[scots-l] Dance book
Do any of you US based dance fiddlers know where I can get hold of a book called 'Let's All Dance' by Jo Hamilton and Susie Langdon Kass? David Francis (44) (0)131 669 8824 Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
[scots-l] Re: Help with chords
Something along these lines sounds quite nice I think: G D7 ¦ D7/A G/B ¦ G E7/B ¦ Am7 D7 ¦ G D/F# ¦ Am/E G/D ¦ C Am ¦ D7/F# G :¦¦ Em ¦ D ¦ C G/B ¦ Am D7 ¦ Em A7 ¦ D D7 ¦ G Am ¦ D7 G :¦¦ Good tune, Nigel! Dave Francis (44) (0)131 669 8824 Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
Re: [scots-l] Dance book
Thanks to all who responded to this query. all the best Dave (44) (0)131 669 8824 Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
Re: [scots-l] Shetland Fiddler, The
Do any of you play this tune in a set? What other tunes do you play with it? X:686 T:Shetland Fiddler, The I think there was a bit of discussion on this group about this tune a couple of years ago. Anyway in response to Nigel's question, Bella McNab's have been playing the tune for two or three years in a set for the dance 'Circassian Circle' with the original, Willie Taylor's 'The Pearl Wedding'; then comes 'Shetland Fiddler' finishing with 'Hughie Shorty's'. Dave Francis Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
Re: [scots-l] alternate tune name - help please!
The tune is also known as The Boy's Lament for His Dragon. It appears on Ossian's first album under the 72nd Highlanders title. and on Hamish Moore's 'Stepping on the Bridge' under the 'Dragon' title. DF Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
[scots-l] Kerr's etc
Howking around in some old piles of sheet music I came across a book in Merrie Melodies format called 'Kerr's Pretty Tunes of All Nations', which I'd never heard of before. There are a lot of Scottish tunes in it. Anyone else encountered that one? Dave Francis (44) (0)131 669 8824 Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
Re: [scots-l] Kerr's Reel and Strathspey Pages
There is a clue in the Introduction to J.T. Surenne's The Dance Music of Scotland (Edinburgh 1852): This Collection contains two hundred and forty-five of the best Reels and strathspeys The tunes are distributed into sets of three, as they are generally danced; that is to say, Reel, Strathspey, Reel. Joan and Tom Flett in 'Traditional Dancing in Scotland' (1964) write that 'within living memory' [i.e. as applied to the early sixties] the foursome was usually danced to strathspeys followed by reels. However, they do cite variations to the norm. At the Kilberry Balls in the 19th century, and into the 20th, the selection of strathspey or reel for the dance seemed to depend entirely on the whim of the piper. The Fletts' informant, Archibald Campbell of Kilberry told them: 'There was no programme and no MC, the principle being that the piper was in control of the proceedings, and whatever he chose to play the company had to dance...The greater number [of dances] were the old Highland reel of four, usually strathspey, but sometimes reel only, sometimes reel followed by strathspey, sometimes strathspey, reel and reel of Tulloch - whatever the piper chose to play.' (pp. 40-41) Formal instructions for the foursome were published in the 1880s by Dundee dancing master, David Anderson, among others. Anderson stated that 'The Reel can be danced as long as desired, but four times of the Strathspey and Reel Time [i.e. 64 bars of each] are quite sufficient.' (quoted in Flett and Flett, p. 143). This requirement could be met by playing one 16 bar strathspey four times, or one 32 bar strathspey twice, with the same for the reels. The Fletts also mention that at the big Highland Balls, it was the custom to follow the Eightsome Reel (which was danced several times in an evening) immediately with a foursome reel - 'the dancers remain on the floor at the end of the Eightsome Reel, and each set of eight simply splits into two sets of four.' (p.48). Presumably the musicians would need a plentiful supply of reels and strathspeys to meet the needs of this practice. The puzzle remains, however. Surenne's characterisation of the foursome, at least according to the evidence collected by the Fletts, seems to be found only in the anarchic choices of the Kilberry piper. The arrangement in the books seems to point to a well-founded practice on the dance floor, but this practice is not borne out by the oral and written accounts of dancing in the late 19th and early 20th century gathered by the Fletts. David Francis Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
Re: [scots-l] Kerr's reel-and-strathspey pages
This is something that has puzzled me for years too. I had been led to believe that Kerr's pages were laid out that way to provide suitable music for the foursome reel, which was popular in the latter part of the nineteenth century, but any descriptions of that dance I have seen always have the dance moving from strathspey to reel, but not back to strathspey again. I can't quite believe either that the dance was so popular that it merited the pages Kerr's devotes to it. The Athole Collection follows the same scheme. As an aside I wonder if the Cape Breton custom of staying in the same key for a set of tunes comes from the use of printed collections? David Francis (44) (0)131 669 8824 Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
Re: [scots-l] Kerr's reel-and-strathspey pages
But there were also many fiddlers who didn't read music in Cape Breton in the past. Yes, it could be of course that the arrangement in the printed collections followed the custom of the players, as per Nigel's post about Nathaniel Gow. For the benefit of those who habitually stuck to the same key for a set, it would be natural for the publishers to offer a choice of tunes in the one key. Another thought to compound the confusion - I don't have a copy of Kerr's to hand, but aren't the tunes arranged into groups and numbered? David Francis Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
Re: [scots-l] Re: Matt Seattle's 'Border Seasons'
Jack Campin wrote: Not every track works for me but rather that than the sort of thing Fred Freeman does any day. What is it about Fred Freeman's work that doesn't appeal? David Francis Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
[scots-l] Re: The Pirnie-Taed Loonie
