The long roll is a staple ornament in Irish music, and believe it or not, you are already almost able to do one. It occurs over a group of three identical eighth notes, and consists of two gracenotes, a cut and a strike. The cut separates the first and second main notes, and the strike separates the second and third main notes.
To perform a roll on G, use the following steps:
Do not stop your breath during the roll. Make sure you give each main note an equal amount of time, and make your main notes very long compared to your grace notes. Until you are proficient enough to do this without thinking, practice slowly and pay attention to these things. The most common mistake beginners make is to rush their rolls so their grace notes overlap and they sound "muddy"- be sure to give the middle note its due. It is imperative that you practice slowly so that you will develop a nice, clean, crisp roll. It will take some time, too, so be patient, and keep at it.
The long roll is principally a rhythmic ornament - it serves to separate what is essentially a dotted quarter note into three distinct eighth notes. You can use it anywhere you have a dotted quarter note, or a three-eighth-note figure that begins and ends on the same note (assuming that the note in question is between E and B).
EXERCISE 18
Practice rolls on each note from E to B. Start very slowly at first, and
gradually increase your speed. Be sure to play each main note an equal amount
of time, and keep your grace notes short. Gradually increase your speed,
but do not forget to keep the roll clean. The A and B rolls will give you
the most trouble, as they are done with one hand, so practice them more.
Continue until you can play a roll on any of these notes quickly and
smoothly.
EXERCISE 21
Listen carefully to recordings of master players and try to identify rolls.
You should be able to find them whether played on tin whistle or some other
instrument, such as fiddle, flute, or pipes. Try to get a feel for where
they are used and to what effect. Also, listen carefully to the timing of
the rolls. Some players do not play rolls evenly, but give the first note
more time and emphasis, which gives the tune a more bouncy, "swingy" feel.
This is discussed in more detail later on.
EXERCISE 19
Refer to the music above for I Buried My Wife, etc. Rolls are indicated
by the roll symbol (
) or sometimes by the
half-moon symbol ( 
). Play through the
tune slowly, using rolls on the notes indicated and cuts and strikes where
shown. Pay particular attention to rolls followed by cuts - this is a very
common figure. Gradually increase your speed until you can play the whole
tune up to speed with rolls and cuts, but don't sacrifice quality for
speed.
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