strathspey@strathspey.org:40430

John Chambers

Cross over two couples. Was: Lead - Right hands or Nearer Hands

Jan. 27, 2005, 4:30 p.m. (Message 40430, in reply to message 40425)

| Just a thought, but is it possible that their concept of "bar" and
ours is different by a magnitude of 2. I have a lot of dance music
that would look like a strathspey today but if one divides all of the
bars in half the music could become one of our reels, jigs, hornpipes,
depending on the editing.

Quite possible.  A lot of tunes work in several rhythms and tempos.

Some tune writers, including J.S.  Skinner, have published  tunes  in
more  than  one  rhythm.  For example, his reel Angus Campbell is the
same tune as the Laird of Drumblair, a strathspey.  He also published
the trad tune Wap an' Rowe (aka Reel of Stumpie) as both a reel and a
strathspey. In this case, the barring and tempo are the same, but the
rhythm is different.  (And the "reel" form is more like a polka.) The
other musicians here can probably give a lot more examples.