How about some variety?

I just spent some listening to the grade 1 qualifying round from the World Pipe Band Championship on August 15; the BBC was kind enough to offer streaming coverage of the event and they still have the recordings on the web. The qualifying round was an MSR contest, and I believe bands were able to select which of their two MSRs they would play. The top six bands moved on to the finals.

I’ve noted before that it seems like bands always use the same tunes for their MSR, and I decided to keep track. There were 15 bands that played in the qualifying round. Here’s a quick analysis of what I wrote down.

• Unique marches: 7
  • Most played marches (tie): Clan MacRae Society and Highland Wedding, 4 bands each
  • Other favorites not in the prize list: Balmoral Highlanders (2), Lord Alexander Kennedy (1)
• Unique Strathspeys: 5
  • Most played strathspey: Susan MacLeod, 6 bands
  • Honorable mention: Dora MacLeod (4 bands), Atholl Cummers (3 bands)
• Unique Reels: 8
  • Most played reel: Mrs. MacPherson of Inveraan, 5 bands
  • Expected to hear more often: John Morrison of Assynt House (2), MacAllister’s Dirk (1), Sheepwife (1)
• Played the same set: Lothian & Borders Police and Fife Constabulary (Highland Wedding, Susan MacLeod, Mrs. MacPherson).

My major complaint about MSR contests is that there seems to be a very short list of acceptable tunes, and I don’t find it very enjoyable to listen to the same few tunes repeatedly. Of those five different strathspeys, two of them were only played once: Maggie Cameron and The Islay Ball. That means that 12 of these 15 bands (80%) played one of the three most popular tunes.

Come on folks, these sets shouldn’t all be the same tunes! There are so many great tunes out there, of all of these types, so how about we try playing them in competition?

Michael Grey is a well-known piper and judge in Canada, and he has famously spoken out with his disgust for the MSR, and I’m not ready to take it that far. I would like to see some different tunes though, and I would love to see a year where the RSPBA would outlaw some of the more popular tunes listed here. People might have to think of something new for a change, and I don’t see that as a bad thing.