It seems that there is so much more on for flute and whistle players to attend these days and it is great to see that the inaugural Alex Green Weekend will take place in Aberdeen 1-3 March. The weekend celebrates the NE whistler with an impressive lineup of concerts and workshops organised by The Elphinstone Institute, which is part of the University of Aberdeen.
Featured performers and tutors are Cathal McConnell, Mary Bergin, Fred Morrison, Dougie Pincock, Claire Mann, Tom Oakes and Kenny Hadden in a range of events, some of which are free to attend.
It’s a good chance to see and hear so many contributors to The FluteFling Collection – five of those mentioned are included. You can get your copy here or catch Kenny Hadden over the festival weekend.
Alex Green had a unique and authentic style of playing, which has been described as “spit-staccato” (I’m sure there must be a better and more attractive descriptor — maybe someone who knows NE Scottish dialects can suggest one). A highly influential and generous musician by all accounts.
In Scotland when the clocks are turned back in October, you know you’re getting deep into Autumn, with darker days and longer nights. Which makes the thought of being indoors with others to play music so much more inviting, as it was for the first FluteFling outing to the Granite City since 2019.
Niall Kenny takes a group at the Saturday workshops (c) Gordon Turnbull
Niall Kenny and Munro Gauld had previously taught at FluteFling in Edinburgh but this was the first time Tina Jordan Rees had taught with us, so it was a departure from our previous outings. Indeed, this was the first time that none of the core tutors were teaching.
This year we were based at Ruthrieston Community Centre, with sessions at The Blue Lamp (Friday and Sunday) and at Cults Bowling Club (Saturday). The latter was unusual for us and made necessary by the lack of available venues in the city, a problem we found when organising the Edinburgh weekend in May and part of a wider problem across the country. However, we were made very welcome and had the space to ourselves.
Storms Babet and Ciarán had battered the NE of Scotland and made travel plans for many a bit tricky but we were all there to enjoy a well-attended event — the highest numbers we have had for the Aberdeen weekend.
The Friday night session at The Blue Lamp in Aberdeen. (c) Malcolm Reavell
With familiar faces gathering at the Friday night session, we eased ourselves into remembering what these gatherings are all about. Where else can you be in the company of such great flute players and fellow aficionados without apology? Digging out the musical gems from the back of the mind, sharing knowledge and news together. It was an informal way to warm ourselves up and reorient ourselves to the flute world.
Saturday
FluteFling at Ruthrieston Community Centre, Aberdeen (c) Gordon Turnbull
The Saturday venue at Ruthrieston was new to us and well-scouted by John Crawford, who once again had done a great job to ensure that a FluteFling weekend could go ahead. Sadly, John wasn’t able to attend in person until the final session, but we hope he is on the mend and in good fettle for the next outing. Kenny Hadden was of course on hand throughout the day and Coralie Mills returned to the front desk to ensure everything ran smoothly from registration to packing up and all things in between.
Tina Jordan Rees leads a workshop. (c) Gordon Turnbull
Once again, we rotated three groups around the three tutors so that everyone got a range of different perspectives and focus. The longer breaks were a great chance to catch up, try out flutes and clarify teaching points. We were joined just before lunch by flute maker George Ormiston, who was great company and had brought some of his flutes and a whistle for people to try.
George Ormiston during on the breaks between workshops (c) Gordon Turnbull
We were struck by the fact that almost all of those attending the weekend were playing modern flutes and only a handful of older flutes were being played. It’s a sure sign of how flute making has come on in recent years that so many high quality instruments are now available to musicians. We didn’t do a survey, but as well as numerous Ormistons, there were examples by Aebi, Gabriel, Windward, Lehart, Thomson, Wilkes and certainly others. Maybe next time we should do a survey.
Munro Gauld (L) and Dougie Pincock (R) in conversation. (c) Gordon Turnbull
The talk at the end of the day was an interview with Munro Gauld led by Dougie Pincock. The focus was Munro’s work in exploring some of the vast archives of Scottish traditional music, in particular rediscovering the lost music of the Gàidhlig Highlands.
In particular, Munro stressed the importance of connecting the music to place, people and story. This roots the music in history and directly connects the present day musician and listener to people, events and emotions of the past, giving it an additional depth and heft that might otherwise be missing. Munro went on to describe how we can all do this for ourselves, digging where we stand. It is clear that there is much to be unearthed and brought to light, and that many were clearly inspired to do so.
Personally, I felt that there was possibly a natural synergy in rediscovering forgotten Scottish music on flutes, an instrument long forgotten in Scotland, now becoming remembered.