According to the late Peter Hall's notes for 'Pirn Taed Jockie' (first line 'O fin I was a little wee pirn-taed loonie') in 'Folk Songs of the North East: Songs from the Greig-Duncan Collection' (Greentrax CDTrax 5003) the song was written by George Bruce Thomson, an Aberdeenshire pharmacist who was a friend of Gavin Greig. Thomson was a noted composer of humorous songs, so presumably he wrote them for the music hall stage of the time. The story goes that Greig bailed Thomson after the latter was arrested for being drunk and disorderly in Aberdeen, and in gratitude Thomson signed over the copyrights on his songs to his friend. The booklet also has a complete transcription and glossary to the song, which is sung by Adam McNaughtan, alternating the tune of each verse between The Girl I Left Behind Me and the White Cockade. (A pirn-taed loonie, for those who wish to know, is a pigeon-toed boy.) David Francis t/f (44) (0)131 557 1050 (o); (44) (0)131 669 8824 (h) Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
Re: [scots-l] Jansch and Bensusan + sessions, Melrose, Sat-Thurs
Yes, 100 per cent. Bert is a Glaswegian from Edinburgh surely? He was brought up in Pilton, I think. whose primary repertoire is traditional Scottish song. I saw him last year and his set was a mix of stuff - he still does Angie and Blues Run the Game, as well as his own songs. He's the kind of musician who has never wanted to be seen as anything other than a guitarist and songwriter, regardless of the material (which is as it should be, I think) And M Bensusan is very much an interpreter, validly, of tunes which include (but are far from limited to) Scottish sources. Haven't seen him for a while, but he used to do a brilliant version of 'Merrily Danced the Quaker's Wife.' Fabulous musician. Dave Francis Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
[scots-l] Re: E jigs
Anna Wendy Stevenson of Bella McNab's often leads us through an extemporised set of jigs for the interminable Orkney Strip the Willow, and usually puts Andy de Jarlis (in E) after Calliope. I think the tune can be found in Jerry Holland's collection. In a band I played with a few years back we used to follow Calliope with Duncan Johnstone's tune The Skyeman's Jig in Am, which worked well. David Francis t/f (44) (0)131 557 1050 (o); (44) (0)131 669 8824 (h) Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
Re: [scots-l] Re: E jigs
usually puts Andy de Jarlis (in E) after Calliope. I think the tune can be found in Jerry Holland's collection. Wow, I never thought of doing Andy de Jarlis right after it.. The jump down the octave is really effective. Anyone got any other tricks for nifty tune changes? The short stop is always a good one (used sparingly). I once transcribed some tunes from an old John Ellis Highland Dance Band album which spelled out 'DEAF' when you put the keys together. Apparently the guy who did all their arrangements had quite the dry sense of humour Dave Francis Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
[scots-l] Re: Ferintosh in Linlithgow
We've just spent the afternoon with Abby and Kim of Ferintosh and they were saying how much they enjoyed the gig in the church in Linlithgow. I also caught their set in Penicuik the other night, and like Matt enjoyed it enormously. Folk might like to know that another group of North Americans who are mining that same rich 18th century seam of traditional material and compositions in the idiom, are currently on tour. The Chris Norman Ensemble play Edinburgh Folk Club on Wednesday (with a guest appearance by David McGuinness who will be playing with Ferintosh's David Greenberg on Friday in Glasgow), Plockton on Thursday, Resolis in the Black Isle on Friday, and Fordyce Village Hall on Saturday. They're also doing a live spot on BBC Radio Scotland's Celtic Connections programme tomorrow evening (Tuesday). David Francis Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
Re: [scots-l] Balquidder Lasses
Nigel wrote: I've been sent this tune by someone in the states - I've never heard it before, and can't match it. Does anyone else know it? Bella McNab's have been playing this tune for a number of years. I don't know much about it at all - we got it from an album by Dave Swarbrick called 'The Ceilidh Album' (which I notice has just been re-issued on CD) X:517 T:Balquidder Lasses S:Jim Coon, internet Z:Nigel Gatherer M:4/4 L:1/8 K:Edor BA | G2 FG EFGA | B2 B2 e4| d2 A2 ABAF | DEFG A2 BA | G2 FG EFGA | B2 B2 e4| d2 A2 BAGF | E6 :| B2 | e2 ef e2 B2 | efgf e2 Bc | d2 de dAFA | DEFG A2 B2 | e2 ef e2 B2 | efgf e2 Bc | d2 A2 BAGF | E6 B2 | e2 ef e2 B2 | efgf e2 Bc | d2 de dAFA | DEFG A2 BA | G2 FG EFGA | B2 B2 e4| d2 A2 BAGF | E6 |] Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
Re: [scots-l] Fiddle camps
From what I've heard either of these fiddle schools could offer what you're after. The Taransay school has two particularly gifted teachers in Pete Cooper and Patsy Reid, while Alasdair Fraser's long association with Sabhal Mor Ostaig is reckoned by some to have been an important factor in the Scots fiddle renaissance. Taransay is uninhabited for most of the year, and probably offers fewer of the comforts you'll find on Skye. As for other opportunities, Stirling University runs fiddle courses throughout the summer, although I gather their popularity has declined in the face of the other alternatives now available. If you are under 25, Aberdeen International Youth Festival has a traditional music school which will run from July 26 until August 3. The fiddle teachers at that will be Mairi Campbell and Sarah Jane Fifield. David Francis Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
Re: [scots-l] Re: obscure folk groups
I was talking to Kenny Kemp last night who was telling me more about Desperate Danz Band including, I think, the time you were supported by a young outfit called Capercaillie. That was actually DDB's predecessors, the equally ludicrously named Reel Aliens. Infused with the spirit of punk rock, that band formed first and started thinking about learning our instruments later. It was raw but had an energy that people liked and responded too. We supported Runrig two or three times, and The Pogues on one memorable occasion. He also gave me lots of other juicy gossip, Dave, so I'd be nice to me if I were you, or I might let something slip... Yikes, Ceilidh Babylon. Oh yes, the clothes, the copping off, the backstage shenanigans, the on-stage shenanigans... Gee, I didn't know that DDB had recorded - it must be a rare and valuable document. I'd love to hear it. I'll give you a copy of the LP (the price of your silence...) Dave Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
[scots-l] Re: obscure folk groups
