Designed & produced by Eric Maclewis
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2008-2024
Strathspey is a region of Scotland located around the Spey river and its valley (strath; gael. “srath”), between Loch Spey and Grantown on Spey.
This area is also known as the Speyside, famous for its numerous whisky distilleries.
The strathspey is also a dance and a musical style, both named after that Scottish area.
The strathspey is part of the pipe-band repertoire in the MSR format (March, Strathspey & Reel) and is traditionally followed by a reel in Scottish dancing.
It is also interesting to note that strathspey rhythm and grace notes could fit to the Scottish Gaelic phrasing.
The tunes are noted 4 beats to the bar with a syncopated rhythm; the tempi are near 130 BPM with pipe-bands or even higher with soloists like Gordon Duncan: as for me, I prefer to follow P.M. Bill Robertson's advice with a working base of 120 BPM, that at least allows to ensure a good rhythm for dancing.
NB :
1 - in the Scots Guards “Standard Settings of Pipe Music (vol.2 - page 83)”, part 2 ends differently by repeating bars 3 & 4 from part 1.
2 - Auld Lang Syne is based on at least two strathspeys “The Miller's Wedding” (1759) and “The Miller's Daughter”(1780).
O'er The Bows To Ballindalloch
STRATHSPEY
- score written by Eric Maclewis with CelticPipes