[scots-l] Auld Graden Kirn
On 24 Nov, Nigel Gatherer [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I listened in to a session at Fiddle 2003 on Saturday with Lori Watson, who played this very nice waltz. I knew I'd heard it before, but couldn't place it; when Ted Hastings told me Lori had called it Auld Granden Kirk I remembered it played by Border fiddler Tam Hughes. I love it. Nigel, great to hear that Borders music has its fans also that young exponents like Lori WAtson are being heard wider afield. Just a wee point. It's Kirn - end of harvest celebration. You are such a precise person, I'm sure you'd want me to let you know. Looking forward to your next quiz with it's hard questions and rigid scoring! Philip -- [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] Scottish Trad Music Awards ceremony
Winners of Scots trad music awards; Phil Cunnigham came out the winner of best instrumentalist! yeah Best live act was Battlefield Band! Best folk band Capercaillie, Best Scots singer Karine Polwart Best Gaelic singer, Karen Matheson Best up and coming band Back of the moon Best pipe band Scottish Power I just have to do the proud parent bit here. At the awards ceremony at the Queens' Hall in Edinburgh on Saturday, the Kelso High School Celtic Group played an eight minute set before the interval and went down a storm. The set included Catharis and a French Canadian Tune Homage a Edmond Par?. It's in A major, but they play it in A minor second time around and make it sound Russian! The music teacher who leads from the piano is the remarkable Harris Playfair. My daughter plays the flute. The ceremony with the performances will be on radio Scotland at 7.00 pm on Thursday - two days time - on the Travelling Folk programme - Repeated at 10.00 pm on Saturday. It is possible to listen on the Internet - I'm told. Philip -- [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] The Ross Bandstand Wednesady 13th August
Just a note to say that if anyone on this list is in Edinburgh on Wednesday 15th August, come along to the Ross bandstand in Princes St Gardens. Our French guests - large wind orchestra also flutes, violins, accordians will be playing from 2.00 pm onwards with breaks for setting up kit. From 4.00 pm to 5.00 the Small Hall Band, family ceilidh band based from the Eastern parts of Scottish Borders will be playing ceilidh music for dancing in front of the bandstand. Come and have a listen for free if you're around. It's supposed to be webcast but I haven't found the address yet. I hope it will be a bit cooler by then! Philip -- [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] Modal Tunes (but seriously)
Whenever modes come up, it seems to polarise folk on the list. You need to know about modes v why is it worth knowing about this. I had an experience recently with a tune which we were playing for a particular purpose. It was Morrison's (jig) which is Irish in origin but much loved, with a life of its own in Scotland. A double bass player looked at the sheet music and played along with the tune. He then complained that it was in two sharps but was in E minor. My explanation that it was a dorian not an aeolian tune ( I do hope I got this bit right) was greeted with some derision. OK, if modes do not mean anything to you how do you explain this one? Philip -- [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] James OSwald and Crail,
Hi folks, I know that simeone on thw list has already mentioned this! I am one of the folk on the list who reckon that James Oswald is one of the great unknown Scots. As has already been mentioned on the list he was born in Crail in the East Neuk of Fife ( Good name for a tune. In fact it is attributed to him under the name of - curses who's moved my Gow Collection) He was a music teacher and dancing master, as well as music publisher in Edinburgh, then London. I believe he ended his career in Londonas a court musicain to King George III. His major opus is Airs for the Seasons, 96 suites -each given the name of a flower. He is best kniwn among folkies as the publsiher of the tune collection, Caledonian Companion ( I think) We were on holiday two weeks ago in St Andrews where our daughter is going to university in September. We stopped in Crail one day and looked for signs of recognition of their should-be-famous son. There is a nice museum which commemrates among other things HMS Jackdaw which I think was a land based training base for the fleet air arm in WWII. The person in charge knew nothing of Oswald. I have yet to get back to the curator who was off that day. I see in the Scotman that there is a music festival soon in Crail. An obvious opportubity for an ensemble specialising in the music of one of the Scottish masters of the baroque and traditional styles. I wonder whether the organisers even know or care? I love the siciliano from Heartease, Winter. Any other Oswald fans out there? Philip -- [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- [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] Re: scots-l-digest V1 #454
The Gael is by Dougie McLean, I think. You'll find the Sheet music in the Nineties Collection - a very good collection of new Scottish Music, most of dating from the 1990s - of course!. - -- Forwarded message -- Date: Sun, 5 Jan 2003 11:52:31 -0700 From: Morley, Sara [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Gael question I have been searching for the violin sheet music to a scottish reel called The Gael its best know from the movie The Last of the Mohicans. It played in accompanyment to The Kiss scene. I have looked all over and haven't been able to find it anywhere including the sheetmusic score to the movie. Any help would be greatly appreciated. :) Thanks! Sara Morley -- [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] I've got the virus too - perhaps I can help.
