Post by Ptarmigan on Jun 2, 2008 16:22:44 GMT
Time for Ulster-Scots Music to stand up & be counted?
Here's a piece I wrote for the Ulster Scots Online Forum & posted there almost two years ago. In all that time, NOBODY who is involved withing the Ulster Scots Music movement has actually been prepared to come forward & reply!
Perhaps some of them will step forward here & offer their thoughts on the matter?
Cheers
Ptarmigan
Here's a piece I wrote for the Ulster Scots Online Forum & posted there almost two years ago. In all that time, NOBODY who is involved withing the Ulster Scots Music movement has actually been prepared to come forward & reply!
Perhaps some of them will step forward here & offer their thoughts on the matter?
Time for Ulster-Scots Music to stand up & be counted!
A question for all 'Ulster-Scots' Musicians:-
Is 'Ulster-Scots Music' ready to be graded or is it just a pastiche of Scottish & Irish Music?
News of new Grading Exams for Scottish Traditional Music.
In today's 'Scotsman', Tim Cornwell tells us that the first graded exams for Traditional Music will take place this weekend!
Now the fact is, this style of grading Traditional Music has actually been in place & available for 'Traditional Irish Music' for a number of years now.
So, with these graded exams, we now have both Irish & Scottish Traditional Music clearly defined as art forms in their own right & perhaps recognized as being on a par with so called 'Classical Music'!
Great! & about time too, say I - but hey, what about 'Ulster-Scots Music'?
To me this opens up a whole can of worms & to try & answer the questions which immediately spring to my mind, I'd like to play devils advocate & ask the musically minded members of this site a few questions.
Exams for Ulster Scots Music?
When will it be possible to take such exams in Ulster-Scots Music & will it 'ever' be possible to set up a similar exam system here?
For such a system to be set up, surely there would have to be a clear understanding & definition of what exactly Ulster Scots Music really is?
So, does anyone really know & understand what it is?
How others see this music
I have heard views expressed by many musicians in both Irish & Scottish Traditional Music circles that Ulster-Scots Music sounds to them like no more, or no less, than simply a watered down version of Scottish Music, or perhaps thin Scottish Music with a few Irish & Bluegrass tunes thrown in for colour!
So, in the face of this criticism, is there anyone here who would like to stand up & define Ulster-Scots Music for us?
How is Ulster-Scots Music different?
For example, for a viable & creditable exam system to be set up, we would surely have to be able to show how this music was very different from Scottish music & from Irish music & display with examples of music which were neither Scottish or Irish but pure Ulster-Scots tunes.
So can anyone here give such examples?
'Irish Traditional Music' has literally thousands of tune examples which can be used to demonstrate the body of music which is clearly Irish Music.
'Scottish Traditional Music' has a similar number of easily recognizable tunes which clearly demonstrate the music of Scotland.
So does Ulster-Scots Music have a repertoire all of its own?
Not only does Irish & Scottish Music have its own repertoire but they each have very distinctive dance forms which relate to the many distinctive rhythms which each has.
So although they both have Reels, Jigs & Hornpipes, only Scottish music has the Strathspey while only Irish music, has the Slide.
There are many other tune forms in Irish Music like the Barndance & Slip Jig which distinguish that tradition from the Scottish one.
So does Ulster-Scots Music have its own dances & tune rhythms which make it stand out?
I get the impression that some of the tunes played by the Old Fife players were composed by them & have a character all of their own, but are they simply derivatives of Irish & Scottish tunes?
Also the Lambeg tradition could be described as a musical form which has no parallels in the neighbouring musical traditions.
Is that really all Ulster-Scots Music has to offer the World, a few Fife tunes & the Lambeg Drum?
For example, even from the repertoire of the Fife Tradition, which claims to be Ulster-Scots, if we check out this list of tunes from the Galgorm site:
www.kermit.co.uk/fifedrum/music.htm
.... of the 39 tunes listed, 7 are clearly taken from the Irish Tradition & I don’t actually see any Scottish tunes, but I assume the rest have been composed within the Ulster-Scots tradition?
Surely, if Ulster-Scots Music is to be taken seriously it has to be able to answer these questions & demonstrate with a body of music which is clearly its own?
I would be very keen to hear from any musical performer from within the Ulster Scots tradition who believes they have answers to these questions.
Until they are answered, I feel the musical form calling itself ‘Ulster-Scots Music’ is laying itself wide open to ridicule.
