Backstitching
By Bill Ochs
In a recent discussion on the uilleann pipes mailing list on the Internet, the question "What is backstitching?" was raised. Below is Bill Ochs' response, edited slightly for publication. (Editor)
In their excellent book, The Piping of Patsy Touhey (published by Na Piobairi Uilleann), Pat Mitchell and Jackie Small described backstitching as "basically a form of tripletting, in which two melody notes near to each other or equal in pitch are separated and ornamented by a pair of short staccato notes ('the stitches') played with the other hand."
To really grasp what this is about, one needs to actually listen to Touhey, particularly his famous rendition of Jackson's Jig (aka Jackson's Bottle of Brandy). This tune can be heard on The Piping of Patsy Touhey, the NPU companion tape to Mitchell and Small's book. In the B part of Jackson's, Touhey slips in a backstitch here and there on the first few passes. But on the final pass he unleashes a veritable barrage of backstitches.
In lieu of the notes /G' B' G'/ F' A' F'/ E' G' E'/ Touhey substitutes /G' C# A G'/ F' C# A F'/ E' C# A E'/. (Apostrophe indicates upper octave.) The C# and A are the staccato "stitches" in between the adjacent melody notes. This is just one example of backstitching. Mitchell and Small detail many others.
As Kevin Rietman indicated in his post to the uilleann pipes mailing list, few modern pipers use this technique. Backstitching as handed down to us was basically a device of the old American pipers. If, as is sometimes said, it originally came from Connaught, it evidently died out there. Despite Touhey's recordings the technique never really took root in Ireland again.
Tight piper extraordinaire Andy Conroy, now of Dublin, would be a stellar exception to this statement. Backstitches and all manner of unusual triplets feature prominently in his playing. But Andy of course spent many years in New York honing his technique.
Paddy Keenan also uses backstitching on occasion, but has no special name for it. According to Tom Busby, New York’s piper emeritus and a fine backstitcher himself, the term was coined by admirers of Patsy Touhey. Tom first heard the great Galway flute player Tom Morrison refer to Touhey’s signature ornament this way.
It is a very clever metaphor. In the tailor’s trade the term means to sew with overlapping stitches. Figuratively speaking the piper’s stitches also overlap. In the Touhey example cited above, the triplets are played across both octaves and involve the use of two hands
Backstitching has no real equivalent on other instruments. It is quirky, fascinating and comes from an era when solo playing was the primary focus. The old pipers didn't have to worry about blending with other instruments and thus could give free rein to their imagination and creativity.
The technique is definitely something for advanced players to look into. Backstitching may not be to everyone's taste, but aside from it's virtuoso "shock value," it can also be used quite musically. Experiment and have fun!
For a complete PDF of the original Fall 1996 Pipers Review this article is from, click here.