Random Friday Piobaireachd
One of the best in the business playing one of the greatest tunes ever written: Roddy MacLeod playing Lament for the Viscount of Dundee.
It just seems like a Viscount Friday.
Lament for Mary MacLeod
This morning, for reasons I have not yet discovered, I’ve had bits and pieces of the piobaireachd Lament for Mary MacLeod running through my head. It’s not a tune I play, or have even heard recently, so I’m not sure why it’s been in my brain. Regardless, it made me want to listen to the whole thing, so I thought I’d share with you the recording I found: Colin Campbell playing at a meeting of the Eagle Pipers’ Society in May 2011.
Have a piobaireachd today
It’s been a while since I’ve posted a piobaireachd, so here’s one for you Friday afternoon/evening: Alex Gandy from the 2012 Metro Cup in Newark, New Jersey last February. He’s playing, I believe, The Daughter’s Lament. The video only has 209 views as of this posting, which is tragic. Enjoy, and tell your friends.
With a name like that, it has to be good
Have you ever learned a piobaireachd (or wanted to) just because it has a cool name? The 2013 Set Tunes have two gems on them:
- The MacDonalds Are Simple
- All The Old Men Paid Rent But Rory
I know absolutely nothing about those tunes, but with names like that they have to be good.
What are your favorite tune names?
The internet: bringing you the best in the bagpipe world
In my last post (months ago… yikes!) I promised that I might be posting on a more regular basis. Looks like I’ve let that go. Now that I’ve gotten settled into my new area a bit, I’m starting to get back into the piping mindset, and since I’m thinking pipes more often, maybe I’ll post more often. I promise nothing, but keep an eye on this blog just in case. Anyway, coming up is an event that all pipers should know about.
The internet can be the piper’s best friend, especially for those of us who are somewhat isolated from the piping world at large. I do my best to try to follow the results from big events in Scotland and my friends on the east coast, and without the internet it simply wouldn’t be possible for me. But with the internet, I can follow the news of the piping world at pipes|drums, listen to recorded performances on Pipeline, and even watch the World Pipe Band Championship live.
This year, there’s another premier piping event the world will be able to watch live: The Glenfiddich Solo Piping Championship on Saturday October 27, 2012. The Glenfiddich is generally considered to be the world championship of solo pipers, and the ten competitors are invited based on the results from major contests through the previous 12 months. This year’s listincludes some of the familiar names like Roddy MacLeod, Jack Lee, Murray Henderson, Stuart Liddell, Willie MacCallum, and Gordon Walker, as well as some newcomers, like Callum Beaumont, who won the Northern Meeting Clasp this year in his first appearance in the event.
Coverage is available through the National Piping Centre’s website, and will begin at 10 a.m. local time, continuing through the end of the piobaireachd and MSR competitions. Be sure to tune in if you can.
A whirlwind of a summer
Ok, so I think the Keydet Piper may now have returned to blogging, after taking it easy for a few months. The reason for my absence is one of simple distraction (see point #4 below). I’m not promising to return to as full a blogging schedule as I’ve maintained at some points in the past, but I hope to be able to get some posts up on a somewhat more regular basis. There’s a few things that have occurred during my absence that I’d like to address.
1. The Piobaireachd Wednesday feature was proving to be pretty popular, and I’d like to resume work on that. I don’t foresee it being a regular weekly thing, but whenever I come across a good recording or manage to record some myself I’ll be sure to post it.
Speaking of that, here’s one to hold you over. I’ve been holding on to a stack of recordings I made at the USPF Amateur Piping Championship back in June, and this was the winning piobaireachd. The player is Kirk Brunson from Derry, New Hampshire, and the tune is Lament for Donald of Lagaan; he gives a very good account of this tune.
Kirk also won the MSR at this contest, making him the overall winner of the championship. Well done to him, certainly.
2. The Worlds happened a few weeks back, and Field Marshal Montgomery once again emerged on top, winning both the medley and the MSR. I wasn’t able to watch as much of the coverage as I would have liked, but I’ve listened to a lot of the recordings that are posted at the above link, and as usual Field Marshal put on a top-notch performance. The medley contest was actually really great, and commentator Bob Worrall kept commenting about the number of bands that played well.
