=============================================================================
=               Scales and Modes in Scottish Traditional Music              =
=                                  Jack Campin                              =
=============================================================================


The Ranges of Traditional Tunes
===============================

1. Vocal Ranges
===============

The dumbed-down "seven mode" system popularized in the folk scene assumes
that the same pattern of pitches is repeated in every octave.  In most of
the world's musical traditions, that isn't true.  

Most human music is made with voices or instruments of range much more
limited than those of the jazz group, rock band or classical orchestra.
The ordinary human voice has a range a bit over an octave.  The vocal
ranges defined by Western classical music use two octaves; only trained
singers can use the extremes of that, whatever their vocal type.  

X:0
T:Soprano Voice Range
M:none
L:1/4
Q:1/2=60
K:C
C2  D E F G A B c2 d e f g a b c'2|
c'2 b a g f e d c2 B A G F E D C2|]

X:0
T:Batti, batti o bel Masetto
C:Mozart
G:soprano aria
S:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_Qp1fp6H7E
M:2/4
L:1/16
Q:1/4=90
K:F
c2B2|A2G2 F3G|F2E2 B2A2|B2d2 c3B|(cB)A2 f2c2|A3c f2c2|A2c2 f2c2 |A2Bc dcBA|G4 z4|
z4 c3f|f2e2 z4 |z2d2 c3B|BAA2 f2c2|A3c f2c2|A2c2  f2c2|AcFA C3E|F4 z4|z8|z8|
z2 =Bc defB|c2c2z4|z8|z2 =Bc defB|c2c2 egce|=Bd zd egce|
=Bd zd egce|g2f4e2|d3e/f/ c2=B2|g2f4e2|g2 f4 e2|^cdcd cdef|f2=c4 ed|c4z4|
z8|z4 cdBc|ABGA F3G|F2E2 BcAB|^FGBd c3B|cBA2 f2c2|A3c f2c2|
A3c f2c2|A2Bc dcBA|G4 z4|
z2c2 f3g|f2e2 z4|z4 g3B|cBA2 f2c2|A3c f2c2|A3c f2c2|AcFA C3E|F4 z4|z4 e3e|fcc2 z4|
z4 e3e|fcc2 z4|z3c e3e|fc2e fc2e|fc2e fc2e|f2Hcz||
M:6/8
L:1/8
Q:3/8=110
z c2f|\
fee ede |f2c zcA|cBB BcB|A2c Bdf|
fcA Bdf |fcA Bdf|fcA          Bdf         |f3- fgf|ecd _efe|
d2z f=ed|cdc BAG|a/g/b/a/g/f/ e/d/g/f/e/d/|c3 B2B|
ABc BAG|a/g/b/a/g/f/ e/d/g/f/e/d/|c3 B2B|ABc BAG|
F2z zGG|AEF B^FG|cf c2 BG|cAF A>BG|
F2F zGG|AEF B^FG|cf c2 BG|cAF A>BG|
Ffe ddc|B2z e2e|   fcA cBG|\
Ffe ddc|B2z e2e|[1 FcA cBG|
FA c2 Gc|cAc cGc|FA c2 Gc|cAc cGc|F2z z3|z6|z6|z6|]


X:0
T:Alto Voice Range
M:none
L:1/4
Q:1/2=60
K:G
G,2 A, B, C D E F G2 A B c d e  f  g2  |
g2  f  e  d c B A G2 F E D C B, A, G,2|]

X:0
T:Tenor Voice Range
M:none
L:1/4
Q:1/2=60
K:C
C,2 D, E, F, G, A, B, C2 D  E  F  G  A  B  c2  |
c2  B  A  G  F  E  D  C2 B, A, G, F, E, D, C,2|]

X:0
T:La Donna e Mobile
C:Verdi 
G:operatic aria for tenor; sung an octave down
M:3/8
L:1/16
K:B
      d2d2d2   |f>e c4|  c2c2c2  |e>d B4 |\
      d2c2B2   |B>A A4|  c2B2G2  |G>F F4:|
      c>d c2c2 |f2  c4|  d>e d2d2|g2  d4 |\
      f>g f2f2 |g4 f2 |(3efe d2c2|B4    ||
|:F>f|f4    F>f|f4 F>f|(3efe d2c2|B4    :|

X:0
T:Baritone Voice Range
M:none
L:1/4
Q:1/2=60
K:G
G,,2 A,, B,, C, D, E, F, G,2 A, B, C  D  E   F   G2   |
G2   F   E   D  C  B, A, G,2 F, E, D, C, B,, A,, G,,2|]

