Rob Roy MacGregor + Brenda Stubbert's Reel ~ Fiddle Tunes!

Here are two fun fiddle tunes: A Scottish strathspey called Rob Roy MacGregor, and Brenda Stubbert's Reel -- a Cape Breton reel that was composed by Jerry Holland in honor of the fiddler, Brenda Stubbert! I also edited together a video showing some of the places I visited when I went to Scotland this summer. =) I had a mountain of footage to sift through, and it was hard to decide which short clips would go into the video. :o

Rob Roy MacGregor Strathspey (also known as Rob Ruadh Macghriogair) is an old tune. I'm not sure who wrote it, but I don't hear it played very often - at least not in Colorado. I really like how it sounds, and I hope we start to play it a lot more often! The tune waffles between minor and major keys, and it sort of makes the tune flip between sounding dreary and sad to happy and hopeful. I've heard that Robert Roy MacGregor was a cattle drover (in the United States, we'd probably be more familiar with referring to a cattle drover as a "cowboy"...) and outlaw -- with stories about him depicting him as a Scottish version of Robinhood. Perhaps his more mischievous moments may be why the tune shifts between major and minor?

Brenda Stubbert's Reel is a very popular tune composed by Jerry Holland. It can follow lots of different tunes and strathspeys, and almost every session I've been to has played it at some point. I've noticed that a lot of professional fiddle players can somehow get this tune to really dance, and I haven't been able to figure out what they are doing to get it to sound like that. If I ever figure it out, I'll definitely make a video about it, because it's something I've been wanting to learn how to do for a while now. I really love this tune, and I like to play it a lot -- even if my version sounds kind of flat to me!

I learned so much while I was in Scotland! One of the things I learned is that a strathspey always needs to be followed by a reel. I was told this is because there is so much tension and emotion in a strathspey, and that the tension needs to be released with a fast-paced reel. I probably would have never learned that if I hadn't gone to Scotland and talked to local musicians, so I thought I'd share the information! :D Knowing that information has helped me start to put together sets a little better. There's something really exciting that forms when you put a reel after a strathspey!

Scotland is a beautiful country! I loved visiting all the different museums, historic sites, musicians, and local sessions. I can't believe that I actually was able to go on such a nice trip -- it almost felt like I was living someone else's life... :o

Thank you for watching, and I hope you have a good rest of the week! =)

~ Katy

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Software and equipment used:

Software used (for Macintosh):
Garageband for attempted sound mixing

Final Cut Pro for video editing
PicMonkey.com for the ending cards and thumbnail

Plugins for sound effects (I have A LOT to learn in this department!):
East West plugins – Goliath Virtual Instrument, Stormdrum II
Best Service Forest Kingdom II by Eduardo Tarilonte (See: bestservice.de)

Camera:
Sony RX100 V

Microphone for audio recording:
Blue Woodpecker