I have been aware of Munro’s work for a while and his talk was originally going to be at Edinburgh in 2020, which of course fell foul of Covid. For those who were not there on this occasion, the interview was recorded by Peter Saunders for The Scottish Flute Channel on YouTube and will be published in due course.
The evening session was slightly out of town, where Cults Bowling Club made us feel very welcome, giving their space over to us entirely. Lots more tunes, some Bb flutes and an A flute as well.
The Saturday session at Cults Bowling Club (c) Gordon Turnbull
Gordon Turnbull (L) and Peter Saunders (R) playing Bb flutes. (c) Chris Cracknell
Overall, there was a good turnout from Aberdeen and the surrounding area, but people had also travelled from Inverness, Stirlingshire, Dunbar, Edinburgh, Perthshire, Glasgow, Lancashire, Germany and Sweden. It was particularly delightful to finally meet Joel Hagen from Gothenburg, who had been trying to attend a FluteFling weekend since 2020. Joel plays with the Swedish group Jaerv, which are definitely worth checking out. As hoped, he treated us to some Swedish tunes, while Chris Cracknell introduced us to some German tunes as we made common cause with the flute as a lesser-known instrument in other traditions.
The Sunday Survivors’ Session at The Blue Lamp (c) Gordon Turnbull
The Sunday Survivors’ Session was well attended, with two sittings. Making the most of the daylight for driving meant that I only briefly saw John Crawford to thank him for the successful arrangements, and was literally heading out of the door when Peter arrived with George Ormiston and Munro, fresh from interviewing for the Scottish Flute Channel. From conversations with Peter, I think we are in for a treat over the rest of the winter as the interviews are published.
Thanks to everyone who helped to plan the weekend and ensure that it ran smoothly, in particular John Crawford, Peter Saunders, Kenny Hadden, Coralie Mills, Lorna Aucott, Dougie Pincock and George Ormiston, plus of course the three fine tutors themselves. Thanks too, to all of the venues for accommodating us so well.
Postscript:
Munro has since shared a link on Facebook to a blog on some of his work. He writes:
Here is the second blog of research from the An Cuinneachadh project looking at C18th music connected with Fort Augustus. This episode focuses on the then owners of the land at the southern end of Loch Ness – The Lovat Frasers. Their story is “colourful” and encompasses bigamy, treason and beheading, as well as Royal recognition and great honours for victory in the battles of Britain’s emerging empire. These events were captured at the time by music and song (the social media of their day). Playing these reels, strathspeys, marches and Gaelic songs helps us journey back 250 years to get a sense of a very different Scotland … The blog is available in either English or Gaelic.
Other traditional flute events coming up in Scotland
Wintertrad, led by FluteFling supporter Tom Oakes with Shetland fiddler Ross Couper, is 24-26 November in Edinburgh, again at the Heart of Newhaven Community and around Leith Walk. Highly recommended, with great concerts, workshops and sessions. Flutes are a big focus of course.
Tradwinds
Tradwinds afternoon workshop on Saturday 2nd December 1-4pm. Come along to work on Scottish tunes and techniques for flute and whistles with Gordon Turnbull. Some experience is needed, but it is a mixed and supportive group, teaching material supplied in advance. Fisherrow Community Centre, Musselburgh.
FluteFling NE Tunebook Project: 10 Lochanside/ Borve Castle
Low whistle, Scottish Border pipes and flute in harmony in Sandy Bells, 2018. L-R David Hastie, Allan Sturrock and Kenny Hadden (c) Gordon Turnbull
This tenth video in the series features three tune types – a march, strathspey and reel.
For background to the project of 10 sets of tunes being recorded over 10 weeks, and to see the first video, start here. Alternatively, go straight to the videos on my Youtube channel.
FluteFling NE Tunebook Project: Lochanside/ Borve Castle
This tenth video in the series features two retreat marches. These are from the FluteFling NE Tunebook of Scottish session tunes for flute and whistle and I play these on my Rudall and Rose flute in D.
Lochanside
John McLellan (from Cornemusique website)
Composed by John McLellan (1875-1949) of Dunoon on the Firth of Clyde, this three part tune has gained in session popularity in recent years.
While it has no direct NE Scotland connections, it has been included because it had become a recurring piece in the Sunday survivors’ sessions from FluteFling weekends.