Received: from [80.40.54.48] (helo=aol.com) by mk-smarthost-1.mail.uk.tiscali.com with smtp (Exim 4.10) id 181b7z-00046Y-00 for [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Wed, 16 Oct 2002 00:29:33 +0100 From: thelanes [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [scots-l] Border Gaitherin - Coldstream 2002 - May 4-6th This is header of the email I received. I have the advantage of using an Acorn Risc PC, for which I do not think there have been any new viruses for quite a while. The Lanes - Janice and Phil, who I met on their visit to Scottish Borders in 2000 and the first Coldstream Gaitherin in May 2001, would be alarmed to think they have anything to do with the problem. I think this means that their PC must have the virus. They may be unaware of this nuisance that has happened to them. I do not know how to access the distrubution list of this mailing lsts so I cannot tell whether they are still on the list. The email address is the correct one for them - at least until a year ago - except that there is no leading underscore. On the other hand, could the list somehow have become affected? I have emailed them, to try and find out whether they have the virus or have taken any precautions. I can do this withour worry - one advantage of using one of the less common operating systems Philip -- [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] It's that time of year - Selkirk common riding
When you get up on Thursday morning, play this tune in memory of the men of Selkirk who fell at Flodden - and the men of the Borders who have fallen in many battles since. It's not the old tune aka The Liltin' but the modern one. T:The Flo'ers o' the Forest M:4/4 L:1/4 Q:70 S:Learnt from a tape of Judith Linton K:A Z:Philip Whittaker E2 EF|EFA B/2c/2|dcBA|FAEC| B,/2C/2EEF|EFAB/2c/4d/4|c2 BA|A3z|! =G2 G/2/B/2A/2G/2 | FEFA|EcBA|FAEC| =G2 G/2B/2A/2/G/2| FEFA|EcBA|A3z|! ceef| fedc|ecBA| FAEC| ceef| fedc|B/2c/2d/2c/2 BA| A3 B|! ceef| fedc|ecBA| FAEC| B,/2C/2EEF|EFAB/2c/4d/4|c2 BA|A3| Philip -- [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] Opus Blue
On 11 Jun, Ian Brockbank [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: several versions (61 at present, according to John). The one I chose to link to from the dance (http://www.scottishdance.net/dances/NiftyShiftin.html) was the one which most closely matched the version recorded by Catriona MacDonald and Ian Lowthian on their album Opus Blue, which was the original inspiration for writing the dance. What a classic CD that is! It's nine years old now but very fresh and some of the tunes are still current cool tunes among the young folk - farewell to tchernobyl, islay rant and Ian's own Myra's jig. Philip -- [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] Mandolin Workshop
That sounds great Nigel. What a sound that must have been. I hope to make one of the mandolin workshops. Please send details to the list. Philip W -- [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] Mandolin Workshop
If I were coming, I'd ask for; - ornmentation of the pipe and the fiddle repertoire. - strathspeys I will have to decide at the very last moment. Philip -- [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] Tanteeka
Tanteeka Can anyone tell me the origin of this tune which is going the rounds at the moment? My daughter has decided to include it in her programme for Higher Music playing the flute - main instrument. Apparently it is possible to play an all traditional programme for higher and get an A pass if you play well enough. It has been done! This information is not made widely known. My daughter learnt the tune by ear so will have to notate it so the examiner can judge her. If anyone has it in abc format, then please could I have it - just to save her some time. I think this is a pretty recent compistion but from where and by whom I do not know. Any clues? Philip -- [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] New Year's Honours
On 31 Dec, Nigel Gatherer [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I see Phil Cunningham is to get an MBE, and Barabara Dickson (who was once involved with folk music) an OBE. You got to the list before me Nigel. Well done! Great, but let's get realistic - the BeeGees got the CBE and Jimmy Young got a Knighthood. Justice? Have a good Hogmanany from Scottish Borders where the plumetting temperature, icy roads may keep us from a knees up in a hall three miles away. Philip -- [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] The Border Gaitherin 2002 - May Weekend Coldstream
On 24 Dec, Jack Campin [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I'd like to go but not having a car I'd need to camp. Which is a pain if you play instruments that aren't damp-proof - after a night in a tent, even in good weather, neither my recorders nor Harriet's clarsach would be playable for a couple of days. I asked about this on uk.music.folk a while back - it would be make a big difference (for me, the difference between going or not) if festivals had dry, all-hours, secure instrument storage. Nobody on u.m.f suggested one that did. Jack, I am certain that your instruments could be accomodated safely overnight. The festival office is in the main street. Also the school where all the tuition takes place has a janitor who locks the building when it is not in use. Looking forward to a warm weekend - the May Bank holiday. Philip -- [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] The Border Gaitherin 2002 - May Weekend Coldstream