In my mind the big story was ScottishPower, who put in a dynamite medley performance and ended the day in a solid second place. Their medley started with The Battle of Waterloo, which is one of those tunes that pretty much everyone plays, and showing (again) that a flashy medley opener is not required to contend as a top-tier grade 1 band.
Also check out a great medley performance from Boghall and Bathgate, and just to stir up some controversy here’s the medley entry from Toronto Police.
3. We’ve also seen the Argyllshire Gathering happen, with the Gold Medal there going to Finlay Johnston from Glasgow. The other top prizes at this contest went to Peter McCalister (Silver Medal), Stuart Liddell (Senior Piobaireachd), and Gordon Walker (Silver Star Former Winners’ MSR, the seventh time he’s won it). I haven’t heard any of these performances, but keep an eye on Pipeline over the next few weeks, and hopefully they’ll have some recordings. Also keep an eye out for the Northern Meeting, which takes place later this week.
4. Holy crap I’ve moved. In my last post of any substance, I announced that I was moving west, and I’ve now had a little time to get my feet under me here in Oregon. I missed the end of the local piping season, but I’m looking forward to next year to see what it’s all about. I’ve heard the level of play here is very high, brought up significantly by the proximity to the grade 1 powers Simon Fraser University and Triumph Street. I don’t know about solo competitions in 2013, but I’ll do my best to join up with the Portland Metro Pipe Band.
So stay tuned (in all senses of the word), and hopefully you’ll see some more bagpipe-related content coming at you from the Keydet Piper blog.
All we owe to sheep
As participants in an activity originated in Scotland, it should come as no wonder that sheep figure so prominently in it. I didn’t realize quite the extent of it until today, when Blogpipe had a post concerning just that. It should lighten your Friday to read it.
In which the Keydet Piper resumes his nomadic tendencies
The blog here has been rather quiet over the last few weeks, with even Piobaireachd Wednesday posts having stopped of late. The primary reason is that I’ve been distracted, and during that time I’ve accepted a job that requires me to relocate… again.
It’s the fifth time I’ve moved since I started this website, but this time is the most drastic; the previous four were at least all in the same time zone. In the next couple of weeks I will be preparing to move to Corvallis, Oregon, to begin working as a nuclear engineer for a startup company called NuScale. Although it means leaving my family and most of my friends behind, it’s a professional opportunity that I simply couldn’t pass up.
The time frame has been very fast; I’m starting work early in August, which means I will be watching the World Pipe Band Championships from my new city out west. For the 2013 season I’ll be aiming to play with the grade 2 Portland Metro Pipe Band, which will be a good challenge.
I’m very excited for this move, and hope to be able to resume my blogging activities from the west coast.
The Worlds Returns to the Internet in 2012
Good news for those pipers and drummers out there who aren’t planning to go to Scotland this August: The RSPBA has announced that the BBC will once again stream live coverage of the World Pipe Band Championship on August 11. The stream has been immensely popular in the previous three years that it’s been streamed, and I expect it will remain so this year.
Start planning your Worlds parties now!
Special Piobaireachd Friday: Caber Feidh Gu Brath
Consider yourselves lucky, piobaireachd fans: this is your second tune this week, and it comes from an undisputed master of the genre: Roddy MacLeod. Roddy’s instructing this week at a piping school in Virginia, and in an informal recital on Tuesday evening played the Donald MacLeod tune Caber Feidh Gu Brath. You can always count on him to have a great bagpipe, and the playing was fantastic.
This, ladies and gentlemen, is what bagpipes are supposed to sound like.
If you’d like to submit a tune to be featured on Piobaireachd Wednesday, please email me.
Special Piobaireachd Tuesday: Lament for Patrick Og MacCrimmon
I’m away at piping school this week, and able to record some really good stuff. Piobaireachd Wednesday will be replaced this week by Piobaireachd Tuesday and Piobaireachd Friday, so check back Friday morning for another tune.
