canntaireachd – Learning Living Pibroch

The End of the Little Bridge: Gesto’s setting – Part 1

8 March 201929 May 2019 Barnaby BrownLearning Interpretations

Gesto’s setting of this battle tune presents rich opportunities for a creative artist. There are so many options! I find it alarming how quickly we become attached to one interpretation. What we come up with[…]

The pipe is not played but sung

11 March 201711 March 2017 Barnaby BrownHistorical Documents

This is a little interruption to my series on canntaireachd. It is not altogether unrelated. Keith Sanger recently sent me a cutting from The Scotsman that set me thinking. Dastaram gu seinnim pìob (PS 91) literally means ‘I am seized by[…]

Using colour to convey musical pitches – Part 5

4 March 20178 October 2017 Barnaby BrownLearning Interpretations

1. The rift between vocal and written canntaireachd 2. The rationale behind a proposed colour scheme 3. Case study 1: Hiharin hiodreen – One of the Cragich (PS 36) 4. Case study 1 (cont.): testing a coloured vocable score Part 5 concludes case study[…]

Using colour to convey musical pitches – Part 4

22 February 20178 October 2017 Barnaby BrownLearning Interpretations

PART 1. The rift between vocal and written canntaireachd PART 2. The rationale behind a proposed colour scheme PART 3. Case study 1: Hiharin hiodreen – One of the Cragich (PS 36) Part 4 is a continuation of Case[…]

Using colour to convey musical pitches – Part 3

5 February 201723 March 2017 Barnaby BrownLearning Interpretations

PART 1. The rift between vocal and written canntaireachd PART 2. The rationale behind a proposed colour scheme PART 3. Case study 1: Hiharin hiodreen – One of the Cragich (PS 36) This series is dedicated to the memory of Lt Cl[…]

Using colour to convey musical pitches – Part 2

15 January 20178 September 2017 Barnaby BrownHistorical Documents

In Part 1, I observed how the difference between sound waves and light waves has severed the vocal practice of canntaireachd from its written forms. In this part, I explain the rationale for a colour system that could heal the[…]

Using colour to convey musical pitches – Part 1

8 January 201724 March 2017 Barnaby BrownHistorical Documents

This series of posts seeks to elucidate canntaireachd, pibroch’s oldest tool for memorisation and musical understanding. In this part, I notice how the difference between sound waves and light waves has severed the vocal practice of canntaireachd from its written forms. I propose[…]