There are many ways to play for Scottish Country Dance jigs, reels and strathspeys but these are my ideas on the subject and how I would expect you to play if you were part of my band.
I hope that you get some ideas from these pages but, if you disagree with anything I say, that is fine with me.
The subjects I will cover are listed below, linked to the specific section.
SCD is made up of three main types of tunes; Reels, Jigs and Strathspeys.
Within each type, there are subdivisions.
For Reels, think Regular Reels, Marches, Hornpipes, Rants and Songs. For Jigs think Traditional Jigs, Pipe Marches, Two-steps and Songs. For Strathspeys think Traditional Strathspeys, Lyrical Strathspeys, Slow Airs and Songs. We will not complicate the issue with Slip Jigs which are closely related to Jigs, Puirt à Beul (mouth music) or Scotch Measures (mainly Highland stepping).
Pace depends on many factors such as whether the dance is new to the dancers, where a slightly slower pace may help, or a well known dance that is traditionally danced at a faster pace.
In general Jigs and Reels are played at the same pace, from 110 bpm up to as much as 116 bpm. Strathspeys are usually 58 to 62 bpm. Once the dance has started it is important to maintain a constant pace. It is most unusual for SCD to change pace mid-way through a dance except in the case of a medley where a Jig or Reel is played with a Strathspey.
Style of playing is very variable depending on factors including geography so you need to listen to your favourite bands to emulate their style. There is, however, one theme that is worthy of note. Unless specifically written in the music, try to make Reels and Jigs play with a dotted feel as suggested in the figure below. This helps to give what is known as lift to the music which urges the dancers to move enthusiastically off-the-floor.
Other factors in lift come from short notes and emphasis on the on and/or off-beat. In general a clear separation between the on and off beat helps to define the steps.
Usually, the start chord consists of pick-up, a chord for 3 beats sometimes finishing with a flourish, and then a pick-up into the tune. It looks like this when I play it.
...And it sounds like this.
If you play a lot with the same musicians you may not need to count in and may loosen the rigid nature shown in the music and just work from the first pick-up. In ensemble playing it is better to count in, thereby making the timing strict.
If the dance requires two chords then, after the first chord is played, simply wait until it looks as if most people have got into place and then play the second chord as shown above. If possible play the two chords an octave (or some part of an inversion) apart.
The finishing chord can be played as follows.
...And sounds like this.
As stated earlier, in SCD the differentiation between the on and off beat is very important. Instruments such as the violin and the first accordion play the tune while other instruments play the accompaniment.
The double bass, accordion bass or piano left hand play the on beat leaving the accordion right hand and piano right hand to play the off beat. If there is a guitar in the band, I prefer it to play the off beat. Care should be taken to ensure that even beats are used for Reels and Strathspeys while Jigs are given their 6/8 rhythm.
Sometimes, block chords, where all accompanying instruments play on the on beat, can be used. An example is when the chords follow the structure I, VI, II, V (e.g., G, Em, Am, D7) in, say, bars 3 and 4 of a Jig or Reel as shown below.
...And sounding like this.
Some bands forbid harmonies and/or dynamics in SCD but others allow second parts or, say, crescendos. In any case, the pace of the music must not change.
Generally, for a dance that is made up of 32 or 48 bars of dance played, say, 4 or 8 times, then the tune changes for each turn of the dance. If 3 tunes are used for a 8 times through dance, then the order is usually 12312321 where 1 is the first tune, 2 the second, etc. If 4 tunes are used, the order is usually 12342341.
Most often, the first tune, usually the one that specifically goes with that dance, is played as the first and last tune. Some tunes sound better played ABAB for 32 bars and others are better as AABB. The ABAB form may predate the other but except in certain dances where the ABAB form is traditional, it does not make much difference.
I try to make the tunes go together with a similar style (unless I am looking for a particular effect in the music) and I try to make the new tune a forth or fifth away from the previous one so that the change is noticeable but smooth. Major and minor key tunes can be mixed.
Ready-And is used by teachers to cue the band to play for a section of the dance that is being taught. The words are said in rhythm with what the teacher wants the pace to be and is followed by a pick-up and then whichever part of the tune is wanted. Here is an example.
...And this is how it sounds.
I hope you have enjoyed this review of SCD music but remember that this is only a guide - and that I break all of these rules when I feel it helps the music or dancers.