Can anyone explain to me what a Highland is? And to illustrate your point...how about posting the wonderful Fermanagh Highland and Donegal Highland from Altan's Island Angel (so I can learn them with my fiddling friend)?!
Al, I just posted the two Altan highland's you requested. Interestingly, when I put the Fermanagh tune in, there was no "highland" choice on the tune type menu. So it gave it under reel and then mentioned that it's a highland in the comments section.
Then I went to post Charlie O'Neill's (the second tune), and there was "highland" in the tune type menu. Only now that I've posted the tune, it's not showing up for retrieval. Jeremy?
I briefly added "highland" as a separate tune type. But then, reading back through the discussion mentioned above, it became clear that most highlands are really either reels or strathspeys.
I didn't want to clog up the tune type list with any unnecessary designations so I dropped the "highland" listing.
I'm not quite sure whether Charlie O'Neill's should be listed as a reel or a strathspey (it depends on the "swing", I guess). I'll leave that up to you, Will.
I understand your veiwpoint Jeremy, maybe you could make the "Strathspey" heading read "Strathspey / Highland / Fling" since they are all such close cousins.
STRATHSPEY
it's a Scottish thing - you wouldn't understand it.
I guess there are t-shirts with that printed on them...maybe I should get one for all of you good people at the session (chuckle). So says the highland piper...
The proper way to play a strathspey is actually (and I'm sorry to post twice when I could have done it once) a question of emphasis - not really swing.
See, a strathspey is written in cut time, and played with a swung 2/4 rhythm - big deal. It might as well be a weird reel or hornpipe.What makes it different from these is that the notes that fall on the downbeat recieve an unequal stress. Strong, weak, medium, weak, strong, weak, medium, weak, etc.
Pipers achieve that bizarre stress pattern with gracenotes and ornamentation. I think it would sound silly on a whistle or flute, but it works on the fiddle quite nicely (there has always been a close correspondance between scottish piping and fiddling). Listen to Bonnie Rideout or some good Cape Breton fiddling and you will get a sense of what this sounds like on a fiddle.
I thought that strathspeys were characterized by the "Scotch snap", in which the note on the downbeat is short and the one following it is lengthened. (It's kind of the opposite of the usual, hornpipe-like swing you hear played on some reels, where the first note is lengthened and the one following it is shortened.) In the Scottish strathspeys I've heard, it's very crisp with a very fast first note -- "snap" describes it well.
Someone knowledgeable please fill us all in! Thanks!
The "Scotch Snap" is characteristic of Scottish music as a whole, and while it occurs in strathspeys, it is not the mark which distinguishes a strathspey from any other tune.
Scottish music is played with a liberal helping of dot cuts. For example, you will hear pipers play jig triplets with a dot-cut-even rhythm whether or not the tune notation calls for it. Part of that is sloppiness, yes, but it's also true that 99% of Scottish jigs ARE meant to be played with that rhythm. The snap is especially prominent in the 2/4 and 6/8 marches we play, and crops up in a majority of reels. Interestingly enough, most hornpipes are played perfectly even...yah, I know it's weird.
I repeat: while the snap helps to create that uneven stress pattern in a strathspey, it is not, Not, NOT, what makes a strathspey a strathspey.
Trust me on this one guys, I learned highland piping long before breaking into ITM on guitar and whistle.
Yes, thanks very much everyone. We will have a fling at them this weekend. I'm half Scottish, so I should be fine. Now, if somebody would be kind enough to post the King George IV Reel, we would have the complete set !
Here in Donegal, highlands and strathspeys as you all know are very popular, and the thing that creats the difference, i am told is the speed, a highland apparently should be played slower than a strathspey because highlands here are very commonly played for dancers and they are also sometimes known as scottiches. we never go into any technical details other than that. and s
but ultimatly a strathspey can be played as a highland and vice versa.
and you might be interested to know al, that even king george the iv is derived from a highland which is very popular here and hopefully i'll get round to posting that soon !!!
I've noticed that Scots sets, unlike Irish sets, are composed of different types of tunes usually including a jig, a strathspey and a reel. Very often the reel is simply the strathspey with the note lengths evened out and a slight change in emphasis. The highlands as played in Donegal are more of a two step dance like a polka with a more reel-like construction. Which brings us to "barndances" which sem to to be somewhere the same mystical realm.
The scottish dance group that I've been playing with lately tend to stick with one kind of tune for the whole set. However, we have twice played a strathspey/reel set where we do 6 tunes, alternating (i.e strathspey,reel,strathspey,reel, etc). For some of them, the strathspey and reel are the same melody. I've found the transition to be pretty difficult, because of the speed changes.
What is a "Highland"?
What is a "Highland"?
Can anyone explain to me what a Highland is? And to illustrate your point...how about posting the wonderful Fermanagh Highland and Donegal Highland from Altan's Island Angel (so I can learn them with my fiddling friend)?!
# Posted on April 21st 2002 by Al Baxter
Re: What is a
There was a thread on this not so long ago
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display.php/350
# Posted on April 21st 2002 by B Rad
Re: What is a
Al, I just posted the two Altan highland's you requested. Interestingly, when I put the Fermanagh tune in, there was no "highland" choice on the tune type menu. So it gave it under reel and then mentioned that it's a highland in the comments section.
Then I went to post Charlie O'Neill's (the second tune), and there was "highland" in the tune type menu. Only now that I've posted the tune, it's not showing up for retrieval. Jeremy?
