Siubhal or Dithis

[Tim]

What is the difference between the two of these?

I've been looking at Glen's Ancient Piobaireachd. The second variation of Glengarry's Lament is labeled Siubhal. In the other version, from the Piobaireachd Tutor, it is labled Dithis.

Counting them and playing them isn't much of a problem. They've always sounded very similar to me anyway. Is there a practical difference? I suppose the name of the variation could indicate how it should sound.

[phinson]

Tim,

A dithis is generally played down to a low A or a low G (see Glengarry's Lament) while a siubhal is played up from low G, low A, or B to a higher note (see the Wee Spree).

Why the two names for the same movement in different texts? I don't know.

Paul Hinson

[John Dally]

Paul is correct. That's how we are taught to think of the two today.
The late Captain John MacLellan wrote in the introduction MUSIC FOR THE HIGHLAND BAGPIPE, p. 12, "In the Dithis the theme note is long, approximately three times the length of the next note, very often A. The gracenotes are High G and E where possible, and when playing it always pass on immediately to the next theme note after sounding the second note.
"The Suibhal looks at first sight like the Dithis inverted. However it is played much rounder and less staccato, with the theme note the shorter of the two, but although this is played in much the same tempo as the Dithis the semi-quavers are much longer and the dotted quavers a little shorter."
Dwelly's Gaelic Dictionary describes "dithis" meaning a pairing of two men, which has wrongly been applied to a pairing of two of anything. "Suibhal" means moving, travelling, traversing, as well as dying.
In Dr. R.D. Cannon's annotated edition of Joseph MacDonald's TREATISE, the first tutor ever written for the GHB, Cannon explains that Joseph never used the word "dithis" but called it "ludh sleamhuin" which means slurred movement. Joseph wrote,"...so called because it seems to glide along, from its smoothness, being all slurred though well divided." (p.103) After examining Joseph's notes on the "suibhal" Cannon concludes,"This suggests a reverse pointing, short long, which is also well attested in variations of this type." (p.104)
So, there you have it. The dithis, though misnamed, is fairly straightforward: long short, fairly well pointed. The suibhal, has a reverse timing to the dithis with the theme note long ("Donald Gruamach's March" PS p.71) or with a short theme note("Weighing of the Land" PS p. 75), and rounder than the dithis.
These variations seem very simple, but too often you hear them played square and without any shape. Ideally, you want the melodic pulse of the ground to carry through all the variations.

[Tim]

Originally posted by John Dally:
Paul is correct. That's how we are taught to think of the two today.
"The Suibhal looks at first sight like the Dithis inverted. However it is played much rounder and less staccato, with the theme note the shorter of the two, but although this is played in much the same tempo as the Dithis the semi-quavers are much longer and the dotted quavers a little shorter."

These variations seem very simple, but too often you hear them played square and without any shape. Ideally, you want the melodic pulse of the ground to carry through all the variations.

Okay, this makes sense. I heard the siubhal as an inverted dithis. To summarize, very shortly, the two are similar variations. Dithis being long note short note with the short note more clipped. Siubhal, short note long note and more rounded.