Wish this was better quality video!

Alasdair Fraser Playing The Oldest Scottish Made Fiddle 

Here's a little clearer sounding "Fingal's Cave", nicely played as a march by Mikela Rayburn.

←"The Kelpies" - Andy Scott (Scotland) 

...big discussion of "March vs Strathspey" at http://www.thesession.org 

Seems the only difference is 2/4 vs 4/4 time... sometimes. (lol)

- Emily

I figure I better mention this, sooner than later - Post No.2 of this thread has a video of Ron Gonnella playing "The Bonnie Lass O' Bon Accord". 

It is a Strathspey, composed by James Scott Skinner - who is known as 'the King of Strathspeys'. 

More about Strathspeys here: STRATHSPEYS! Thread

Here is a recording of Skinner, himself, playing his composition - "The Bonnie Lass O' Bon Accord".  You'll notice they don't sound anything alike!  Ron Gonnella's is a greatly 'tamed' version! 

James Scott Skinner Playing "The Bonnie Lass O' Bon Accord" - mp3

(info from https://thesession.org/tunes/10920)

- Emily

Robert Mackintosh was a very influential Scottish Fiddler & Composer of the late 18th Century (died 1807) - much earlier than James Scott Skinner (the "Strathspey King", wasn't even born until 1843). 

He published 4 large collections of his wonderful music - from wiki: 

...known as 'Red Rob' on account of the colour of his hair, was a Scottish composer and violinist, active in Edinburgh at the end of the 18th century. He was known for his compositions of strathspeys, reels, and jigs, as well as minuets and gavottes.

Just for reference, the Baroque Music period ended approximately 1750 - and I thought Classical picked up directly from there, but I was surprised to learn (wiki) there was another style of music through the 1700's that was popular - "Galant".  

This movement [Galant] featured a return to simplicity and immediacy of appeal after the complexity of the late Baroque era. This meant simpler, more song-like melodies, decreased use of polyphony, short, periodic phrases, a reduced harmonic vocabulary emphasizing tonic and dominant, and a clear distinction between soloist and accompaniment. 

This might help in interpreting Robert Mackintosh compositions.  I think they may sound kinda in between the 3 styles, but there were no recordings - unlike James Scott Skinner, who made many recordings of his own tunes. 

This particular Sonata 'Jigg' sounds pretty frilly. (lol) 

"Robert Mackintosh Sonata - Jigg" (Puirt A Oque) 

...more to follow. 😊 

Got to have fun learning some Scottish tunes.

Before I get back to Robert Mackintosh and James Scott Skinner, etc... wanted to share some tutorials from Alasdair White - besides fiddle, he also plays the pipes & has composed some really nice tunes.  He has a great series of 6 tutorials for a 5-Tune Scottish Set, consisting of a March, 2 Strathspeys and 2 Reels. The 6th tutorial is a run through the 5 tunes, he mentions how the West Highland music is influenced by Ireland (being in close proximity) - then teaches a bonus Jig! 

Alasdair White West Highland Fiddle Teaching Course - Video Tutorial Playlist

1.) "Major Manson of Clachantrushal" - a March 

2.) "South Uist Golf Club" - a Strathspey 

3.) "Christy Campbell" - a Faster, Cape Breton Style Strathspey 

4.) "The Amorous Lover" - a Rhythmic Reel 

5.) "Craig Murray's" - a Melodic Reel composed by Alasdair 

6.) Set Run Through & "Pull The Knife Out And Stick It In Again" - a Jig, a very happy one, kinda creepy since it has to do with stabbing Witches!  ...sorry, Halloween is coming!

I've mentioned elsewhere that I have enjoyed his workshops at the Fiddle Hell Festival (next one is LIVE this November in Massachusetts). 

Traditional Scottish Music

Traditional Scottish music seems to differ somewhat from region to region. The Shetland and Orkney isles, for instance, sing mainly in English and make frequent use of the fiddle. Their music shows a strong Norwegian influence, while the Highlands and Hebrides are more strongly Gaelic with songs being sung in Gaelic and the highland bagpipes playing a strong role. The music in the Lowlands and Border regions may be sung in Scottish or English and feature the small pipes or border pipes. They also tend to employ a more English style of music. In contrast to this, the music made in Nova Scotia and Cape Breton is generally sung in the Gaelic language while the fiddle is combined with bagpipes and music is given a strong, dance-like quality.

Wikipedia has a little info on Classical Music in Scotland, from the 16th thru 19th Century, and Music in Early Modern Scotland - both took a hard hit from the Scottish Reformation, but didn't stop fiddlers & bagpipers - may have even made them more popular. 

Bagpipes replaced trumpets on the battlefields - recorded in history as early as 1547.

Scottish monarchs of the sixteenth century were patrons of religious and secular music, and some were accomplished musicians. In the sixteenth century the playing of a musical instrument and singing became an expected accomplishment of noble men and women. 

Music patronage had it's ups & downs, then Lowland tunes were modified for a "Scots drawing room style" (parlor music?) and became vogue in the mid-1700's. 