There was a very good duo who were residents at Dumfries Folk Club in the early 70s who went under the name of The Layabouts (two guitars, harmony vocals). I think they were brothers and one of them was Billy ? (his surname escapes me for the moment) who was later in the first line-up of Black Eyed Biddy with Kris Koren and Lionel McLelland. From my own closet, there was the Aberdeen based six piece ceilidh-rock band, Desperate Danz Band, which in its heyday included fiddler Louise Mackenzie (now traditional arts officer on Skye), Lewis born singer songwriter Iain Macdonald (who recorded two albums for Greentrax), and a brilliant drummer called Stuart Ritchie who now plies his trade as a session man in London. We recorded one album, 'Send Three and Fourpence...We're Going to a Dance' (1988), which once reached the giddy heights of being album of the week on Iain Anderson's programme on Radio Scotland! David Francis t/f (44) (0)131 557 1050 (o); (44) (0)131 669 8824 (h) Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
[scots-l] Re: Tam Reid
I've just received confirmation that Tam Reid died last Thursday. The funeral is on Wednesday, but I don't have any other details. He was one of the great traditional singers of North East Scotland. David Francis t/f (44) (0)131 557 1050 (o); (44) (0)131 669 8824 (h) Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
Re: [scots-l] Celtic Connections/SHSA Comps/fusions/the whole nineyards
Toby wrote (re Shine) Do they have an album? I have to hear this stuff! They do indeed. It's called Sugarcane and you can get it from www.musicscotland.com Their website is at www.shine3.com Cynthia asked about harps taking the lead in bands: Phamie Gow was one harpist who led her own group at Celtic Connections. Mary MacMaster (who is one third of Shine) had a reprise of her piece written as an 'in memoriam' for Joel Garnier, the man who invented the Camac electro-harp. It comprised music for the harp, written and improvised, combined with percussion, voices and sampled tape recordings of Garnier's voice. It was very moving. If you talk about harpists taking the lead, then Corrina Hewat, another third of Shine, was well to the fore at Celtic Connections. She and her partner, David Milligan, put together a 30 piece 'folk orchestra', called 'Unusual Suspects' and featuring a rhythm section (piano, guitar, bouzouki, drums, double bass and harp), 10 fiddles (5 men and 5 women), four pipers/ whistlers/ flautists, three accordions, and a killer brass section led (and scored) by trombonist Rick Taylor, who has worked with Frank Zappa among others. It was an outstanding concert, and demonstrated how the boundaries of traditional music can be pushed while still honouring the spirit and flavour of the original. There are a significant number of musicians in Scotland now, who are actively engaged in that whole area, and I don't think we've heard more than a tiny fraction of the possibilities. The talent, invention, and adventure coming out of Scottish music at the moment is very exciting, and there is a real sense of things moving up to a new level. Now if only there were enough venues for these great musicians to be heard in, or promoters willing to give them a chance outside Celtic Connections. But that's another story. What will interest members of this group is that this pioneering, boundary pushing stuff sits along side the grassroots, informal tradition of music making and teaching, and is in fact intimately linked to it, often through the same individuals. That's one of the things that makes it so good - the fact that these adventures start on and return to solid ground. David Francis Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
[scots-l] Re: Burns Night
Derek Hoy, of this parish, and I spent Burns night with the other Bella McNabs in the fiddler's byke at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh. This was a dance, rather than a supper, although there was a haggis bar, and an outsize version of the dish was duly toasted by Stan Reeves (also of this parish, but uncharacteristically quiet of late) We attempted one song, but retired defeated by the Assembly Rooms' wholly unhelpful acoustic. It's a magnificent space, but it's not much fun to play because of the difficulty in being heard and getting a good sound. Which brings me to a question. How did they do it in the old days without amplification? This question is prompted not only by many years of struggling with the Assembly Rooms, but by an experience we had in a small village hall last year, when severe winds knocked out the power lines to the village. We carried on with the gig we were doing, un-powered, but it was not easy to be heard, or to hear each other. I know that the acoustic design of the ballroom at the Assembly Rooms is helpful for concert settings, more so if the amplifying properties of the 'byke' are used, but it still leaves me puzzled about how musicians fared at dances there. In the days before electricity were people much quieter than they are now? You could imagine a certain gentility and politeness in the Edinburgh Assembly Rooms, but you would expect other gatherings to be a bit more vigorous and boisterous. Were gatherings smaller? Did fewer people dance at a time? Were the bands bigger (I'm thinking about the pre-accordion era)? Did musicians play louder? Any thoughts? David Francis t/f (44) (0)131 557 1050 (o); (44) (0)131 669 8824 (h) Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
Re: [scots-l] re: A Fiddler's Book of Scottish Jigs
John Chambers wrote: For that matter, a tune that goes over quite well in waltz tempo is Niel Gow's Lament for the Death of His Second Wife. Now, this is obviously a bit of sacrilege, dancing on her grave as it were. But it's a very effective waltz. There was a film released five or six years ago, 'Margaret's Museum', set around Sydney, Cape Breton in the '20s, which featured a scene at a dance in the town. The musicians were Kyle and Seamus MacNeill (from the Barra MacNeills) and the tune they played for the protagonists to waltz to was 'Niel Gow's Lament...' The film is well worth seeing by the way - the unlikely lead is Helena Bonham Carter, who puts in an excellent performance, spot on CB accent and all. David Francis Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
Re: [scots-l] research and a few questions
Their influence permeated the whole musical culture of Scotland as far as the most remote parts of the Highlands; there's no sharp line between art- music players and traditional fiddlers. Classically-trained players like Catriona Macdonald and Alasdair Fraser are not a 20th century aberration. As far as I understand it (from talking to Catriona herself) her 'classical training' on the violin consisted of a year or so of unsatisfactory sawing through Eta Cohen's violin method and not seeing the point. After only a couple of weeks with Tom Anderson, she did see the point. Catriona did, however, study music at one of the London colleges, but as an opera singer, not a violinist. This information doesn't negate Jack's basic point though - Scottish fiddlers like Mairi Campbell, Chris Stout and Anna Wendy Stevenson were 'classically trained' to a high level at music college, although I would say that the influence of that training shows itself more in a general facility than in the actual sound they make. Their 'traditional' qualifications are fairly impeccable. Other fiddlers like Paul Anderson and Catriona's Blazin Fiddles colleagues weren't classically trained as such, but had a thorough-going technical training from the likes of Douglas Lawrence and Donald Riddell, which again agrees with Jack's point about there 'being no sharp line' . David Francis Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
