Videos

Link: https://vimeo.com/184571970

Description: Dr Mats Melin, an ethnochoreologist at the University of Limerick who researches Cape Breton step dance, explains how to execute the basic back step.

Link: https://vimeo.com/184571921

Description: Dr David McGuiness, University of Glasgow, describes four different basslines written between 1761 and 1790 for the same Scottish tune, 'Invercauld's Reel' (aka 'Invercauld's Rant').

Link: https://vimeo.com/184538421

Description: Fiddle music has historically played an important part in Shetland weddings. It is thought that there were once marches in every island district which were used to accompany various aspects of the celebrations, from leading wedding parties to church, to seeing the bride into bed on her wedding night. There are a number of extant stories about particular bridal tunes and their associated traditions which are both intriguing and amusing.

Today, fiddle music still features prominently in Shetland nuptials. It is often performed at wedding ceremonies and dances, and some couples still uphold the bridal marching tradition. Tunes are frequently composed as wedding gifts, and are occasionally written with outdoor performance in mind.

Link: https://vimeo.com/184538322

Description: Chris McDonald (Cape Breton University) and Kimberley Fraser (Cape Breton fiddler, dancer and pianist) explain how the Cape Breton piano accompaniment style works.

Link: https://vimeo.com/184538287

Description: Musicologist and fiddler Laura Risk explains how she investigated the origins of a percussive fiddle technique known as 'the chop', invented in 1966 but now common throughout North Atlantic fiddle traditions.

Link: https://vimeo.com/184537883

Description: Fiddler and scholar Emma Nixon describes two Australian manuscripts of historical significance: one is a strathspey and reel tune combination, and the other is a letter describing James Scott Skinner's playing style.

Link: https://vimeo.com/184537786

Description: Dr Frances Wilkins, ethnomusicologist at the University of Aberdeen, describes the historical connections between James Bay Cree and Scottish fiddling.

Link: https://vimeo.com/184537784

Description: Singer Claire White explains how Shetland's history inspires her songwriting, telling the disastrous story of the ship known as the Brattholm and the sole survivor of its destruction.

Link: https://vimeo.com/184537780

Description: A comparison of historical and contemporary performance practices of 18th century Scottish fiddle repertoire.

Link: https://vimeo.com/184537779

Description: Sherry Johnson and April Verch compare and contrast steps in the Ontario Old-Time and Ottawa Valley stepdancing traditions.

Link: https://vimeo.com/184537772

Description: Fintan Vallely describes the history of the bodhran as an instrument in Irish traditional music, and Gino Lipari describes its construction and basic technique.

Link: https://vimeo.com/184572056

Description: Respected Irish flutist Fintan Vallely explains and demonstrates a wide range of ornaments that can be played to increase the emotional intensity of a slow air.

Link: https://vimeo.com/184537781

Description: Dr Leah O'Brien Bernini, ethnomusicologist, describes the characteristics that make traditional musicians resilient in the face of change, contributing to their success.