Scottish Traditional Music: Phase 1

For my case study, I would like to explore the traditional, or “folk,” music of Scotland. Specifically, I would focus on the Highland region of the country. Scotland is known mostly for its traditional music. While the rest of the world’s traditional music has fallen in comparison to pop music, traditional Scottish music has remained a strong contender, with a large following. Generally, anyone can play traditional Scottish music, but in its early years, it was played by specific families.

One important instrument in this traditional style is the bagpipe, an aerophone instrument played by blowing air into a kind of bag, which in turn keeps a constant supply of air moving across the internal reeds. Pressure is then applied to the bag, to keep the instrument steady and to produce steady tones for the outshooting pipes. The pipes consist of a Chanter – a single or double pipe(s) which play the melody – and Drones, which play constant tones to support the Chanter’s melody.

Another common instrument in Scottish music is the fiddle. However, in Scottish traditional music, the fiddle is played in five different regional styles: Shetland, North-East, Highland (aka West-Coast or Gaelic), Borders, and Nova Scotia (aka Cape Breton).

The tin whistle is yet another instrument closely associated with Scotland. It is a simple aerophone, played like a recorder, it is so common in Scottish and Irish music that it has been said that the music would be lacking without it.