Piobaireachd Wednesday: Lament for Donald of Lagaan
The next installment in our Piobaireachd Wednesday series comes from Marty McKeon, of Lancaster, PA. Marty is a friend of mine, and I invited him to think about recording a tune for us. He’s playing Lament for Donald of Lagaan.
The Lament for Donald of Lagaan is my submission. My name is Marty McKeon and I am a Grade IV piper within EUSPA. Like Nate, Piobaireachd is my passion. I’ve been learning this tune for several years and it continues to keep my interest. I find my self continually learning about ways to improve this tune which is likely why I still enjoy playing it. From what I’ve been told, it is one of the greats. There is no better time than the present so I made this recording in my basement, July 7th 2011. Thank you Nate for being an advocate for all players.
My pleasure Marty; thanks for sharing a tune with us!
To submit a recording to be featured on Piobaireachd Wednesday, please email me at jnwahlgren@gmail.com.
Piobaireachd Wednesday: Lament for Liam
Here’s the first reader-submitted tune for Piobaireachd Wednesday. Today’s tune comes to us from John Bottomley of Bethlehem, PA. John is a piping judge in the EUSPBA and a self-desribed piobaireachd fanatic.
His tune for us this week is from his most recent CD, Back To My Roots. The tune is Lament for Liam, and was composed by John himself. From the description on the back of his CD,
I composed this tune for a friend and former student of mine, and for her family. Their son, Liam, passed away the day before he was born; a devastating loss, but through this personal loss and in memory of Liam, special-needs young people are rewarded yearly for their educational endeavors. To learn more about the fund, log onto www.lifeisamiracle.org.
To submit a recording to be featured on Piobaireachd Wednesday, please email me at jnwahlgren@gmail.com.
Readers’ Piobaireachd Wednesday
I’ve recently been bitten by the piobaireachd bug. I’ve always enjoyed it, but I’ve learned a few new tunes that I really like, and it’s all I want to play.
I’d like to start a new feature here on the blog called Piobaireachd Wednesday, where I highlight a reader-submitted piobaireachd video or recording each Wednesday morning.
Why Wednesday? Well Wednesday is of course hump day, and I figure that listening to a piobaireachd on Wednesday morning is a good way to get to the top of that hump and begin the race to the weekend.
I am actively soliciting submissions from you, dear reader, of your recordings or videos. Please email me a link to your video or audio recording, the name of the tune, when and where the recording was made, and why you like the tune. Your recording can be new or old, amateur or professional, practice or performance, perfect or not so perfect, but please make it yours.
This is not a venue for criticism or judgment, but rather to share some tunes for other to appreciate in a low-pressure setting. Play any tune you wish, from an old favorite to a new tune you’re working on for competition to one that you’ve written. I’ll use any video you’d like to submit.
I’ll start the feature with a recording of mine; the tune is The MacFarlanes’ Gathering. The player is me, the video recorded in April 2010 in a grade 1 piobaireachd contest in Concord, NH. I first learned this tune in 2004 when I began competing regularly, and when I won my first contest it was playing this tune.
Enjoy!
Morning piobaireachd
I was wide awake at 5:00 this morning for no apparent reason (except that the cat had taken most of my spot on the bed), so I got up early. I’ve been in a piobaireachd mood lately, and I found this one this morning. This is from the Gold Medal competition at Winter Storm in 2008: Donald MacPhee playing Clan MacNab’s Salute.
Daily piobaireachd
Here’s a nice piobaireachd performance to cheer up your Thursday: Roddy MacLeod winning the piobaireachd at the Glenfiddich in 2009, playing The Earl of Ross’ March. Roddy is one of the great piobaireachd players of the day, and this video is evidence of the master at work.
It’s well worth the 14 minutes if you like piobaireachd.
Keydet Piper on Bagpipe Nation this week
I’ve been invited to join Andrew Douglas and Vince Janoski as a host of the Bagpipe Nation podcast this week to talk about the effects of the grade 4 piobaireachd rule change. I’ve written about the rule change before (most notably here), and last week I wrote about the most recent development, that several contests have now dropped the grade 4 piobaireachd altogether.
The promotional email is a bit sensationalist (“Grade 4 Piobaireachd Rule: Great Policy, or Huge Disaster?”) and I want to stress that I’m actively looking for solutions, not just sitting around and complaining.
Join us live on Thursday March 31 at 7 p.m. EDT as we discuss this issue and try to suggest some options that will allow games organizers to continue to offer piobaireachd contests in grade 4. Sign up to listen live at the Pipe Hacker blog, and the episode will be available for download through iTunes after the broadcast.
More on the the grade 4 piobaireachd debate
A hot topic here on the bagpipe scene in the eastern US for the last year or so has been grade 4 piobaireachd competitions. For as long as I’ve been competing (10 years), the requirement for grade 4 piobaireachd has been only the ground of the tune. Effective this year, however, the EUSPBA has decided that it will only sanction full piobaireachd events in all grades.
There has been a lot of discussion about this from pipers of all ability levels; the Bob Dunsire forums have been lit up since the idea was first tossed around. I weighed in on the discussion in August, and it was the topic of a very heated debate at the annual general meeting in November.
In my post I had listed a few things that I thought would happen, and one that I did not mention turns out to be the most noticeable effect, certainly at this early point in the season: competitions are dropping the grade 4 piobaireachd contest altogether.
At least six games are not offering a grade 4 piobaireachd competition in 2011: Southern Maryland, Bonnie Brae, Central New York, Virginia, Williamsburg, Meadow (formerly known as Richmond). These join Fair Hill, which has not had a grade 4 piobaireachd for the last several years.