The Border Gaitherin - Coldstream 2002 - May 4 - 6th This email is just to confirm that this event is going to go ahead. Last year was the first run of this event. The organisers got quite a lot of things right first time. We hope to build on the success this time. A repeat serving of the glorious holiday weather has been requested. The event is based on tuition in these workshops; fiddle - less experienced and more experienced players beginner's fiddle Flute and Whistle Pipes - Highland and small pipes Guitar Border Song Bohdran Traditional dance Clarsach (tbc) Accordian (tbc) We have a list of tutors lined up - some well known nationally others more locally. However, for the moment we cannot gives names until these bookings are confirmed. There will be a grand ceilidh on the Saturday night, a Concert on Sunday night and a presentation from the tutor groups on the Monday afternoon. There will be three luchtime recitals; Border Pipes, Border Song and Border Fiddle. There will, of course, be sessions in the pubs in the evenings. There will an open mike stage during the middle of each day. The popular festival music shop will, we hope, be enhanced by the presence of a local string instrument maker. Information will be available on the website www.bordergaitherin.com AT the moment there is only the information in this email - or less However if you want to look at some photos of this year's event, do click on the Gaitherin 2001 link. Some list members may spot themselves. Please leave it till tommorrow night as I am going to work on it for a bit this evening - probably quite late. Philip -- [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] Johnnie Cope - Sorry Jack
Sorry Jack, I missed your contribution- a great setting Philip W -- [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] Wha Saw the Forty Second etc
On 18 Oct, Nigel Gatherer [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Wha saw the tattie howkers, Wha saw them gang awa? Wha saw the tattie howkers, .. the Berwick Law? I believe it may originate as hawkers, based on Irish potato sellers. Or perhaps the Scots verb - howk - to dig, unearth. Philip W -- [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] Places
On 18 Oct, Kate Dunlay or David Greenberg [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: epertoire are over! Anyway the song starts as I recall - all too well - Cope sent a challenge frae Dunbar. I used to teach this song to my guitar group at primary school. Philip It's a great tune, for fiddle too. As a tune I agree. What key do you play it in? B minor, D Minor? Do you play a set of variations? Philip -- [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] Places
On 19 Oct, Ted Hastings [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I'm surprised that no-one has yet mentioned any of the tunes associated with Glasgow, eg: Glasgow Gaelic Club, Glasgow Highlanders, Glasgow Lasses, Glasgow Hornpipe, Glasgow Reel, Dick Glasgow's etc. I think the Glasgow reel is another name for the tune by Davie Arthur - Tam Linn, which seems to played by everyone and his dog at the moment in many versions. So there's the very precarious Glasgow/Melrose link! It looks like the guitarists will have to play along with this one. Philip -- [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] Places
On 17 Oct, David Francis [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Auchtermuchty, Ardentinny, Glenlivet/ Tomintoul, Dunbar, Glen Affric, Eigg, Rum, Melrose, Ullapool, Portavadie, Glenshiel, Glasgow. Thanks, folks! David Francis David, For my work I am based in Melrose. I believe the nearest local song is The Broom of the Cowdenknowes. The Location is about 3 miles away as the crow flies. I hope this is near enough for your guitar pupil. It is a great song with a great tune. You don't need any excuse to teach it. As far as Dunbar is concerned, I am not sure whether I would recommend Johnny Cope as a subject for study, the days when jacobite songs were an obligatory part of the repertoire are over! Anyway the song starts as I recall - all too well - Cope sent a challenge frae Dunbar. I used to teach this song to my guitar group at primary school. Philip -- [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] Places
