I am very excited to work with you on May 19th. I have built a set of three tunes connected with the Gaelic and West Highland traditions that I plan to share with you. The first is a clan march in 3/4 known as "Fead na h-Iolaire" or “The Eagle’s Whistle”. This tune is known in Scotland, Ireland, and the Isle of Man. We’ll be working on the Scottish version, which is beautifully played by some of Scotland’s finest musicians in the video below. Please watch the video and then consider the sheet music. As you work with the printed music, know that we will likely make changes and developments when we meet in person as we build an arrangement that fits your group and instrumentation. The ornamentation is fiddle-centered and inspired by Allan Henderson’s playing in the video- I would encourage everyone to learn the melody without ornamentation, and then add it in slowly in a way that fits your instrument and level of playing. We will talk about this more when we meet.
The next two tunes are both from the Gaelic mouth music tradition, called puirt-à-beul (tunes from the mouth). I plan to do a bit of singing with the group for these ones - the words are simple, repetitive, and accessible and they hold the exact rhythms of the dance tunes. I will do this by ear in person, as Gaelic phonetics are so different from English ones that having the words in advance would set people on the wrong track. For this reason, I will send the words after the workshop. These tunes sit beautifully on the fiddle and both can be played in the lower octave. I would encourage the group to practice the second jig (Face Thu Na Fèidh) in the lower octave as I plan to use that in our arrangement. We will shape these tunes and arrangements in person - chord players will note that there are many progressions that could work with these jigs, and different progressions will suit different instruments and arrangements, so take the chords with a grain of salt as we will address them more fully in person.
The workshop will conclude at 3 p.m., after which there will a coffee / tea break and a shorter-than-usual jam session. A concert with Dominque, at the Concord Music School, will begin at 4 p.m. More Info and Ticklets
Download the Notes (all three tunes, 1 PDF)
Fead na h-Iolaire
Fear an Dùin Mhòir
Face Thu Na Fèidh
Fear an Dùin Mhòir is the first tune on the first track on my album, Cànan nan Teud. Folks can listen for free to that here: https://dominiquedodge.com/albums
Fac thu na Fèidh is featured on this lovely teaching video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etA6tMdRTrE Note the subtle differences in the melody between the sheet music I sent and the video - we will likely engage with these as variations in our final arrangement.
Everyone please arrive in time for a prompt 1 p.m. start.
If you are coming for the first time, note that the rear parking lot off of Fayette St. provides the easiest access. We always try to have extra copies of the music for newcomers, however ear-players are welcome as well.
Questions? NHScottishMusic@gmail.com
Dominique Dodge is a harper and singer who grew up in the White Mountains and now divides her time between New Hampshire and Cape Breton.
She has a passion for melody-driven dance music and responsive, rhythmic accompaniment, as well as for Gaelic songs, airs, and 18th century harp tunes. A former Fulbright Scholar and a 2012 graduate of the University of Limerick with
Her newly released album, “Cànan nan Teud” (The Language of the Strings) is now available. It features Gaelic songs from Cape Breton and explores the relationship between Puirt-à-Beul (mouth music) and traditional dance tunes.