For the benefit of harp players on this list, I thought I would jump into this conversation as I am Scottish, a clarsach player and I play for a highland dancer, plus I played in ceilidh bands in Scotland. I have been living in the US for five years. NC and DC.
I surfed on the web for Toby and read all about him. He should know what he is talking about and, despite the fact that I am a judge for the SHSA Comps I agree with almost everything he says! Competitions are a real problem in the trad. music world. Time and experience teaching and performing in this country has taught me the following:- The SHSA is still very small, despite being the National Body, and competitions and their associated workshops and concerts, are an excellent way of demonstrating small harp playing and do encourage people to pay attention. Most clarsach players here have a long way to go before they climb onto the bottom rung of the standard set by Patsy Seddon and now Catriona Mackay to name but two. They need all the help they can get and if that includes helpful metronome markings so that they understand that a fast reel is actually played pretty fast, then good. The Comp. rules, for the SHSA at least, are written with this in mind. Tune tempos - well, of course I know, along with everyone else who plays Scottish trad. music in Scotland, how tunes are supposed to go in terms of basic tempos but getting together with a highland dancer pulled me up short. If we hadn't agreed on metronome markings it would have taken us twice as long to get it together because, of course, I can't watch my dancer while she is dancing. And we rehearsed apart a lot because it was a bit exhausting to have her repeat things more than a few times! Well, actually, I can look now but that's after doing this for three of four years. I suppose this covers me for the John Chambers comment. I learned by way of sessions and ceilidhs but large numbers of people don't have that opportunity here. If you are starting from scratch all guidelines are helpful. Sharon Knowles. www.fynesound.com > > The whole idea of written "rules" for tune tempo is totally > frightening.. What next? Are they going to have rules for ornamentation > as well? That's some serious rubbish. Almost falls down to the level of > Scottish fiddling contests, or Highland piping contests. > IMHO making music, especially traditional music is not and should not be > made into an athletic event or a contest. I'm also an accomplished > amateur athlete, so I'm not just talking out my arse about this :-) They > should be thought of as different types of endeavors. > Whoever makes up these "rules" for what's supposed to be *creative > expression* through the act of making music, makes me wish that I had Jim > and William Reid in a can, so when someone told me that I *had* to play > tunes within 130-140 all the time, I could open the can and let them have > it. > I very much like the statement that John Chambers and others made about > this subject, you have to be sensitive to who, what and where you are > playing for. Sometimes it should be fast, sometimes it should be slower. > Part of being a good musician is developing an ability to feel what is > right as far as tempo. Of course you can't please everyone, there's > always going to be someone who will complain. Oh well.. Maybe they would > rather be dancing to tape recordings of solo piano accordions. > One of the great things about traditional music is that the good stuff > usually gets passed on. Doesn't even have to be written down. The aural > tradition is a great thing. Each generation adds something to it. They > should be allowed to get creative within the context of the tradition. I > just can't see how making rules does anything but damage the health of > the tradition. > > > -- > Toby Rider ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) > > "He either fears his fate too much, > Or his deserts are small, > That puts it not unto the touch > To win or lose it all." > > - James Graham, Marquis of Montrose > > > Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music & Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music & Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
