TECHNIQUE FOCUS

Slow and pathetic

These two words are what we find inscribed above the original score which conveys the sense of loss and despair felt by the composer when he wrote this melody. We can express the pathos and heartache contained within this piece if we employ dynamics and rubato. Experimenting moving through different plucking intensities as well as taking our time moving from one phrase to another, all the while keeping any grace notes sharp and snappy, will create a sense of expression and flair that would be similar in style to how Niel Gow would have played this himself.