Enjoy the tunes--they're keepers!
# Posted on April 22nd 2002 by Will Harmon
Re: What is a
I briefly added "highland" as a separate tune type. But then, reading back through the discussion mentioned above, it became clear that most highlands are really either reels or strathspeys.
I didn't want to clog up the tune type list with any unnecessary designations so I dropped the "highland" listing.
I'm not quite sure whether Charlie O'Neill's should be listed as a reel or a strathspey (it depends on the "swing", I guess). I'll leave that up to you, Will.
# Posted on April 22nd 2002 by Jeremy
Re: What is a
I understand your veiwpoint Jeremy, maybe you could make the "Strathspey" heading read "Strathspey / Highland / Fling" since they are all such close cousins.
# Posted on April 22nd 2002 by B Rad
Re: What is a
STRATHSPEY
it's a Scottish thing - you wouldn't understand it.
I guess there are t-shirts with that printed on them...maybe I should get one for all of you good people at the session (chuckle). So says the highland piper...
TC
# Posted on April 22nd 2002 by tccaucutt
The proper way to play a strathspey is actually (and I'm sorry to post twice when I could have done it once) a question of emphasis - not really swing.
See, a strathspey is written in cut time, and played with a swung 2/4 rhythm - big deal. It might as well be a weird reel or hornpipe.What makes it different from these is that the notes that fall on the downbeat recieve an unequal stress. Strong, weak, medium, weak, strong, weak, medium, weak, etc.
Pipers achieve that bizarre stress pattern with gracenotes and ornamentation. I think it would sound silly on a whistle or flute, but it works on the fiddle quite nicely (there has always been a close correspondance between scottish piping and fiddling). Listen to Bonnie Rideout or some good Cape Breton fiddling and you will get a sense of what this sounds like on a fiddle.
# Posted on April 22nd 2002 by tccaucutt
Scotch snap? (not a cookie!)
I thought that strathspeys were characterized by the "Scotch snap", in which the note on the downbeat is short and the one following it is lengthened. (It's kind of the opposite of the usual, hornpipe-like swing you hear played on some reels, where the first note is lengthened and the one following it is shortened.) In the Scottish strathspeys I've heard, it's very crisp with a very fast first note -- "snap" describes it well.
Someone knowledgeable please fill us all in! Thanks!
Sarah
# Posted on April 22nd 2002 by x
Re: What is a
The "Scotch Snap" is characteristic of Scottish music as a whole, and while it occurs in strathspeys, it is not the mark which distinguishes a strathspey from any other tune.
Scottish music is played with a liberal helping of dot cuts. For example, you will hear pipers play jig triplets with a dot-cut-even rhythm whether or not the tune notation calls for it. Part of that is sloppiness, yes, but it's also true that 99% of Scottish jigs ARE meant to be played with that rhythm. The snap is especially prominent in the 2/4 and 6/8 marches we play, and crops up in a majority of reels. Interestingly enough, most hornpipes are played perfectly even...yah, I know it's weird.
I repeat: while the snap helps to create that uneven stress pattern in a strathspey, it is not, Not, NOT, what makes a strathspey a strathspey.
Trust me on this one guys, I learned highland piping long before breaking into ITM on guitar and whistle.
TC
# Posted on April 22nd 2002 by tccaucutt
Re: What is a
Thanks, TC! Now I need to go listen carefully to some strathspeys, now that I know what I'm listening for.
Sarah
# Posted on April 22nd 2002 by x
Re: What is a
???
# Posted on April 22nd 2002 by linda
Al, does all this answer your question to your satisfaction?
# Posted on April 22nd 2002 by linda
Re: What is a
Yes, thanks very much everyone. We will have a fling at them this weekend. I'm half Scottish, so I should be fine. Now, if somebody would be kind enough to post the King George IV Reel, we would have the complete set !
# Posted on April 22nd 2002 by Al Baxter
The definition over here.
Here in Donegal, highlands and strathspeys as you all know are very popular, and the thing that creats the difference, i am told is the speed, a highland apparently should be played slower than a strathspey because highlands here are very commonly played for dancers and they are also sometimes known as scottiches. we never go into any technical details other than that. and s
but ultimatly a strathspey can be played as a highland and vice versa.
and you might be interested to know al, that even king george the iv is derived from a highland which is very popular here and hopefully i'll get round to posting that soon !!!
M
# Posted on April 24th 2002 by martin t
Re: What is a
I've noticed that Scots sets, unlike Irish sets, are composed of different types of tunes usually including a jig, a strathspey and a reel. Very often the reel is simply the strathspey with the note lengths evened out and a slight change in emphasis. The highlands as played in Donegal are more of a two step dance like a polka with a more reel-like construction. Which brings us to "barndances" which sem to to be somewhere the same mystical realm.
# Posted on April 28th 2002 by AOG
Re: What is a
The scottish dance group that I've been playing with lately tend to stick with one kind of tune for the whole set. However, we have twice played a strathspey/reel set where we do 6 tunes, alternating (i.e strathspey,reel,strathspey,reel, etc). For some of them, the strathspey and reel are the same melody. I've found the transition to be pretty difficult, because of the speed changes.
Sosaidh
# Posted on April 29th 2002 by chicagofiddler
Re: What is a
Thanks everyone, I learn alot from reading your discussions.
Marti
# Posted on May 13th 2002 by manhattan