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You heard it first on Piano World - this century's first discovered of a genuinely new scale!

It's not a mode, or an adaptation of anything already known to music, but completely new. It originates from the songs and dances of a newly-discovered Scottish tribe, known as the Neadigh (pronounced 'ned') tribe. The Neadigh live in remote and mounatinous regions of the Scottish Highlands. Anthropologists have only recently made contact with this shy and primitive people, and are slowly gaining their trust, by learning to sing in their own language and in their own scale, which sounds quite strange to modern ears.

The scale echoic of the mating calls of the lesser-spotted capercaillie, and seems to be based on the intervals:

semitone, semitone, semitone, semitone, major 3rd, major 3rd, and then continues into a second octave.

So, for example, C Neadigh is played:

C C# D D# E G# C

I have made a crude, but accurate, likeness of its character here:

http://www.box.net/shared/tisc6uk0y2

Now, I know what you're thinking. Rhythmically odd. Indeed, its rhhtymic patterns are very odd.

To understand this we need to take a further foray into Highland fauna, to that elusive Scottish mammal, the haggis. This creature is most known for being popular for its meat among American tourists. Those who have spent long enough walking in the Scottish mountains to have seen one will be able to tell you about its amazing ability to run fast on slopes, due to one set of legs being shorter than the other. The haggis actually exists in two sub-species: the clockwise haggis and the counter-clockwise haggis. The clockwise haggis runs clockwise round mountains, and so has shorter right legs (front and rear) than left. The counter-clockwise haggis runs the other way, and so has shorter legs on the left side.

Now, what do you suppose happens when a male clockwise haggis has amorous intentions toward a female counter-clowise haggis, running in the opposite direction? No camera has ever captured the moment, but nature-watchers tell us that the ensuing patter of tiny feet does strongly resemble the the rhythmic character of Neadigh songs. This theory has yet to be proven.

No doubt, exciting new secrets will continue emerging from the musical tradition of this elusive tribe.

It is always good to observe the origins of a musical form. In that tenebrous light, my contribution is a rare photo of the rhythm-inspiring haggis:

April fools?

lol

It coincides with the annual spaghetti harvest.

I just made this my new ringtone - Neadigh for teh win!

Sounds familiar - some 21st century composer already did that, I think!

OK, now be honest. Did I fool anyone? Even just a little?

The title did fool me -- just a little. I figured that if there was a new scale to be discovered, you would be the one to discover it.

Barb

Where can I obtain the sheet music for this??

Tri - tacky tourist shops only.

Barb - Now, I am shocked. Surely you of all people know me by now?

I happened to read the paragraph on clockwise and counter-clockwise haggis(es) while listening to that audio file...

You owe me a new screen, and another coffe.

Well played!

I knew it was a joke as soon as I searched for haggis on Topeka

I am so glad you've found this tribe and this scale. It's about time the Scots got away from that Royal Scottish Country Dance Society ballet-y stuff imported from France and found something indigenous.

And it's the perfect tune for bagpipes

Cathy

Of course, anything sounds great on bagpipes!

So, what kind of music is indigenous to Santa Fe, then Cathy?

I think his name might've been Thelonius!