Strathspey (dance)

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A strathspey is a dance tune in 4/4 time (usually set to quavers or eighth notes). It is similar to a hornpipe but slower and more stately, and containing many snaps. A so-called Scots snap is a short note before a dotted note. An example of a strathspey would be the song "The Bonnie Banks O' Loch Lomond", provided you sing it staccato:

"You'll tak the high road, and I'll tak the low road, and I'll be in Scotland afore ye"

Other examples are the tunes to Auld Lang Syne and Coming through the rye - both probably based on an old strathspey tune called The Miller's daughter.

Strathspey refers both to the type of tune, and to the type of dance usually done to it (although strathspeys are also frequently danced to slow airs).

The strathspey step is a slower and more stately version of the skip-change step used for jigs and reels.

The strathspey also forms part of the musical format for competing pipe bands - modern high grade bands are required to play a March, Strathspey and Reel for competition purposes.

Strathspey is one of the dance types in Scottish country dancing. A Scottish country dance will typically consist of equal numbers of strathspeys, jigs and reels.

It is named after the Strathspey region of Scotland, in Moray and Badenoch and Strathspey.