Re: [scots-l] A grand night
Yeah, once you've lived here even for a little while,everyone calls you a Californian for the rest of your life. Right enough - Laura was introduced as 'Laura Risk from San Francisco' and did not demur! Dave Francis Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
[scots-l] A grand night
In the spirit of the occasional bulletins Nigel sends out, I report on a great night of music that took place last night in the small Highland Perthshire village of Birnam. The occasion was the annual 'just-after-Ne'er-Day' dance which has now become a highlight of the Bella MacNabs' calendar. The dance is a real community affair with people of every age and type, and plenty of young folk in evidence. It always takes a while to get going, with people drifting in up until 9.30 or so, but once it takes hold it goes like a fair. One of the high points is always the Broon's Reel which plenty of people in that part of the world know as well as the staples you'll get at dances the length and breadth of the country. One of the things that sets this event apart is the quality of the turns who perform in the band's breaks. Previous years have seen musicians like Rod Paterson, Pete Clark and the Critton Hollow String Band from West Virginia give a tune or a song (nobody does more than one or two). This year's was no less wide ranging: Simon Bradley, the fiddler with Asturian mega-band Llan de Cubel; Fin Moore and Cape Breton step-dancer Kelly MacDonald (daughter of Mary Janet); Cathy Goode and Louis Kaplan from Boston, and California fiddling wiz Laura Risk, all of whom just happened to be in the vicinity. A potent combination of the global and the local - and the band weren't bad either. A Guid New Year to one and all David Francis Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
[scots-l] Re: St Andrews Day
Nigel Your news that Bella has been seen around Crieff has confirmed some rumours of long-standing. Information had reached us from several sources (Rod Paterson and Pete Clark, for example, have recently had to endure some unpleasant heckling) that she had settled in the Perthshire area. She's a good age now, but can still rattle a braw pair o speens. Unfortunately your sighting of her in saltire and corsets does bring back some painful memories (well, folk memories in our case - we're too young to have witnessed the original outrages). Here's the story as we understand it , and as it has been passed down to us. When Bella started the band just after the war the impact she had on the Scottish Country Dance scene cannot be overestimated. Justly feted wherever she went, it seemed to many only a matter of time before she came to the attention of the BBC and hence to wider national notice. When, however, the BBC declined to broadcast Bella and her band (citing the absence of accordions and too many minor seventh chords) it seemed to turn her mind. Her behaviour became increasingly erratic and bizarre, culminating in the notorious 'Windygates Button Key Club' incident, when she was last seen brandishing an axe and a rag-filled petrol can, shouting 'My work is now done' to anyone who cared to listen. Fortunately widespread damage was prevented. After Bella's disappearance following this, the band decided to keep going, but an adherence to the original name and a sense of indebtedness to the founder meant that their gigs were largely confined to the various bothans and shielings of the 'ceilidh underground'. Finally in the mid-nineties increasingly insistent messages from mysterious go-betweens to the inheritors of the name prompted the band to emerge into the open. The climate had changed. We were able to go about our business unhampered by the bitter memories of a previous generation, and play venues such as Aberfeldy Town Hall with impunity. With no audience, but impunity nonetheless. 'Bella, Bella!' indeed! David Francis t/f (44) (0)131 557 1050 (o); (44) (0)131 669 8824 (h) Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
[scots-l] Re: Maids of Arrochar
Thanks for the information, especially the attribution to John MacDonald of Dundee. Interesting that before making the enquiry we were messing around with an arrangement that wove the tune around Scotland's alternative national anthem, 'Hermless' by Michael Marra - of Dundee. Yours from the Twilight Zone, David Francis t/f (44) (0)131 557 1050 (o); (44) (0)131 669 8824 (h) Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
[scots-l] Maids of Arrochar
Does anyone have any information about the tune 'The Maids of Arrochar'? I see it listed on Nigel's ABC site (as a jig, but I've only heard it as a slow 6/8) as coming from the Gow collection, but does anyone know whether Gow wrote it? The only people I've heard playing it are Tommy Basker and the Barra MacNeills (and my wife Mairi Campbell, who got it from Tommy), and I'd be interested to know whether it is in many Scottish players' repertoire. I came across a lyric written by Robert Tannahill, that tune being his choice to carry the burden of a piece about William Wallace, so it must have been known in the early 1800s. The poem is heavy going, and not much favoured by the poet himself. One of my guitar students was speculating that the Maids in question might refer to mountains (along the lines of the Five Sisters, I guess). Any thoughts on that? David Francis t/f (44) (0)131 557 1050 (o); (44) (0)131 669 8824 (h) Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
[scots-l] Tunebooks
Just a couple of snippets in response to queries in this thread.
The album 'The Caledonian Companion' (nothing to do with the fiddle tune
book of the same name) which Nigel mentioned is available on CD, re-released
by Greentrax a couple of years ago. It's part of a re-release programme
called 'Classics of Scotland', which saw a number of great recordings, many
from the Topic archives, made available again. There doesn't seem to have
been much in the series recently though. As Nigel says, The Caledonian
Companion has some excellent moothie playing from the late Willie Fraser, as
well as some fine whistle playing from Alec Green. Some of the fiddling is
a bit rough and ready, but it's a great album of proper traditional music
from the North East.
