strathspey
A Scottish dance form in 4/4 time characterized by a distinctive dotted rhythm (the "Scotch snap") that gives it a vigorous, accented character distinct from the reel.
In Depth
The strathspey is a slow, stately Scottish dance and tune type named after the Strathspey region of the Scottish Highlands. Its defining rhythmic feature is the "Scotch snap" — a short note on the beat followed by a longer note (the reverse of a normal dotted rhythm). This creates a characteristic lilt and drive that is immediately recognizable as Scottish. Strathspeys are typically played at about 120–140 beats per minute, slower than the related reel.
The strathspey is a fundamental form in Scottish fiddle music and pipe band repertoire. The great 18th-century fiddler Niel Gow and his son Nathaniel Gow composed many beloved strathspeys. In Scottish country dance, the strathspey provides the music for the slower, more stately dances, often paired with a reel section that follows at a faster tempo. The Scotch snap rhythm that defines the strathspey has influenced classical composers — it appears in Baroque music influenced by Scottish idioms and in the works of composers like Max Bruch (Scottish Fantasy) who drew on Highland musical traditions.
The "Scotch snap" rhythm that defines the strathspey also appears in Baroque music, in Dvořák's New World Symphony, and even in modern pop — it is one of the most widely traveled rhythmic patterns in Western music.