The Skye Glen Waltz

  1. John Kelly
    John Kelly
    This enforced period of being restricted in our movements is certainly getting us to produce music! Here is one I have just done, a Scottish waltz by Blair Douglas which I found in one of my many tune books. It was not a tune I had heard and I initially played it at the slow tempo I use in the opening, then I went online and found it being played by a fine accordionist from Caithness and I took the quicker tempo from his playing, before reverting to my slow ending.

    Played on octave once again with mandolin and guitar tracks added as backing.

    If you are reading this Simon, the focus is still a bit iffy (and even if you are not, there is still a bit of focus drift!)

  2. Bertram Henze
    Bertram Henze
    Lovely, John - and there is a distinct flavour of americanness in the chords, a lean cowboy riding into the sunset, and I hear faint vestiges of Tom Dooley (I managed to sing the chorus to it, too).

    As it happens, I was thinking of Caithness this morning, when Regina and I took a walk in the park behind our house. The cold and clear air and the total absence of people, the stillness and peace everywhere strongly reminded me of the NorthLink ferryport in Scrabster, where we had arrived two hours early last summer for the crossing to Stromness. Suddenly, Scotland seems to be everywhere, sans tourists, and that is one of the good side effects (you've just got to see some silver lining!)
  3. Ginny Aitchison
    Ginny Aitchison
    I put a comment here and it disappeared..or i forgot to save it..?? anyway John, beautiful melody on a new tune - I like it both slow and fast.
    As Bertram says - we all play to our neighbours at 6 pm.
    I am finding that the quality time spent indoors has a) made my house incredibly clean and b) able to listen to the member's previous posts on YouTube from a while back. Interesting to see the evolution of players skills and preferences and differences in recordings and engineering.
  4. David Hansen
    David Hansen
    Is this the same Blair Douglas who was in Runrig? I do hear a western influence like Bertram but maybe it's a western isle a stone's throw from Scotland? I am always impressed by your fluid changes in tempo, that's something that is difficult for me. Great tune expertly played.
  5. John Kelly
    John Kelly
    Thanks, folks. This musical activity is certainly working as an antidote to the gloom which can so easily settle on us just now.
    David, Blair is indeed the same fellow who was a founding member of Runrig (back in 1973, I believe), and played in other Scottish bands too. He is a superb accordionist and composer.
    Wonder if the "Western" influence you mention is the effect of the regular strummed waltz time when I played at the faster speed? A lot of Highlanders became cowboys/cattle handlers when they emigrated to the US in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and the Scottish influence is very strong in much American and Canadian music.
  6. Gelsenbury
    Gelsenbury
    Nice tune, nicely played! I, too, like the tempo change. You make it sound simple, although it really isn't.

    I've actually been working even harder since working from home because of all the changes required by the "new normal". Perhaps I'll get to play mandolin again sometime next week.
  7. Frithjof
    Frithjof
    A nice waltz expertly performed. Thanks, John.
    The tempo change is interesting and well done together with your own accompaniment.
  8. Christian DP
    Christian DP
    Beautful waltz nicely played!
  9. John Kelly
    John Kelly
    Thanks again, folks. The tempo changes can really add something to a tune and there are many of our Scottish tunes that can be heard played by different musicians at quite different tempos and even rhythms. There is a tune, Tom Anderson's Airthrey Castle, which I uploaded a couple of years back as a slow air, and I have heard it played as a Strathspey and even a 2/4 march! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yBrnTdQXx0
    This does not just apply to Scottish music, of course!
  10. Simon DS
    Simon DS
    Thanks John really like the changes in tempo and the ‘poise’, I think’s the word. Was going to write ‘elegance’.
  11. Christian DP
    Christian DP
    Thanks John for publishing this tune! I liked your version so much, that I also wanted to try it. Looking for the sheet music, I discovered that Traditionalmusic and the Session have big differences in their versions. The one pubished in the Session seemed more authentic to me, I only added some ties between the same notes.
    For my video I searched some picture from Skye Glen, and the main attraction there seems to be their creamery.
  12. John Kelly
    John Kelly
    A fine version, Christian. Your mandolin has a quite unusual sound in this one, almost as if it had nylon strings? Are you recording it in a different way from your previous recordings?
  13. Sherry Cadenhead
    Sherry Cadenhead
    Thanks, Christine, for reviving this thread. Not only did I enjoy the music, but I'm reminded that, even as bad as things are currently, we're closer to the end (whenever that might be) than we were in March 2020.
  14. Ginny Aitchison
    Ginny Aitchison
    I told CC on a YT comment that I had not heard this and then I saw that John had done it last year. Sorry - going senile - love the song any way !
  15. Christian DP
    Christian DP
    Thanks John, Sherry and Ginny. I recorded my bowlback in the usual way, but I invested in some new flatwound strings and picked with a tilted pick, so there are fewer trebles. I forgot that I had recorded another version with an a oval hole mandolin and a steelstring guitar:
  16. Frankdolin
    Frankdolin
    Boy ,do I love the Waltz! Beautifullly played by all!
  17. Simon DS
    Simon DS
    Beautifully performed Christian, I enjoyed the images too.

