p 46 of B&E. If I can play it up to speed first thing, everything else is down hill.

[Hardtack Herring]

Re: warmups and exercises for the fife

Add American Veteran Fifer as well as outher fife sources to your music collection for free at......

http://fifedrum.org/

Warming up by playing the scale up and down is not a bad idea.... Play the scale in 1/4 notes then 1/8 notes and last 1/16 notes up and back down.....When playing the scale I normall play each note 4 times on the way up and back down..... When I reach the top I play that note 8 times.

When I play the scale I start at low D and play to high D and then back down to low D.

[joewhitney]

Re: warmups and exercises for the fife

Smith's Hornpipe
Corn Cob Clog
Rosebud Reel
Mason's Apron

After that, your chops should be mighty indeed.

Joe Whitney
Md Line Field Music
2nd SC String Band

[HangarFlying]

Re: warmups and exercises for the fife

Thanks again guys! Ideally, I would like to practice 15 to 30 minutes a day, unfortunately an irregular work schedule, 18-month old twins, and. Of knowing when my roommates are going to be around make even this difficult. Are there any popular practice locations where you don't have to worry about making anyone deaf from playing high-b.

No big deal, I was just curious what others did to practice their "hobby".

[33rdaladrummer]

Re: warmups and exercises for the fife

James,

If you live near a university with a music department, you might be able to find some sound-proof practice rooms. Worst thing that could happen is you get kicked out. You might also consider buying some foam "egg cartons" and putting them up in your room.

The fife definitely is not an indoor instrument. As I'm sure you've figured out already, you can play softly by "whispering" into the fife. This will help you to figure out and memorize tunes but will not really help with much technique. I wish someone would invent a practice fife.

I'm not a very good fifer so maybe a better one can answer this question. Would playing a 6-hole "irish" flute be a good idea for developing fife technique? You can buy a cheap pvc one which is basically just a really big fife. Being lower in pitch, is not quite as annoying indoors.

[OldKingCrow]

Re: warmups and exercises for the fife

Do you know / mastered the rudiments ? Got a practice pad ?

If you can rip out any of the rudiments at will..you will never run across a time you cant keep.

Not a CW drummer (though er'y time a play around on someones drum at an event I am asked to be one) but logged many hours of misspent youth and adulthood behind a set of traps hunched over a snare.


edited: Im retarded but most of y'all knew that I see now FIFE....I read the post immediately above mine on the front page and thought drum

[Danny]

Re: warmups and exercises for the fife

...but most of y'all knew that I see now FIFE....I read the post immediately above mine on the front page and thought drum

Chris -

Don't sweat it, everybody drifts a little from their lane now and then.

Dan Wykes

[OldKingCrow]

Re: warmups and exercises for the fife

Danny this isn't the proper forum for personal spats or bringing heat from other less focused fora here.

I want to apologize for calling you out on having never attended an authentic event in your life. Perhaps you can think about the things you post about this end of the hobby and divisive wedges you create with your constant jabs. How do you put it "the History heavy end doesn't exist" ?

You are around their table now.

Lets put that behind us. Why dont you come join the Off Topic Boys Social Group listed above. We can kick our heels up and have a gay and happy time there.

We look forward to seeing you soon.