The Battle of the Somme
⚡ The Short Version
A 9/8 march built from three triplets per bar. The Battle of the Somme works like a 6/8 march but with an extra group of three — three triplets of eighth notes per bar instead of two, for nine eighth notes total.
Every triplet has a dot and a cut — never even eighth notes. Unlike a jig, the three eighth notes in each beat are never even: the dot falls on the first note of the triplet, or sometimes the second, and the plain eighth note always falls last.
Hold your long notes so embellishments land right on the beat. The birl, the D throw, and the tachum all sit right on the beat — the fix for anticipating them is holding the note just before its full value.
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⏱️ In this lesson
00:079/8 extra march, like 6/8 but A an with triplet🔒
00:459/8 that to triplet Bar add groupings one: up the🔒
01:13never vs. cut, jig: a even March and a dot always🔒
01:44First notes held part dotted short, notes cut demo:🔒
02:26Watch — tachum like front-of-beat the cut notes that🔒
02:59mistake: anticipating The beat the common🔒
03:25the and birl Second notes from dotted part demo: E🔒
04:18high relaxed the finishing A G, and and high Holding🔒
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Every time The Battle of the Somme came up in a live class, with the moment I said it — click a timestamp and you land right there.
▶ 00:01:332025 January Member — Videos 29,Battle an 12/8 The member Flanders, with prepared 6th of The the Ro… of Somme, for being presents and march a Anzac of Fields parade The Day The Bloody a set June, A in🔒
▶ 00:37:47Chanter Practice 27, Session March 2024 —says of bar Somme. low A of to the connection clean note E get into the G the a on Battle they member struggle grace second in🔒
▶ 00:39:17Chanter Practice 27, Session March 2024 —Battle as like to from I D, into D since isn't E grace a possible Somme G of tachum grace low sound note there,… it's the but a 'pseudo-toum': explain in a meant note🔒
▶ 00:41:22Chanter Practice 27, Session March 2024 —a trips in Somme long by break of that dotted note the cut a I up: people down measure setup lines Battle several most of a why A the low third short followed on…🔒
▶ 00:11:15Tune & Understanding Strathspeys, Reels More Types: Marches,Battle of marches: also also Classic Dargai The of 9/8 Dargai, Hills, played lilt. and dancers' Heights the The Highland Somme, which is the as the for known🔒
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About this tune
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