    Frank are hinting that all those who usually favor a certain type of music should play something different?
    -I’m a reel and jig man myself!
  18. Sherry Cadenhead
    Sherry Cadenhead
    Sorry for the typo, Christian. Another nice rendition. You got more???
  19. Frithjof
    Frithjof
    Both of your versions have their own charm, Christian.
  20. Frankdolin
    Frankdolin
    I'm a music man. I couldn't tell you what any of those are. Don't know foxtrot from whatever other names you guys have for the different rythyms or styles. I had to ask John if a tune I wrote was really a waltz.
  21. Kay Kirkpatrick
    Kay Kirkpatrick
    This tune is a great find... thanks for playing it, John and Christian. I have it pulled up on the Session, waiting to get home.
  22. John Kelly
    John Kelly
    Blair Douglas is worth following up for other tunes, Kay. He is a very fine composer as well as a great Scottish accordionist. Hope you enjoy playing this one.
  23. Kay Kirkpatrick
    Kay Kirkpatrick
    I ended up playing it a good number of times, with you and with Christian. It is peaceful and falls under the fingers quite nicely; it's a joy to play
  24. John Kelly
    John Kelly
    Another gem from Blair Douglas is Kate Martin's Waltz, Kay. Lots of versions of it available on YouTube, including Blair himself playing. Here is a link to one of his versions: https://youtu.be/K-aLD-i8JYY
  25. Alcluith
    Alcluith
    And here is a version of Kate Martin's Waltz in G

    X:1
    T:Kate Martin's Waltz
    C:Blair Douglas
    R:waltz
    L:1/8
    M:3/4
    I:linebreak $
    K:G
    |: GA |"G" B3 A Bg |"C" e3 d GA |"G" B6- | B4 GA | B3 A Bg |"C" e4 B2 |"D7" A6- | A4 GA |"G" B3 A Bg |$
    "C" e3 d GA |"G" B d3 de |"G" d4 GA |"G" B3 A Bd |"D7" A3 G AB |"G" AG- G4- | G4 :|$
    |:Bd |"C" e3 d eg | e d3 GB |"G" d3 B de | d4 Bd |"C" e3 d eg | e d3 dB |"D7" A6- | A4 gG |$
    "G" B d3 gG |"C" c e3 gG |"G" B d3 de | d4 GA | B3 A Bd |"D7" A3 G AB |"G" AG- G4- | G4 :|]
  26. Simon DS
    Simon DS
    Thanks Alcuith, it’s a lovely tune.
  27. Alcluith
    Alcluith
    The final tune I have , thanks to Nigel Gatherer's site. is another beautiful composition for the nurses of WW1.

    X:1
    T:Roses of No Man's Land
    C:Blair Douglas
    R:Slow Air
    L:1/8
    M:4/4
    I:linebreak $
    K:D
    DE |"D" F2 d2"G" d3 f |"Em" edBd"D" A3 F |"G" G3 A/B/"D" AFdF |"Em" G2 F2"A" E2 |$
    DE |"D" F2 d2"G" d3 f |"Em" edBd"D" A3 F |"G" G3 A/B/"A" AEAE |"D" F2 D2 D2 :|$
    FG |"D" A2 AF"Bm" d2 df |"A" edef"D" A3 z |"G" d2 dB"D" A d2 D/F/ |"D" d3 F"A" E2 |$
    FG |"D" A2 AF"Bm" d2 df |"A" edef"D" A3 F |"G" G3 A/B/"A" AEAE |"D" F2 D2 D2 |$
    FG |"D" A2 AF"Bm" d2 df |"A" edef"D" A3 z |"G" d2 dB"D" A d2 D/F/ |"D" d3 F"A" E2 |$
    DE |"D" F2 d2"G" d3 f |"Em" edBd"D" A3 F |"G" G3 A/B/"A" AEAE |"D" F2 D2 D2 |]
  28. Kay Kirkpatrick
    Kay Kirkpatrick
    John, thanks for Kate Martin's. Note for note it is more straight-fwd than is Skye Glen. And thanks to Alcluith for posting the ABCs. I found it on TheSession, too. When I am ready to copy/paste I'll put in the ABCs for Roses.
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