Bob - moothie is the colloquial Scots term for the mouth organ, or
harmonica, although I like the idea of it being a Scots term for Gaelic
mouth music. ('Haw, Ishbel, gie's some o yon moothie, hen!')
Nothing to do with music this one, but the ISBN is made up of four elements.
The first group of digits refers to the language (0 or 1 for English), and
the next group the publisher. The third group is the unique number referring
to the volume, and the final digit is a check digit worked out using a
mathematical formula far beyond my ken. So, if an edition is put out by two
different publishers in the UK and the US, it will have two ISBN's.
David Francis
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[scots-l] Pocket Companion
Alistair Hardie and John Purser have been working on the Oswald reprint for a few years now. Last time I spoke to Alistair it looked as though it was nearing completion. They have been doing some painstaking work on the project, and I think the final result will be well worth getting hold of when it does appear. David Francis [EMAIL PROTECTED] Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
[scots-l] Eightsome Reel
Nigel - The way I approach the Eightsome is to use 16 bar reels, like the Fairy Dance (of which there are hundreds) and play each tune three times. Thus you get 8 x 48, and each lead dancer gets their own tune. (Bella's also uses one key for the women and a different key for the men) The opening and closing sequence (40 bars) can be covered by a 32 bar tune played AA BBB (or AAABB). David Francis [EMAIL PROTECTED] t/f (44) 131 557 1050 (o); (44) 131 669 8824 (h); 07973 389444 (m) Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
Re: [scots-l] Battle of Waterloo
Kate Dunlay wrote: The bad thing is that the notes on the Sole Music CD say a classic 4/4 march by the infamous Skye piper which means that we must all be supposed to know why Donald MacLeod is infamous BUT I DON'T KNOW!!! So, can somebody please help me out? Is this the same Donald MacLeod who left Oban in high dudgeon after failing to win a piping competion as expected, thus occasioning the classic 2/4 march 'DMcL's farewell to Oban' (composer gone from memory banks)? His other deeds of infamy are unknown to me, but since he was a piper there must be some... Quite agree about Hamish's playing of the tune, and the others in that set - a revelation that marches could be played lyrically like that. Dave Francis Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
[scots-l] David Greenberg and Abby Newton in Scotland
I hope this will be of interest to some of the folk on this list. Ferintosh (Abby Newton and David Greenberg, with guest musician, Patsy Seddon on clarsach) will be visiting Scotland next month (details below). The music will be drawn from the 'Golden Age' of Scottish fiddle in the late 18th century, with music from sources such as Oswald's Caledonian Pocket Companion, and the Simon Fraser collection. David Greenberg is an unusual musician in that he is equally renowned for his work in Baroque music and in traditional Scottish music. He is a well respected player of Cape Breton music, and, as scots-l subscribers know, he produced with his wife, Kate Dunlay, 'The violin music of Cape Breton', a definitive analysis of the Cape Breton style. Abby Newton is one of the pioneers of the revival of the cello in Scottish traditional music, and is noted for her work with Alasdair Fraser and Jean Redpath among others. Patsy Seddon is well known for her work with Sileas, Clan Alba, Caledon and The Poozies. This concert is a must for anyone interested in Scottish fiddle music. Dates: Fri 8 MarchNewtyle Hatton Castle (house concert) Sa 9 Dalguise (by Dunkeld) Hall Su 10Glasgow St Andrews in the Square (3pm) Mo 11Tain Royal Academy (workshops) Tu 12Fort William Lochaber Music School (workshops) We 13 Upper Largo Scotland's Larder Th 14Glasgow BBC Travelling Folk (interview) Fr 15 Portree Aros Centre Sa 16Stirling Tolbooth (afternoon) Sa 16Edinburgh St Cecilia's Hall (evening) David Francis [EMAIL PROTECTED] t/f (44) 131 557 1050 (o); (44) 131 669 8824 (h) Edinburgh Traditional Arts Projects Performance: Education: Agency: Consultancy Representing via Stoneyport Agency: The Cast; Bag o Cats; Calluna; Fiddlers Bid; Keltik Elektrik www.stoneyport.demon.co.uk Bella MacNab's Dance Band www.ceilidhdance.com Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
[scots-l] Tempi
I guess the tempo question will depend to a large extent on who you're playing for, the nature of the event, your own taste and preference (and your ability to play at speed, of course). If you're playing for Cape Breton solo or square dances then the reel tempo seems to be somewhere around 108 - 112 (echoing Alastair Hardie's suggestion), while strathspey tempos can be anywhere from 88 to not far short of reel tempo. For country dancing these strathspey tempos would be way too fast, while the reel tempos would be too slow. In concert there are no rules, of course. Aly Bain, Johnny and Phil Cunningham, and any number of young desperados delight in fast tempos, while someone like Buddy MacMaster doesn't stray too far on the concert stage from the tempos he would use for playing a dance. Jimmy Shand was renowned for his ability to hit the right tempo and keep it ticking along, leading to the often heard assertion that you could dance all night to his music without tiring. Beware the early Shand recordings though. They go at an unbelievable lick. One theory is that this was to accommodate the limited recording space available on the old shellac records. Or maybe it was the wildness of youth David Francis [EMAIL PROTECTED] Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
Re: [scots-l] Essential discography, bibliography?
