SKYE WAULKING SONG

WAULKING
THIS IS A SCOTTISH PROCESS FOR MAKING TWEED MORE WINDPROOF AND FLEXIBLE SONGS WERE USED TO KEEP EVERYONE IN TIME ONE SINGER WOULD SING THE LYRICS AND OTHERS WOULD JOIN IN WITH NONSENSE SYLLABLES (VOCABLES) TECHNOLOGY HAS REPLACED THE NEED FOR THIS PROCESS, BUT SOME STILL PRACTICE IT

CAPERCAILLIE
THEY ARE A SCOTTISH FOLK BAND THEY USE A FUSION OF ELEMENTS FROM TRADITIONAL GAELIC FOLK AND ROCK MUSIC THIS IS DESCRIBED AS CELTIC ROCK SKYE WAULKING SONG IS FROM THEIR ALBUM NADURRA (2000) THE SINGER IS KAREN MATHESON

FUSION FOLK MUSIC

THIS IS A MIXTURE OF MORE THAN ONE MUSICAL STYLE OR CULTURE

FEATURES: MUSIC OF THE PEOPLE-PERFORMED BY LOWER CLASSES WISHING TO EXPRESS FEELINGS OR LOCAL MYTHOLOGY PASSED ON BY ORAL TRADITION, RARELY NOTATED

OFTEN USED AT INFORMAL OCCASIONS OR AS PROTEST SONGS

OFTEN USES MIXTURES OF ACOUSTIC AND ELECTRIC INSTRUMENTS

ABOUT THE SONG

THE LYRICS TELL THE STORY OF THE SON OF THE KING OF IRELAND, SEATHAN IT WAS A LAMENT BY HIS WIFE, SHARING FEELINGS OF GRIEVANCE AND LOSS THE ORIGINAL WAS OVER 200 LINES LONG

ONLY A FEW LINES ARE USED IN THE SONG, INTERSPERSED WITH VOCABLES USING CALL AND RESPONSE
CHUIR MATHAIR MISE DHAN TAIGH CHARRAIDEACH (THE FULL TITLE OF THE SONG) TRANSLATES AS MY FATHER SENT ME TO THE HOUSE OF SORROW

INSTRUMENTATION
A MIXTURE OF TRADITIONAL AND MODERN INSTRUMENTS ARE USED: SYNTHESISER WURLITZER PIANO BASS DRUM KIT ACCORDION UILLEANN PIPES BOUZOUKI FIDDLE (THE VOICE IS NOT COUNTED AS AN INSTRUMENT)

UILLEANN PIPES
This means pipes of the elbow in Irish They have a different harmonic structure, making them sound softer and sweeter than bagpipes They are most often tuned in D, but can be tuned in other keys

BOUZOUKI
GREEK PLUCKED STRINGED INSTRUMENT PLAYED WITH A PLECTRUM

THERE ARE TWO TYPES, DEPENDING ON WHETHER THEY HAVE THREE OR FOUR PAIRS OF STRINGS
A MEMBER OF THE LUTE FAMILY (TAMBOURAS) OFTEN USED IN SCOTTISH AND

IRISH FOLK MUSIC

GAELIC FEATURES
COMPOUND TIME SIGNATURE PENTATONIC VOCAL LINE

USE OF A REFRAIN AT THE END OF EACH VERSE

USE OF VOCABLES (NONSENSE WORDS) NARRATIVE ELEMENTS-THE STORY OF SEATHEN

SCOTCH SNAP RHYTHMS

TEXTURE
A CONTRAPUNTAL TEXTURE IS CREATED BY A RHYTHMIC PATTERN ON THE DRUM KIT COUNTER MELODIES AND PLAYED ON THE MELODY INSTRUMENTS CHORDS ARE PLAYED ON THE SYNTHESISER AND ACCORDION INSTRUMENTS DROP OUT TO THIN TEXTURE AND MAKE VOCAL PART MORE PROMINENT HETEROPHONIC TEXTURE AT TIMES MONOPHONIC TEXTURE OFTEN USED TO AS A LINK TO THE NEXT SECTION ACCORDION OFTEN DOUBLES THE VOCAL LINE

RHYTHM
PIECE IS IN 12/8 (COMPOUND QUADRUPLE TIME), ALTHOUGH THIS IS AMBIGUOUS AT THE START

THERE IS FREQUENT SYNCOPATION IN BOTH THE VOCAL AND INSTRUMENT LINES

HI-HAT CREATES CROSS-RHYTHMS ESPECIALLY AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SONG DOTTED RHYTHMS GIVE A LILTING FEEL EMPHASIS PLACED ON 2ND AND 5TH BEATS IN THE INSTRUMENTAL

