ps
for those not instrumentally handicapped--the straloch manuscript and the rowan allan manuscript do contain many tunes for the ballads. they were however gathered in the seventeenth century so they do not conform to child's numbering or arrangements and back then tunes moved around more. one tune might easily be used for different songs at different times.

i particualrilly like the tune for the battleof otterburn and for grey steil.

there is a written reference in the royal achhives of scotland that james the forth paid two musicians(a harper and a singer) four hundred pounds to perform gery steil. it says it took the whole of two evenings. a rennsissance mini series.

when i performed it for medievalists i would pick out a ten minute bit of relatively discrete action and give a talk first to set the scene them play and sing for ten or fifteen minutes. not many will listen to a nine hour song.