Capercaillie Fact Sheet

Skye
Waulking
Song
AoS 4 Capercaillie
Harmony
Texture
HETEROPHONIC TEXTURE is created when
instruments perform a very similar melodic line
together, but in slightly dierent ways (Uilleann pipes
solo along with the fiddle in the Instrumental) .

There are also examples of instruments weaving a
complex improvised COUNTERPOINT around the
melody and scale (G major) and the vocals improvise
in COUTERPOINT during the outro.
The harmony is very SIMPLE using only FOUR

CHORDS in the whole song.
The changes in CHORD SEQUENCE highlight a
change of section or mood.
The intro establishes the chord sequence Em-G
This changes to C-G-Em-G in Verse 4 adding some

harmonic interest
In verse 7, the chord sequence changes to Am7-EmContrasts in texture, such as the UNACCOMPANIED Em-G for one verse only returning to C-G-Em-C
last line of verse 3 serve as a link between sections
in verse 8 and alternating C-G chords in the outro.
Backing vocals thicken the texture when they join in
vocalising the nonsense syllables in between each
line of lyrics (starting in verse 4).
and all instruments drop out of the last line of verse 7

similarly.
The instruments tend to provide an
ACCOMPANIMENT TEXTURE to the vocal parts
but instruments (such as the accordion in verse 4)
provide a COUNTER MELODY to the vocals

Rhythm
The shaker and hi-hat play every two beats giving the
rhythm a TRIPLE feel.
The vocal part has a characteristic LILTING rhythm
The second and fifth beats of the bar are emphasised by the
accordion in the instrumental section
Pitch & melody

Melodic lines are played in the FOLK STYLE instruments
IMPROVISE AROUND A MELODY
The Waulking song tradition can be heard in the use of
VOCABLES between each sung line and the repetition of each
line of verse
Folk Instrumentation

Violin (Fiddle)
Pipes (Uilleann)
Accordion Bouzouki
Bodhran
Form
Intro
Verse 1
Break
V2
V3
V4
V5
V6
Instrumental
V7
V8
Outro
Pop/Rock Instrumentation
Synthesizer
Wurlitzer Piano
Drum Kit,
Bass
Tonality
The vocal part is sung using the scale of E MINOR PENTATONIC (or
G major pentatonic) throughout
Dynamics
The dynamics build with the texture of the song, dropping
considerably in verse 7 leaving room for the intimate vocal sounds
A long FADE OUT brings the song to an end
Tempo: Slow & Calm

Time signature: 12/8 (compound time)
Skye
Waulking
Song
AoS 4 Capercaillie
Musical, social & historical
context:
Waulking is an ancient Scottish process used

for making tweed fabric more flexible and
windproof. A Waulking song refers to a song
used to make this process into a more sociable
occasion. To keep everyone IN TIME, the work
was accompanied by song. There would be one
person leading with lyrics, based on a wellknown story and others would join in after
each line with some NONSENSE SYLLABLES,
called VOCABLES. It was considered unlucky
to repeat a whole verse, so the songs often had
many verses. Technology has now replaced the
need of manual Waulking by the hands or
feet, but the tradition still continues in some
parts of Scotland and Walking songs are still
sung by these societies and collections of
Waulking songs have been produced in
notation and recordings.
Lyrics
The song lyrics tell the tale of Seathan, son of the King of
Ireland. The original song (nearly 200 lines long) was a
LAMENT sung by Seathans wife, telling of his deeds and
recollections and is a way of grieving and sharing her
feelings of loss. Only a few lines are used in this set work
interspersed with VOCABLES (nonsense syllables like Fala-la so that anyone can join in) in a CALL AND
RESPONSE pattern.
Fusion Folk Music

Skye Waulking Song is an example of
FUSION FOLK MUSIC features of FOLK
MUSIC include: Music of the People
performed by lower classes of a society
expressing something about their way of life,
how they used to live, or about local mythology
Passed on by the ORAL TRADITION and rarely
notated, often performed at INFORMAL occasions such as jam sessions at pubs of social
gatherings. Folk Music is about everyone taking part, enjoying the music and passing on tales of
life, legend and heritage.
Folk Music is traditionally played on ACOUSTIC INSTRUMENTS accordion, bagpipes, banjo,
bodhran, bouzouki, concertina, double bass, fiddle,
guitar, harmonica, hurdy-gurdy, mandolin, piano, tin/
penny whistle, uileann pipes. Electric Instruments such
as the bass, keyboard and electric guitar have been used
in folk music but some purists feel this isnt traditional.
FUSION is a combining of more than one musical style
or culture. Capercaillie are an example of a band that
FUSE CELTIC FOLK MUSIC with the instruments and
production values of WESTERN POPULAR MUSIC

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Skye

The harmony is very SIMPLE using only FOUR

This changes to C-G-Em-G in Verse 4 adding some

and all instruments drop out of the last line of verse 7

Pitch & melody

Tempo: Slow & Calm

Waulking is an ancient Scottish process used

Fusion Folk Music

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