[Hanneke Cassel]

Hi Laura! You’re right… strathspeys can be played a lots of different tempos. If I’m playing a strathspey for a Cape Breton step dance, I play the tune on the faster side. For Scottish country dancing, strathspeys are played slower. I often perform them at a tempo somewhere between these two styles! Overall, I play my Cape Breton strathpeys faster and more percussively and I play the Scottish dance strathspeys a little more LYRICALLY… and on the slower side.

Hope that helps. Happy Fiddling!

[Hanneke Cassel]

Hey Sabrina!
Yes… Ryan is a phenomenal fiddler and a close friend of mine. Glad you got to see him at the KVMR Fest (also, one of the best festivals!)

The tune we are playing from 5.09 to 6.42 is “Farewell to Tchernobyl” by Michel Ferry. I recorded it on my first album “My Joy”.

Check out Ryan’s website: http://www.ryanmckasson.com/ He might have info. for you about “Eric McDonald’s”.

Good luck and happy listening!
-Hanneke

[Hanneke Cassel]

Hi Shannon! I learned that slip jig from an album by Alasdair Fraser and Paul Machlis called “Skyedance”. On the liner notes, it is simply listed as “Slip Jig” and that’s all I know! And Fig for a Kiss is a different (and yes… very lovely 🙂 ) tune.

Thanks – Hanneke

[Hanneke Cassel]

Hey Katie! Here’s some advice for putting together medleys: LISTEN LISTEN LISTEN. If you’re going for a Cape Breton medley… listen to as many CB albums as you can and even learn some medleys exactly as they are played from your favorite albums. They tend to stay in the same key-ish. (ie… A min to A maj and everyhing in between.) For a more trad Scottish set, find tunes written during the same time period… a bunch of Skinner strathspeys, or William Marshall jigs, or pipe tunes from the past 15 years. Try to find tunes that relate. BUT REALLY, you can put together ANYTHING if you do it BOLDLY and if YOU love it. Happy fiddling!

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