[EMAIL PROTECTED] said: > 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.
Since these rules are *specifically* for Scottish harping contests, I guess it is at the level of the fiddling and piping contests. > IMHO making music, especially traditional music is not and should not be > made into an athletic event or a contest. That's one opinion. I know people who love solo accordian, pipe bands, piobaireachd, or fiddles. I also know people who hate solo accordian, pipe bands, piobaireachd, or fiddles. Just because it doesn't fit your tastes doesn't make it an invalid pursuit or an invalid musical expression. > They should be thought of as different types of endeavors. Most of the people I know involved with Scottish harping and Scottish harping competitions do consider contests very different from other playing. > I just can't see how making rules does anything but damage the health of the > tradition. If these rules were for anything other than competition, then I'd agree with you. In a competition, though, the competitors have to know the basis of judging. Shoot, the judges have to know the basis of judging. Without this basis, you might as well flip a coin to determine competition results. (I'm aware that some people think competition itself damages the tradition. That's a whole can of figs I'm not going to open right now.) Wayne Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music & Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html