X:0
T:Libera Me (Requiem)
C:Faure 
G:baritone solo; sung an octave down
M:C|
L:1/8
Q:1/2=60
K:DMin
D4- D3A|A4  G4  |B3B A4- |A4 A4  |A4   D3 E| F4 E4  |D8    |
z4  D4 |D6    D2|d4  c2B2|c4 F4- |F2F2 G2A2| A8-    |A4 G4 |A8   |
z4  A3A|A4  G2A2|B4  B2B2|B4 A2B2|c6     c2| c4 B2c2|d6  d2|d4 E4|
z4  A4 |d4- d3 D|D4  D2E2|F8-    |F2F2 E2D2|=B6   d2|E8    |D8-  |D4 z4|]


Other voice types are close to these - a mezzo-soprano is about a third
lower than a soprano, a bass about a third lower than a baritone.  The
definitions are not absolutely fixed and voices vary in effective range
depending on the kind of music they're trying to sing.

For folk music, the largest range found in practice is an octave and
a fifth, as in "Danny Boy".

X:0
T:Danny Boy
M:C
L:1/8
Q:1/4=80
K:F
zEFG|A3G AdcA|GFD2 zFAB|c3  d cAFA|G4
zEFG|A3G AdcA|GFD2 zEFG|A3  B AGFG|F4||
zcde|f3e edcd|cAF2 zcde|f3  e edcA|G4
zcdc|a3g gfdf|cAF2 zEFG|A>dcA GFDE|F4|]

That song is impossible for most groups of singers with mixed vocal ranges.
Whatever key you transpose it to, some will be groaning at the bottom or
others squeaking at the top.  You have to arrange it to make it work.

Most modal systems, like those of the mediaeval Christian Church or the
secular music of the Islamic world at the same time, were constructed
around the strengths and limitations of human voices.  Instruments often
followed, grouped in families that matched the types of human voice.
In instrumental terms, the soprano voice is a flute; altos are fiddles;
tenors are violas; and baritones are in between cellos and violas.


2. Instrumental Ranges
======================

Musical traditions often group pieces (vocal, instrumental or mixed) into
families with a common range.  Scottish tradition has five of them:

1a. The nine-note range of the Highland or Border pipe

1b. The ten notes of the Highland or Border pipe extended to high B

2a. An octave and a sixth from low D to high B on the flute or tin whistle

2b. The two-octave "flute band" range from D of the flute or tin whistle

3. The range of the fiddle played in first position, from G below the
   staff to B above it.

These are not completely instrument-specific.

The flute range 2a is also that of the fiddle played in first position using
only the top three strings: a lot of tunes most often played on the fiddle
are like that, without being adaptations from the flute (most Shetland dance
tunes fit that range).  The 2a range is also the usual one in Irish music -
the uilleann pipes are designed for it.

2b - the two-octave range from D - was standard on the military flute music
of the 18th and 19th centuries, but anything above B sounds horrible on most
whistles, so you won't often find a flute going up there today; they're
outnumbered.  Mandolin players are more likely to follow the flutes up to
high D than fiddlers are, but there is no real Scottish repertoire for this
range any more.

The ten-note range 1b is playable on the fiddle in first position using the
top two strings, with sporadic use of the D string for the low G where it
occurs.  From the number of tunes like that in the repertoire, the use of
the fiddle as a sort of imitation bagpipe seems to have been common for a
very long time.

X:0
T:Athole Cummers
M:C
L:1/8
Q:1/4=120
K:ADor
A/A/A A2  A>ce>c|A/A/A A2  B>Gd>B|A/A/A A2  A>ce>c|e<g      d<g B>Gd>B:|
e<A   e>d e<AA<a|e<A   e>d B<GG<g|e>A   e>d g>ab>a|g/f/e/d/ g>d B<GG<g:|

Accordions are usually limited to one of those ranges when playing Scottish
music, though most can go well beyond any of them.  There is an established
genre of "pipe tunes" played on the accordion - these may or may not have
started out on the pipes, but they fit the 1a (or less commonly 1b) pattern.
Often these tunes composed for the accordion are taken up by Highland pipers;
there's rarely any mystery about their origin on the "wrong" instrument, but
that doesn't stop them becoming popular.