The first bonus tune this week is Lament for Patrick Og MacCrimmon, played by Glenn Brown in an informal instructor’s recital on Monday evening. Glenn is an instructor at the National Piping Centre in Glasgow, though he’s originally from Ontario. As you can tell he’s a great player, and it was a very enjoyable tune to hear in person.
If you’d like to submit a tune to be featured on Piobaireachd Wednesday, please email me.
You Be The Judge
I’ve said before that I don’t have much inclination to ever be a piping judge. I really enjoy listening to pipe music, and I love to sit down and watch a contest, solo or band, all the way through. There are things that I like about every performer, and to have to compare them to each other and subjectively rank them severely takes the enjoyment out of the music for me.
That being said, it is fun to be an armchair judge and come up with my own rankings for a contest. Listening critically to performances is the best way to train your own ear, and when you turn that ear on yourself it can really improve your own playing.
For the past two months or so, Andrew Douglas and Vince Janoski have been doing a live weekly radio show called Dojo Universe (also available for download as a podcast), and the episodes from June 6 and June 13 were both “you be the judge” shows. They took recordings of bands from a contest and played the audio, then ran a poll and discussed the performances with their live audience. I also recommend going back to listen to the recordings again after the discussion.
I won’t spoil anything by naming the contests that were recorded, but the June 6 episode featured some entries from a recent grade 4 band contest, and June 13 was a recent grade 1 band contest. I recommend you check it out and try your own hand at judging.
Mark Your Calendars: USPF Championship June 16 in Newark, DE
A competition for the elite players of North America, the United States Piping Foundation Championship takes place next weekend. Details:
United States Piping Foundation Championship
June 16, 2012
Amy E. DuPont Music Hall (map)
University of Delaware
Newark, Delaware, U.S.A.
The competition is open to any North American professional or grade 1 piper, and the competitors include pipers from the eastern U.S. and Canada.
This year marks the first time I’ll be playing in the competition, and though I’m not expecting to be anywhere in the prize list I’m excited to be playing. I heard some great music when I went for the morning last year, but I was struck by the complete lack of audience. It was was really disappointing to see that the audience consisted almost entirely of other competitors. For such a high-profile event that’s been happening for over 20 years, I would have expected a larger crowd of knowledgeable spectators.
I feel this event doesn’t get the publicity that it should, so I’m doing my part to spread the word. If you’re able to attend, I encourage you do to so, even if it’s only to watch a few tunes. Both amateur and professional piobaireachd events start in the morning, with the MSR happening after lunch.
This year’s order of play and tune selections:
Amateur Piobaireachd, 9 a.m. start
Judges Peter Kent and Jim Stack
1. Nathan Wahlgren, Lament for the Viscount of Dundee
2. Kathleen Brown, MacCrimmon’s Sweetheart
3. Andrew Donlon, MacIntosh’s Lament
4. John McGrath, MacGregor’s Salute
5. Ross Davidson, Battle of the Pass of Crieff
6. Sean Regan, The King’s Taxes
7. Albert Defusco, Lament for Mary MacLeod
8. Sean Poyntz, MacLeod of Raasay’s Salute
9. Avens Ridgeway, A Flame of Wrath for Squinting Patrick
10. Mary Wallace, The Bicker
11. Kirk Brunson, Lament for Donald of Laggan
Amateur MSR, afternoon start
1. Mary Wallace: The Argyllshire Gathering, The Islay Ball, Dolina MacKay
