The Scottish Accordion

Book excerpt: Modern Scottish accordion music shows the influence of folk styles, dance music and solo and ensemble performance practice. In this compendium of stylistic approaches, freelance musical director, composer, musician, and tutor Will Marshall provides a multifaceted intermediate-level guide to playing traditional Scottish dance music. From separate left and right-hand part analysis to the fine points of deploying the “Scotch snap” and bellows phrasing, Marshall offers the basic tools to create melody, bass and chord arrangements from a traditional Scottish tune or ceilidh collection. He presents chapters on Scottish accordion history and dance rhythms, detailed instructions for playing jigs, reels, and strathspeys, plus tips on the execution of grace notes and accents. Even seasoned accordionists will appreciate the chapter on “Practice and Mindset” plus the author’s ideas about compiling sets for dancers to kick up their heels. Includes access to online audio.