On 17 Oct, David Francis [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Auchtermuchty, Ardentinny, Glenlivet/ Tomintoul, Dunbar, Glen Affric, Eigg, Rum, Melrose, Ullapool, Portavadie, Glenshiel, Glasgow. David, You've got me started now. The Melrose - Earlston area is the home of two great local legends. I get some details mixed up. Thomas the Rhymer - who was a real scholar who probably went off to Italy, giving rise to alegend that he lived in fairy land for this time. As i recall he entered he entered after meeting the Fairy Queen by the Eildon Tree - presumeably near the three Eildon Hills, by Melrose. I cannot recall whether I have heard this sung, but no tune comes to mind. Tam Linn, has a similar theme but the fairy queen is more malign this time. She keeps the young man in Fairy land against his will. It is through the bravery of his lover that he escapes. He rides out in a fairy troupe on horseback on Hallowe'en. She follows his instructions, pulling him from the horse and wrapping him in her cloak while he changes shape into an adder and and asp - a red hot coal. She holds on through all this and the spell is broken. I think this is in Scott's Border Minstrelsey. Again no tune comes to mind. I have heard it recited to the reel of this name, but that's not much use to you. So, it's time to write some tunes for them! In general there are plenty of songs of the borders - the Border Widow's lament which has a simple effective tune and then there's The Twa Corbie's sung , I think, to an African tune. Again very effective. Then there's Dainty Davie This is a great passtime you've invented. Philip -- [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] MAndolin Workshop
Nigel, I read somewhere, maybe an Alp leaflet, that you were doing a madolin workshop some time in the spring, somewhere in Edinburgh, on a Sunday over an unspecified number of hours. I'm tempted. Can you fill in the details? Philip -- [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] Session Tunes
Nigel Gatherer wrote: What would YOU put on that list? How about Rebecca Knorr's Johnstown Reel - a tune that is supposed to be played slowly. On our trip to France, it was a tune that two local flute players played along with the Scottish youngsters. I think this tune is superb and should be classed as Scottish. Philip -- [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] Kelso
David, I agree with you to a point. Our son who wears his hair in a pony tail, is no lover of Kelso. His hair occasionally attracted rude shouted comments. It is well documented that the 18-25 age leaves Scottish Borders for higher education and city life. People come to Borders to have a decent quality of life, just about affordable housing and good schools for their kids. (If your child has special needs - tough! Official as of July 2001. For more on this subject read the newspapers.) Folk also come here to retire in large numbers. I think there are plenty of places in Scotland with similar population profiles. I am not sure that a HE establishment in a town of 6,000 people is really viable or an answer. I think you are hard on teachers - those who are the stalwarts of what traditional music scene there is. I do not think it is so much unease at meeting ex pupils - or current pupils drinking under age. I think the session/club problem is more one of venue. Basically a pub which has a regular session on a Friday or saturday night is likely to be going through a bad patch. Pubs want to be either serving meals or have wall to wall drinkers on these night when they do much of the weeks trade. You will recall that the session you started in the Wagon Inn was very lively most Fridays. What happened? The new landlord more or less requested that we leave and paid an accordianist to take our place! ( Is he still there?) So back to the Red Lion! You and others who have tried to keep a session going locally have found the dreaded truth - Traditional Music is a minority interest. Having the folkies in is similar to peeling paint. A landlord who wants to fill the till will get rid of it. Even a well reknowned venue like the Tron can suffer the same fate! I think that all the efforts you have made to keep a club/session going in the area are great. Sorry I am not able to go tonight. I would like to be there to hear you sing the new ballad - The Kelsae Shearin. Nigel really got into his stride at the end with the internal ryhmes. Superb. Philip So what's the scene like in your part of Scotland, the World. -- [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] Ross Memorial Hospital and Hut on Staffin Island
The tune is called Ross Memorial Hospital - where Phil recovered from a near fatal car crash. The tune can be found in - The Cunningham Collection - Volume 1. The House in Rose Valley. Looking in this collection, I see that the version current locally differs significantly from the one printed. The same is true of Miss Rowan Davies - another Phil Cunningham gem (as it were), which sems to have been learnt from a Uillean Piper before arriving here! This collection contains my favourite Scottish medium-paced listening tune - The hut on Staffin island in its original key of D. Great mandolin tune - eh Nigel? Another titbit - not a lot of people know that the tune Hamnataing by Chrsit Stout was written to be played in a set with Hut on Staffin Island. Try it sometime. I have only heard Kelso High School Scots group play them like this. Hamnataing - Hut on Staffin Island and a reprise of Hmanataing in an arrangment by Harris Playfair. Bye Philip W -- [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] Silvery Voe
