============================================================================= = Scales and Modes in Scottish Traditional Music = = Jack Campin = ============================================================================= Tonally Un-Scottish Scottish Music ================================== The 18th century saw the introduction of new harmonic and melodic forms from Italy, France, Germany and England. Sometimes these were adopted wholesale, but there were some unusual fusions of the European style with the native one, like this reel by (or possibly for) the leading Scottish art-music composer of the mid-18th century, the Earl of Kelly: X:0 T:Lord Kelly's Reel G:reel N:transposed back from flute version in Aird v1 M:C L:1/8 Q:1/2=92 K:GMin F|DGBG dGBG|F>GAf FG (B/A/G/F/)|DGGB AcBd|cf (d/c/B/A/) BG G:| g|bgdg Gggb|afcf Ff fg/a/ |bgdg fdcB|Af d/c/B/A/ BG Gg| bgdg GBgb|afcf Fc fa |bgaf gdcB|Af d/c/B/A/ BG G|] While that tune uses an Italian harmonic progression inspired by Corelli, it still leaves out the sixth to fit the dorian/minor hexatonic scale. Many fiddle tunes of this period have a similar structure, and for some reason I don't understand nearly all of them are in G minor or were first published in that key. The innovations of the nineteenth century that now feature in every Scottish dance band's repertoire - like "Gaelic waltzes" and polkas - were harder to assimilate. Some are older traditional tunes given new rhythms: others are impossible to adapt to scales with gaps or non-diatonic modes, like these tunes with sections in different keys and key changes within sections as well: X:0 T:Bluebell Polka G:polka S:Kerr's Merry Melodies v1 (1875) C:F. Stanley N:Everybody thinks Jimmy Shand wrote this. N:He didn't start *that* long ago. M:2/4 L:1/16 Q:1/4=100 K:G (3Bdg|b2b2 g>fg>e|d2d2B2 zG|F2A2 c2e2|ed^cd B2 (3Bdg| b2b2 g>fg>e|d2d2B2 zG|FGAB cdef|g2g2 g2 :| K:D z2 |A2A2 FAdf |a2a2f4 |a2^g2 =g3e |b2 (3aba ^g2a2 | A2A2 FAdf |a2a2f4 |a2^g2 =g3e |d2d2 d2 :| K:G (3Bdg|b2b2 g>fg>e|d2d2B2 zG|F2A2 c2e2|ed^cd B2 (3Bdg| b2b2 g>fg>e|d2d2B2 zG|FGAB cdef|g2g2 g2 :| K:C z2 |e2e2 efg2 |e2e2 efg2|f2f2 fdB2|fefg fdB2 | e2e2 efg2 |e2e2 efg2|f2f2 fdBd|c2c2 c2 :| K:G (3Bdg|b2b2 g>fg>e|d2d2B2 zG|F2A2 c2e2|ed^cd B2 (3Bdg| b2b2 g>fg>e|d2d2B2 zG|FGAB cdef|g2g2 g2 :| X:0 T:The Oslo Waltz G:accordion waltz C:Felix Burns? S:Jim Paterson (with one minor change) N:its full weirdness is only apparent when you see the chords M:3/4 L:1/8 Q:3/4=56 K:A % -- A part e2|fe ce Ac|E2 A2 c2|F6|E4 A2|G3 =G ^G2|e4 d2| c2 c=c ^cd|c4 e2| fe ce Ac|E2 A2 c2|F6|E4 A2|G3 =G ^G2|e4 G2|(3ABA GA ce|a2 z2 :| % -- B part c/d^d/|:e6|a6|a2 g2 f2|c6|e3 f e2|d2 c2 B2| A2 AG AB|c6 | e6|a6|a2 g2 f2|c6|e3 f e2|d2 c2 B2|(3ABA GA ce|[1 a2 z2 e2:|\ [2 a2 z2 || % -- A part |:e2|fe ce Ac|E2 A2 c2|F6|E4 A2|G3 =G ^G2|e4 d2| c2 c=c ^cd|c4 e2| fe ce Ac|E2 A2 c2|F6|E4 A2|G3 =G ^G2|e4 G2|(3ABA GA ce|a2 z2 :| % -- C part K:D d/^d/e/^e/|:f6-|f6 |d6- |d6 |F2 A2 d2|f2 a2 ^a2| b6-|b6 | g6 |e4 d2|c6 |c4 B2|A6 |A2 ^G2 =G2| F6 |AB cd e=f | f6-|f6 |d6- |d6 |F2 A2 d2|f2 a2 ^a2| b6-|b6 | d'6|c'4 b2|a4 f2|d2 c2 B2|A6 |e6 |[1 d6 |AB cd e=f:|\ [2 d6-|d2 z2 || % -- A part K:A |:e2|fe ce Ac|E2 A2 c2|F6|E4 A2|G3 =G ^G2|e4 d2| c2 c=c ^cd|c4 e2| fe ce Ac|E2 A2 c2|F6|E4 A2|G3 =G ^G2|e4 G2|(3ABA GA ce|a2 z2 :| Tunes like Lord Kelly's Reel are based around chord progressions rather than melodic ideas, and this kind of composition became increasingly common in Scottish music during the 19th century. 18th century Scottish tunes were almost never harmonized using anything but major or minor triads: at most a dominant seventh on the final cadence of a section. By the beginning of the 20th century, almost any harmony known to art music could feature, mainly thanks to the influence of gypsy jazz. At one point in the 1950s, someone at the BBC decided to make a stand against this and enforce the stylistic purity of Scottish dance music by banning broadcast Scottish dance bands from using diminished chords. Angus Fitchet responded with a reel in which the melody itself contains an unavoidable diminished arpeggio, which can only sensibly be harmonised with a diminished seventh chord: X:0 T:J.B. Milne C:Angus Fitchet M:C| L:1/8 Q:1/2=120 K:A cd|"A" efed c2A2| E2A2 c4 | cedc B2A2 |"Bm"d6 Bc|"E7" dedc B2G2| E2G2 B4 | BdcB A2B2 |"A" c6 cd|"A" efed c2A2| E2A2 c4 | cedc B2A2 |"D" f6 fg|"Cdim7"af^d=c A2ag|"A"fecA E2gf|"E7"e/f/e ^de f2g2 |"A" a6|| cd|"A" e2c2 f2c2| e2c2 f2c2| e2^de "F#m"fe=dc|"Bm"d6 Bc|"E7" d2B2 e2B2| d2B2 e2B2| d2cd edcB |"A7"c6 cd|"A" e2c2 f2c2| e2c2 f2c2| a2ga baga |"D" f6 fg|"Cdim7"abag fagf|"A"fecA E2gf|"E7"e/f/e ^de f2g2 |"A" a6|] The tune was an instant hit, and is still played by almost every ceilidh band in Scotland. Modality lost that battle. ============================================================================= == (c) Jack Campin http://www.campin.me.uk/ August 2010 == == 11 Third Street, Newtongrange, Midlothian EH22 4PU, Scotland == == == == these pages: http://tinyurl.com/scottishmodes == =============================================================================