A group of Scottish composers began to respond to Allan Ramsey's call to "own and refine" their own musical tradition, creating what James Johnson has characterised as the "Scots drawing room style", taking primarily Lowland Scottish tunes and adding simple figured basslines and other features from Italian music that made them acceptable to a middle class audience. It gained momentum when major Scottish composers like James Oswald and William McGibbon became involved around 1740. Oswald's Curious Collection of Scottish Songs (1740) was one of the first to include Gaelic tunes alongside Lowland ones, setting a fashion common by the middle of the century and helping to create a unified Scottish musical identity. However, with changing fashions there was a decline in the publication of collections of specifically Scottish collections of tunes, in favour of their incorporation into British collections. 

James Scott Skinner (1843-1927) may be known as "The Strathspey King" - but before him, Scotland saw a wealth of fabulous composers crop up in the 1700's thru mid-1800's, important to Fiddle music! 

Some of the Composers:

• James Oswald (Cellist, 1710-1769) - trad Scottish, but also Classical in the Galant style (see post 8). 
• Niel Gow (Fiddler, 1727-1807)  - his music is still popular today, but it is said "...that at least a quarter of the eighty-seven tunes [Niel Gow composed] are either derived from older tunes or are copies of tunes published earlier elsewhere, often under a different title." (wiki) 
• Robert Mackintosh (Fiddler, 1745-1807) - composed Strathspeys, Reels, Jigs, Gavottes & Minuets (see posts 8 & 11).  
• William Marshall (Fiddler, 1748-1833) - composed several hundred tunes.  Robert Burns called him "the first composer of Strathspeys of the age". (wiki)   
• Nathaniel Gow (Fiddler, 1763-1831) - 4th son of Niel Gow, composed/arranged several hundred of his own tunes/songs.

Think I'll have to look at "The Fiddle Music of Scotland" by James Hunter.  "A comprehensive annotated collection of 365 tunes with a historical introduction. Much more than a definitive collection of tunes, James Hunter's introduction traces the history of the fiddle and music through the centuries." 

It's available to read online, here at Google Books!

Ford Glass said
A few more. Link below provides sheet music for 1,392 strathspeys:

https://www.math.mun.ca/~bshaw.....strathspey

And if you want to connect with teachers from Scotland for online fiddle lessons:

https://www.fiddleclass.com/on.....lessons/ 

@Ford Glass -

Thanks, again!

Not only do I appreciate the Strathspey sheet music link, but I checked out more of what Bruce Shawyer, a member of Corryvreckan Newfoundland band (ntbcw The Corryvreckan Folk Band in Gloucestershire, England), had to offer on Scottish Country Dance Music From Newfoundland!  They also have a huge collection of sheet music for Jigs, Slip Jigs, Reels, Schottisches & Waltzes! 

Dictionary of SCD Terms and General Info Links

Scottish Dance & Tune Books

Published Tune Book contents

I might've linked this already, somewhere:

Scottish Dance Groups Around The World

I always believe it's important to know a little about the dances our fiddle tunes are played for - it helps me interpret how they were meant to be played... even though I may chose to put my own twist on these tunes. 😊 

And... I'm finding it very hard to separate Scottish music in Scotland vs what has developed in some parts of Canada - love it all! 

- Emily

I LOVE this old Scottish Air! 

"When She Came Ben She Bobbit" (followed by Lady Wallace's Reel) - 1st published in a James Oswald collection in 1740, Turlough O'Carolan composed variations for it.  Notation & info at The Session & the TT Archive.  I only learned one, maybe a year ago - time for me to look at variations!  Nice, clean playing by David Greenberg!

St. Martin's Church Yard  - performed by Puirt a Baroque (pronounced poorsht-a-ba-roke).  This is another one from James Oswald. 

The Highland Watch (notation & history from The Traditional Tune Archive) - a march, or strathspey composed by Daniel Dow, performed also by Puirt a Baroque.  It was 1st published in 1776!  The Archive mentions a relationship of this tune with the Black Watch.

Daniel Dow (1732 – 1783) was a traditional Scottish fiddler, composer, teacher and concert organizer and one of the first musicians to publish music specifically for bagpipes. 

He published music for the violin & other instruments, several collections of music - one was the 1st to use the word 'Strathspey' in the title!

I've always liked The Battlefield Band's dedication to trad Scottish tunes, but lately I've had my eye on their 1st Fiddler - Brian McNeill! 

He plays other instruments, too - but is also a composer. 

I have just fallen in love with this FABULOUS, VERY LONG HORNPIPE, composed by Brian... in Bm! 

"Drive The Golden Spike" & "Lang Johnny Moir"  

Notation for 'Drive The Golden Spike' - available at thesession.org

'Lang Johnny More' (starts at 2:57) is a trad ballad that has been sung by the Battlefield Band.  

McNeill's songs often feature lyrics based on Scottish historical themes, and he continually has celebrated the culture of his fellow Scots, including those who have emigrated to North America. His album The Back o' the North Wind features songs about industrialist Andrew Carnegie and the man who initiated the conservation movement in the United States, John Muir.  (Wikipedia) 

Brian recorded quite a few albums of his own, besides recording with the Battlefield Band (I haven't listened to all of them).  I usually learn by ear, but there's notation for more than a handful of his tunes at The Session.