Because there's more to it than songs and tunes, it would be worth having a look at: Francis Collinson. The Traditional and National Music of Scotland. George Emmerson. Rantin Pipe and Tremblin String George Emmerson. A Celestial Recreation: a social history of Scottish dancing. T and J Flett. Traditional Dancing in Scotland John Purser. Scotland's Music In addition there are a couple of wee books by Wallace Lockhart - Highland Balls and Village Halls; and Fiddles and Folk - which give potted accounts of dance traditions, and some of the prominent figures on the contemporary scene. Other containers of good stuff are Hamish Henderson's books, Alias MacAlias (a collection of essays and articles) and The Armstrong Nose (a collection of his letters); The People's History, edited by Edward Cowan (is that the correct title anyone? I'm doing this from memory!); and Kenneth White's On Scottish Ground. The School of Scottish Studies series on Greentrax has some wonderful stuff in it, Scots and Gaelic. The Bothy Ballads title (one of my desert island discs) is particularly outstanding. Dave Francis Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
Re: [scots-l] Discographies, bibliographies
Nigel's post reminded me that no bibliography of Scots music could exclude Charles Gore's Scottish Fiddle Index. Dave Francis Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
Re: [scots-l] Johnnie Cope
There's a superb version of the Gm version on Natalie MacMaster's 'My Roots are Showing' CD. David Francis Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
[scots-l] Places
I thought this might be a good one for the mighty collective brain of scots-l. I'm working, through the Scots Music Group in Edinburgh, with an evening class of aspiring guitar accompanists, many of whom are quite new to traditional instrumental music. Mostly their current taste extends to Joni Mitchell, Eric Clapton, Nick Drake and such. I thought that one way to help them in might be to make an association between music and place, so I asked them to give me a place in Scotland that meant something to them, the idea being that I could then match the place to an appropriate tune. The list they gave me has mostly left me fairly stumped, however, which is where you come in. Anybody got any suggestions for links with the following places (could be the wider area as well as the specific place)? Here we go, in no particular order: Auchtermuchty, Ardentinny, Glenlivet/ Tomintoul, Dunbar, Glen Affric, Eigg, Rum, Melrose, Ullapool, Portavadie, Glenshiel, Glasgow. Thanks, folks! David Francis [EMAIL PROTECTED] t/f (44) 131 557 1050 (o); (44) 131 669 8824 (h) Edinburgh Traditional Arts Projects Performance: Education: Agency: Consultancy Representing via Stoneyport Agency: The Cast; Bag o Cats; Calluna; Ceolbeg; Fiddlers Bid; Keltik Elektrik www.stoneyport.demon.co.uk Bella MacNab's Dance Band www.ceilidhdance.com Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
Re: [scots-l] Tantallon
What kind of guitar was it they were mostly using? Johnny Cradden (an Ulster-born Edinburgh man) adapted a guitar like this some years ago and called it a Gizouki. The one that Tantallon had has obviously been specially made. John Bushby, the guy who mostly played it in Tantallon, makes instruments so it may have been his own design, influenced by Cradden, possibly? Maybe more likely influenced by the chap from Altan (was it Ciaran Tourish?) who developed a similar instrument and called it, yes, the 'bizarre'. David Francis Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
[scots-l] Re: Session tunes
For anyone on this list within striking distancethe Adult Learning Project's new programme is now available in printed form, and should be going on the web site before long. IIRC there will be a harmony and arrangement class in the second term, so that might suit Manuel. David Francis [EMAIL PROTECTED] t/f (44) 131 557 1050 (o); (44) 131 669 8824 (h) Edinburgh Traditional Arts Projects Performance: Education: Agency: Consultancy Representing via Stoneyport Agency: The Cast; Bag o Cats; Calluna; Ceolbeg; De Dannan; Frankie Gavin; Fiddlers Bid; Keltik Elektrik www.stoneyport.demon.co.uk Bella MacNab's Dance Band www.ceilidhdance.com Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
Re: [scots-l] Flett from Flotta
Carol wrote: My pipe band is learning Flett from Flotta and are curious about the name. Does anyone know what it means? It's a cute march. Flotta is a place in Orkney. Mr Flett is a chap from there - a musician I think. David Francis Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
Re: [scots-l] Tin Whistle Bands and Scottish whistle
Manuel Waldesco wrote: Anyway, regarding this tin whistle tradition in Scotland, I wonder which are the differences with Irish whistle, I mean, the way of playing (v.g. ornamentation) reels and jigs, airs, and which other Scottish type of tunes are played normally on this instrument. Kenny Hadden, formerly of Blairgowrie, now of Aberdeen, is your only man. Kenny was in the early line up of Ceolbeg, has a comprehensive knowledge of Irish and Scots music, and is a banner waver for the whistle and the wooden flute in Scots music. Contact me at [EMAIL PROTECTED] and I'll pass on his email address. David Francis Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
Re: [scots-l] tunes that aren't in 8 bars
What about tunes like 'The Cumberland Reel', which has a 16 bar B part, and 16 bars moreover of a long melodic line? Anyway, we shouldn't allow a frisson of inferiority to pass among us, because of the sociologist's crack about '8 bar structures'. He could equally have said that Miles Davis brought together a band to play tunes with 8 bar structures (and just happened to record 'Kind of Blue' while they were at it.) And speaking of blues12 bars, but so much more. Tain't the bones, Mr Sociologist, it's the meat that counts. Dave Francis Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
[scots-l] Re: Whinham's Reel
Derek Hoy wrote : The written setting sounds very Northumbrian-pipey, whereas our version's been mangled by fiddle scratchers, aided by said guitar basher. What dance do we use it for, Dave? I don't look up much at these things. Bella MacNab's (or Basher MacScrape's) uses the tune to round off a set for the dance 'My Love She's But a Lassie Yet'. The set consists of the original, 'Over the Hills and Far Away', 'Nancy Clough' (from the same source as Whinham's, the Topic album, 'Bonny North Tyne') and Whinham's. 'Nancy Clough' is a set of 'My Love...' with lots of twiddly bits on the repeat, and was written for his wife by Tom Clough, who has contributed a few bits and pieces to the Northumbrian Pipers' Tune Book. Dave Francis David Francis [EMAIL PROTECTED] t/f (44) 131 557 1050 (o); (44) 131 669 8824 (h) Edinburgh Traditional Arts Projects Performance: Education: Agency: Consultancy Representing via Stoneyport Agency: The Cast; Bag o Cats; Calluna; Ceolbeg; De Dannan; Frankie Gavin; Fiddlers Bid; Keltik Elektrik www.stoneyport.demon.co.uk Bella MacNab's Dance Band www.ceilidhdance.com Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
Re: [scots-l] Whinham's Reel (was 'A lurker emerges')
Janice Hopper wrote:
...Whinham's Reel -- anybody got the ABCs for that?
