The Clarsach Collection Vol 1 ELEMENTARY - Karen Marshalsay

Sreangan a' Sreapadh
Emily's Tune
The Barnyards O' Delgaty
Dannsa na Duilleagain
The Three-Legged Clàrsach
Suidaibh Illean Gabhaidh 'm Port
The Spell
Thig am Bàta
I will not goe to my bed til I suld die
Corriechoillie's Welcome to the Northern Meeting
Patrick McDonald Jig
Lady Carmichael's Strathspey
Cnoc Mhàrtainn
Miss Gordon of Gight
Mr John Smith
Susan Elizabeth's Wedding Waltz

These tunes and arrangements are of traditional music, where variation and ornamentation are of prime importance. In performance an experienced player would not always do the same thing with the left hand or the ornamentation, however decisions have to be made to write things down, and as this is intended for inexperienced players, who would be advised to learn by imitation, which is the traditional way, I have put in grace notes and fingerings which I use to give the essential 'Scottish accent' as my teacher, Alison Kinnaird, puts it, to the music. The fingerings may well be different or slightly strange to someone with a classical background or approach but try them out – they help the rhythms of the tunes and are as important as bowing is to a fiddler, so have a think about why they're there and then if you'd rather do it another way then that's okay!

 

 

Karen Marshalsay

Glasgow, 2009