Skye Waulking song - Capercaillie

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What genres of music do the band 'Capercaillie' combine?
Gaelic folk music with modern pop/rock elements , called 'celtic rock'
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When was the piece recorded? Which album is it from?
2000, Nadurra
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Who sung the original 'skye walking song', What did they do while they sang?
Scottish waulking women (while they beat tweed) sang the song to keep in time with each other and lift their spirits
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How did the song help the women keep in time?
It has a strong, regular pulse
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What type of song is 'skye waulking song'?
A lament, the full title means ' my father sent me to a house of sorrow'
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What traditional instruments are used in the piece?
Bouzouki, Uilleann pipes, Accordion, Fiddle, Vocals, Whistle
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What rock/modern instruments are used in the piece?
Electric bass, Rock drum kit, Acoustic guitar, Electric piano
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What is the tempo?
Slow and calm (oral tradition of folk music means there is no set BPM)
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What is the metre?
12/8, compound quadruple time
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What key is the piece in?
G major (vocals sing pentatonic scale), but the dominant chord is avoided so it feels modal
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What is the overall structure?
Intro, Verse 1, break, Verses 2-6, instrumental, Verses 7-8 , Outro
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What is the overall texture?
Heterophonic, with Contrapuntal parts
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How is the Contrapuntal texture created?
Drums-rhythmic pattern, Bass guitar-bass line, Synth and Accordion-Chords, Vocals-Main melody, Other melody instruments-Counter melodies
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Describe the texture of the intro and 1st verse of the song
Starts thin: synth (cluster chord), then fiddle (tremolo), drums (hi-hat only),bass (staccato notes), vocals
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What happens at the start of verse 2?
All the instruments come in
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What is the name of the nonsense syllables (traditional in folk music) used in the vocals
Vocables
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Describe the vocal melody
Pentatonic, Syllabic, in a low register for voice, in Scotts Gaelic, Alternates between 1 bar call (in Gaelic) and response (using Vocables)
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What melodies do the instrumentalists play during the piece?
Soft, countermelodies based on vocal phrases (they improvise around the melody- traditional folk style)
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How would you describe the Harmony, how many chords are used?
Simple, only 4 chords used through the whole song
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What is the chord sequence intro-Verse 3?
EM-G
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What is the chord sequence from verse 4-7?
C-G-Em-G (adds harmonic interest)
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What is the chord sequence in verse 7?
Am7-Em-Em-G
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What chord sequence does the song return to in verse 8?
C-G-Em-C
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What are the chords used in the outro?
C-G
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What is the rhythm of the vocals?
Syncopated (lilting style)
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Describe the rhythm
Hi-hat plays every two beats giving pice a TRIPLE feel, Sometimes the singer is in 6/8 but the drums play 3 crotchets in a bar - so it feels like 3/4, Cross rhythms are used.
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How do the dynamics change throughout the piece?
1st part of the song is Piano, 2nd part is Forte, the dynamics drop in verse 7 , and there is a fade out ending
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

When was the piece recorded? Which album is it from?

Back

2000, Nadurra

Card 3

Front

Who sung the original 'skye walking song', What did they do while they sang?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

How did the song help the women keep in time?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

What type of song is 'skye waulking song'?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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