From: Keith W Dunn [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [scots-l] The Silvery Voe I've searched the web over and can't find the abc's or a gif or jpg of this tune, The Silvery Voe. It's a Shetland tune on Tom Andersons/Aly Bain's CD The Sliver Bow. Does anyone have this in one of these formats? Orcould you point me in the right direction? AND What's a Voe? or even a Silvery Voe Voe is verry common word on the maps of Shetland. See Sullom Voe, the location of the large Oil Terminal, which is perhaps the most famous. From the map a voe seems to be a body of water such as an inlet or sea-loch - similar to fjord perhaps? Hence the Silvery Voe. I think this is a Tom Anderson Tune and it might be in Ringing Strings or one of the other collections in the same series. Philip W -- [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] Troy's Wedding - pipe version?
Last week I undertook to find on the Internet a tune for a young piper. I already have the dots for the jig Troy's Wedding in notation for the fiddle. However this is surely a fairly recent pipe tune. Does anyone have a pipe version of the tune with all the grace notes? Or can anyone direct me towards a collection which includes this tune in pipe notation? The conversation took place on a pleasure boat on an artificial lake in Isere - south East France where the Small Hall Ceilidh band and the Kelso Pipe Band were honoured guests of the Association Musicale de Vif. Quite an experience! Of which more later if anyone wants it. Certainly there is a distinct pulling power of men in kilts! The pipers and our hosts often played Highland Cathedral which they are convinced is a traditional Scottish tune. Oh well, Over the Sea to Skye and all that. There is a tradition of non-Scots writing tunes which are readily accepted by Scots as traditional! Philip W -- [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] Higland Cathedral - Clarification
On 11 Jul, Anselm Lingnau [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Just wait for another century or so. By that time Highland Cathedral (which AFAIK was written recently by two chaps from Berlin) *will* be a traditional Scottish tune. I think it will take rather less than that. Our French hosts, who had two arrangements that included this tune announced it as traditional Scottish Music! I was not suggesting the pipers thought that. There seems to be a great love of this tune among people who otherwise do not listen to much pipe music. I recall an event in Galashiels a couple of years ago in which the compere's idea of a finale was to get everyone playing this along with a piper. (Keep an Eb whistle handy just in case!) I had not even heard the tune until the week before when we heard about this event! I think it has almost supplanted that other traditional Scottish favourite Amazing Grace which the Kelso pipe band also played. I had difficulty explaining to our host family the meaning of the title Amazing Grace. I think I was right in saying it was an American quaker hymn or was that Lord of the Dance which was also played by our hosts in our honour! Again surprise it was not Scottish! The French seemed to sing a song of their own to Amazing Grace, by the way. I think the answer, Anselm, is If you can play it on the GHP then it's Scottish. It makes life a lot simpler! Philip -- [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] Ladys names as Titles
On 17 Jun, Janice Lane [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: So many tunes are named Mrs. Somebody's Favourite How does this come about? Does the old dear express her liking for an unnamed tune and from then on it becomes hers? Or does the composer think I'll name a tune for her and she'll give me lots of money? Janice - I think when names are used so much as titles we are talking about shrewd manipulation of commercail patronage - at least in the 18th C. The most adept musician at this was Nathaniel Gow, Niel's Son, who made a good living from music publishing and playing. He also milked the Gow name for all it was worth. If you named a tune after a young society belle, you were on a winner - firstly Daddy would have to subscribe to your next publication which includes Miss Sally McN - several copies! If there is a society ball thrown in the house, guess whose band gets the gig? If she marries, you get the big ball to play at where you announce the tune formerly known as Miss Sally McA - as Mrs Sally C No need to write your own tune, if you are lacking inspiration, rename a traditional tune - changing it to modern flat key, (It probably had an extremely rude name anyway!) - Or pinch one from William Marshall. This is a paraphrase of a passage in 18th Century Scottish Fiddle Music by DAvid Johnson which is well worth reading. It also explains the prevalence of tunes in flat keys in Scottish music - from this time. Another good idea is to name your latest tune after someone's stately pile, eg Marchmont House, or the . Hunt - bound to get the gig for Hunt Ball. Philip -- [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] Re: Is there anybody there?