2. Avens Ridgeway: David Ross, Tulloch Gorm, The Cockerel in the Creel
3. Nathan Wahlgren: Hugh Kennedy, Tulloch Castle, The Sheepwife
4. Kirk Brunson: The Pap of Glencoe, Susan MacLeod, The Blackberry Bush
5. Sean Poyntz: MacLean of Pennycross, Maggie Cameron, Cecily Ross
6. Albert Defusco: The 74th’s Farewell to Edinburgh, Caledonian Society of London, Bessie McIntyre
7. Andrew Donlond: Abercairney Highlanders, Inverary Castle, The Grey Bob
8. Kathleen Brown: Jeannie Carruthers, Caber Feidh, Thompson’s Dirk
9. Sean Regan: John MacFadyen of Melfort, Lady Louden, John Morrison of Assynt House
10. John McGrath: Duke of Roxeboro’s Farewell to the Blackmount Forest, Dora MacLeod, Broadford Bay
11. Ross Davidson: South Hall, The Ewe w’ the Crooked Horn, Lochiel’s Away to France
Professional Piobaireachd, 8:30 a.m. start
Judges Reay MacKay and Colin MacLellan
1. James Bell, The End of the Great Bridge
2. Brian Meagher, Lament for Donald of Laggan
3. Dan Lyden, Fair Honey
4. Ben McClamrock, The Bicker
5. Duncan Bell, The Big Spree
6. Nick Hudson, Lament for the Viscount of Dundee
7. Liz Cherry, Salute to Donald
8. Alex Gandy, Catherine’s Lament
9. Elliot Smith, The Fingerlock
10. John Bottomley, The Blue Ribbon
11. Derek Midgely, I Got a Kiss of the King’s Hand
12. Andrew Carlise, Lament for Donald Duaghal MacKay
13. Palmer Shonk, Tullach Ard
Professional MSR, afternoon start
1. Alex Gandy: MacLean of Pennycross, Arniston Castle, Neil Angus MacDonald
2. Nick Hudson: Abercairney Highlanders, Tulloch Castle, Mrs. MacPherson of Inveran
3. John Bottomley: Colin Thompson, Inverary Castle, Pretty Marion
4. James Bell: Portland Castle, Blair Drummond, The Smith of Chilliehassie
5. Elliot Smith: Pipe Major Willie McLean, Susan MacLeod, The Cockerel in the Creel
6. Dan Lyden: The 74th’s Farewell to Edinburgh, Caledonian Society of London, Lt. Col. D.J.S. Murray
7. Brian Meagher: The Braes of Castle Grant, Islay Ball, Alick C. MacGregor
8. Liz Cherry: Jeannie Carruthers, Cabar Feish, The Man from Glengarry
9. Andrew Carlisle: Kantara to El Arish, Inverary Castle, Bessie McIntyre
10. Duncan Bell: The Crags of Stirling, The Piper’s Bonnet, John Garroway
11. Derek Midgley: John MacDonald’s Welcome to South Uist, MacBeth’s Strathspey, John Morrison of Assynt House
12. Palmer Shonk: The 93rd at Modder River, The Bob of Fettercairn, The Sound of Sleat
13. Ben McClamrock: John MacFadyen of Melfort, Tulloch Gorm, Broadford Bay
Piobaireachd Wednesday: The MacGregor’s Salute
Our tune this week once again comes from The Captain’s Corner, and was recorded at the 2010 George Sherriff Memorial Competition in Hamilton, Ontario. The winning piobaireachd was The MacGregor’s Salute, played by Andrew Laird.
If you’d like to submit a tune to be featured on Piobaireachd Wednesday, please email me.
DIY Project: Bagpipe Lamp
Here’s a pretty easy do-it-yourself project that can bring a little bagpipe flavor to your living room. This project was inspired by my first journey to Winter Storm in Kansas City, MO in January 2009. I noticed that the judges’ tables were adorned with bagpipe chanter lamps (visible on the right of this photo). I thought that was a pretty neat idea, and although it’s taken me a few years, I now find myself in need of a few table lamps and have decided to tackle on the project.
There were four phases of this project: the base, the pipe, the lamp, and assembly. Check the gallery at the bottom of the page for photos throughout the project.
Phase 1: The Base
In the woodcraft section at the local craft store I found a selection of basswood plaques, and chose the 8″ x 10″ for this project. It’s plain wood to start, so I picked up some sandpaper and stain as well.
