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: 08 The Bonnie Lass o’ Fyvie/ The 72nd Highlanders’ Farewell to Aberdeen (The Little Boy’s Lament for his Dragon) (4/4 March Set)
The Sunday lunchtime session at Sandy Bell’s, Edinburgh FluteFling 2018. (c) Gordon Turnbull
This eighth video in the series features two popular marches 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.
The Bonnie Lass o’ Fyvie/ The 72nd Highlanders’ Farewell to Aberdeen
FluteFling NE Tunebook Project: The Bonnie Lass o’ Fyvie/ The 72nd Highlanders’ Farewell to Aberdeen (The Little Boy’s Lament for his Dragon)
This eighth video in the series features two marches with Aberdeenshire names. 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 and Eamonn Cotter keyless flute, both in D.
The Bonnie Lass o’ Fyvie
The Bonnie Lass o’ Fyvie is the melody to a traditional song that has travelled far and wide, into Scottish, Irish, English and American traditions. It begins:
There once was a troop o’ Irish dragoons
Cam marching doon through Fyvie-o
And the captain’s fa’en in love wi’ a very bonnie lass
And her name it was ca’d pretty Peggy-o
The song may possibly have its origins in the 1600s, according to one theory. With many variations of words, places and names, the versions have been recorded multiple times by a wide range of musicians, singers and artists. For a full breakdown, see this Wikipedia entry.
Many songs have ended up being pipe marches for the simple reason that the soldiers would know the words and could sing them as they marched, boosting morale and helping to keep an even and sustainable marching pace. The words give a sense of the rhythm and pace at which to play the march.
The setting in the tune book is in G but drops down to low C natural, so keys will be required. However, it is possible to to play the C natural an octave higher and I demonstrate both of these options. A third option is to play the entire tune an octave higher than is written. I didn’t think of this until after the recording so that option doesn’t appear in the video.
The setting probably suits accordions and fiddles better than flutes and whistles and may be common in NE Scotland sessions. A way around this is to transpose the tune into D. A version in that key can be found on The Session website.
The tune has just one part so might be played many times rather than a number standard to the session you are playing in. In a FluteFling session, playing the tune 4 times would be reasonable, depending on the session dynamics.
The 72nd Highlanders’ Farewell to Aberdeen (The Little Boy’s Lament for his Dragon)
This Highland bagpipe march was probably written by William McKay in 1876, who called it The Little Boy’s Lament for his Dragon, “dragon” meaning “kite”. It acquired its Aberdeen title probably around 1885, and knowledge of the authorship become blurred.
There’s a lengthy discussion on this tune, its authorship, titles, versions and the perils of reading bagpipe music on The Session. With some fine voices such as Kenny Hadden and Nigel Gatherer contributing, it is worth a read.
I originally learned and played a different setting of this tune, one with C naturals and some of the snaps reversed (see that discussion in The Session). Be aware when playing to adapt to the majority of those you are playing with, or, often more importantly, to the person leading that particular set of tunes. Both are good session courtesies.
It’s a reminder that when playing, listening happens on many levels, not just to the performances of the other musicians, but to their versions, their pace and the different demands of their instruments.
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: 05 Marnie Swanson of the Grey Coast/ Looking at a Rainbow Through a Dirty Window
This fifth video of the NE Scotland Session Tunes Project features tunes by contemporary composers — Andy Thorburn and Calum Stewart respectively.
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.
This fifth video in the project features two tunes from the FluteFling NE Tunebook of Scottish session tunes for flute and whistle. I play these on my Astor flute in D.
This pair of tunes in 3/4 time are both recent compositions by contemporary musicians. Modern compositions are regularly played in sessions and these tunes particularly suit the flute and whistle.
While I have been able to get permission from Calum Stewart to use his tune, I haven’t been able to contact Andy Thorburn to date and have taken the decision to omit playing it in the video.
About the tunes
Marnie Swanson of the Grey Coast by Andy Thorburn
Andy Thorburn is known as a composer and keyboard player in various performing and recording lineups, such as Blazing Fiddles and he often guests on other people’s projects. A resident of Easter Ross in the Highlands, he was inducted to the Tradmusic Hall of Fame in 2014.
Looking at a Rainbow Through a Dirty Window By Calum Stewart
My thanks to Calum for giving permission to include this tune. He’s one of the top flute players of Scottish repertoire and has written many other fine tunes that have entered Scottish session repertoire. He also plays uilleann pipes and low whistle and his website and recordings are recommended. The tune originally appeared on his debut album and at the time of writing, he plans to re-record this tune for a new album.
Take your time. In a session or performance environment, slow it down because you are probably playing faster than you think you are.
Marnie Swanson is not a conventional waltz in my experience — it ebbs and flows, pauses and continues. In sessions I have heard people play it like a straight waltz and I think it loses some of its grace, strength and wistfulness in the process.
Looking at a Rainbow has a stronger rhythm and makes a good contrast as a second tune. It is still a slow tune though, so don’t be tempted to run away with it. Look out for the linking phrases between the parts, which are important in keeping it flowing.
Both tunes have opportunities to use flattement – a kind of ghost trill – to decorate certain notes. It’s used by pipers and Baroque flute players alike and often varies from instrument to instrument. Both Sarah Markey and Calum Stewart use it in their videos.
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?
The recording of the videos was squeezed into a corner over the Christmas period. (c) Gordon Turnbull
FluteFling NE Tunebook Project: 04 The Road to Berwick / There’s Nae Harm Done Guidewife/ Mrs Brown of Linkwood
This fourth video of the NE Scotland Session Tunes Project features reels composed by 18th Century fiddle composer William Marshall.
