Scottish Traditional Music: Phase 2

In recent years, few case studies have been done specifically on the traditional genre of Scottish music. The majority of research has been done on either specific instruments or has been done by those who only dabble in ethnomusicology but do not take it as their career focus. Even still, others have recently discussed the argument of what qualifies as “traditional” in this contemporary age.

Lori Watson is one such individual who researched the ongoing debate of traditionalism in Scotland. In her doctoral studies in 2006, she researched both sides of the debate, though she herself erred on the side of innovation. She delved into what the Scots believe to be “acceptable,” and what is considered “deviations” from tradition. What she uncovered was that over time, more and more people wished to add to the past traditional styles of music, and that “tradition” was an ever-changing concept, being a combination of the past and present-day.

Dr. Frances Wilkins is currently a professor at the Elphinstone Institute, University of Aberdeen. Her studies have focused more on Scottish and Canadian instrumentation – specifically, fiddle instrumentation. She has also studied Scottish and Gaelic singing, and has since branched from the Shetland region to the North-East Scottish and West Highland regions.

While Watson’s studies branched over much of Scotland, Dr. Wilkins’ work focused primarily on the connection between Scotland and Canada, namely in the James Bay area. I would like to focus on the broadly used celtic harp, which is played in Welsh, Breton, Irish, and Scottish cultures. It is an instrument which has been played in the past and was revived in the 1970s, making it a unique instrument.

The language of Scotland is a variation of English, known simply as Scottish English. It is easy enough to understand, so a translator should not be necessary. As the celtic harp has a history in the Northern Highlands and Western Isles of Scotland, I will be traveling straight to the center of Scotland. Flights to the city of Inverness will cost a little over $1,000 round-trip, assuming I can stay for a month or so. From Inverness, I would plan to travel to the city of Portree, which is more centered to the area in which the celtic harp is played. Portree is a small city, yet is often frequented by tourists, so staying in a hotel will require up to $4,500, though Scotland uses the British Pound as their currency. Since gas in the UK has risen substantially higher in price than in the USA, I believe most of the funds for the trip will be spent in travel, after renting a small car for myself. I think that, since I will be recording only a single instrument at a time, a simple 2-channel field recorder will suffice. I opt to use the TASCAM DR-05 handheld recorder, with two Audio-Technica PRO 63 cardioid dynamic instrument microphones to place on either side of the harp being recorded. Including payment for musicians, this leaves my budget roughly at around $6,200 without counting per diem. I trust that this will add another few hundred dollars onto the grand total, leaving the trip at roughly $7,200 or so to be safe.