Skye Waulking Song - Capercaillie
Harmony/Tonality
Rhythm/Tempo/Time Sig
Structure
Instrumentation
Texture
Dynamics
Genre
Melody
Depends on how many parts are playing
Fusion - folk rock
The lyrics are Gaelic
The band are from the Isle of Skye
The song is a 300 year old song that kept workers to a set tempo on the hand loom
The lilting melody and slow tempo is the speed they worked at
4 melodic 1 bar phrases that are repeated over and over after the intro (phrase 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4 etc)
12/8 time sig
60 bpm
Unclear, ambiguous pulse at the start, until the vocals come in
Lots of syncopation in the instruments
4 regular 1 bar phrases, each repeated over and over
Wurlitzer piano and bazouki each play part of an idea - call and response. Wurlitzer calls, bazooka responds
Use of vocables - nonsense lyrics used as fillers
Vocals - folk
- Words are Gaelic
- An octave lower than written
- Uses vocables - nonsense vocal fillers
Violin, Accordion and Pipes - folk
Synths - Western pop
- Uses modulation - a studio effect to give a wobbling or trembling
- Uses dissonant cluster chords
Bazouki - folk
- A Greek acoustic guitar
- An octave lower than written
Wurlitzer Piano - western pop
- An octave lower than written
- Old fashioned piano made by Wurlitzer
Bass - western pop
- Plays pizzicato
Drum kit - western pop
- Has a cross rhythm 3/2 effect
Heterophonic part with the accordion and pipes, bar 40
Vocals alone - monophonic
Mainly homophonic, with varying thickness
Chord sequence for bars 1 - 24
1) Em 2) G 3) Em 4) G
5) Em 6) G 7) Em 8) G
Bar 44 begins the use of 9ths
E aeolian mode
Vocal line uses E pentatonic scale - EGABD