Nigel asked are you from the Kelso area originally I used to be sensitive about this. But in a year or two I'll be able to say I have spent half my life in Scotland. This reminds me of something a pupil asked me when I first came to Borders. He brought up his word book -( small jotter for personal vocab) and asked me to write the word lenny I was really puzzled, so I asked him for an example. I then realised this was the word from the oft-used phrase Gie's a lenny yer rubber * I had very romantic notions about the Borders then. I knew some of the ballads - as texts, which is what they remain for most people. Imagine my delight to hear words seemingly out of the ballads; Sir, he ta'en ma jotter! He's tae'en her by the lily white hand Oddly, in Kelso at least, the s was not spoken. So what should have been been a perfect tense sounded like a pluperfect. In other words the pupils definitely did not say He's ta'en Linguistically I cannot explain this. This error - ta'en for took used to drive one teacher up the wall - a Scot and knowledgebable about that Ayrshire poet whose birthday the school celebrated soon after Christmas. You can imagine what the teachers thought about an English newcomer telling them that the pupils spoke the language of the Border Ballads! All time favourite tune is probably - Neil Gow's Lament for his second Wife. It must be . I've heard it murdered more times than I've heard it played well. I like A Fraser's Pamela Rose Grant strathspey as it goes well on the mandolin and Boehm flute. See - the nineties Collection book Currently my head is full of Grey Skies Lifting simple 3/4ish air written by our flute playing daughter. I am sorry I do not have time to abc it for you. It has a great and simple piano/clarsach accompaniment. Carol, email your address and I'll send it. One good thing to be said for Standard grade music! If composition were not part of the course she would never have bothered completing the tune and accompaniment. The tune was named by our friend Arthur. It just about describes the view outside this morning. We have had some very heavy June cloud burts after a scorching May. Bye Philip * for US members - rubber = eraser -- [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] Name this pipe tune ..Please
Help, please! I was looking a tune for a set of pipe tunes. This one came into my mind. Except I have no idea what it is called and how the next part goes. If anyone can help with a name or even the rest of the tune, I'd really appreciate it. It must be very well known for me to have remembered it. However it is not on any of my records or CDs. I am in a bit of a hurry as we may be practising the tunes on Tuesday evening. X:1 T:What is this tune? How does the rest of it go? M:2/4 L:1/16 K:D ed| c2BcABcd |e2A2A2 ed | c2BcABcd |e4 e2 a2 | c2BcABcd |e2A2A2 g2 | B2AG g2 B2| d6 Thanks, Philip W -- [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] Afred E Milne .. CAn anyone help with this tune?
