Re: [scots-l] Burns Night
We had the 101st Annual Burns' Supper here in Boise on Saturday night. My band, vocals, fiddle, guitars, small pipes, Irish drums, played a half-hour set with Burns and traditional tunes. There was a bit of floundering around before the haggis was brought out and addressed, followed by our standard roast beef and potatoes dinner. Also had plenty of shortbread on the tables. Since it was held in the ballroom at Boise State University, alcohol was not allowed, which meant the Scotch was kept in sporrans and pockets, most of the time. We had the Boise Highlanders put on a show, with their Highland dancers. Our local Scottish Country Dance group, the Thistles Ghillies, danced a few demos, then grabbed folks from the audience for the Cumberland Reel. After dinner, those that wanted to dance had the chance. I was asked whether I wanted to fiddle or dance, and since I don't get many chances to dance, we used canned music. It was fun. Ken Pollard Nampa, Idaho Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
[scots-l] playing in a Scots band
A short time ago, Nigel Gatherer asked who else was playing in a Scottish band. I'm a bit reluctant to reply, but since things have been a little quiet here, maybe it would be ok. We have a relatively new Scottish Country Dance club here in Boise, Idaho. Our instructor, Mairi, is from Scotland, as is one other member. The rest of us are Americans, many with some Scots heritage. Most, I suspect, are like myself, and can claim ancestral heritage from many countries. I started out dancing with the Scottish Country dancers, being a contra-dancer prior, and then slowly migrated to playing fiddle for the dancers -- though I'm still on the dance-demo team. We also dance to pipes, and the Boise Highlanders are a top-notch pipe drum band. Anyway, I'm busy trying to pick up the Scots accent on my fiddle. There's something about the music that just resonated with me. I've been listening to the music for several years, such as Alastair Fraser and Bonnie Rideout, in addition to several of the Cape Breton fiddlers, but have only in the past year have I dedicated my own efforts to Scottish style. And I don't have enough background to distinguish between regional styles, unless perhaps I can notice a difference in Shetland fiddling. Playing for the dancers is good discipline, and tempo is always hard work. The easy tunes seem too slow, and the hard tunes seem too fast. We had a workshop here in Boise last May, with Muriel Johnstone helping us musicians. She had many good pointers, and we wish we'd had her for a longer time -- though she started out with tunes in F and Bb, which really stretched my old-time music fingers. I recently bought Traditional Scottish Fiddling book and CD from Taigh na Teud via their website. So far, it's a decent book, though I think that my efforts over the past year help me to appreciate some of the subtleties in the book. And the CD is essential -- the notation only goes so far. We also started a Scottish Folk band to play at various ceilidh. We played at a local Farmer's Market last week, and are now gearing up for the Boise Highland Games on Sept. 20th. Anyway, that's the report from Southwestern Idaho in the USA. Ken Pollard Nampa, Idaho Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
[scots-l] Re: Burns Night
Nigel Gatherer [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Subject: [scots-l] Burns Night Did you celebrate? We celebrated in Boise at the Boise State University campus Student Union building, on Saturday the 25th. It was the 100th anniversary celebration for Boise, the first one being in 1903. I fiddled on stage a bit before the evening officially started, then a bit more with a newly formed band called McKinnon's Bru. Danced with the demo team for the Scottish Country Dance group to the music of pipers. The main feature of the evening was the Boise Highlanders, a pipes and drums band. They put on a good show. We had about 850 people in attendance, and a fellow at the podium said it was the largest in the world, which we took as typical local boasting. I have not been to a Burns supper anywhere else, though, and assumed that this was typical for a city with a decent sized Scots community. But, given this knowledgeable forum, how many people attend your Burns supper? And I am not implying that bigger is better, by any means. Ken Pollard Nampa, Idaho Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
[scots-l] Re: Scottish Fiddlers
Bob Rogers wrote: * CDs to buy: I've got CDs by Alasdair Fraser, Bonnie Rideout, Elke Baker, and John Taylor. I've also got cds by a bunch of Irish fiddlers. I want to buy more Scottish fiddle CDs. I don't want CDs of bands that have fiddles, just fiddler's CDs. I've recently run across John Taylor, out of California. He plays for the local Scottish Country Dance organization (Sacramento?) and has three CDs out now, any one of which is top notch. One is called Live, and that's what it is -- recorded at a dance. Another is called After the Dance, and is the best for listening by a general audience. Has a great MacPherson's Lament/Rant. And the third is titled Steppin' Out, which is dance music, including a marvelous strathspey set. I like this one best for dance-fiddle music. I do have some commercial interest, as I have a fiddle repair shop here in Idaho and now try to keep his CDs on hand for my local customers, but you can contact John directly at [EMAIL PROTECTED] , and buy it straight from the fiddler, and then I make no money, so have no commercial interest, aside from keeping a great fiddler encouraged. Being a fiddler as well, I listen to these CDs intently. Ken Pollard * Owyhee Mountain Fiddle Shop 4211 Sunny Ridge Rd., Nampa, Idaho 83686 (208) 466-3633 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Repairs neatly done, instruments new used for sale rent, bows, cases, instructional books, the finest of accessories. Adjunct Instructor in Mathematics Physics at Boise State University. Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
