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St. Kilda Wedding reel

Also known as Glen Girvan, The Pickle Leech, Saint Kilda Wedding, Saint Kilda’s Wedding, St Kilda Wedding, The St Kilda Wedding, St Kilda’s Wedding, The St. Kilda Wedding, St. Kilda’s Wedding, St.Kilda Wedding.

There are 33 recordings of a tune by this name.

A tune by this name has been recorded together with The Trip To Windsor (lots of times), The Linen Cap (a few times), The Bridge Of Bamore (a few times), Casey’s Pig (a few times) and The Duke Of Fife’s Welcome To Deeside (a few times).

St. Kilda Wedding has been added to 4 tune sets.

St. Kilda Wedding has been added to 232 tunebooks.

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Four settings

X: 1
T: St. Kilda Wedding
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Amaj
|:A2 Ac Acec|B2 cA F2 EF|A2 cB Acec|1 f2 fe fefa:|2 f2 fe fefg||
a2 ab aeea|fgag f2 ed|cefg agfa|ecac BdcB|
Aaag aeea|fgag f2 ed|cefg agfa|ecac BdcB||
X: 2
T: St. Kilda Wedding
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
G2GB GBdB|A2BG E2DE|G2BA GBdB|1 e2ed edeg:|2 e2ed edef|]
g2ga gddg|efgf e2dc|Bdef gfeg|dBgB A2BA|
Gggf gddg|efgf e2dc|Bdef gfeg|dBgB A2BA|]
X: 3
T: St. Kilda Wedding
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Amaj
A3B Afec|B/B/B cA F2EF|A3B Ace=g|[1f/f/f fg fefa:|[2f/f/f fg fefg|
agab ae e/e/e|fgag f/f/f ed|cefg agfa|ecac B/B/B AB|
eaag ae e/e/e|fgag f/f/f ed|cefg agfa|ecac B/B/B AB||
X: 4
T: St. Kilda Wedding
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
D/D/D D>D DFAF | E/E/E FD B,2 A,B, | D/D/D D>D DFAF | B/B/B BA BABd |
D/D/D D>D DFAF | E/E/E FD B,2 A,B, | D/D/D D>D DFAF | B/B/B dc BABc ||
dcde dAAd | Bcdc B2 AG | FABc d>c Bd | AdFd E2 DB, |
Dddc dAAd | Bcdc B2 AG | FABc d>c Bd | AFdF E2 DB, |]

Nine comments

St. Kilda Wedding

This is a traditional Scottish reel, which is especially popular among the fiddlers of the country.

My version here is a composite of the two slightly different settings. The first part comes from the playing of Deaf Shepherd in their second album while the second part is based on the playing of another young Scottish band Keep It Up. (Deaf Shepherd recorded it as the harmony of a song.)

Just like many Irish flute players do not play Mrs. McLeod in the original key, I play this tune in G as a whistle player. There is nothing like A major version, but G major one is still acceptable to my ears.

Does anyone play this fine reel in Donegal or Cape Breton?

St. Kilda’s

Can’t get the link to play. Get error message.

St. Kilda Wedding in G

A great Scots reel in a flute-friendly key:

K: Gmaj
G2GB GBdB|A2BG E2DE|G2BA GBdB|1 e2ed edeg:|2 e2ed edef|]
g2ga gddg|efgf e2dc|Bdef gfeg|dBgB A2BA|
Gggf gddg|efgf e2dc|Bdef gfeg|dBgB A2BA|]

This G major setting will go nicely with Colonel McBain (Edor one).

X: 3 is a Cape Breton setting from the playing of Troy MacGillivray, recorded live in 2007 for his CD "Live at the Music Room".

St Kilda Wedding

Most folkies of a certain age in Scotland were captivated by a new group based in Glasgow called Ossian. The opening few seconds of their second LP, St Kilda Wedding (1978) still takes me back to that wonderful time. They play "St Kilda Wedding" in the key of D, probably to fit in with Billy Jackson’s pipes. X:4 above is a transcription of that setting.