Re: Tunes at Scottish Games
Sue Richards (sukijosh@ix.netcom.com)
Mon, 5 Aug 1996 21:41:17 -0700
Cindy wrote:
>
>I would add that Sue Richards commented that the idiom was somewhat un-
>familiar to her, as a judge. I've been thinking how that might be
>remedied-perhaps we can get Bill Taylor to do a workshop sometime, for
>judges and interested parties. Since he won the nationals playing I think
>early Scottish music, I wonder who was the judge, how did Bill do it,and
>how did this judge compare what he played to other performers.
>
Hi, Cindy- It would be GREAT to have Bill do a workshop on early
Scottish music. I would love to know more. About Bill's competition, I think
I was one of the two judges that year, and he was absolutely brilliant. I
had always been (gasp) prejudiced against small harps until I heard him play
that day; I changed my mind. I have always appreciated early music, although
I didn't play it then, and could recognize what he was doing. He lived at
that time in the D.C. area, and I knew him to be a scholar, so trusted his
judgement.
Some of you may not know the reality of the professional competition:
that there are often only two or three people competing in the pro comp. We
are always trying to get the people around here to do it so there is someone
to win against, or there won't be a comp. If someone expresses an interest
in doing the pro comp, then many times other people will not try because
they don't think they have a chance, and we are left with one competitor and
should cancel it. Instead, we drag back the old winners or talk someone into
doing it for the experience. So sometimes I judge, sometimes I compete. It
is a continual problem. No one wants to spend money to travel and stay at a
hotel unless they think they have a pretty good chance of winning, and I
don't blame them. I used to have a big complex about the fact that I won
against one other person, but the fact is, a lot of people didn't try.
It is important to keep the pro comp alive; it gives us viability in the
eyes of the Games people, and is good for the people who do it- being
National Champion is a good thing. As SHSA gets stronger and more organized,
one of our goals is to work out a system where money is awarded to local
winners to travel to the nationals. In the meantime, why not hit up your
clan or apply for a grant to come compete in the nationals next year?
>Oh, well as I am on the subject, another question for the masses...why are
>strathspeys wanted on the harp -they were not to my knowlege played on harp
>but written for fiddle. (My historical bias is flashing crimson!) Oh well,
>I am not really a diehard purist-a strathspey sounds good on a harp, I guess.
>
Because:
1) Strathspeys are NOW the distinctive form of Scottish music. I can't
imagine claiming to know Scottish music and not knowing a strathspey. Being
specialized in Early Scottish music is cool, but I feel that the Champion
should know some contemporary repertoire as well. We can't stay forever in
the past.
2)Strathspeys sound good on the harp, so why would you not want to
do them? Should the pipes not play strathspeys? Would you really only allow
fiddles to do them because they did them first? Come on.
Cheers- Sue Richards