How is WTM different from Irish or Scottish?

Editor's note: The following article is acctually a forum post made by Sian Phillips over 3 years ago. Someone brought this topic up and she posted an absolutely fantastic analysis/article on this interesting topic.

(Originally)Posted by Sian Phillips on February 22, 2003 at 16:04:20: Re-uploaded 27.06.2004 and again on 24.08.2006.

In Reply to: Re: How is WTM different from Irish or Scottish? posted by Dafydd on February 22, 2003 at 01:56:57:

Maybe Sian would like to explain the differences...
No worries Daff...
Ok here it is...

Irish and Scottish Fiddle tunes compared to Welsh.
Lets divide into two parts the music and the fiddle technique.

Welsh music...
is based on Harmony as opposed to Melody. For example - Head down arse up Irish tunes rely on the notes and ornamentation, whereas Welsh music is more open and allows for a different interpretation through variations..

Remember that Irish music was revived in the past 80 years... Scottish too. You have to look at history to see how the music has been influenced by religion, politics, monarchy, fashion, media and technology. An example of this is music from Orkney (the Wrigley Sisters) play swing style tunes like the Hot Club de Paris, which was the influence from short wave radio in the 30s & 40s. Irish music is sometimes modal. Could this have been due to Gregorian influence through the Roman Catholicism?

Welsh music that we know today was seriously influence by Victoriana... Melodic minor tunes not harmonic or natural. Written in 8/16/32 bar formats, no differing modality. However by going back to the original manuscripts and taking the tunes and allowing them only to be a skeleton for their performance is one way in which we can improve what we have. I mean this...

I have been told on numerous occasions that I am not playing the right notes as written down from stave... this is because I have the notes but I'm improvising and creating variation. Take 4 tunes in G major...
Pwt ar y Bys
Llanover Reel
Pant Corlan ar Wyn
Pen Rhaw

They all have the same base. They are variations of a set of chords. They sit on top of each other.

As history shows that fiddle and harp playing was frowned upon in Wales from the late 18c onwards. It was only the harp that was brought back into vogue by the Cymrodorion in the late 19c who set up the Eisteddfod as we know today (The Cymrodorion were a group of London Cymrophiles - See Iolo Morgannwg - Poet/Bard/Opium Addict!)
[12c Eisteddfods saw Breton competitors too - they normally kicked Welsh butt!]
The harp was then placed on its pedestal and the fiddle relegated to bars and taverns.

Welsh Fiddle
...the technique is a misnomer. I have studied a variety of world music styles and even early music to try and understand this...

There is no 'style' as can be compared to Irish/Scottish - it's in the music and the interpretation by the player. Then you have to determine the definition of 'style'. The Irish have regional variation in technique and interpretation. Wales doesn’t have that regional 'style', an example of different styles is personal and not regional. If you'd like to hear this FFLACHTRADD CD Ffidil has 12 fiddlers playing tunes with their own interpretation.

My fiddle is about 150-160 years old and was my great-great-grandfather's. The fiddle was purchased for my gt-gt-grandfather by the chapel. He then accompanied the singing, in days before organs were readily available and costly. This was in Cwmgerdinen, Garnswllt, Amman Valley. The fiddle is a French made. It has had two major overhauls and is maintained by Chris King of Cardiff Violins.

My influences include… Pink Floyd, Stephane Grappelli, Bach/Mozart, Ravel, Steve Vai to name but a few. Nowadays I like listening to Mark O’Connor, Bela Fleck, Bazar Bla (Sweden). The last CD I bought was Peter Sellers… work that one out!

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Further reading - Famous Welsh Fiddlers - Roy D. Saer. A transcription of 'De Fidiculis' by Rev W Meredith Morris' and a history of some of Wales’ more prevalent itinerant fiddlers.

Listening…
Kilbride – KilBride – FFLACHTRADD www.fflach.co.uk
Ffidil – Various – FFLACHTRADD www.fflach.co.uk
Gramundus – Siân Phillips - FFLACHTRADD www.fflach.co.uk
Jac To Bach – Siân Phillips - SPDKCD01 www.sianfiddle.co.uk
Megin – Various – FFLACHTRADD www.fflach.co.uk
Pibau – Ceri Rhys Matthews & Jonathan Shoreland – FFLACHTRADD www.fflach.co.uk
Telyn – Llio Rhydderch - FFLACHTRADD www.fflach.co.uk