Well, very newbie question, I suppose, but I am a newbie (few monthes of playing) and have no teacher to ask…
T: Scotland the Brave
M:2/4
K:G
G2G>A|BGBd|g2g>g|gdBG|c2e>c|BdBG|A2d>e|dcBA|
G2G>A|BGBd|g2g>g|gdBG|c2e>c|BdBG|A2G>G|G2z2|
a2a>a|afd2|g2b>a|ged2|g2g>g|f2g>f|egfe|dcBA|
G2G>A|BGBd|g2g>g|gdBG|c2e>c|BdBG|A2G>G|G2z2|
This is Scotland the Brave, an old scottish pipe tune. AFAIU, it is a good example of a march.
I’m playing it non-legato, with a strong accent on each note. That gives it a good beat, makes it good for marching - but that’s not the best way to play it, I suppose. Moreover, as it is the bagpipe tune, there certainly is some way to play it legato without killing the “marchy” feel. But how?
I have the same problems with all other marches too.
Could you give some ideas on how to play it better?
Not as old as you might think, and Scottish pipe tunes are not played in “G”. In any case, this is not a pipe tune - the range of notes is greater than the 9 notes on Scottish bagpipes. For further information, look it up at “The Fiddler’s Companion” website. Incidentally, you may hear Scottish ceilidh bands and certainly pipe bands playing it, but I’ve never, ever heard anyone play it in a session.
There is only 1 CD of Scottish traditional music played by a traditional Scottish whistle player and that is by Alex Green. [ apart maybe from some crappy recordings for tourists ]. Since you’ve expressed an interest in Scottish tunes on whistle, “breqwas”, email me your address, and I’ll send you one. I bought a few from Alex when he played for my whistle class 2 years ago. It’s a unique recording with around 70 tunes on it, but be warned - not everyone likes his style, and it’s very different from Irish whistle-playing.
Just because some unidentified person posts something on “Wikipedia”, that does not necessarily make it true. “Wikipedia” states “the piping tune dates back several centuries”. You don’t know who wrote that or what their source was for that information. You can believe it if you want. I don’t, not without some proof.
From “The Fiddler’s Companion” website, in whom I have more faith :
“The oldest appearance of the melody Campin has seen was in a Boys’ Brigade pipe tune book from about 1911 where the title appeared as “Scotland, the Brave!!!” Charles Gore say the tune appears to date from about 1891-5, when it was published in Keith Norman Macdonald’s Gesto Collection of Highland Music under the title “Brave Scotland” and/or "Scotland for Ever.” Brody (Fiddler’s Fakebook), 1983; pg. 252. Reid, pg. 5. Reiner (Anthology of Fiddle Styles), 1979; pg. 16 (includes variations). Sweet (Fifer’s Delight), 1965; pg. 50. Wade (Mally’s North West Morris Book), 1988; pg. 18
I think I feel about “Scotland the Brave” the way some people on this forum feel about “the Londonderry Air”. Maybe I haven’t heard it every day for half my life, it just seems that way.
I’ve certainly heard it at a lot of ceilildhs and tattoos and street marches.
There is a drumming rhythm to it that gets under your skin. If you can pick this up, you will be able to play as legato as you like and still have the march show through.
The best I can do is say that the snare drums sound like:
RRUM tum ta rum-tum ta tum
RRUM tum ta tiddle ta ta tum
RRUM ta ta tiddle ta ta tum
RRRRUM tiddle tum tum!
… and the rest of it…
RRUM tum ta ta tum tum
RRUM tum ta ta tum tum
RRUM tum ta tum tum ta tum ta ta tum tum…
RRUM tum ta rum-tum ta tum
RRUM tum ta tiddle ta ta tum
RRUM ta ta tiddle ta ta tum
RRRRUM tiddle tum tum!
Also, for a march that is actually marched, it is quite slow. If you can imagine the billies getting the maximum swing out of their kilts with a slow swagger, that is it.
If you take a breath after every “RRUM tum” that will be most of it.
Gibberish! Maybe it will help. That’s the best I can do, I’m afraid.
As Kenny said, I’d be more inclined to believe the Fiddler’s Companion here than Wikipedia, though Craig has now corrected the “several centuries” bit. And I’d be inclined to believe Kenny as an Aberdeenian (Aberdeener? Aberdenizen?) who is knowledgeable about Scottish traditions.
Breqwas, the Fiddler’s Companion entry has another clue that may help you:
Tune used for a polka step in the North-West (England) morris dance tradition, and a march in Scotland and Shetland.
Marches, whether in duple or triple meter, have in common with polkas a sense of 2 strong downbeats per measure. So it seems natural that the two types of tunes are somewhat fungible. In other words, unless you have a reason to go marching around to Scotland the Brave, try approaching the tune as a polka. You can find many good examples of polka style in recordings of the traditions of Cork, Kerry and Sliabh Luachra, that you can apply to the whistle interpretation of the tune.
For example, I’m listening now to Mary Bergin’s recording of the polka set on Track 5 of Feadóga Stáin 2 (Julia Clifford’s, Jenny Lind’s, Mountain Pathway). Mary uses a combination of tongued and legato articulation and ornamentation that definitely emphasizes the strong beats while maintaining the smooth flow and lift of the tune.
You could even try the tune as a Kerry slide, which also features 2 strong beats. Something like:
Where do you teach Kenny? I keep thinking about getting a couple of lessons but keep forgetting to register for the SCaT (they need to get a better acronym) classes
