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= Scales and Modes in Scottish Traditional Music =
= Jack Campin =
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Key Changes
===========
Art music has heavily influenced most forms of popular music, but has had
little impact on Scottish traditional idiom. One feature common to almost
all British popular song since 1800, and almost totally absent from older
Scottish music, is changes of tonal centre while keeping in the same mode
("change of key" in more usual terminology). Pieces that do this, and have
managed to enter the Scottish repertoire, still sound decidedly different
from the main body of tunes composed in the modal system. This sentimental
song from the late 1790s modulates to A (in art-music theory, the "dominant")
in bars 5 and 6:
X:0
T:The Blue Bell of Scotland
G:song
M:2/4
L:1/8
Q:1/4=80
F:http://www.campin.me.uk/Music/Modes/Modes-keychanges.abc 2024-04-27 000101 UT
K:D
A|d2cB|A2Bc/d/|FFGE |D3 :|
A|FDFA|d2Bc/d/|cAB^G|A2Bc|
d2cB|A2Bc/d/|FFGE |D3 |]
One of the few examples of such change of key (again, from D to A) that still
manages to sound like a traditional tune is this:
X:0
T:Miss Susan Cooper
G:reel
C:Ronnie Cooper
M:C|
L:1/8
Q:1/2=108
K:D
(3ABc|dfed B2dB|A2FA DAFA|ABde fa^ga|g2fd eAce|
dfed B2dB|A2FA DAFA|ABde fafd |eAce d2 :|
dB |Bcde fBBB|def^g a2gf|eAce a2^ga|g2fd eAce|
dfed B2dB|A2FA DAFA|ABde fafd |eAce d2 :|
This tune was originally in D all the way through - it's a 19th century
pipe reel also known as "The 72nd's Farewell to Aberdeen". This version,
popularized by Jimmy Shand, goes into G major briefly in the second part,
with the original C sharps replaced by C naturals. (A dragon was a kind
of kite, it must have blown away).
X:0
T:The Boy's Lament for his Dragon
M:2/4
L:1/16
Q:1/4=108
K:D
dB|A2d2 d2ef |gfed f4|g2B2 B2cd|efec A4 |
A2d2 d2ef |gfed f4|g2B2 fedc|d4 d2:|
fg|a2A2 A2=c2|B2G2 A4|A2d2 A2d2|edcB A2
fg|a2A2 A2=c2|B2G2 A4|A2d2 fedc|d4 d2:|
One genuinely old tune that does a similar modulation, from A minor to
E minor, is this one, well-known in Scotland since about 1700 though it
may be from England originally:
X:0
T:The Drummer or Good Morrow to your Night Cap
G:reel
S:William Campbell: New and Favourite Country Dances, book 19
M:C|
L:1/8
Q:1/2=104
K:AMin
B|ABcA E2E^F|GABc dBGB |ABcA E2Ef|edcB A2A:|
B|c2ce d2de |c2ce d/c/B/A/ GB|c2ce d2df|edcB A2A:|
These brief key changes probably entered Scottish music through a few widely
popularized art music melodies. This tune by Haydn became a Scottish jig:
X:0
T:Air by Haydn
T:Lord Cathcart's Jig
S:Kerr's Merry Melodies volume 3
M:6/8
L:1/8
Q:3/8=120
K:G
D|DGB d2d|dcB A2c|BGd cAe |G3 F2
D|DGB d2d|dcB A2c|cBG BAF |A3 G2:|
G|GBd ggg|gfe d2d|ecA Ace |G3 F2
A|AB^c def|A^cd efg|fed fd^c|ded def|
gdB GBd|dcB A2G|Bcd ecA |G3 F2
D|DGB ddd|dcB A2c|cBG BAF |A3 G2|]
The influences from art music were sometimes more subtle. The 18th century
saw the introduction of new harmonic and melodic forms from Italy, France,
Germany and England. Sometimes these were adopted wholesale, but there were
some unusual fusions of the European style with the native one, like this
reel, based on an Italian harmonic progression inspired by Corelli, which
has no chromatic key changes but is still unlike anything from earlier
tradition:
X:0
T:Lord Kelly's Reel
G:reel
N:transposed back from flute version in Aird v1
M:C
L:1/8
Q:1/2=92
K:GMin
F|DGBG dGBG|F>GAf FG (B/A/G/F/)|DGGB AcBd|cf (d/c/B/A/) BG G:|
g|bgdg Gggb|afcf Ff fg/a/ |bgdg fdcB|Af d/c/B/A/ BG G
g|bgdg GBgb|afcf Fc fa |bgaf gdcB|Af d/c/B/A/ BG G|]
That tune also incorporates the native Scottish modal system by leaving out
the sixth to fit the dorian/minor hexatonic scale. There are many G minor
or D minor tunes like that: most of them were printed with sharpened leading
notes but in most cases the natural alternative sounds as good or better.