'Old Time' Music has links, but is individual
Another musical form which claims to have links with Irish & Scottish Traditional Music is the Old Time Music of America, but when you listen to that, there are in fact very, very few tunes which are common & even they sound completely different.
So, not only do they have their own tunes but even the way they tune their instruments & their tune rhythms are markedly different.
So, when people hear Old Time Music they know straight away that it is very different from Irish or Scottish Music.
Also, people can distinguish straight away between Irish & Scottish Music - but not so Ulster-Scots Music?
Not an attack, but more of a - 'wake up call'!
This thread is not an attack on ‘Ulster-Scots Music’ but an attempt to try & understand what exactly it is.
For, if those who actually play it don’t even understand what it is, don’t know what its repertoire is, & so are not able to convey what it is to others, then how can we possibly claim to anyone that this music even exists?
I don't believe it is enough for musicians here to simply believe that the music they are playing is Ulster-Scots Music.
I think they must be able to justify that claim & show how it is an individual form of music?
I think therefore it is time that we had this body of music, which is being claimed to be ‘Ulster-Scots Music’, in some tangible form like for example a tune book, or ideally a collection or series of tune books, which folks here can hold up to the World & declare as being the music of the Ulster-Scots.
Until that happens, I feel the musical element of the Ulster-Scots movement is perhaps just leaving itself wide open to criticism, scorn & ridicule!
Your thoughts please?
***********************************
Here is the article which sparked this train of thought:
'Traditional fiddlers and harpists to make the grade'
Tim Cornwell - Arts Correspondent – ‘The Scotsman’
A question for all 'Ulster-Scots' Musicians:-
Is 'Ulster-Scots Music' ready to be graded or is it just a pastiche of Scottish & Irish Music?
News of new Grading Exams for Scottish Traditional Music.
In today's 'Scotsman', Tim Cornwell tells us that the first graded exams for Traditional Music will take place this weekend!
Now the fact is, this style of grading Traditional Music has actually been in place & available for 'Traditional Irish Music' for a number of years now.
So, with these graded exams, we now have both Irish & Scottish Traditional Music clearly defined as art forms in their own right & perhaps recognized as being on a par with so called 'Classical Music'!
Great! & about time too, say I - but hey, what about 'Ulster-Scots Music'?
To me this opens up a whole can of worms & to try & answer the questions which immediately spring to my mind, I'd like to play devils advocate & ask the musically minded members of this site a few questions.
Exams for Ulster Scots Music?
When will it be possible to take such exams in Ulster-Scots Music & will it 'ever' be possible to set up a similar exam system here?
For such a system to be set up, surely there would have to be a clear understanding & definition of what exactly Ulster Scots Music really is?
So, does anyone really know & understand what it is?
How others see this music
I have heard views expressed by many musicians in both Irish & Scottish Traditional Music circles that Ulster-Scots Music sounds to them like no more, or no less, than simply a watered down version of Scottish Music, or perhaps thin Scottish Music with a few Irish & Bluegrass tunes thrown in for colour!
So, in the face of this criticism, is there anyone here who would like to stand up & define Ulster-Scots Music for us?
How is Ulster-Scots Music different?
For example, for a viable & creditable exam system to be set up, we would surely have to be able to show how this music was very different from Scottish music & from Irish music & display with examples of music which were neither Scottish or Irish but pure Ulster-Scots tunes.
So can anyone here give such examples?
'Irish Traditional Music' has literally thousands of tune examples which can be used to demonstrate the body of music which is clearly Irish Music.
'Scottish Traditional Music' has a similar number of easily recognizable tunes which clearly demonstrate the music of Scotland.
So does Ulster-Scots Music have a repertoire all of its own?
Not only does Irish & Scottish Music have its own repertoire but they each have very distinctive dance forms which relate to the many distinctive rhythms which each has.
So although they both have Reels, Jigs & Hornpipes, only Scottish music has the Strathspey while only Irish music, has the Slide.
There are many other tune forms in Irish Music like the Barndance & Slip Jig which distinguish that tradition from the Scottish one.
So does Ulster-Scots Music have its own dances & tune rhythms which make it stand out?
I get the impression that some of the tunes played by the Old Fife players were composed by them & have a character all of their own, but are they simply derivatives of Irish & Scottish tunes?
Also the Lambeg tradition could be described as a musical form which has no parallels in the neighbouring musical traditions.
