strathspey@strathspey.org:44001

Richard Goss

Re: Scottish Country Dancing VS Scottish Folk Dancing

Jan. 31, 2006, 9:10 p.m. (Message 44001, in reply to message 43985)

Since Anselm brought up pipes, I have an OT to make on the subject.
   
  While most SCD types I know seem to be aware that the pipes are not
  unique to Scotland, most non SCD types, seem to think that the
  entire Scottish nation spends half their time marching up and down
  the brae playing pipes and wearing a kilt.
   
  But their is a flip side to this problem, that I have noticed.
  Outside of Spain, Scottish pipers seem to have two very bad habits.
  1. they tend not to play the more challenging pipe music, preferring
  military marches and Scottish tunes.
  2. they seem to have a need to explain their instrument all the
  time, as if to justify it, and their existance. This suggests to me
  that these pipers have left the "Scottish" folk and joined the "folk
  of Scottish pipers" (similar to RSCDS folk dancers, leaving the folk
  dancing of Scotland for the dancing of the RSCDS folk). Here, where
  live piping is an element the the cultural life, not requiring a
  specific costume, or performing unit, it retains more of its folk
  elements. While we have pipes for weddings in the same context as in
  Scotland, for our "morris" dancing, along with the pipe and tabor,
  they are the only instrument used for performances, the offertory
  during mass, processionals, etc. (public dances are use more
  eclectic musical instruments). Since none of the Scots I have met
  here do not speak Mallorquí, they always have a translator, the
  reaction to which is "duh, why is this guy talking down to us,
  everyone knows how pipes work - and this Scottish guy does not even
 know how to remove the changer and play it with his mouth, when tonguing is required".
   
  This fits into the same type of selfconscious humor that some people
  wearing kilts have to use when speaking to the uninitiated.