TONALITY AND HARMONY

MAINLY USES CHORDS OF G, E MINOR AND C ENTIRELY DIATONIC

KEY ONLY ESTABLISHED AT THE END OF THE INTRO BEFORE THE VOICE ENTERS
MODAL-AEOLIAN MODE OF E MINOR AND G IONIAN MODE OF G MAJOR (DOMINANT CHORD IS AVOIDED) HARMONY IS RELATIVELY SIMPLE THROUGHOUT

MELODY
MAIN MELODY HELD BY THE VOCALS WIDE RANGE, QUITE LOW NOTES FOR A FEMALE SINGER

MELODY USES WIDER STEPS BETWEEN NOTES WHEN TAKEN OVER BY PIPES AND ACCORDION
USE OF E MINOR PENTATONIC AND G MAJOR PENTATONIC

DYNAMICS
GRADUALLY BUILD AT BEGINNING BY THE INSERTING OF INSTRUMENTS DROP DRAMATICALLY AT VERSE 7 A LONG FADE OUT ENDS THE PIECE

WORD SETTING
THIS IS MOSTLY SYLLABIC HOWEVER, THE NONSENSE SYLLABLES ARE OFTEN MELISMATIC

STRUCTURE
NO OFFICIAL CHORUS IS USED BECAUSE THIS WAS SEEN TO BE UNLUCKY TO REPEAT A WHOLE LINE SOME VERSES ARE TREATED LIKE A CHORUS, SUCH AS VERSE 4 WHEN FULL BAND ENTERS SUDDENLY AND BACKING VOCALS ARE ADDED STROPHIC FORM

INTRODUCTION
BARS 1-8 BEGINS WITH SYNTH PLAYING A SUSTAINED CLUSTER CHORD, HINTING AT E MINOR THE FIDDLE THEN PLAYS A TREMOLO D CHORD SEQUENCE EVENTUALLY ESTABLISHED AS EM-G TIME SIGNATURE IS AMBIGUOUS BUT THE DRUMS GIVE THE IMPRESSION OF TRIPLE TIME

VERSE 1
BARS 9-11 SAME ACCOMPANIMENT AS IN INTRODUCTION

VOICE ENTERS USING E MINOR PENTATONIC SCALE OR G MAJOR PENTATONIC SCALE THROUGHOUT
VOICE HAS A LILTING RHYTHM, MAKING THE TIME SIGNATURE REMAIN AMBIGUOUS

BREAK
BARS 12-15 THE BACKING INSTRUMENTS CONTINUE, BUT THE FIDDLE IS MORE PROMINENT NOW

VERSE 2
BARS 16-20 VOICE ESTABLISHES TIME SIGNATURE OF 12/8

VERSE 3
BARS 21-24 CONTINUES STRAIGHT FROM VERSE 2

LAST LINE IS UNACCOMPANIED

VERSE 4
BARS 25-28 THE ACCORDION JOINS IN WITH THE ACCOMPANIMENT PROVIDED BY THE BOUZOUKI BACKING VOCALS JOIN IN TO SING THE VOCABLES DRUMS CLEARLY SHOW TIME SIGNATURE OF 12/8 BASS PART DEVELOPS AND BECOMES FULLER CHORD SEQUENCE CHANGES TO C-G-EM-G

VERSE 5
BARS 29-32 MUCH THE SAME AS VERSE 4

ACCORDION PROVIDES COUNTER-MELODY TO VOCAL PART

VERSE 6
BARS 33-36 SAME AS BEFORE

INSTRUMENTAL
BARS 37-43 PIPES AND FIDDLE HAVE A HETEROPHONIC TEXTURE

ACCORDION PROVIDES OCCASIONAL MELODIC DOUBLING

EMPHASIS OF BEATS 2 AND 5 PROVIDES RHYTHMIC INTEREST

VERSE 7
BARS 44-48 CHORDS CHANGE TO AM7-EM-EM-G FOR THIS VERSE ONLY DRAMATIC DYNAMIC DROP MAKES THE VOCALS MORE PROMINENT INSTRUMENTS DROP OUT FOR LAST LINE DRUMS BUILD UP LEADING TO LAST VERSE

VERSE 8
BARS 49-52 ALL INSTRUMENTS RETURN

CHORD PROGRESSION RETURNS TO C-G-EM-G

OUTRO
BAR 53-END VOCAL IMPROVISATION ON VOCABLES

INSTRUMENTS PLAY A COUNTERPOINT

CHORD SEQUENCE IS ALTERNATING BETWEEN C AND G FADE OUT TO END