Hi everyone,
I'd really appreciate people's views on whether to sing a folk song in a regional dialect, or just to pronnounce it in my own accent. The folk song I've been working on is MacDonald of Glencoe (thanks to people who replied to a previous thread on folk song for their suggestions!) but I guess my query could apply to any folk song. I'd really like to sing it in a Scottish accent, which so far I've just been trying to copy from a CD of Lizzie Higgins. My reasoning is that 1) I like it this way, and 2) The song has references to places in Scotland, therefore the accent would help to evoke this setting further 3) it uses words such as 'Bonny wee lassie' which might sound a bit wrong and too stiff in an English accent.
However, I'd just like to know what other people do and if anyone knows if there is a kind of 'usual way' of doing things. I was reading a book called 'The Art of the Song Recital' and it said that you shouldn't try to imitate any accents in unaccompanied folk songs but just try to use clear diction. Obviously this is just one person's view and I'd like to hear some others! Also, I recently sang this in a festival and the adjudicator said I had a good Scottish accent, but I'm just worried in case it would actually be awful to a Scottish person and might be seen as a bit of a charicature.

Thanks!

I'm not a singer but I am a Scot and I think you're right to be wary of trying to sing in a Scottish accent - these things can really make Scottish listeners cringe! (It was years before I realised Scotty in Star Trek was meant to be a Scot and once I did I was always hideously embarrassed whenever he opened his mouth!)

Perhaps you could record yourself and see what you thought then? I'm always surprised to hear how Scottish I sound when I've been recorded, as what we hear in our heads is so different. Let others listen to and comment on your recording, particularly any Scottish folk you might know.

Thanks for the advice jessy, I'll try recording myself. I was worried about exactly what you're saying - how people must cringe every time they hear someone trying to imitate their accent (badly). However, I'm also thinking it's kind of the same as English singers singing in French/German/Italian; in most cases their accent isn't going to be perfect and would probably sound odd to a native of those countries and yet, nobody would suggest that singers shouldn't sing in foreign languages, indeed they are usually encouraged to do so. And equally, it always makes me cringe when I hear songs sung in a 'BBC-newsreader-type-english-accent', when the character in that song would clearly not speak that way. Hmmm... it's tricky!

Scottish? Or Glaswegian, Invernessian, Aberdonian, West Coast, Orcadian....?

I think the idea of recording yourself is good. FWIW, when I did my AH Music recital back in 2008 I had a lovely traditional Scottish song on my programme, and I most definitely sang it with an accent - but then, my accent is something of a cross between Orcadian and Invernessian so it was quite easy.

Good luck anyway.