Irish vs Scottish

[TheSpoonMan]

(basically a major scale with a lowered 7th; G to G on the D whistle

Actually, that'd be on a C whistle. Mixo is A to A, with the C# (or D to D with the Cnat) on a D whistle

[Unseen122]

Interesting disscusion here. I played GHBs for a couple of years, and found that they were not what I wanted to be playing. I started playing Whistle more and eventually went to Flute. Although, sometimes I play what would be an E doubling on GHBs as an alternative to an A roll on Flute.

Now what about Northumbrian and Lowland music? Breton, Galician, and Asturian where do they fall?

One interesting thing is the culture with the Pipes that can play staccato notes (Uilleanns) generally play in a smoother style. Of course there is Donegal Fiddling, ok that is very influenced by Scottish music.

[WyoBadger]

(basically a major scale with a lowered 7th; G to G on the D whistle

Actually, that'd be on a C whistle. Mixo is A to A, with the C# (or D to D with the Cnat) on a D whistle

Right you are. Don't know what came over me.

T

[WyoBadger]

One interesting thing is the culture with the Pipes that can play staccato notes (Uilleanns) generally play in a smoother style.

That is indeed interesting; I'd never thought of that before. But I can't imagine GHP tunes played on uilleanns--I think that would sound pretty ugly. On the other hand, Scottish small pipes and shuttle pipes can sound mighty smooth in the right hands.

T

[Chiffed]

We've got a NSP player, an UPer and a drummer coming to the island tomorrow. I'll let you know....

[The Sporting Pitchfork]

Now what about Northumbrian and Lowland music? Breton, Galician, and Asturian where do they fall?

In a great big ditch, hopefully...

[The Sporting Pitchfork]

...Only joking...

[AaronMalcomb]

Please disregard and refer to the following post.

[AaronMalcomb]

Much has been said about the "rigidity" of Scottish trad. I've read several places that this is almost entirely a result of the whole pipes culture being co-opted by the Brittish military. Before that, pipes, while still a military instrument, were much freer and more in touch with folk music. Since many of the earliest Scots emigrants went to Cape Bretton early on in the clearances, they took the old school piping with them. That's why the Cape Breton style is arguably considered the more "old fashioned" nowadays.

Not quite so simple, Tom, but you're in the ballpark. Most all of Scottish music became 'institutionalised' in some manner or the other, not just piping. The GHB has just taken longer to de-institutionalise itself. As to the military role, that is still debated. IFRC it wasn't really until the 20th century that the army began a set curriculum. For the longest time pipers coming to the army had learned the 'traditional' way. Because the regiments were raised regionally you had pipers from the same locale playing together but then only usually in small numbers.

Those who are doing a lot of serious research into the matter point to the Highland Societies, the competition circuit and the pipe band movement. It was the Piobaireachd Society that collaborated with the Army School to develop its curriculum and that cemented the settings of tunes for piobaireachd competition. The pipe band movement really took off in the cities when the local government and Highland Societies wanted a bit of pomp and the army would mass the various pipers (and later drummers) from their regiments for public events and parades. A band obviously demands uniformity in playing. From there local police and collieries formed their own pipe bands and eventually band competitions began.

What piping became in Cape Breton isn't so much of a time capsule as it is an isolation of the tradition. It started with what piping was at the time of the clearances but to say it didn't evolve in its own way would be naïve. And even if it didn't and it is an accurate time capsule, mostly the island traditions would have been caspsulated as that is where the majority of immigrants were from. That leaves out a major portion of Scotland and Gaelic culture.