The Music o' Spey
![[Image: Music-O-Spey_tab.jpg]](https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-R8WXGVCDg3I/Ti83djgey4I/AAAAAAAABFQ/NcHcUIZslPg/s800/Music-O-Spey_tab.jpg)
A beautiful composition by Scott Skinner which has the alternative title
The Bonnie, Bonnie Banks o' Spey. I have it in a collection of Skinner tunes published in 1957 called "The Scottish Music Maker", compiled by J Murdoch Henderson.
I don't agree with everything that is said, but that's not a good reason for silencing anyone. The former forum member took what Jack said personally, and that's a mistake, in my opinion. Jack responded to one of his posts with a comment about historical fact; he had a bad reaction to it, and now he's threatening me by email. I'm sure he's not as intolerant as this in "real life", but I will not gag anyone on the basis that someone else doesn't like what he says or the manner in which he says it.
Being of the generation that started out on Usenet before there was an Internet, I don't get this "remove my posts" thing - on Usenet anything you posted was forever and it was technically impossible to remove it, since the system was decentralized and there would always be a copy lurking somewhere. I've seen it on other forums where people throw their toys out of the pram and insist on having their contributions deleted, and I would prefer it if admins refused all such requests.
I've always acted as if there were an implicit contract that anything you publish on a forum stays on the forum for as long as it exists. Newspapers don't send somebody round with a felt marker to black out bits of the letters page on the issue you bought last April just because the letter writer took umbrage, do they?
The Forum is the vehicle for airing one's views and for passing comment on the views and opinions of other forum users. When we sign up to a forum we accept that we will find remarks that we might not agree with, but the poster has the right to express his/her views - provided that this is done in a civilised and non-inflammatory way. I am a regular on three sites - this one, Mandolin Cafe and Mandolin.org.uk - and have found all three to be sites where the posters do respect the opinions of others but can still offer comment and in many cases constructive criticism. The Song-A-Week group on the Cafe site is a great example of this where we post our versions of tunes, usually via YouTube, and then await the comments coming in! We post to let others hear our efforts but also to get advice and positive criticism from fellow players.
As a poster I am always aware that the comments I make, when seen in the cold light of the written word, may be misconstrued by the readers and so I try always to choose my words carefully. Tone in the written word is a very difficult area to present (hence the use of all the emoticons and text abbreviations in common use in texting -
Lol!)
We have a really good and friendly forum here, devoid of the dreadful flaming wars which seem to exist in many on-line forums, and I'd hope it continues in this way, and I just feel sorry that somehow someone has seen fit to take umbrage at the comments of a poster. It is more distressing that Nigel has to become involved as the webmaster of the site and I'd like to assure you, Nigel, of my continuing support of the efforts you put into this excellent site in all its sections.
Nigel, I don't suppose you have a PDF version of this tune as I struggle to get a decent print-out otherwise?
Hi Jack, Thanks for the png. It is still blurred when I print out. I'll just work with it and it might encourage me to learn it by heart quicker! Either that or I'll increase the magnification on my glasses!!
Sandra - sorry about the lack of a PDF; I've been rather busy. In the original post I have added a link to a downloadable PDF file. Enjoy playing "The Music o' Spey".
Got it Nigel. Many thanks.