This clip is from a few years ago and you may recognise some regulars (L-R: David Flett, Cathal McConnell, Martin Duckworth, Bill Black, Kenny Hadden, Sharon Creasey, Gordon Turnbull):
As to Lochanside itself, The tune celebrates Loch Loskin on the Cowal peninsula and lyrics have since been added to the melody by Aberdeenshire singer Jim Malcolm. The Pipes and Drums website has a couple of articles on the tune here and here.
And here is Jim Malcolm himself singing his song to the melody:
Borve Castle
Donald MacLeod (from Hands Up for Trad website)
Written by Donald MacLeod (1916-1982), I originally taught tune at one of my monthly Edinburgh workshops in 2018 and you can read about it and find other resources for it on the blog that I wrote at the time.
There are two Borve Castles, one in Sutherland and one in Benbecula. It’s the Sutherland one that gives it a NE connection, but the tune title almost certainly refers to the Benbecula one. My guess in the video that the one in question is in Lewis was close-ish — Donald MacLeod, the bagpipes composer and teacher was born in Stornoway and that was my confusion.
I’ve had it put to me that Borve Castle may be a traditional tune that Donald MacLeod arranged, something many traditional musicians have done over the centuries. The tune appears in one of his tune books and is certainly always attributed to Donald MacLeod.
The melody may have been borrowed from the Donald MacLeod composition, of course. He had been playing and writing music for many years at that point. However, the recording archive notes that another version of the song sets the location in Lochaber, which creates another level of ambiguity if it predates the one in the archive.
To my mind, the authorship isn’t settled, but it’s fascinating to see the way that ideas are borrowed and respectfully used and developed within the tradition.
Over a 10 week or so period, I have been recording and uploading to YouTube a set of tunes from the PDF roughly once a week. The aim is to introduce the tunes, point out some techniques along the way and then play them as a set as I might play them in a session.
As I go along, I’ll take in suggestions to improve the sound and presentation and get back into the way of teaching again. There is an in-built slow down function in YouTube and the PDF is available to everyone, so why not join me on the journey?
FluteFling NE Tunebook Project: 09 Pipe Major Jim Christie of Wick/ The Rose Amang the Heather/ Bonnie Kate o’ Aberdeen
A session at the Dalriada at Edinburgh FluteFling 2019. L-R Munro Gauld, Harry Mayers, Malcolm Reavell, Melanie Simpson, Orin Simpson (c) Gordon Turnbull
This ninth video in the series features three tune types – a march, strathspey and reel.
For background to the project of 10 sets of tunes being recorded over 10 weeks, and to see the first video, start here. Alternatively, go straight to the videos on my Youtube channel.
FluteFling NE Tunebook Project: Pipe Major Jim Christie of Wick/ The Rose Amang the Heather/ Bonnie Kate o’ Aberdeen
This ninth video in the series features a march, strathspey and reel, all associated with the North and North East of Scotland. These are from the FluteFling NE Tunebook of Scottish session tunes for flute and whistle and I play these on my Rudall and Rose 8-keyed flute in D.
Pipe Major Jim Christie of Wick
Pipe Major Jim Christie of Wick was written by Wick fiddler Addie Harper. Apparently one of Addie Harper’s earlier compositions, it sits neatly in the bagpipe scale and suits flutes and whistles well too. I find the structure encourages a pulse of breath that makes it flow along readily. Look out for variations in the deployment of snaps in the melody.
The Cape Breton fiddler Buddy McMaster helped to popularise this tune in Canada and The Traditional Tune archive has some background information on the composition.
Update: Munro Gauld (pictured, above) was in touch about this tune, with helpful information on different versions and background. In particular, he points out that the version in the NE tunebook is not a common one in Scotland and is usually played in 2/4 time with 4 parts. He said,
It’s a tune I know well as it was a staple of the Plockton session when I lived up north 20 years ago, here in Dunkeld it’s also played most weeks at the session and wherever there is a session with a Borders / lowland / cauld wind piper, it usually gets an airing. But it also makes a great fiddle tune. And once you’ve got the hang of articulating the Strathspey-like dotted notes and octave jumps, it’s great fun to play on the flute.
But looking at the NE Tune book version – I’ve never seen it / heard it played as a 4/4. Any time that I have ever heard it played (or played it myself) it is always as a 4-part 2/4 pipe march (as written for the pipes).
Munro illustrated this by sharing a Pipe band version:
Additionally, here’s a session-like version played by a young fiddler in Wick, Addie Harper’s home town.