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.
This fourth video in the project features three reels from the FluteFling NE Tunebook of Scottish session tunes for flute and whistle. I play these on my Astor flute in D.
William Marshall
William Marshall (1817) by John Moir (1775–1857), from the Scottish National Portrait Gallery
William Marshall (1748 – 1833) hailed from Fochabers in Aberdeenshire and is regarded as one of the most important fiddle composers in Scotland, alongside the Gow family, James Scott Skinner and others. Praised by Robert Burns, he worked for the Duke of Gordon and one of his roles was to compose music for the Duke during a golden age of Scottish music.
Aberdeenshire fiddler Paul Anderson has a YouTube project where he goes through every single William Marshall composition once so you can hear how they should sound. His channel is worth exploring, and is recommended for anyone curious about the strong NE Scotland fiddle style.
About the tunes
This set of reels presents some tricky problems for flute and whistle players. I didn’t know any of these tunes prior to this project, and it will take a while longer before they are completely fluent under my fingers.
This is true of course for any newly learned tune and the process for me is also slower when I learn from printed music than if I learn by ear. The next stage is to try playing the tune away from the music. There are a few ways to do this. I tend to keep the sheet music nearby for reference and go over the tune, pausing at any sticky transitions between the phrases, repeating them and slowing down to encourage the fingers to move correctly.
If you are particularly reliant upon the sheet music, try placing the music stand progressively further away from you as you go over the tune. The individual notes become harder to make out, but you will still see the general rise and fall of the melody. Surprisingly, your brain already knows what to do and at one point you will reach the sweet spot where it becomes harder to read the music than it is to remember it. It’s a process of trusting yourself and developing confidence, but definitely worth persevering with as you develop your skill in this area.
The next key stage for me is to move away from visualising the printed music and instead to understand the feel of the tune. This may take a while and the incipits in the PDF can prompt the recall of the opening bars to help trigger the phrases that come next.
Reels are played with a bit of pace, but don’t be tempted to race away with them. All three of these tunes have dotted phrases and keeping them slower allows you to better integrate them into the music. When played faster, there is less time for each note, dotted or otherwise, and the rhythm tends to become ironed out. And of course, speeding up is a common feature of sessions, so practising and learning slower is the opportunity to keep your technique secure
The ascending phrase in the penultimate bar of the B part could become confused with the corresponding bar in There’s Nae Harm Done Goodwife (the second tune). Consider taking time to work on both of these and how they connect to the preceding phrases of their respective tunes.
Also published in 1781, There’s Nae Harm Done Guidewife is also in D and was possibly dedicated to his wife. See The Fiddler’s Companion (a precursor to the Traditional Tune Archive) for some more information. Note that there are a few different spellings of the title — Guidewife/ Guidwife/ Goodwife — the PDF for this project uses two different spellings, for example.
Points to be aware of with this tune:
The opening bars of a tune in a set are important in communicating a change to other musicians and to dancers and should be strong. In the A part this combines octave jumps and snaps with use of the G# key that gives the rising phrase an extra lift. It can be tricky but is effective.
Where a passage presents problems, work on it in isolation. Take each bar on its own and then combine them with others to get them to work together. In this instance, understanding where the tune goes from there will help make this a secure opening.
The B part is relatively straightforward, although again, be aware of the penultimate bar and its similarity to The Road to Berwick. Once more, consider taking time to work on both of these and how they connect to the preceding phrases of their respective tunes.
The reel runs easily, almost like some Irish polkas, and has a snapped phrase and a phrase that uses D#, both of which recur within the melody.
The use of D# ties the tune in with musical tastes and sensibilities of the 18th Century. It appears in several tunes of that period and also in the classical music of the time. I have come across some tunes where this has been dropped in more recent times, resulting in more than one version of a tune.
If you don’t have a D#/ Eb key, the tune still makes musical sense and it would be possible to play it with others if they had also understood that the D# is not to be played. However, it would not only lack the lift that the D# phrase introduces but also clash if others were playing the D#.
I mention the Irish connection not because I think that the tune is somehow directly related to Irish music, but because the large numbers of flute players in Ireland makes it easier to find examples of how such phrases might be played. As flute players we can then use our judgement to bring that into Scottish playing where we think it can be effective. If you’re looking for an introduction to Irish flute playing, there are many guides online, but begin with Brad Hurley’s site.
Be sure to check out John McKenna, who was very influential in the early 20th Century. Some of his playing of Irish polkas includes tunes that Scottish musicians would recognise and his breathing and rhythm are of particular interest to flute players in Scotland. Here’s something I wrote about him a few years ago.
More than one version of a tune?
The other lesson here is that there tends to be more than one version of any tune played in traditional music. This could be due to different instruments, regional and individual styles or the folk process shaping it across the years and centuries. As so much of Scottish music has been in print for a long period, different editorial hands have also been involved, sometimes changing a title or making adjustments to suit personal or audience taste and not always in a way that appeals to our times. Sometimes too, there are just plain mistakes and errors that are then copied and repeated.
So, be aware when playing with others, that they may play the tune differently to you. This may be that they have a different version, their instrument is different or their individual style is (e.g. they have been influenced by different musicians).
In sessions, deference is given to the musician that starts the tune and the trick then is to get in step with them by adapting your playing. If they aren’t a confident player, then doing so supports them and avoids dominating their music. Entrainment is how musical communities and styles evolve and develop. There’s there’s quite a science behind it as this study from the University of Durham shows.
There’s also plenty of discussion about session etiquette to be found online, much of it heated.
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?