A different kind of key change is where whole sections of the tune are in
different keys. This is common in certain kinds of dance music from the
late 19th and early 20th centuries. One of the most influential tunes to
do it was this one from the 1840s:
X:0
T:Jenny Lind
G:polka
Z:Nigel Gatherer, from Alistair Anderson's playing
M:2/4
L:1/8
Q:1/4=148
K:D
A/G/|FA GB |Af f/e/f|Ge e/d/e |Fd d
A/G/|FA GB |Af f/e/f|ge e/g/f/e/|df d:|
K:G
z |gg/f/ e/f/g/e/|dB B/A/B|cA A/G/A |BG G2|
gg/f/ e/f/g/e/|dB B/A/B|cA A/c/B/A/|GB G:|
or as it originally appeared, for the piano:
X:0
T:Jenny Lind's Favorite Polka
C:Anton Wallerstein, 1813-1892
S:sheet published by Oliver Ditson, Boston, USA
M:2/4
L:1/8
G:polka
P:ABA
K:Eb
P:A
|:(GB) (Ac)|.B.g (g/^f/.g)|(Af) (f/=e/.f)|(Ge) (e/d/.e)|
(GB) (Ac)|(Bg) (g/^f/.g)|(Af) (f/=e/.f)| ee e z:|
%
|:.e'.c' {d'}c'/=b/c'|bg {a}g/^f/g|.a.f {g}f/=e/f| ge {f}e/d/e |
.e'.c' {d'}c'/=b/c'|bg {a}g/^f/g|.a.f {g}f/=e/f|.e.e .e z:|
%
|:(GB) (Ac)|.B.d (g/^f/.g)|(Af) (f/=e/.f)|(Ge) (e/d/.e)|
(GB) (Ac)|(Bd) (g/^f/.g)|(Af) (f/=e/.f)| ee e z||
P:B % Trio
K:Bb
|:(3f/g/f/ (=e/f/) .b.d|.f.e {f}(e/d/e)|(3f/g/f/ (=e/f/) ._e'.a| .c'.b {c'}(b/a/b)|
(3f/g/f/ (=e/f/) .b.d|.f.e {f}(e/d/e)|(3f/g/f/ =e/f/ ._e'.a|{c'}.b.b .b z:|
%
|:(a/b/c') (a/b/c')|{b}.d'.c {a}(g/^f/g)|{b}.d'.c {b }.d'.c | a'f' {d'}(c'/=b/c')|
(a/b/c') (a/b/c')|{b}.d'.c {a}(g/^f/g)|{b}.d'.c {bc'}(ba/g/)|.f.f .f z :|
%
(3f/g/f/ (=e/f/) .b.d|.f.e {f }e/d/e |(3f/g/f/ (=e/f/) ._e'.a| .c'.b {c'/}(b/a/b)|
(3f/g/f/ (=e/f/) .b.d|.f.e {f}(e/d/e)|(3f/g/f/ (=e/f/) ._e'.a|{c'}.b.b .b z |]
The next two tunes combine key changes between sections with momentary key
changes within sections. (Players of diatonic instruments sometimes cheat
and leave out the G sharps in the second part of the of the Bluebell Polka
without anybody noticing, but there is a modulation to A there).
X:0
T:Bluebell Polka
G:polka
S:Kerr's Merry Melodies v1 (1875)
C:F. Stanley
N:Everybody thinks Jimmy Shand wrote this.
N:He didn't start *that* long ago.