Munro continues:
It would seem that the version in the NE Tunes book is taken from the playing of Buddy MacMaster (as found on the Trad Tune Archive). Obviously when it travelled with him over the Atlantic it got smoothened out from its 2/4 Pipe March roots to more like a 4/4 reel. Having said that, I couldn’t find a recording of Buddy MacMaster playing it online, so I may be wrong. I did find this fiddle version from Gus Longaphie from (I think) Prince Edward Island which might give an indication of how Buddy MacMaster plays it.
I’d suggest that perhaps, in a Scottish context, the Cape Breton version of the tune is an outlier – and not one that would be commonly played in Scottish sessions. In your Blog it might be worth mentioning this and if you can easily find it, put in a link to music for the 4-part 2/4 Pipe March version.
Munro adds,
Note that the third and fourth parts are both quite tricky – but lovely to play on the flute.
PM Jim Christie of Wick as published in Ceol na Fidhle, published by Taigh na Teud Music Publishers.
This is a good reminder of how things are often not straightforward in traditional music, with different versions and origins often sitting side by side. This is true, even when the composer is known and the music is published, and my thanks to Munro for drawing attention to this.
From my own perspective, I was surprised that the pipe march only had 2 parts, when 4 is more common. Now I know why.
Munro illustrated the 4 part version with a photo (opposite) from the excellent Ceol na Fidhle music book series published by Taigh na Teud Music Publishers based in the Isle of Skye, edited by fiddler Christine Martin. It can be found in the combined Book 3 and 4 edition and I can recommend these and the related books. To see a list of some publications that have been helpful to us in FluteFling, check out the Resources page.
The NE session sets tune book was compiled by John Crawford from existing session material to be found around Aberdeen music groups. The 2-part version allows us to also play with Cape Breton musicians and there is now an opportunity to broaden the repertoire by adding in the additional parts so that we can play with others. I’ll be adding a bonus video of the 4 part version at the end of this project.
Uncertainty about origins and versions is a big theme for this set of tunes and illustrates the folk process in action.
The Rose Amang the Heather
The Rose Amang the Heather is a traditional strathspey in D. It is known by various titles and was taught by Tom Oakes in 2021 as a Northumbrian tune, The Kielder Schottische. I learned it as The Laddie wi’ the Plaidie and it is a good example of a tune that happily exists in different traditions (link to The Session).
The Traditional Tune Archive gives a different, but related, 2-part tune for The Rose Amang the Heather, from The Middleton Collection of 1870.
However, a search for The Lad wi’ the Plaidie reveals a 2-part version from 1910 and a more elaborate 5-part strathspey, 3 of which are the same as our version.
And here’s a recording of Tom Clough (Northumbrian pipes), Billy Ballantyne (piccolo) and Ned Pearson (fiddle): https://youtu.be/rrQaMMjCczA
I suspect that it is Scottish in origin and originally in two parts, but completely take on board Tom’s assertion that it is Northumbrian. Many tunes are common to both Northumbrian and Scottish traditions as each repertoire leaches over the Border.
In addition, the running triplets in the third part are a strong feature of hornpipes beloved of Northumbrian pipers and others. Harvest Home and The Belfast Hornpipe are two notable and well-known tunes that feature this. However, triplets and quadruplets are also common in strathspeys, which are often played at a hornpipe tempo.
I’ll leave it there with regards to this tune, but in my opinion, Northumbrian pipers’ tune books are generally a rich resource for flute and whistle players exploring different settings of Scottish material. Cross-Border hybridisation is clearly a long and noble tradition and there are many threads to the heritage of this lovely tune.
The three part version is the one I have come across the most and it certainly fits the flute and whistle well. Be sure not to let the triplets run away, find a space in the music to breathe and keep it steady.
Bonnie Kate o’ Aberdeen
Bonnie Kate o’ Aberdeen is a reel in Em and has its own questions regarding origins. A tune and a country dance by that name were published in 1771 by Thomson, but the melody, also known as Bonnie Kate, is different. After a bit of hunting around with little success, I tried playing the tune into the Tunepal app.
Mobile phone screenshots of the Tunepal logo, music score and letter notation in ABC format.
Tunepal is a cloud-powered app developed for traditional musicians by Bryan Duggan and his team. It is available for Android and Apple phones, as well as online. After playing a 12 second clip into the app, it will search the free online databases and suggest matches with different degrees of confidence. For any musician trying to identify a tune from a fragment, maybe heard or recorded in a session, it’s a really valuable tool.
Tunepal suggested an Irish reel, called The Mountain Lark, which I have heard but don’t play. A search on The Session reveals that there are two tunes with that name, both in the same key, but distinctly different from each other. One of those is our version and lesser known.
