Ted Hastings wrote:
>> Yes, there are some significant differences, on multiple
>>levels. There
>>will probably be about 10 messages pointing out differences and
>>similarities.. The one that I want to point out is that Irish music
>>doesn't have Strathspeys.. To me Strathspeys are very important to
>>Scottish traditional music. I think I probably play about 40% strathspeys.
>
>
> I'm afraid I can't agree. Strathspeys are *much* commoner in Scotland, but
> they're far from unknown in Ireland, particularly in Donegal and the other
> Northern counties. If you check "The Northern Fiddler" or the series of
> tutor books published by Cairdeas na bhFidleiri, you'll find them in
> abundance.
>
> However, Strathspeys aren't confined to Donegal: even Michael Coleman
> recorded
> "Stirling Castle".
>
Ah, but I always think of where the music originally came from. Sure
there are plenty of Irish-style players that play strathspeys, now and
in the past. Liz Carol always composes and records a couple on each
album. It's just like all those jigs that Scottish players play that
come from O'Neil's, or other sources of Irish music. Just because
someone else plays them, doesn't change the origin of the tunes, or even
the style of the tunes. So even if an Irish person, or an American plays
or composes a Strathspey, it's still fundamentally a Scottish-style tune.
Interestingly enough, we don't usually think of modern musical genres in
the same way. For instance Latin Jazz. We think of Latin Jazz as being
fundamentally "Latin", even though it finally all came together in New
York. Or English Rock. We don't think of English Rock as being American,
although the inspiration for it came from American musicians..
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