I started by drilling a hole in the center of the base for the cord; it started as 3/8″ and was later enlarged to 3/4″. I also used a chisel to carve a groove in the underside of the base for the lamp cord. (Yes, I recognize that a router would have been the right tool for this job, but I don’t have one of those.)
Once drilled and carved, it was a matter of sanding and staining the base. One coat of stain and two coats of polyurethane finish did the trick, just following the directions on the can.
Phase 1 cost: $23 total ($7 wood base, $12 wood stain and finish, $4 sandpaper)
Phase 1 time: 90 minutes plus drying time.
Phase 2: The Pipe
To do something different I decided to use a tenor drone instead of a chanter, and set about trying to find one. A friend has as a box of miscellaneous bagpipe parts that he’s collected over the years. As he said, “They have flaws, cracks, and gouges, but they are fine for furniture.” He set me up with a tenor drone top and bottom that look halfway decent but don’t sound like much.
Prepping the drone was pretty basic. I stripped the yellow hemp off the tuning joint and replaced it with black hemp, then held it in place with some wood glue. I had to trim about 1/4″ off the bottom of the reed seat so it wouldn’t protrude from the back of the base, and I cut a notch so I didn’t crimp the cord.
Phase 2 cost: free (because I have good friends)
Phase 2 time: 30 minutes
Phase 3: The Lamp
Many big box and home improvement stores sell lamp kits, and I opted for the kit designed to convert glass bottles into lamps. It comes with a variety of rubber fittings, and the smallest of these was just about right for the top of the tenor drone, just like a drone cork.
Phase 3 cost: $15 ($7 lamp kit, $8 lamp shade)
Phase 3 time: 1o minutes
Phase 4: Assembly
This is simply a matter of threading the lamp cord through the base, the drone, the socket base, and securing it to the socket with the attached screws. I held all the connections in place with a bit of wood glue, and after it dried I had myself a bagpipe accent for my apartment.
Phase 4 cost: $0
Phase 4 time: 10 minutes
Total project cost: $38. Not bad for a unique conversation piece.
If you undertake a project like this, I’d love to hear about it.
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- Judges table at Winter Storm 2009. The lamp on the right side of this image was in the inspiration for this project.
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- The supplies for the project.
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- Hole drilled in the center for the cord.
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- Groove carved in the bottom of the base for the lamp cord.
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- The stained base. The hole in the center will be enlarged later to attach the drone.
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- The contents of the lamp kit.
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- The smallest fitting is just about the size of a drone cork.
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- The lamp socket in the top of the drone.
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- The lamp during assembly, with the cord threaded through all the parts.
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- The finished project.
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- The finished project, with illumination.
Piobaireachd Wednesday: Salute to the Great Pipe
Our tune this week was picked off of The Captain’s Corner blog, where I’ve found some great piobaireachd recordings. This was recorded at the Captain John MacLellan Recital in Edinburgh on October 15, 2011. Salute to the Great Pipe is the tune, a composition by the event’s namesake, and the player needs little introduction: Roddy MacLeod, MBE.
Sheet music for the tune can also be found through The Captain’s Corner site.
If you’d like to submit a tune to be featured on Piobaireachd Wednesday, please email me.
Piobaireachd Wednesday: Sir James MacDonald of Isles’ Lament
Delving back into the results from the spring 2012 BagpipeLessons.com Online Piping Competition, our tune this week is one of my favorite wee tunes: Sir James MacDonald of the Isles’ Lament. It’s not very long, but it’s very melodic and very enjoyable to play. The player is Soren Larson, and this performance earned him 3rd place in the grade 3 piobaireachd event.
If you’d like to submit a tune to be featured on Piobaireachd Wednesday, please email me.
Ready for the Worlds?
This is a video that has been making the rounds of various piping sites and blogs this week. If it doesn’t get you fired up for the World Pipe Band Championships, there’s something wrong with you.
For best results, set the quality to HD.
Mark your calendar: August 11, 2012!
Piobaireachd Wednesday: I Got A Kiss of the King’s Hand
For our tune this week, I’m again using a video recorded at a reglar match meeting of The Eagle Pipers’ Society. The player is Iain Spiers, the tune is I Got A Kiss of the King’s Hand, and the recording was made on October 25, 2011.