I have been listeing to the debut CD by Callunna. There is a lovely pipe march on it.- Alfred E Milne by GS McLennan. Does anyone have this in abc or MIDI format? Please email me directly as well, as I am in digest mode. Thanks. Philip -- [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] abc matters and the Calvert Collection - Kelso 1799
Funny what you can get up to on a rainy day! I thought I'd never really find any use for abc which is common currency on this list and others dealing with traditional music. I downloaded a copy of ABC2 Win and looked at all the collections on the web that I could find. I am amazed at the patience of people like Jack Campin, Charles Gore, Nigel Gatherer and Richard Robinson who have worked their way through huge collections. Maybe there is something in this abc format I thought. So I tried a few tunes from the Calvert Collection of 1799(?). I tried all the features that were on offer and was very pleasantly surpised. I manged to notate just about everything I wanted. It seems to cope with most effects. I then had the idea of doing as the above mentioned abc heroes. Why not transcribe the whole of the Calvert Collection? After initial enthusiasm - it is addictive in a way, I began to wonder about the value of such an enterprise. In many ways the value to us today is that it gives us an idea of the kind of music played at the time. It is clearly aimed at a well heeled and musically literate audience. The price of five shilling seems quite high. Also there are bass parts for almost all the tunes. Many are fairly pedestrian but some have been well written, by Calvert himself I would guess. Also several tunes have a second violin part. There are double stoppings, trills and ties in many of the tunes. Some tunes are extended by variations. "Flat Keys" are used regularly. The collection has nothing like the importance of the Aird Collections which it is suggested Burns used as source for many of his tunes. I am not sure that abc is the best medium for it as some tunes have second parts and good bass lines. There is the local interest and 200 year old version of well kent tunes. It is also interesteing to see; The Fall of Paris and the Sea Captains - tunes that appear in O'Neills in very similar versions. Also odd is the small number of Kelso tunes that do not appear - "We'll all to Kelso go" which seem like a Northumbrian pipe tune", Kelso Races (Gow Collection), and Kelso Lasses which I do not have access to. So, the question is; is anyone interested in this collection enough to help me out with the abc work? Otherwise I do not think it will ever get done. If you are prepared to do say ten tunes, I'll send you a photocopy of the book. You can then email me the section of the abc file. I'll then splice the offerings together and offer it to the usual sites. ANyone interested. If you want the photocopies but do not want to any abc work, just send me a tape of some intersinting Scottish Music - a legal version - and I'll send you the copy of the Calvert Collection. Below you will find the abc file I have created. I have stuck to Calvert's spelling of the titles including the "f" for "s". Rather iritating! For authenticity change your font to a distressed serif font! I am new to abc. I formatted the tunes in the way below to help with inputting the data. I know that there are people who actually read the stuff by sight straight onto an instrument. That must be really handy. Also I know that Nigel Gather does it all in a text editor with no abc software of any kind, That is amazing! So if you want to comment on my first attempts - please be kind - see below Philip W _ %A %Collection %of %Marches Quick Steps %Strathspeys Reels %Some Seconds c Adapted for the %Violin and Violoncello Harp %or %PIANO FORTE %by %THOMAS CALVERT KELSO %Price -- 5/- %Printed for the Author and to be had at Mr. N. Stewart Co. Music %Sellers No. 37 South Bridge Street Edin.r And at Thomas Calvert %Mufician Kelfo _ Where may be had a Variety of Music and %Inftruments, Inftruments lent out Tun'd and Repaired. X: 1 T:God fave the King M:3/4 L:1/8 S:Thomas Calvert Collection - page 1 K:C X: 2 T:O'er the Moor for a' that M:C X: 3 T:The Berwickshire Yeomanry's March M:C S:Thomas Calvert Collection - page 2 X: 4 T:The Lasses of Fifheraw S:Thomas Calvert Collection - page 2 X: 5 T:The Lafses of the Weft S:Thomas Calvert Collection - page 2 X: 6 T:The Kelso Volunteers March S:Thomas Calvert Collection - page 3 X: 7 T:The Kelso Volunteers Quick Step S:Thomas Calvert Collection - page 3 X: 8 T:Trip to Kelfo M:6/8 L:1/8 R:jig B:Thomas Calvert Collection - Page 4 K:A E| ABA c2 A| e2 A c2 A| BcB d2B| f2 Bd cB | ABA c2 A| e2 A c2 A| fga e2 d| cd B A2 | | e| aga g2 e| fdf ecA | ABA aga | Acd efg | aga g2 e| fdf ecA fga e2 d| cd B A2 e| aga g2 e| fdf ecA | ABA aga | Acd efg | aga geg | fdf ecA | fga e2 d| cd B A2 || X: 9 T:The Roxburghfire Cavalry Yeomanry's March X: 10 T:The Quickstep X: 11 T:Mifs Sufanna Rentons Reel X: 12 The Lady's Delight X: 13 T:Roxburgh Caftle M:C L:1/8 Q:140 R:reel B:Calvert Collection - Page 6 K:A cB| AEAc ecec | d2 df ecBA | d2 fd c2 ec | B2 B2 B2 cB| AEAc ecec | dfdf ecBA | fgaf edcB | A2 A2 A2|| ef/2g/2 |
[scots-l] Whistles, learning by ear and more....!
