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