The purpose of this
course is to enable students and teachers of piobaireachd to develop listening,
reading, and notation skills in the Nether Lorn Canntarieachd. As a study
supplement, it is intended for use comparatively inexperienced as well as
experienced students of ceol mor. The accompanying booklet contains some
historical background on the Nether Lorn Canntaireachd system, a chart of
piobaireachd movements and a key, which presents the appropriate movements for
the various embellishments listed in the chart.
Part one of the
course focuses on the syllables used in piobaireachd variations and is
accopanied by a 90 minute audio tape. Part two presents the syllables used
primarily in piobaireachd grounds, and is accompanied by a 30 minute audio
tape.
The above
information is formatted in 18 lessons; each lesson contains demonstrations of
the various syllables and movements in sung vocables and on the practice
chanter. The versions of the tunes are as taught to Donald Lindsay by the late
Robert Brown and Robert Nicol. It is important to note that "The Bobs" used
their personal canntaireachd in singing the tunes to their students, and while
they were both very much aware of the Nether Lorn syllables, they normally sang
in their own canntaireachd.