The tune also has a couple of alternative Scottish titles – The Rakish Highlander and Bonnie Kate o’ Aberdeen. Additionally, the annotation to The Rakish Highlander in The Traditional Tune Archive discusses the interest in Scottish repertoire to Irish fiddlers.
On The Session page linked above, FluteFling’s own Sharon Creasey, aka The Archivist and a specialist in Fermanagh music and older manuscripts, writes:
This tune is in the Gunn Book (Fermanagh 1865) as Boney (sic) Kate of Aberdeen.
What a great tune!
The Gunn Book predates Ryan’s Collection (1883) by almost 20 years and strengthens a Scottish claim.
Sharon herself reintroduced the to Aberdeen, teaching it in her workshops, and hence into this PDF. I’m not aware that the tune is otherwise known in Scotland currently.
From Scotland to Ireland and back again with this reel, a Northumbrian schottische or a Scottish strathspey for another tune, from Caithness to Cape Breton and back for our march. Whichever way you look at it, the connections and cross fertilisation of people, culture and music makes the world a richer place.
Ten weeks of videos
Over a 10 week or so period, I am recording and uploading to YouTube a set of tunes from the PDF roughly once a week. The aim is to introduce the tunes, point out some techniques along the way and then play them as a set as I might play them in a session.
As I go along, I’ll take in suggestions to improve the sound and presentation and get back into the way of teaching again. There is an in-built slow down function in YouTube and the PDF is available to everyone, so why not join me on the journey?
FluteFling NE Tunebook Project: 07 The Road to Banff/ Rose Wood/ Milltimber
This seventh video in the series features three popular jigs with Aberdeenshire titles.
For background to the project of 10 sets of tunes being recorded over 10 weeks, and to see the first video, start here. Alternatively, go straight to the videos on my Youtube channel.
FluteFling NE Tunebook Project: The Road to Banff/ Rosewood/ Milltimber
This seventh video in the series features three jigs with Aberdeenshire names. These are from the FluteFling NE Tunebook of Scottish session tunes for flute and whistle and I play these on my Alba low whistle in D.
The Road to Banff
The Road to Banff is by Malcolm Reavell and is used with permission. It was first published in The 90s Collection of new compositions in Scottish traditional music and has since become firmly established in the session scene. A fine flute player, Malcolm is a supporter of FluteFling and has written about the 2001 event in Aberdeen that he organised, which subsequently inspired FluteFling. The tune is a joy to play on flutes and whistles and is in D. Look out for the distinctive syncopated phrases.
“This jig of Malcolm’s was published in “The 90s Collection”, and I believe out of all the tunes in that book, this is the only one which was composed by a flute player. It’s popular in and around Aberdeen because I’ve been teaching it to whistle classes for the last 5 years or so. A nice jig for either flute or whistle.”
Rose Wood (George Rose Wood of Aberdeen)
George Rose Wood of Aberdeen was written by Aberdeenshire fiddle composer James Scott Skinner (1843-1927) in honour of his concert agent. You can find more on the background of the tune at Tunearch.
The jig is known in the Irish tradition and is very much a fiddler’s tune as it can be a challenge on the flute or whistle. The jig is in A and shifts into E at one point, so unavoidably has G# and D# notes. However, it may be possible to tackle the tune without keys by half covering some of the holes. The success of this will depend on the design of your particular instrument and I use a low D whistle to try and show the potential possibilities.
Milltimber
Written by fiddler Ian Crichton, this jig is named after a suburb of Aberdeen. There’s a good discussion on the tune on The Session.
The jig is in D and once more features syncopated phrases. The tune drops down to a low A, out of the range of the flute or whistle, but there are a couple of ways around this. I found that simply playing the A above the written note fits well and makes musical sense within the tune, creating rhythmic interest that is echoed elsewhere in the melody.
Ten weeks of videos
Over a 10 week or so period, I am recording and uploading to YouTube a set of tunes from the PDF roughly once a week. The aim is to introduce the tunes, point out some techniques along the way and then play them as a set as I might play them in a session.
As I go along, I’ll take in suggestions to improve the sound and presentation and get back into the way of teaching again. There is an in-built slow down function in YouTube and the PDF is available to everyone, so why not join me on the journey?
It seems that there is so much more on for flute and whistle players to attend these days and it is great to see that the inaugural Alex Green Weekend will take place in Aberdeen 1-3 March. The weekend celebrates the NE whistler with an impressive lineup of concerts and workshops organised by The Elphinstone Institute, which is part of the University of Aberdeen.