The full first-position range of the fiddle is most often used for slower
tunes, like this one:

X:0
T:Lament for the Death of the Reverend Archie Beaton
C:John Mason
S:Natalie McMaster's website
M:4/4
L:1/8
Q:1/4=80
K:G
  Bc  |d3  d  dcBA|G2 B2 D2 G2|E2   GE  D2    B,A,/B,/|A,6
  Bc  |d3  d  dcBA|G2 B2 D2 G2|E2   cA  F2 {E}D2      |G6 :|
  B,A,|G,3 B, D2D2|B2 BA G3  E|D2   GE  D2    B,A,/B,/|A,6
  B,A,|G,3 B, D2D2|B2 BA G3  E|D2   GB, A,3     B,/A,/|G,4- G,
B,B,A,|G,B,DG Bdga|b2 ba g3  e|d2 (3gfe d2    Bc/B/   |A6
  Bc  |d3   d dcBA|G2 B2 D2 G2|E2   cA  FDCA,         |G,6|]

The Ballochmyle Brig Strathspey is one of the few traditional Scottish
tunes going beyond first position range on the fiddle, and has the widest
range of any Scottish tune I know.  The score in the book, unusually for
a Scottish music book, marks the fiddle fingerings.  I have only ever
heard it played once, by Iain Grant on the diatonic harmonica:

X:0
T:Ballochmyle Brig Strathspey
B:Kerr's Merry Melodies, volume 3
C:A. McAlpine 
M:C
L:1/8
Q:1/4=108
K:A
E2 E>F E<CC<E|  A<cB>A   F<AE<C|F2 F>G  F>EC<E  |  F<AG<B    A2 [1 A<c:|\
                                                                [2 A,2||
c<ed>c B>AG<B|(3Ace a>c' a>ec<A|d>fb>c' d'>c'b>a|  g>ag>f  (3efe (3dcB |
e<ca>e d>cB>A|  f<db>a   g>ed>B|e<ca>e  f<db>a  |(3gfe (3dcB A4       |]

but the bottom A is not really essential to the tune and could be played
an octave up without losing anything significant - in effect it has a
range of two octaves and a semitone from C sharp above middle C.


3. Authentic and Plagal Modes
=============================

Most Scottish tunes tend to have the home note at the lower end of the
tune's range, with no more than one note below.  The mediaeval theorists
who invented the naming system for the 7-note modes classified tunes like
that as being in AUTHENTIC modes.  Some melodies of Gregorian chant have
a very limited range, to meet the lowest common denominator among the
monks' voices.  This is the same problem the bagpipe faces with its nine-
note scale; the only modes that have a tonal centre in two octaves are
the A-final ones.  Unlike most major-mode tunes, D major tunes for the pipes
have only one home note, in the middle of the range, rather than two an
octave apart.  The mediaeval theorists described tunes like this as being
in PLAGAL modes; each of the four modes they recognized had both authentic
and plagal forms, with different ranges.  (Despite what the names suggest,
plagal modes probably came first).  This is a typical plagal major mode
Scottish tune, originally a song but playable on the pipes:

X:O
T:The Bonny Lass of Fyvie
M:C|
L:1/8
Q:1/2=60
K:D
A|d>cde d3 A|d>cde d3 A|d2 fg  a2gf|e2A2 A3
g|f>efg a2AA|d>edB G2BB|A2 d>d edcB|A2d2 d3|]

Authentic major-mode tunes with a range of exactly an octave are unusual
in Scottish music; there is nearly always an extra note at either or both
ends of the scale.  For both of these tunes, the first part (or verse)
stays within one octave, but the second part (or chorus) goes higher:

X:0
T:The Auld House
M:C
L:1/8
Q:1/4=120
K:G
G|B<B A>G A>G E<G|D<D G>B A2 G>A|B<B A>G A>G E<G|D<B B>A G3:|
G|A<A B>d e>e d>B|d<B A>G A2 G>A|B<B A>G E>D D<G|D<B B>A G3:|

X:0
T:There was a Lad was Born in Kyle
M:C|
L:1/8
Q:1/2=72
K:D
  D|D2D2 A2D>E|F2E2 E2F>E|D2D2 A2D>E|F2d2 A3
  A|BcdA FGAF |BAGF E2FE |D2d2 ABAG |F3 E D2 ||
A>B|d2d2 defd |edef e2dB |ABde defe |d2A2 B2A2|
    BcdA FGAF |BAGF EGFE |D2d2 ABAG |F3E  D3 |]

The same distinction works for gapped scales.  This is a plagal tune
in the dorian/minor hexatonic mode:

X:0
T:Fine Flowers in the Valley
G:ballad tune
S:The Scottish Folksinger
M:C
L:1/8
Q:1/4=100
K:GDor
    G2 GF D2 D2|G2  GF D4|
    B4    A2 Bc|c4     B2
Bc |d2 d2 c2 BA|G>A B2 D2
D>D|D2 B2 BA GF|G4     G4|]

