All About Strathspeys
By: Janis E. Kenderdine ©2005
What is a Strathspey?
The Piobaireachd and the Strathspey are the only two forms of Scottish music
native to Scotland. The strathspey is played in a 4/4 time signature, and
has a lively “dot ‘n cut” feel to it. The first beat of the measure
is very heavy, and just a little bit “too long.” This goes for the dotted
notes, as well. Instead of the
“rounded” 1+2+3+1+2+3+
feel of a triplet phrase, or the 1+2+3+4+1+2+3+4+
of a sixteenth note phrase, it is almost a
1+2+3+4+1+2+3+4+ feeling. "Feeling"
most aptly describes it - it should feel like it’s just a hair too long.
Personal Pet-Peeve: Do not make a Strathspey “round” like it’s a bunch of triples. I’ve had to cringe
repeatedly for the past few years while listening to people mistakenly tell others that this is how they’re
played - they’re not! A Strathspey is a style all unto itself - if you round it out, you’re simply playing a jig or some non-strathspey thing.
If you ever have the opportunity to, watch a Scottish highland dancer dance
a strathspey, and appreciate how they move in time with the music. And although
you should never rush a strathspey, don’t play it
doggedly slow, either. Those dancers have some wicked “hang-time” and may look
light as a feather, but they are not immune to the forces of gravity!
Trivia:
- Fiddler James Scott Skinner was known as the “Strathspey King”
- The strathspey emerged in Scotland about the middle of the eighteenth century
- James Oswald printed the first strathspey in book 3 of his Pocket Caledonian Companion series in 1745
- The Strathspey rhythm is uniquely Scottish
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