M:2/4
L:1/16
Q:1/4=100
K:G
(3Bdg|b2b2 g>fg>e|d2d2B2 zG|F2A2 c2e2|ed^cd B2
(3Bdg|b2b2 g>fg>e|d2d2B2 zG|FGAB cdef|g2g2 g2 :|
K:D
z2 |A2A2 FAdf |a2a2f4 |a2^g2 =g3e |b2 (3aba ^g2a2|
A2A2 FAdf |a2a2f4 |a2^g2 =g3e |d2d2 d2 :|
K:G
(3Bdg|b2b2 g>fg>e|d2d2B2 zG|F2A2 c2e2|ed^cd B2
(3Bdg|b2b2 g>fg>e|d2d2B2 zG|FGAB cdef|g2g2 g2 :|
K:C
z2 |e2e2 efg2 |e2e2 efg2|f2f2 fdB2|fefg fdB2|
e2e2 efg2 |e2e2 efg2|f2f2 fdBd|c2c2 c2 :|
K:G
(3Bdg|b2b2 g>fg>e|d2d2B2 zG|F2A2 c2e2|ed^cd B2
(3Bdg|b2b2 g>fg>e|d2d2B2 zG|FGAB cdef|g2g2 g2 :|
X:0
T:The Oslo Waltz
G:accordion waltz
S:Jim Paterson
N:Scottish version of a Norwegian tune
N:its full weirdness is only apparent when you see the chords
M:3/4
L:1/8
Q:3/4=56
K:A
% -- A part
e2|fe ce Ac|E2 A2 c2|F6|E4 A2|G3 =G ^G2|e4 d2| c2 c=c ^cd|c4 e2|
fe ce Ac|E2 A2 c2|F6|E4 A2|G3 =G ^G2|e4 G2|(3ABA GA ce|a2 z2 :|
% -- B part
c/d^d/|:e6|a6|a2 g2 f2|c6|e3 f e2|d2 c2 B2| A2 AG AB|c6 |
e6|a6|a2 g2 f2|c6|e3 f e2|d2 c2 B2|(3ABA GA ce|[1 a2 z2 e2:|\
[2 a2 z2 ||
% -- A part
|:e2|fe ce Ac|E2 A2 c2|F6|E4 A2|G3 =G ^G2|e4 d2| c2 c=c ^cd|c4 e2|
fe ce Ac|E2 A2 c2|F6|E4 A2|G3 =G ^G2|e4 G2|(3ABA GA ce|a2 z2 :|
% -- C part
K:D
d/^d/e/^e/|:f6-|f6 |d6- |d6 |F2 A2 d2|f2 a2 ^a2| b6-|b6 |
g6 |e4 d2|c6 |c4 B2|A6 |A2 ^G2 =G2| F6 |AB cd e=f |
f6-|f6 |d6- |d6 |F2 A2 d2|f2 a2 ^a2| b6-|b6 |
d'6|c'4 b2|a4 f2|d2 c2 B2|A6 |e6 |[1 d6 |AB cd e=f:|\
[2 d6-|d2 z2 ||
% -- A part
K:A
|:e2|fe ce Ac|E2 A2 c2|F6|E4 A2|G3 =G ^G2|e4 d2| c2 c=c ^cd|c4 e2|
fe ce Ac|E2 A2 c2|F6|E4 A2|G3 =G ^G2|e4 G2|(3ABA GA ce|a2 z2 :|
Tunes like Lord Kelly's Reel are based around chord progressions rather
than melodic ideas, and this kind of composition became increasingly
common in Scottish music during the 19th century. 18th century Scottish
tunes were almost never harmonized using anything but major or minor
triads: at most a dominant seventh on the final cadence of a section. By
the beginning of the 20th century, almost any harmony known to art music
could feature, mainly thanks to the influence of gypsy jazz. At one point
in the 1950s, someone at the BBC decided to make a stand against this and
enforce the stylistic purity of Scottish dance music by banning broadcast
Scottish dance bands from using diminished chords. Angus Fitchet responded
with a reel in which the melody itself contains an unavoidable diminished
arpeggio, which can only sensibly be harmonised with a diminished seventh
chord:
X:0
T:J.B. Milne
C:Angus Fitchet
M:C|
L:1/8
Q:1/2=120
K:A
cd|"A" efed c2A2| E2A2 c4 | cedc B2A2 |"Bm"d6
Bc|"E7" dedc B2G2| E2G2 B4 | BdcB A2B2 |"A" c6
cd|"A" efed c2A2| E2A2 c4 | cedc B2A2 |"D" f6
fg|"Cdim7"af^d=c A2ag|"A"fecA E2gf|"E7"e/f/e ^de f2g2 |"A" a6||
cd|"A" e2c2 f2c2| e2c2 f2c2| e2^de "F#m"fe=dc|"Bm"d6
Bc|"E7" d2B2 e2B2| d2B2 e2B2| d2cd edcB |"A7"c6
cd|"A" e2c2 f2c2| e2c2 f2c2| a2ga baga |"D" f6
fg|"Cdim7"abag fagf|"A"fecA E2gf|"E7"e/f/e ^de f2g2 |"A" a6|]
The tune was an instant hit, and is still played by almost every ceilidh
band in Scotland. Modality lost that battle.
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== (c) Jack Campin http://www.campin.me.uk/ August 2013 ==
== 11 Third Street, Newtongrange, Midlothian EH22 4PU, Scotland ==
== ==
== these pages: http://tinyurl.com/scottishmodes ==
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