ABSTRACT
The writer discusses several approaches that he has adopted in seeking to understand and explain the waves of revival that affected the traditional musics of Scotland in the second half of the twentieth century. These include historically focused ethnomusicology, the adaptation of other’s theoretical approaches to musical revivals, systems from organology, models of small-group development and concepts from network theory. It suggests the need to identify and appreciate the roles of the widest range of actors in music change in order to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the revival process.
