The Tradition
 

The British Isles has a remarkable set of traditions of singing and instrumental music, much of it written down, much of it, like the Harp tradition of Scotland, Ireland and Wales, kept as a secret by the musicians and lost when the tradition died. Each Nation has its own traditions and many of these are still vibrant today.

The Scottish revival tradition, influenced by the 19th century fiddler Scott Skinner is very strong as is the Scottish Piping tradition whose early tunes go back many centuries, but whose current repertoire is very influenced by the military as well as exciting new tunes from modern bands. The Celtic tradition of singing and fiddle playing from the Islands is also strong. The Welsh tradition is based on Harp playing and singing both choral and with the harp and is firmly based on the Welsh language and the Methodist Revival.

The English tradition has been lost for longer with industrialisation taking many songs and tunes away, and the Commonwealth, when music and dance were banned for 12 years, and the Restoration, when Charles II brought French musc to the court , providing a complete break in the English music tradition. Most of the dance tunes date to the 17th century and the court dancing masters, but there are early collections of music with early tunes and the Northumbrian and Border tradition, where travelling pipers were not replaced by church bands for public ceremonies and rites of passage, kept the old style of musc. SImilarly the old choral hymns and psalms can still be heard in some pubs in the Midlands where they liked and practised the rites ousted by Hymns Ancient and Modern. 19th century collectore did much to save the remnants of the singing tradition of Britain in general, as well as collecting in Amarica where many of the ballads had been maintained in stronger forms than in Britain

Ireland remains the strongest tradition with a dance tradition based on solo competitive step dancing and regional styles of music to accompany it. Based on a bardic harp tradition which died out in the 18th century, the music now embraces any instrument that can play it but is based on Irish pipes, fiddle, whistles and flutes, melodions, mandolins and concertinas and the large single skinned drum, the bodhran with the more recent introduction of bouzoukis and citterns.

The Instruments

Bodhran: Single skinned drum, occasionally with rattles, played with a single or double ended stick.

Bones: A pair of rib bones in each hand, shaken to make a clacking sound.

Bouzouki: The original Greek 8 stringed, 4 coursed, round backed instrument introduced to Irish music in the late 60s has now been modified with a flat back. Pete plays one by Stephan Sobell

Cittern: 10 stringed, 5 courses, and essentially a renaissance and baroque instrument has the ability to play tunes like a mandolin as well as a bass and rhythm line. Pete's is made by Fylde.

Concertina: Invented in the 19th century and very popular amongst the Salvation Army its various forms are now regularly played in traditional music. Pete plays an English concertina by Lachenal

Mandolin: Fashionable in Britain after the 18th century it is now common in Irish music, but like the bouzouki, it is usually found in its modified flat back form.

Melodeon: Like the concertina these and related instruments were invented in the 19th century and became very popular in Germany and Italy. Steve plays several by a variety of Italian makers, some more glitzy than others

Northumbrian Small Pipes: The last of the English bagpipes to have a continuous tradition these bagpipes come from the North East of Britain, Northumbarland, Newcastle and Durham, and are now becoming more popular since Katheryn Tickell became the first professional Northmbrian Piper. Henrys pipes are in G and D in boxwood by Dave Shaw

Washboard: It is what it says - an old wood framed metal washboard played with thimbles for rhythm, or sometimes to annoy. Mike will take in smalls

Whistles: Ubiquitous instument. Henry plays various whistles all by Dave Shaw.

 
The Sets Who knows where we get our sets from. We have been playing music for so long that we hear tunes we like, and remember them 10 years later. Putting tunes together is more interesting - usually it is either a common phrase that links tunes together, sometimes a contrasting key that makes the juxtaposition ingeresting. In neither case do we go searching for contrast or similarity - we know it when we hear it and if we are lucky, we rember the names of the tunes and put them together properly next time. Pete has a store of Welsh tunes, Henry a store of Northumbrian tunes, and Steve a store of Steve tunes, but mostly we play Irish, in a style that is largely Clare - not too fast and not too decorated.