Nigel, So much to think about in this matter of tin whistle teaching and ornamentation. Here's a few things for starters. Playing the octave D. Like you I adopted the habit of playing x x x x x x instead of the recommended o x x x x x I regret this and have tried to remedy the situation, and have noticed that when I have a problem speeding up a tune it can because I am reverting to this habit. The problem is the breath control required to play a clean note at speed using the same fingering as the bottom D. I would strongly recommend that you teach; o x x x x x Regarding C natural, you teach the standard; o x x o o o That is probably the safest. In some tunes on some whistles it can sound flat. I sometimes use; o x o x x x This can help on slow airs where intonation is more crucial. Also some dance tunes are made easier by this as there is one finger difference between this and octave D played as I suggest above. If you need proof of this try "John Murray of Lochee" using this fingering. It gets a whole lot easier, doesn't it? Your comment on the nature of teaching a class set me thinking. I am very interested in the psychology of learning especially the development of literacy - handy given my day job. This field has had massive amounts of research done into it. Thousands of articles published each year. Much of it is utter garbage. A few perceptive writers have pinpointed the essence of the matter. The teaching of phonics was virtually abandoned in some areas of England. Now of course it is back again as the basis of the teaching of reading. I go back to the stage that when I started teaching there were abandoned ITA reading books in the school cupboards. The teaching of traditional music has its theories too. The main shibboleth is "learning by ear". I have never seen it discussed in this group. So donning flame proof shields, here goes; I am not a great player and have learnt in methods similar to methods you describe. The Comhaltas tutor and tape were a great influence early on. I have bought lots of tunebooks. I can read jigs, reels and strathspeys very slowly from the page but no classical player would say I can read music. I use it as a useful aid to memory. I never learn from paper a tune that I have not heard. There are are only a couple of dance tunes I play that I have not seen the "dots" for. I admire the abc system for its economy and readability by both musicians and computer but feel it is too late to become involved in it. I have been to classes and workshops in traditional music. I am probably the sort of player who would have come to one of your classes 25 years ago. If I were a better player, I would not have needed them. Apart from time to do all this, my main problems are learning tunes and playing up to the speed of local players ( some are on this list, so I'll leave it there!) Firstly learning by ear is a misnomer. For one thing players I talk to about this look at the players hands if they are learning a tune. When learning from a musician in front of me I get a lot of support from looking at the fingers covering the hols. Secondly the worst type of workshop is the one off workshop, " Today we are going to learn the tune The Snowdrifts of Stichill. This is how it goes. Tutor plays it over a couple of times, fast then slow. "Now let's break it up into phrases. The first phrase goes like this..." Heart sinks. I know that I am going to lag behind from the start. try this; Before the lesson I am told we are going to learn this tune. I am given a tape and play it over and over again. I learn how the tune goes partly subconsciously. At the lesson, I play along with the tutors and the others because i have listened to the tune. In the workshop situation, there is no time to listen to the tune you are so busy trying to learn it, MAybe in the tradition, people heard tunes so much that when they take up the instrument there are few problems especially as you have before you someone who knows the tune. If you go to enough sessions etc the same applies. We have records and tapes to take the place of listening to musicians as they play. I am getting to be like this for slower tunes. If learning by ear is the great goal some see it as, why is the Scottish tradition such musically literate one. I think no tradition has so many examples of publication by and for practitioners from the gentleman's Marshall and Gow to the people's Kerr. I have a lot more on the subject but also a job to go to, for maybe five days this week. Another learning problem unique to Scottish tunes. Four part pipe tunes need a special type of learning that seems unique to me. I am learning The Heights of Cassino ( not a particularly fearsome example of the genre) by listening to a tape in the car and playing the tune when I come home, or sometimes in a layby. I had the dots early on but do not need them anymore - probably because I am not sure where I put them!. This seems to me a
[scots-l] Border Gaitherin -Coldstream - May Holiday 2001
On 30 Nov, David Kilpatrick I don't know if the Gaitherin coincides with the Hirsel Spring Fair weekend, but if it does, all the better - the musicians booked or regulars at this event won't be going elsewhere anyway and could add to sessions or workshops (some of them camp at the Hirsel for the weekend). Yes the Hirsel Fair is the same weekend and I expect that there will be people in the town going to both events. In recent years they have paid (!) local musicians to play in the quadrangle (rather dusty when it's a dry weekend and chilly otherwise) and had a buskers tent which musicians have been invited to play in. Philip W -- [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
