FAQ about the band
How many of you are there?
There are 5 musicians in the band who play fiddle, mandolin, guitar,
bass and drums.
Do you have a caller?
Yes we have a caller who has many years experience teaching dances
for complete beginners to advanced ceilidhers.
Do you play other music?
Teannaich play ceilidh music incorporating a lot of Rock/ funk style
into the music but we don't play covers etc. We do play some music
for disco-style dancing, or just listening to, if people need a
break from ceilidh dancing.
Can you provide disco?
Teannaich have a CD player as part of our PA system and we can put
on disco type CDs or you can make up your own compilation CDs. We
can also arrange a disco DJ for your event at an extra charge.
What do you sound like?
Listen to our online sound files or
buy a copy of our album.
Andrew
Andrew Christie (Fiddle)
Andrew started learning violin when he was
8, at school in Edinburgh. Having taken the clasical route
thoughout his school years he started playing traditional
Scottish music at university, mainly through the Edinburgh
University Folk Song Society.
Trips to Ceolas in South Uist, Sabhal Mor Ostaig Cape Bretton,
among others added to his style of playing. Well known around
the Edinburgh folk music scene, Andrew drives the tunes along
with his distinctive playing style using a palate of sounds
from traditional fiddle to many weird and wonderful effects.
Andrew designed and built this website and used to run the
band till Mark took over the job a few years ago.
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Colin
Colin Cairncross (Drums and
Caller)
Colin provides the beat to get you feet tapping
to. As the caller for the band at ceilidhs Colin uses his
skill as a trained actor to expertly communicate how to do
the dances if there are people who don't know how to do them. |
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Jonathan
Jonathan Kemp (Bass)
Jonathan hails from Anstruther in the East
Neuk of Fife. After starting with flute at school he took
up the guitar when he was 13. The blues was his first inspiration
in developing his own style.
A degree in Physics with Music from Edinburgh University
was followed by a PhD in acoustics where he met Mark from
the band. Soon folk, funk and blues guitarist Jonathan became
a bassist for Teannaich and developed a funky style of playing
that includes using the bass to double the traditional melodies
played by the lead instruments.
Currently Jonathan lectures in St. Andrews University as
well as tutoring for the Open University and teaching guitar
privately. |
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Mark
Mark Neal (Guitar)
Originally from East Kilbride Mark came
to Edinburgh to study at the university. Having gained both
a degree and a PhD in musical acoustics he now works as a
full time musician, music teacher and sound engineer in Edinburgh.
Mark plays in several bands around Edinburgh
covering both Scottish music and many other styles. In Teannaich
Mark takes much enjoyment from bringing many of these different
styles together, bringing in influences from rock, funk and
jazz as well as a deep love for Scottish traditional music.
As well as playing Mark teaches guitar to a number of pupils
both in classes and one to one instruction as well as running
workshops at music festivals.
Mark also manages the band and is the person
to talk to if you are interested in booking us for a gig.
With a background in sound engineering and recording Mark
is responsible for much of the sound equipment that the band
uses leading us to having one of the most professional PA
systems of any ceilidh band.
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Mike
Mike Ross (Mandolin)
Mike plays mandolin in both the traditional
Scottish fashion but also with a twist, sometimes using an
over-driven guitar amplifier and playing things which you
might never believe could come from the instrument. Mike is
also a prolific writer producing many of the original tunes
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