Greig's Pipes ~ RSCDS

Cameronian's Rant

Greig's Pipes ~ Lowes Greig's Pipes ~ RSCDS

Greig's Pipes ~ RSCDS or Cameronian's Rant is a Scottish Country Dance. It was devised by William Boag in 1797 and published in A Collection of Favourite Reels and Strathspeys by the most Eminent Composers. It was interpreted by RSCDS in 1925 and published in RSCDS Book 2. It is S8×32 3C/4C, a proper Triple Minor dance. St32.

I can't track down Boag's publication, but I have found it in Lowes' Ball-Conductor and Assembly Guide in ~1830 published by the Messrs. Lowe who write:

First couple turn by the right hand, and the Gentleman passes one couple down the middle; then turn quite round by the left hand, and set, three and three, in lines across the dance; turn round with both hands; then the Lady goes between the second and third Gentlemen, and the Gentleman between the second and third Ladies; set, holding the hands; set corners, and reel.

The Lowes title it Greig's Pipes, or the Cameronian Rant.

The animation plays at 120 counts per minute normally, but the first time through the set the dance will often be slowed down so people can learn the moves more readily. Men are drawn as rectangles, women as ellipses. Each couple is drawn in its own color, however the border of each dancer indicates what role they currently play so the border color may change each time through the minor set.

An online description of the dance may be found here.

1-21s right turn three quarters...
3-4...and left turn once around, as 2s move up (leave L1 between 2s, M1 3s)
5-8Lines of three across set twice
9-121s two hand turn once and three quarters (ending on opposite sides)
13-16Lines of three on the sides set twice, 1s end facing 1st corners
17-201s+1st corners set and two hand turn
21-241s+2nd corners set and two hand turn, end L1 between 2s, M1 between 3s
25-301s pass 1st corners left for finishing reels on opposite sides
31-321s cross by right hand

If you find what you believe to be a mistake in this animation, please leave a comment on youtube explaining what you believe to be wrong. If I agree with you I shall do my best to fix it.

If you wish to link to this animation please see my comments on the perils of youtube. You may freely link to this page, of course, and that should have no problems, but use one of my redirects when linking to the youtube video itself:
https://www.upadouble.info/redirect.php?id=GreigsPipes-RSCDS

< Prev Top Next >

The dance itself is out of copyright, and is in the public domain. The interpretation is out of copyright in the US, but I'm not sure of other jurisdictions. My visualization of this dance is copyright © 2023 by George W. Williams V and is released under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

This website is copyright © 2021,2022,2023,2024 by George W. Williams V
Creative Commons License My work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Most of the dances have more restrictive licensing, see my notes on copyright, the individual dance pages should mention when some rights are waived.