If you’d like to submit a tune to be featured on Piobaireachd Wednesday, please email me.
Piobaireachd Society Releases 2013 Set Tunes
The Piobaireachd Society this week announced their recommended set tunes for 2013 competition.
Senior Competitions (submit four, play one)
- The Blue Ribbon
- Lachlan MacNeill Campbell of Kintarbert’s Fancy
- The Old Men of the Shells
- Ronald MacDonald of Morar’s Lament
- In Praise of Morag
- The Prince’s Salute
- Isabel Mackay
- Lady MacDonald’s Lament
Gold Medal Competitions (submit four, play one)
- The Battle of Bealach nam Brog
- Clanranald’s Salute
- MacDonald of Kinlochmoidart’s Lament (No. 2)
- The MacDonalds are Simple
- Nameless (Hiharin odin, hiharin dro) (Angus Mackay’s MS)
- The Rout of Glenfruin
- The Vaunting
- The Young Laird of Dungallon’s Salute
Silver Medal Competitions (submit four, play one)
- Duntroon’s March
- Fair Honey
- Grain in Hides and Corn in Sacks
- Lady Anapool’s Lament
- Melbank’s Salute
- Lord MacDonald’s Lament
- All the Old Men paid rent but Rory
- The Parading of the MacDonalds
What are your thoughts on the tune selection this year?
Piobaireachd Wednesday: Macintosh of Borlum’s Salute
For our tune this week, I’ve selected one of 2012′s Gold Medal tunes: Macintosh of Borlum’s Salute. The player is Canadian Andy Rogers, playing at a regular meeting of the Eagle Pipers’ Society in Edinburgh in January of this year.
If you’d like to submit a tune to be featured on Piobaireachd Wednesday, please email me.
Bagpipe Karaoke
Some time ago I saw this video. I may or may not have posted it here. It’s pretty amusing.
Fast forward to this week, when I stumbled across Bagpipe Star. It’s not exactly like Bagpipe Hero, more like karaoke. Based on the demo video, it looks like it could actually be something that could be put to use in a number of situations.
Has anyone tried this? I’d love to hear your feedback on it.
Piobaireachd Wednesday: Massacre of Glencoe
In crawling the web this week looking for a tune, I once again found myself at Ken “The Captain” Eller’s page: The Captain’s Corner. Ken has been piping for more years than I’ve been living, and is well-known as a teacher and judge in Ontario. He manages to make great recordings of some of the high-profile amateur contests in eastern Canada, and it was one of these that he posted that I’ve decided to share this week.
The tune is the Massacre of Glencoe, recorded at the George Sherriff Memorial Competition in 2010. The piper is Glenn Walpole, at the time one of the top amateurs in the region; he now plays in the professional ranks. I think you’ll agree that he does a pretty nice job with this tune. This performance earned him second place in the piobaireachd contest, and was the overall runner-up.
This tune is one that has some sentimental value to me, for two reasons. First, I played this tune for most contests in my final year in grade 2, and I think it was pretty important in helping me move up from there. The second reason goes back to the years between 2003 and 2006, when I played with the Macdonald Pipe Band in Pittsburgh, PA. Members of the MacDonald clan were on the receiving end of the massacre, and the slow air version of the tune was part of our show repertoire. It was in that band that I got my start as a solo competitor, and I owe a lot of my piping obsession to the time I spent in that band and the friends I still have there.
If you’d like to submit a tune to be featured on Piobaireachd Wednesday, please email me.
Piobaireachd Wednesday: Pibroch (Cap in Hand)
We’re taking a step away from the usual format of Piobaireachd Wednesday this week with an installment from great English rock band Jethro Tull. This track is entitled Pibroch (Cap in Hand), and is from their 1977 album Songs from the Wood. It’s interesting, I’ll grant you that, and I think is worth listening to at least once.
If you’d like to submit a tune to be featured on Piobaireachd Wednesday, please email me.
