Scottish Culture - Scotland - page 934

'Will Ye No Come Back Again', for example - while others relate to the Covenanters and
the Highland Clearances.
In recent years there has been a revival in traditional music, often adapted and updated
for the modern age. Bands such as Runrig pioneered with their own brand of Celtic rock,
while Shooglenifty blend Scottish folk music with anything from indie rock to electronica,
producing a hybrid that has been called 'acid croft'.
But perhaps the finest modern renderings of traditional Scottish songs come from
singer-songwriter Eddi Reader, who rose to fame with the band Fairground Attraction and
their 1988 No 1 hit 'Perfect'. Since then her solo career has combined original songwrit-
ing with performances of traditional Scottish folk songs - her album Eddi Reader Sings
the Songs of Robert Burns (2003, re-released with extra tracks in 2009) is widely regarded
as one of the best interpretations of Burns' works.
BAGPIPES
Bagpipe music may not be to everyone's taste, but Scotland's most famous instrument has
been reinvented by bands like the Red Hot Chilli Pipers, who use pipes, drums, guitars
and keyboards to create rock versions of trad tunes that have been christened, tongue
firmly in cheek, as 'Jock 'n' Roll'. They feature regularly at festivals throughout the coun-
try.
The bagpipe consists of a leather bag held under the arm, kept inflated by blowing
through the blowstick; the piper forces air through the pipes by squeezing the bag with the
forearm. Three of the pipes, known as drones, play a constant note (one bass, two tenor)
in the background. The fourth pipe, the chanter, plays the melody.
Highland soldiers were traditionally accompanied into battle by the skirl of the pipes,
and the Scottish Highland bagpipe is unique in being the only musical instrument ever to
be classed as a weapon. The playing of the pipes was banned - under pain of death - by
the British government in 1747 as part of a scheme to suppress Highland culture in the
wake of the Jacobite uprising of 1745. The pipes were revived when the Highland regi-
ments were drafted into the British Army towards the end of the 18th century.
CEILIDHS
The Gaelic word ceilidh ( kay -lay) means 'visit'. A ceilidh was originally a social gather-
ing in the house after the day's work was over, enlivened with storytelling, music and
song. These days, a ceilidh means an evening of traditional Scottish entertainment includ-
ing music, song and dance. To find one, check the village noticeboard, or just ask at the
local pub; visitors are always welcome to join in.