Capercaillie: Sky Waulking Song
Learning Objectives:
To annotate and analyse the score of
Capercaillie’s ‘Skye Waulking Song’
To consolidate your understanding in the
main features of Melody, Harmony, Tonality
and Structure of Capercaillie’s ‘Skye
Waulking Song’
Starter Activity (10mins)
You are going to listen to Capercaillie’s ‘Sky
Waulking Song’.
Answer the questions on the worksheet in as
much detail as you can. It is out of 12 marks!
DO NOT leave any blanks.
Recap: Background to ‘Skye
Waulking Song’
Capercaullie’s ‘Sky Waulking Song’ was released in September 2000 on
their album Nadurra.
Line up:
Donald Shaw: Accordion, Piano, Synth
Michael McGoldrick: Flutes, Whistle, Uileann Pipes
Karen Matheson: Vocals
Ewen Vernal: Acoustic and Electric Bass
Charles McKerron: Fiddle
Manus LunnyL Bouzouki, Guitar, Bodhran, Vocals
James MacKintosh: Drums, Percussion
Capercaillie
• This group of musicians formed in Oban High School, in the West
Highlands of Scotland, in the early 1980s by Donald Shaw
(accordion and keyboards) and several of his friends on other
instruments.
• The name is taken from a Scottish grouse (a native bird) that was at
one point nearing extinction, but has since undergone a successful
preservation campaign.
Skye Waulking Song
• Skye Waulking Song is a waulking song telling the tale of
Seathan, son of the king of Ireland, from a collection of Gaelic
folk songs by Alexander Carmichael.
• The original song was nearly 200 lines long and would have
taken over an hour to perform, but the Capercaillie version
uses just an extract from the Alexander Carmichael collection.
• The original song was a lament sung by Seathan’s wife, telling
of his deeds, his character, her recollections of times spent
with him and his demise.
Lyrics......
Hi ri huraihhi o ho
Chuir m’athair mise dha’n taigh charraideach
O hi a hho ro hu o ho
Hi ro ho
Chuir m’athair mise dha’n taigh charraideach
Hi ri huraihhi o ho
‘N oidhche sin a rinn e bhanais dhomh
O hi a hho ro hu o ho
‘N oidhche sin a rinn e bhanais dhomh
Etc.
Analysis
Section
Bar numbers and
timings
Description
Intro
1-8
0:00-0:33
• Begins with a sustained keyboard chord- E minor
• The fiddle joins in, more for effect than anything
else, with a tremolo note (rapid repetition of a note
to create a ‘trembling’ effect)
• After a few bars the drum part comes in along with
a second keyboard sound (electric piano with a
tremolo effect) working in counterpoint with the
bouzouki to give a sense of movement.
• The bass plays staccato, almost inaudible notes
working almost as one instrument with the bass
drum.
• By the end of this section, the chord sequence has
been established as Em-G.
•The time signature is ambiguous- it feels like it
might be 6/8 or 12/8, but the shaker and hi-hat are
playing every two beats, giving more of a triple time
feel.
Analysis
Section
Bar numbers and
timings
Description
Verse 1
9-11
0:33-0:51
• The instruments continue in the same way as for
the introduction, but the voice enters to sing the first
line of the verse (‘My father sent me to a house of
sorrow’)
•The voice sings the characteristic lilting rhythm, but
this is working against what the other instruments
are playing, so the time signature is still a little
ambiguous.
Break
12-15
0:51-1:03
• The backing instruments continue with their
atmospheric background sound, while the fiddle
becomes a little more prominent, but still
concentrates more on effects than on melody as
such.
Analysis
Section
Bar numbers and
timings
Description
Verse 2
16-20
1:03-1:24
• The voice begins to establish itself as the main
rhythmic feature, setting the 12/8 time signature.
Verse 3
21-24
1:24-1:41
• Continues seamlessly from verse 2.
• The last line is sung unaccompanied, serving as a
link between the opening section and the next
section.
Verse 4
25-28
1:41-1:58
• The accordion joins in along with strummed
accompaniment on acoustic guitar/bouzouki.
• Backing vocals join in for the nonsense syllables,
leaving the main lyrics for the lead vocal.
• The drum part is now clearly setting the 12/8 feel
along with the rest of the band.
• The bass part has much more substance than the
previous section.
• The chord sequence changes here to C-G-Em-G,
adding some harmonic interest.
Analysis
Section
Bar numbers and
timings
Description
Verse 5
29-32
1:58-2:14
• The same for verse 5.
• The accordion provides countermelodies to the
vocal.
Verse 6
33-36
2:14-2:31
• The same for verse 6.
Instrumental 37-43
2:31-3:01
• The uilleann pipes solo along with the fiddle in a
heterophonic texture while the accordion provides
accompaniment and occasional melodic doubling.
•The instruments (particularly the accordion)
emphasise the second and fifth beats, adding some
extra rhythmic interest.
Analysis
Section
Bar numbers and
timings
Description
Verse 7
44-48
3:01-3:21
• The chord sequence changes to Am7-Em-Em-G for
one verse only.
• The dynamics drop considerably, with all the
instruments leaving room for the intimate vocal
sound (with backing vocals on nonsense syllables).
• All instruments drop out for the last line, adding
to the contrast as the drums build up to the last
verse.
Verse 8
49-52
3:21-3:38
• Chord sequence returns to C-G-Em-G.
• Full band plays.
Outro
53-end
3:38-4:38
• Vocals improvise to the nonsense syllables as the
instruments weave a counterpoint with each other.
• The chord sequence alternates between C and G
for the remainder of the song.
• A long fade out brings the song to an end.
Important points to note
• Harmony in this style of music is less important than melody and
rhythm. The harmony is very simple throughout the song (there are
only four chords in the whole song), but the changes in chord
sequence, while infrequent, are very noticeable when they happen,
highlighting a change of section and mood.
• The melodic lines are played in the folk style- the instruments
improvise around the melody simultaneously, sometimes playing a very
similar melody in slightly different ways (creating a heterophonic
texture) and sometimes weaving a complex, improvised counterpoint
around the melody and scale (G major).
• The vocal part is sung using the scale of E minor pentatonic (or G major
pentatonic) throughout.
Plenary
Answer these questions!
1) What musical technique is used by the fiddle in the beginning
of the piece?
2) How many chords is the song based on? Name Them!
3) What is the texture between the uileann pipes and fiddle?
4) How is the melody utilised in a folk style?
5) Which scale is the vocal line based on?