Killy Kranky (Killiecrankie) - Southern US Play Party Song

Killy Kranky is a traditional southern US play-party song that I learned around 1963 from a Jean Ritchie LP (probably Elektra EKL 125, 1957). There's a more elaborate version on Jean's album "The Most Dulcimer". Collectors have found the song throughout the Southern and Midwestern US.

The words and tune are not obviously related to those of "The Braes of Killiecrankie". I found one intermediate version (text only) that contains lyrics from both songs in LW Burkhalter's biography of Gideon Lincecum.

It's played here on a Ben Seymour Galax dulcimer tuned EBBB which starts an E Ionian scale on the third fret of the paired melody strings.

The tune ends on the fifth (B) rather than the tonic (E). It's pentatonic, lacking the fourth and seventh scale degrees (Bronson mode π1).

You can also play it in G in Galax tuning (DDDD), starting the scale on the third fret of the melody strings.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• killy
• kranky
• killiecrankie
• play-party
• song
• jean
• ritchie
• ben
• seymour
• galax
• dulcimer