Birlin
This subject has provoked the biggest thread I've seen on Scots-L, so it's
obviously extremely important. Of course I'm completely eaten up with
jealousy because I'm not a fiddler. I don't even know whether I birl - how
can you tell? [1]. I shouldn't think it's physically possible on the
mandolin, but what about the whistle? I expect my proportion would be
1:1:27 (something to ask at your next session: "Hi there, what's your
proportion in a birl?").
Talking of Scott Skinner, someone asked me for his tune "Scott Skinner's
Rockin' Step", and asked what its real name was. I replied:
.............................................
"Surprisingly enough it WAS called exactly that when he published it in his
Harp and Claymore collection in 1903. The term is almost certainly a
dancing reference, although in 18th century Scotland a "Rocking" was the
Lowland equivalent of the Highland "ceilidh". It's a great tune and, like
you, it was Richard Thompson who introduced it to me. It works well on
mandolin, but I can't imagine it being played better than on an electric
guitar!
"I suspect that Thompson owned a book called 'The Scottish Violinist' - a
sort of "Best of Scott Skinner" - which is still available, I believe. it
contains about 150 of Skinner's tunes (selected from his 600 or so
compositions), including the ones Richard Thompson played - also "Dargai"
which is on another record, isn't it?"
X:231
T:Scott Skinner' Rockin' Step
C:James Scott Skinner
B:Harp & Claymore, 1903 (via The Scottish Violinist)
Z:Nigel Gatherer
M:4/4
L:1/8
K:D
e|c>e A/A/e c>eA>e|c>e A/A/e A/A/e a>e|\
c>e A/A/e c/e/e A/e/e|G,/B/B g/B/B d2 d:|]
f|e>ac>a A/A/A a2|A/A/A a2 f2 e<a|\
e>ac>a A/A/A g2|G,/B/B g/B/B d2 df|
e>ac>a A/A/A a2|A/A/A a2 f2 e/f/g|\
a/f/a g/e/g f/d/f e/c/e|G,/B/B g/B/B d2 d|]
.............................................
[1] A few years back I designed a cassette cover for a group called The
Birlin' Ensemble, which I thought was a great name for a dance band. Only
they were an a capella singing group. very good they were, too.
--
Nigel Gatherer, Crieff, Scotland
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