Do you know any more about it, Janice? Is it Northumbrian?
Great tune! It is Northumbrian, and composed by a fiddler called Whinham.
Piper Graham Dixon unearthed and published a whole collection of his
material about 6 years ago (don't have the details to hand). Bella MacNab's
Dance Band has been playing the tune since we began - we got it from an old
Topic Collection ('Bonny North Tyne' if memory serves me right - played by
Willie Taylor and Joe Hutton?). Bella Derek Hoy might be able to supply
abc's. Being a humble guitar basher I know nothing of these arcane arts.
Dave Francis
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Re: [scots-l] Ladys names as Titles
. If you named a tune after a young society belle, you were on a winner - My favourite is a little known tune called 'Lady Boyes of Bangkok' David Francis Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
[scots-l] Adult Learning Project
Jack Campin's account of the early origins of the ALP are of great interest. He's right when he cites the philosophical influence of Freire and the others as a key element in what make ALP different from other evening classes. The other key element is the democratic and participatory nature of the project. The Scots Music Group (SMOG) is a self-organised group affiliated to the parent body, ALP, and is run by the students, and the tutors. The Group deploys two part-time workers (not shared with ALP) and a shifting pool of volunteers who help out with specific events, both large and small in scale. SMOG has produced further autonomous groups in the shape of the Fiddle Festival, the Youth Gaitherin, and, as Jack mentions, Auld Spice. He might also have mentioned the choir, Sangstream, which operates by and large on the kind of samba school model he cites. There were, however, one or two inaccuracies in Jack's description of the current set up at SMOG. The Scots Music Group has no intention of splitting off from ALP. The voluntary aspects of ALP are undergoing re-organisation at the moment, with some of the component parts setting themselves up as separate charities, companies limited by guarantee. The Fiddle Festival has already done so, to be followed soon by the ALP Association and after that by SMOG. SMOG gets no direct funding from the City of Edinburgh. Its income comes from class fees, fundraising events and a grant from the Scottish Arts Council. It has some indirect subsidy by having a couple of desks in the ALP office, and a shared phone line, but that's it for now. Stan Reeves, the senior worker with ALP, whom Nigel rightly cites as a major influence on the project, still has an important supporting role. There is the prospect, however, of some future funding from the City, which will enable the project to expand beyond its current activity. David Francis [EMAIL PROTECTED] Vice Convenor, ALP Scots Music Group Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
Re: [scots-l] Hogg, Kilmeny: The Emerant Lea
Aikwood? Sounds like Judy's work - will take a look... she rather nicked Hogg for her own, though... David Or Hogg-ed him to herself. Dave Francis Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
[scots-l] Fw: 'Wee Todd'
A query from the editor of Box and Fiddle magazine. David Francis[EMAIL PROTECTED] t/f (44) 131 557 1050 (o); (44) 131 669 8824 (h) Stoneyport Agency representing:The Cast; Ceolbeg; Fiddlers Bid; Keltik Elektrik; McManus, Evans, MacLeodwww.stoneyport.demon.co.uk Bella MacNab's Dance Bandwww.ceilidhdance.com Dear All, This e-mail came in this afternoon. I haven't a clue if he's right or not, but I seem to remember something about two different tunes, both called "Wee Todd". Can anyone enlighten me? Best wishes, Karin Dear Editor I noticedin the February issue of the Box Fiddle magazine that you credit the tune 'Wee Todd' to the late Iain McLachlan of Benbecula. This tune was actually composed by the late Angus MacAulay, originally from Benbecula, who spent his adult life in Glasgow. The realname of the tune is 'Wee Tot'. He composed the tune in 1956 for his grand-daughter who was about a year old at the time and hence the title. Angus composed a number of tunes but none of them were written down. Addie Harper of the Wick Scottish Dance Band heard the tune being played one night at a dance in Loch Carron and, obviously impressed, thankfully, decided to write it down. The Wick Scottish Dance Band include it in on their tape 'By the Peat Fire Flame'. Other bands have included it in their selections since. I hope this clears up any misunderstanding about this very popular tune. Yours faithfully John MacPhee Glasgow
Re: [scots-l] Shetland geetarr
??? The CB piano stuff is simple harmonies but very complicated rhythms and textural effects: the "Shetland" guitar stuff is complicated harmonies but simple rhythms. Where's the resemblance? Swing. Dave Francis Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
Re: [scots-l] Shetland geetarr
I've been reading everyone's postings here about Shetland guitar playing traditions. It does seem to parrallel American JAzz guitar evolutions. My question pertains to playing back up. Do your descriptions apply to palying backup to strathspeys? It would all depend on the type of strathspey and the tempo your melody player chooses to play it at. If you were playing the strathspey at a slower tempo, e.g. for a Scottish country dance, or going for one of the Skinner specials you might want to follow the Scottish convention and beat two in the bar. Some of these grand old 'art' strathspeys sound very nice with the kind of harmony we've been talking about. If, however, your fiddler is playing a strathspey in the Cape Breton way, i.e around 92 to 96 bpm, beating four in the bar is the way to go. Then you probably could try a different chord for every beat. It's worth listening to how the Cape Breton pianists accompany strathspeys for clues on timing and rhythms. Their bass lines are good; they generally avoid any kind of fancy harmony. Would I be right in saying that the strathspey is not widely found in the older Shetland repertoire? David Francis Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
Re: [scots-l] Jimmy Shand dies