X:0
T:Eppie Morrie
S:Ewan MacColl, Personal Choice
M:C
L:1/8
Q:1/4=100
K:FMin
z2 |Fc    cc  A<F F
F  |GE    EG  B2  z
c  |A/F/F FA  G<E C
C  |FF    G<G FE  C3/
 C/|FF    G<G F2  |]

and these are pentatonic examples:

X:0
T:Uist Tramping Song
G:march
M:2/4
L:1/8
Q:1/4=100
K:D
% lydian/major/mixolydian pentatonic
AB|d2  AB|d2 df|a>a af|aa
fe|d2  df|a2 fa|b>b af|fe
fa|b>b ba|fe de|f>e dB|BA
AB|d>d dd|ba fe|d2  de|d2|]

X:0
T:Border Widow's Lament
S:Kinsley, The Oxford Book of Ballads
M:C
L:1/8
Q:1/4=70
K:A
% lydian/major/mixolydian pentatonic
c>B|BA  AF E>F AB |c2    BA    B2
c>B|BA  AF EF  AB |c2    BA    A2
A2 |A>c ef f2  e>f|fe    ec {c}B2
cB |B>A FA E>F AB |c2 {c}B>A   A2|]

This distinction vanishes completely with the fiddle.  Tunes predating the
fiddle were often adapted by fiddlers with the range greatly extended, and
new tunes specifically for the fiddle could be impossible to adapt for an
instrument of more limited range, as well being unsingable for most people,
like this reel from the early 19th century:

X:0
T:Rachael Rae
M:C|
L:1/8
Q:1/2=108
K:D
D2FA d2Ac|d2fd e2cA|d2AF BAGF|EFGA FDD2:|
defg a2fd|g2bg e2cA|defg a2fd|egfe fddA |
defg fafd|g2bg e2cA|d2AF BAGF|EFGA FDD2|]

And with music from the tradition of major/minor tonality, almost any
performable range can be used even for vocal music, as in this Australian
music hall song:

X:0
T:Take Me Down The Harbour
M:6/8
L:1/8
Q:3/8=120
K:C
   G|GEG G2G|GEG G2G   |c2B A2F|Bd2- d2
   A|AFE DEF|AFE D2A   |A2G A2B|dG2- G2:|
   z|G2E G2c|e3  d2c/c/|A2F A2F|A3-  A2
[1 A|B2A B2A|B2A B3    |A2G A2G|A2G  E2:|
[2 A|B2d c2A|B2A G2G   |c3  d3 |c3-  c2|]

where the range starts one note above the tonal centre, so it's neither
low enough to be authentic nor high enough to be plagal.

The pipe chanter is not an exact fit to the authentic/plagal distinction;
nothing in mediaeval music theory corresponds to the B-final and E-final
modes, where the tonal centre is not in the middle of the range.  Indian
and Middle Eastern art music theory do recognize modes like that.

Most folk music traditions have far less plagal tunes than Scotland.  In
Hungarian music they're almost unknown.  One place where they do occur
frequently is in Sweden, where the traditional bagpipe (sackpipa) uses
this scale:

X:0
T:The Swedish sackpipa scale
M:none
L:1/4
K:AMin
E2 ^F ^G A2 B c d e2 d c B A2 ^G ^F E2|]

The tonal centre is nearly always A, so this is the melodic minor
scale, but used symmetrically with rising and falling forms identical.
It is most often used in a gapped form, as here with the sixth missing:

X:0
T:Jag blaste i min pipa
S:http://olle.gallmo.se/sackpipa/beginnertunes.php?lang=en
S:http://olle.gallmo.se/sackpipa/sounds/rannarn.mp3
M:4/4
L:1/8
Q:1/4=140
K:AMin
A2|A3 ^G E2 E2|c4    c2 B2| B3  A ^G2 B2|d2 d2 c2 B2|
   A3 ^G E2 E2|c4    B3  A|^G3  B  e2 G2|A6        :|
B2|c2 cB c2 cB|c2 e2 e3  d| B2 BA  B2 BA|B2 d2 d3  c|
   A3 ^G E2 E2|c4    B3  A|^G3  B  e2 G2|A6        :|

X:0
T:Sackpiplat efter Jon Lars Olsson
M:3/4
L:1/8
Q:1/4=120
K:AMin
E2 A>G  E>G|B2 d>B c2|e2 d>c B>A|^G2 A4    :|
A2 e>c  e>c|e2 e>d B2|d2 d>B c>A| B2 B>^G E2|
A2 A>^G E>G|B2 d>B c2|e2 d>c B>A|^G2 A4    :|

