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Another podcast!!

Carrying on with more interviews to students about typical Scottish stuff!


Many thanks to everyone who has collaborated in these three podcasts.

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Interesting interview about Scottish music and sport.

Enjoy it!!!


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Interview with Carolyn McLean

Here, you can listen to the interview with Carolyn McLean (Student Association of Dundee College) about typical scottish food and fashion.

I hope you like it!


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SCOTTISH MOVIE SOUNDTRACKS

Scotland has a great film industry and some of the most successful movies in cinema history. Who can forget “The 39 Steps” (1935 directed by Alfred Hitchcock) or more recently “Red Road” (2006 directed by Andrea Arnold) or “The Illusionist” (2010 directed by Sylvain Chomet).

However, the most famous and well-known soundtrack is clearly BRAVEHEART. Listen to a snippet of the soundtrack. It was composed and conducted by James Horner, and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra.




After listening to…What did you think about the film soundtrack?

Would it have been as successful without these tracks?

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MUSIC OF SCOTLAND

I want to start this blog doing a review about the most important styles of Scotland’s music, their famous instruments and history.

Do you know something about traditional Scottish music? Maybe the most famous Scottish music band was Jethro Tull whose singer Ian Anderson mixes traditional Scottish music to folk or rock and roll, always with his flute. And I can’t forget Franz Ferdinand, from Glasgow, with more than five millions discs sold out.  Their music blends punk with art rock.

Now, let’s look at their famous instruments: accordion, bagpipes (its original music is called Piobaireachd, which literally means 'piping' in Gaelic. It is also known as 'cèol mòr' which means 'great music'), fiddle, guitar, harp or tin whistle… do you know what I mean? There are the traditional musical instruments that everybody remembers. But, Scottish music is much more. It’s a mix up between different cultures from the rest of the Europe and United States, and thanks to emigration, is influenced and makes many forms of music. The instrumental music forms the base of all melodies of every kind of dance.


Originally, gaelic music is probably the oldest traditional Scottish music. Currently you can listen to this kind not only in the Highlands and Islands, but also in other regions through the country. The “Mod” is the annual festival where Gaelic poetry and music is commemorated.


In addition, the lowlands have their own tradition. It’s the folk music, whose ballads speak about current problems, daily facts of the country, as well as love, freedom and life in general. At the moment, the “big bands” of folk are Capercaillie or Runrig. Have you heard of them?

If this summary is not enough for you interests…wait for the next instalment!!!

I advise it will be about cinema.

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The kilt


Is a knee-leught garment with pleats at the rear , originating in the tradicionals dress of men on boys in the Scottish Highlands of the 16th century. Since the 19th century it has been become associated with the wider culture of Scotland ingeneral, or with celtic (and more specifically Gealic) It is moste often made of woollen cloth in a tartan pattern.







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Tartan


Is a pattern consisting of criss-crossed horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours. Tartans orginated in woven wool, but now they are made in many other materials.





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