Re: [scots-l] Burrolling, as we posh fowk call it
In article [EMAIL PROTECTED], Nigel Gatherer [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: "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". The rocking step is one of the canonical steps of the Highland Fling and must have been around in Skinner's time. The tune sounds reasonable for a Highland Fling as far as I'm concerned so that's probably not far off the mark. Anselm -- Anselm Lingnau . [EMAIL PROTECTED] You're much more likely to be knocked down by a snowball than by an equivalent number of snowflakes. -- Larry Wall Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
Re: [scots-l] Burrolling, as we posh fowk call it
Nigel Gatherer wrote: 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?"). I personally never have called them "birls", always "cuts". I've heard cuttings on the mando before. It can be done! :-) Toby Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
Re: [scots-l] Burrolling, as we posh fowk call it
Nigel wrote: 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?"). As Toby said, the equivalent on mandolin would be yir triplet- as typified by the Shetland-style banjo- comes out like machine-gun fire. Or listen to Jim Sutherland on the cittern (Easy Club recordings). On the whistle, it's much more common to hear rolls or other fingerings used instead, but there is a more Scotch style if you listen to recordings of Jimmy Greenan or Alex Green, who used tonguing to get that birl effect. Recently there's Brian Finnegan from the north of Ireland who seems influenced by that flute band thing, and does amazing things with whistles and high pitched flutes (recorded with his own band, Upstairs in a Tent, Flook). He is an outstanding musician and composer. Nigel, you seem a bit confused by the whole subject of birls. Maybe you could head west of your semi-highland fastness, to Glesgae and visit the Birl Collection, where there are examples from all over the world. Derek Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