Is that really all Ulster-Scots Music has to offer the World, a few Fife tunes & the Lambeg Drum?
For example, even from the repertoire of the Fife Tradition, which claims to be Ulster-Scots, if we check out this list of tunes from the Galgorm site:
www.kermit.co.uk/fifedrum/music.htm
.... of the 39 tunes listed, 7 are clearly taken from the Irish Tradition & I don’t actually see any Scottish tunes, but I assume the rest have been composed within the Ulster-Scots tradition?
Surely, if Ulster-Scots Music is to be taken seriously it has to be able to answer these questions & demonstrate with a body of music which is clearly its own?
I would be very keen to hear from any musical performer from within the Ulster Scots tradition who believes they have answers to these questions.
Until they are answered, I feel the musical form calling itself ‘Ulster-Scots Music’ is laying itself wide open to ridicule.
'Old Time' Music has links, but is individual
Another musical form which claims to have links with Irish & Scottish Traditional Music is the Old Time Music of America, but when you listen to that, there are in fact very, very few tunes which are common & even they sound completely different.
So, not only do they have their own tunes but even the way they tune their instruments & their tune rhythms are markedly different.
So, when people hear Old Time Music they know straight away that it is very different from Irish or Scottish Music.
Also, people can distinguish straight away between Irish & Scottish Music - but not so Ulster-Scots Music?
Not an attack, but more of a - 'wake up call'!
This thread is not an attack on ‘Ulster-Scots Music’ but an attempt to try & understand what exactly it is.
For, if those who actually play it don’t even understand what it is, don’t know what its repertoire is, & so are not able to convey what it is to others, then how can we possibly claim to anyone that this music even exists?
I don't believe it is enough for musicians here to simply believe that the music they are playing is Ulster-Scots Music.
I think they must be able to justify that claim & show how it is an individual form of music?
I think therefore it is time that we had this body of music, which is being claimed to be ‘Ulster-Scots Music’, in some tangible form like for example a tune book, or ideally a collection or series of tune books, which folks here can hold up to the World & declare as being the music of the Ulster-Scots.
Until that happens, I feel the musical element of the Ulster-Scots movement is perhaps just leaving itself wide open to criticism, scorn & ridicule!
Your thoughts please?
***********************************
Here is the article which sparked this train of thought:
'Traditional fiddlers and harpists to make the grade'
Tim Cornwell - Arts Correspondent – ‘The Scotsman’
THE first graded exams for traditional music in Scotland take place this weekend when 65 students will be tested on fiddle, accordion and clarsach, or harp.
The exams, under the eye of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, mean that traditional Scottish music will no longer be the "poor cousin" of classical, backers say.
Graded music exams from grades one to eight, run by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, have long been available for classical music students playing everything from the organ to the flute.
However, they do not cover traditional music and instruments, including the fiddle.
Four experts in the art will run grading in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Inverness and Glasgow. Exam conditions will apply and a steward will be present.
Brian McNeil, the head of traditional Scottish music at the RSAMD, said the new graded exams would boost international recognition of "Scottish musical excellence".
"No longer will Scottish music be seen as the poor cousin of the classics," he said.
"With these exams in place, children, young people and lifelong learners will finally have an opportunity to pursue Scottish traditional music in a formal setting, in measured steps, with confidence."
As things stand, perhaps ‘Ulster-Scots Music’ is not only being “seen as the poor cousin” of Irish & Scottish Music, but is actually not even being recognized as a music in its own right at all!
The exams, under the eye of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, mean that traditional Scottish music will no longer be the "poor cousin" of classical, backers say.
Graded music exams from grades one to eight, run by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, have long been available for classical music students playing everything from the organ to the flute.
However, they do not cover traditional music and instruments, including the fiddle.
Four experts in the art will run grading in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Inverness and Glasgow. Exam conditions will apply and a steward will be present.
Brian McNeil, the head of traditional Scottish music at the RSAMD, said the new graded exams would boost international recognition of "Scottish musical excellence".
"No longer will Scottish music be seen as the poor cousin of the classics," he said.
"With these exams in place, children, young people and lifelong learners will finally have an opportunity to pursue Scottish traditional music in a formal setting, in measured steps, with confidence."
As things stand, perhaps ‘Ulster-Scots Music’ is not only being “seen as the poor cousin” of Irish & Scottish Music, but is actually not even being recognized as a music in its own right at all!
Cheers
Ptarmigan