Scottish Instruments and Instrumental Groups

Scottish Instruments and Instrumental Groups

Accordion

An instrument with a keyboard played with the right hand and buttons (which play chords) pressed by the left hand. The player pushes and pulls the two sides to operate the bellows.

Fiddle

Another name for the violin, used in Scottish folk music

Vamp

A, oom-cha style of piano accompaniment which is regularly used in traditional Scottish music. It is a rhythmic accompaniment with a bass note played on the beat and a chord off the beat. Usually played on piano or the left hand of the accordion.

Bagpipes

A musical instrument having a flexible bag inflated either by a tube with valves or by bellows, a double-reed melody pipe, and from one to four drone pipes.

Pibroch

Pibroch is usually played on the solo bagpipes. The main melody is repeated several times with elaborate variations. The melody is decorated with grace notes - these are short, crushed notes played immediately before the main note of the melody..

Pibroch

Listen to an example of a pibroch

Bodhrán

A Celtic wooden drum held in one hand and played with a wooden beater.

Clarsach

A small Scottish harp.

Scottish Dance Band

A band which plays Scottish music for people to dance to. The instruments may include fiddle, accordion, piano and drum kit

Folk Group

A group of singers and instrumentalists who perform traditional music from a particular country, for example, Scotland.

-can include any folk instruments -e.g. bodhran, tin whistle, clarsach, guitar, singers

Celtic Rock

The fusion of traditional Scottish music with rock music has become known as Celtic rock. Typical rock instruments such as electric guitar, bass guitar and drum kit are combined with acoustic Scottish folk instruments.

Multiple Select

Choose TWO features of this music

• Suspension

• Grace notes

• Contrary motion

• Pibroch

• Inverted pedal