The Sound Of Sleat reel

I heard this tune from the playing of Pat Simmonds (fiddle, button accordion) and Kelly Hood (pipes)—two mainstays of the Celtic music scene in Toronto—just last night. It’s apparently a pipe tune from the Shetlands (if I heard the description in the noisy pub correctly). I loved the syncopated bits in the last part, especially with the huge slide up to the high A that Kelly was putting into the first beat of the bar on the pipes.

A great pipe-tune, but nothing to do with Shetland ,I’m afraid.
( Whoever heard of a Shetland piper ?- although I think there is a pipe band in Lerwick.)
The correct spelling is "Sleat", and it is pronounced "slate". It’s a sea inlet on the West coast of Scotland.
Composer is a D.McKinnon, I seem to remember.
Recorded by "Ossian" and "The Tannahill Weavers"(at about twice Ossian’s speed !).

You seem to be correct on the spelling of the name of the tune; thanks—I wouldn’t have guessed the right spelling otherwise (and I, uh, didn’t). The author’s name is Donald MacKinnon.

As for "whoever heard of a Shetland piper?": well, I found one— http://www.shetlandpiper.com. Okay, so it’s an online store. They do sell bodhrans. I couldn’t see a link to pipes on the site, but they do sell weaponry, so I assume that pipes fall under that category.

Seriously, though, there is apparently such at thing as Shetland pipes—small pipes, invented by Royce Lerwick—which posit the existence of Shetland pipers. The only musical Donald MacKinnon that I could find on the Web was from Cape Breton, but he lived in Scotland for a time. Anyone know anything more?

—-Michael B.

Hi, this tune can be heard on the cd A Scottish Christmas featuring bonnie rideout ( scottish fiddle) maggie sansone ( hammered dulcimer) al petteway ( guitar) with special guests that include one of the best pipers around- Eric Rigler- known as "the braveheart/ titantic piper- as he played all the pipe music on the soundtrack for those movies on highland, uilliann and small pipes. On A Scottish Christmas- he plays a wonderful rendition of Sounds of Sleat on scottish small-pipes with hammered dulcimer- an unusual combination but it works- the tune was first learnd by Christopher Layer- also a well regarded piper from the Vermont area who has toured with The Trinity Irish dancers and others. see www.maggiesmusic.com- you can then seach in Christmas music, Bonnie Rideout to read about A Scottish Christmas.

A great tune. I first heard it on the "Ossian" album: "Seal Song" and have liked it ever since.

Key signature: D Major
Submitted on January 26th 2008 by gian marco.
~ /tunes/8186

X: 2
T: Sound Of Sleat, The
T: Sound Of Sleet, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Dmaj
|: FAAB d2 d2 | ~e3 d ef f2 | ~A3 B defd | efdB BA A2 :|
~f3 e f2 af | e2 de fe e2 | f2 df ~f2 af | efdB BA A2 |
~f3 e f2 af | e2 de feeB| d2 dB deed | efdB BA A2 |]

Source: For The Sake Of Old Decency by Cathal McConnel & Len Graham
Transcriptoin: gian marco pietrasanta

# Posted on January 26th 2008 by gian marco

The name of this tune:

The Sound of Sleat is a place. It’s the stretch of water (Sound) between Skye from the Glenelg, Morar and Knoydart areas of the Scottish mainland. The Sleet spelling has almost certainly used by someone who heard the name but didn’t know of the place.

Only Sleat is correct; accept no substitute.

# Posted on January 26th 2008 by Kismul


Sound of Sleat ~ I had an amazing experience on a Calmac Ferry in the Sound of Sleat. We crossed into a pod of Minkie Whales and separated them into two groups. There were obviously mums on one side with their babies on another and there was much mayhem as the mothers rejoined their calves. Minkies are the smallest baleen whales but they are still pretty big.

I am disappointed not to detect any whaley references in this tune.

Noel

# Posted on January 27th 2008 by noelbats


Spelt Sleat and pronounced "Slate".

# Posted on January 28th 2008 by dafydd