I broached the subject of a collected edition of Jimmy Shand's work with Jim Johnstone (accordionist, bandleader and at that time chair of the National Association of Accordion and Fiddle Clubs), and he said that the Association had been looking at the idea. It seems, however, that Shand published with all of the main publishers in Scotland in the fifties and sixties, and that the question of his copyrights is a bit of a thorny one. No one is quite sure just how many tunes he wrote: his family has music that may or not have been sent to the publishers. There's no definitive list. In short, the prospects for a Collected Shand `a la Skinner or Gow are remote. There is a great deal of Shand material which has been archived by Professor Sandy Tulloch of Dundee, but what the plans are for this material I don't know. The volumes that Nigel referred to, however, are still generally available (and 'Welcome Christmas Morning' is in one of the waltz collections). This thread throws up the major question of what constitutes a good tune. Most of the instrumental music that we play started life as dance music, 'competent and good enough for dancing' as Nigel put it. It would be a braver soul than me though that would predict what will stand the test of time and what will not. As for Shand's influence...we always try to get back home from our gigs on the same night. David Francis [EMAIL PROTECTED] t/f (44) 131 557 1050 (o); (44) 131 669 8824 (h) -Original Message- From: Rob MacKillop [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: 26 December 2000 18:05 Subject: Re: [scots-l] Jimmy Shand dies In my opinion Shand's compositions aren't great; they're competent and good enough to fulfil their function - dancing - but there are not many of them that will survive time. Well Niel Gow wasn't a 'great' composer either, with one or two exceptions, but has stayed the course. Someone else mentioned Gow alongside Shand. They do have similarities. Shand was a necessity for our hoose perty's when I was young. I would like to look again at his work. I meant to do this a year ago when I read his biography, but never got round to it. Rob [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.robmackillop.com 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
Re: [scots-l] Campaign for Real Ballads (was: Inverness a City...)
Bonnie Jean Cameron was another balladic resident. She's commemorated by a street named Mount Cameron Drive. So what kind of a girl was she? somehow these seem to lend themselves more to limericks. Any offers? If you ask me, I'd say at a guess That the prospect for Inverness Is more in the kitty Now that it's a city - Well, that's what it said in the press. David Francis [EMAIL PROTECTED] t/f (44) 131 557 1050 (o); (44) 131 669 8824 (h) -Original Message- From: Ted Hastings [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: 18 December 2000 21:38 Subject: RE: [scots-l] Campaign for Real Ballads (was: Inverness a City...) -Original Message- From: Nigel Gatherer [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: 18 December 2000 16:53 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [scots-l] Campaign for Real Ballads (was: Inverness a City...) David Kilpatrick wrote: ...Real ballads never mention cities... This is an extraordinary assertion. I've personally unearthed several, one of which I will shortly published in my forthcoming "Songs and Ballads of East Kilbride, Volume IV: Fishing and the Sea" (£28.99 from Your Grannie Publishing, details on request). I recorded Fran MacBattersby singing "Bonny Caroline of the Whirlies Roondaboot" (a remarkable 53-verse version strangely not listed in Child). O ye of little faith. Why mock poor benighted East Kilbride? Kate Dalrymple lived there - the song was written by William Watt, precentor of the East Kilbride old parish church, who also wrote "The Tinkler's Waddin". Kate Dalrymple's house was a well known landmark in East Kilbride until it was demolished in the 1930s. (Not that I remember.) Bonnie Jean Cameron was another balladic resident. She's commemorated by a street named Mount Cameron Drive. There are also at least two ballads about the "Loupin Stane" outside the Montgomerie Arms in the Old Village. Beats the hell out of Crieff Regards, Ted 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
Re: [scots-l] Folk singers in (or near) Edinburgh
Not that I'm biased or anything, but Mairi Campbell and Rod Paterson would be just the job. David Francis Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
Re: [scots-l] Whistlebinkies
Re: 70s fiddlers How about Charlie Soane, who played in a duo round the circuit with Brian Miller? There was also based in Aberdeen a fine fiddler called Dick Glasgow, who now lives in Northern Ireland. His repertoire was mostly Irish as I recall. The late Bobby Campbell, although he came to prominence in the 60s. They are not 'revival' fiddlers, but Bill Hardie and Bert Murray used to play at Aberdeen Folk Club in the 70s and early 80s, and I remember being present when an 8 year old Carmen Higgins turned up and thrilled everyone with a sound way beyond her years. If you can find a vinyl copy of Alasdair Fraser's 'Portrait of a Scottish Fiddler' from around that time, the cover will make you smile Is Ian Cutler, formerly of Bully Wee, Scottish? And Ian Telfer of the Oyster Band (who began in the late seventies) is from Aberdeen, although his (recorded) repertoire and style are not Scottish. The relatively small number of players from the seventies makes you realise just how the fiddle in Scotland has developed since that time. Dave Francis Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
[scots-l] Re: Scottish whistle players
Somebody from Ceol Beag (Ceolbeg that is by the way) That would be Peter Boond. An earlier line-up featured Kenny Hadden, an excellent whistle player, now resident in Aberdeen. Kenny was one of the first people to play Scottish music on the wooden flute way back. All of Ceolbeg's pipers (Gordon Duncan, Gary West, Mike Katz) have played whistle. Come to think of it, that would apply to almost any piper. Somebody from The Iron Horse Annie Grace (also a piper - see what I mean?!) Somebody from Old Blind Dogs Rory Campbell and previously Fraser Fifield (pipers both...) Jonny Hardie, their fiddler, also plays a bit of whistle, and is a top-class recorder player. Buzzby McMillan plays low whistle. Somebody from Sprangeen (?) Anne Ward, I would guess. Other names that spring to mind from this neck of the woods are Hugh Marwick, John Croall, Stan Reeves... David Francis [EMAIL PROTECTED] t/f (44) 131 557 1050 (o); 554 3092 (h) Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