X:0
T:Polska efter Lars Ahs
M:3/4
L:1/8
Q:3/4=60
K:AMin
E>^G A>B   c>A|B^G/B/ A3     B|c/B/c/d/ e2 ce|d2 B4:|
c>d  e2    e2 |c>e    dB/d/ cA|c>d      e2 e2|
c>e  dB/d/ cA |A^G    EE    GA|B^G/B/   A4  :|

but the full scale is sometimes used:

X:0
T:Vals fran Enviken
M:3/4
L:1/8
Q:1/4=120
K:AMin
E3 ^G Ac|B3  A ^G2| c2 Bc ed|   B3 A B2 |
E3 ^G Ac|B3  A ^G2| c2 Bc ed|   B6     :|
c2  e3 d|c2 B2  A2|^GA Bc BG|   E3^F E2 |
c2  e3 d|c2 B2  A2|^GA Bc BG|[1 A4-  AB:|\
                             [2 A6     |]

X:0
T:Brudmarsch fran Appelbo
M:4/4
L:1/8
Q:1/4=120
K:AMin
E>^F E>^F ^G2  GF|E^G EG  B2 B2|c>B de cA  A2|B>A   Bc  B>^G E2|
E>^F E>^F ^G2  GF|E^G EG  B2 B2|c>B cd e2 ^GB|Ac/B/ A^G A4    :|
c>B  cd   .e2 .e2|dB ^GB .d2.d2|c>d cB A^G AB|c>B   B^G E4     |
c>B  cd   .e2 .e2|dB ^GB .d2.d2|c.B cd e2 ^GB|Ac/A/ A^G A4    :|

Almost always, tunes in an authentic mode finish on the lower tonal
centre.  This Russian song ends at the top:

X:0
T:White Bird-Cherry Tree
M:C
L:1/8
Q:1/4=90
K:BMin
  z2 B,D|F3 F EGFE|DC B,4
     AF |B3 A AGFE|F4  ||
|:z2 AF |B3 F AGFE|GF B,4
     FF |AGFE F2F2|B4  :|

Maybe that comes from Byzantine chant.  In a Scottish tune it would sound
like hamming it up.


4. Non-repeating Octaves
========================

The dumbed-down "seven mode" system popularized in the folk scene assumes
that the same pattern of pitches is repeated in every octave.  In most of
the world's musical traditions, that isn't true.  

Some musical genres have explicitly recognized modes where different
octaves have different pitch sets.  The FREYGISH mode of klezmer music
resembles the Arabic hijaz mode, but at the bottom end the sixth is
natural rather than flat:

X:0
T:The Freygish Mode on D
M:none
L:1/4
K:DPhr
D2 C =B, C D2 E ^F G A B c d2 c B A G ^F E D2 C =B, C D2||

X:0
T:Sherele
M:4/4
L:1/8
Q:1/4=120
K:DPhr
 G4     B4   |d8                        |\
 dccB   BAAG |A8                        |\
 A4     c4   |e8                        |\
 dccB   BAG^F|G8                       :|
 AG^F2  FED2 |DG^FG                A2d2 |\
 AG^F2  FED2 |C/=B,/C/D/ E/G/^F/E/ D4  :|
 DC=B,C D2E2 |D8                        |\
^FEDE   F2G2 |A8                        |\
 ABc2   c2c2 |cBBA                 AGG^F|
^FGA2   A2A2 |AGG^F                FEED |\
 C=B,CD DG^FE|D8                       :|

When a tune goes into the next octave, the B is flat again.

The way the Highland pipe treats the low and high G's differently is an
octave asymmetry of a similar kind.  Here is another kind of asymmetry,
a mixolydian tune ranging wider than the pipes but where the seventh is
omitted in the lower octave:

X:0
T:Lochaber No More
G:lament
M:3/4
L:1/8
Q:1/4=80
K:GMix
GA|B2 B2 Bc|B2 A2 Bd|e2 A2   AB |B2 A2
GA|Bd cB AG|E2 D2 GA|B2 G2   GA |G4 :|
GA|B2 B2 Bc|d2 cB AB|G2 g2   ga |a2 g2
GA|B2 B2 Bc|d2 cB AB|G2 g2   ga |g4
de|f2 f2 ed|e4    EG|A2 A2 (3GAB|B2 A2
GA|Bd cB AG|E2 D2 GA|B2 G2   GA |G4 |]


=============================================================================
==  (c) Jack Campin         http://www.campin.me.uk/          August 2013  ==
==        11 Third Street, Newtongrange, Midlothian EH22 4PU, Scotland     ==
==                                                                         ==
==              these pages: http://tinyurl.com/scottishmodes              ==
=============================================================================