The whole point of this rule change was for grade 4 players to gain experience playing a full piobaireachd, and now there are seven competitions where they won’t get to play any piobaireachd. That doesn’t sound to me like it’s advancing the art.
Having organized a solo competition, I completely understand the reason for this. Longer contests mean more judges to fit it in before the bands. Last year 32 pipers competed in the ground only events in grade 4 Sr at the New Hampshire Highland Games. If every one of them were to play a full tune, the competition would last roughly four times as long and require at two or three more judges (plus their travel and lodging expenses). The cost of that competition could very easily increase by $1500.
I don’t think the right answer here is cutting the piobaireachd contests altogether. It could also likely result in lower entries for grade 4 events, since there will only be a single event at most games. Who wants to drive several hours to play a 2/4 march that lasts two minutes*?
I’m not sure of the best way to keep the piobaireachd event in place, but eliminating it altogether isn’t the way to do it. Your thoughts?
*Pot-Kettle Disclaimer: I once drove eight hours (each way) to a competition to play a 2/4 march and piobaireachd ground. Yep, 16 hours in a car in three days for 4 minutes in front of a judge. I’m not sure I would now, especially with the price of gas these days.
Some thoughts on piobaireachd
As far as bagpipe music is concerned, there aren’t many people who truly appreciate it. Many a piper who can’t play proper gracenotes or tune his own pipes has made a fair living playing for the uninformed public, and it could probably be argued strongly that the vast majority of people will never hear a bagpipe played by a piper with solid instruction in the fundamentals.
As esoteric as truly good bagpipe music is in general, the genre of piobaireachd is the extreme. To the unaccustomed ear, this classical music of the bagpipes all sounds pretty much the same, and the owner of that same ear might assume that the piper is making it up on the spot. I agree that piobaireachd is an acquired taste, and until a piper has learned a few tunes and what makes a good performance it really does all sound the same. It’s is often maligned by those who haven’t gotten to that point yet: I heard about a piper who named his pet snake Piobaireachd (because it was long and no one liked it), and I have met more than a few people who would much prefer to listen to a modern hornpipe with flashy fingerwork.
After a dozen years as a piper I’ve recently realized that I really enjoy piobaireachd. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve liked it for a while, but it was only in the past few months that I realized that I REALLY like piobaireachd. I guess my piping has matured to the point that I can listen to piobaireachd all day, and watching a full competition of skilled piobaireachd players is about as good as it gets for me.
A well-constructed performance on a good bagpipe is mesmerizing, and can leave me glowing for hours. To hear several of them back to back is really something special, and a great way to spend a day.
I’m still coming down from the piobaireachd high I experienced this weekend at the Robert Gilchrist Memorial Challenge (more on that in a later post). I heard five competitors, the oldest of whom was 18, demonstrate an understanding of tone, technique, and musicality that is present in very few pipers of any age. All of these players are amateurs, competing in grades 1, 2, and 3, but I heard a few performances that would not have been out of place in a professional level contest.
If these young players are the future of piobaireachd in the eastern US, we have no reason to fear that the art is dying out or unappreciated by today’s youth.
Random piping video
I came across a very nice piobaireachd video this afternoon, and thought I’d share it.
The tune is MacCrimmon’s Sweetheart, performed by Alasdair Mackenzie. I don’t know anything about Alasdair except that he’s a very good piper. He plays this complex tune very well, and it’s definitely worth a listen. (more…)
Piping quote of the day
Or actually the quote of yesterday, since that’s when it was posted. A beginning piper posted a thread in the Piobaireachd topic of the Bob Dunsire forums in which she asked “What is piobaireachd?”
The best response is below. I love it.
And how true. When I learned my first piobaireachd (Clan Campbell’s Gathering) I actually felt like I could call myself a piper. It’s like a rite of passage, and it does help pipers become better players. Perfect response, Roger!
Piobaireachd: Go long, or go home
This post is a few months behind the times, but I felt I should get my opinion on the topic out there. When this rule change was announced by the EUSPBA, there was quite an uproar, and at the moment there are seven pages worth of discussions on it at the Bob Dunsire forums.
So here’s the scoop: on April 29, the EUSPBA made this announcement on their website:
Grade 4 solo, Jr. and Sr. Piobaireachd, requirements found on page 8 of the existing Rule Book will change. The option for ground only to be sanctioned will be removed. Effective January 1, 2011, only the full tune event will be sanctioned by the EUSPBA.
In other words, starting next year, there will be no ground only piobaireachd competitions. All competitors, including those in grade 4, must play the whole tune. (more…)
Piping is for the birds
I’m always amazed at some of the questions that people ask when I’m at a highland games or something. One that pops up from time to time is “I didn’t know they let women play the pipes.”
First, who is this “they” that regulates who can and cannot play pipes?
Second, just take a glance at any massed bands and you’ll find that women are certainly not prohibited from playing the pipes. When I played with Macdonald Pipe Band in Pittsburgh, my four best friends in the band were all women. In pipe bands these days women are certainly welcome, and make an important contribution to the band circle.
There are a number of women who are successful solo competitors as well: in 2010 there are six female judges on the EUSPBA’s judges panel, and four more in the PPBSO. Those who are able to pass adjudication exams and be on the panel must know something, regardless of which restroom they use.
Women have passed a milestone at the top levels of solo competitions as well. There was a big controversy about women playing in the gold medal events, and in 1974 two women were finally allowed to compete in the gold medal piobaireachd events at the Argyllshire Gathering and Northern Meeting.
Yesterday, Faye Henderson (whose mother was one of those first two women to play at these events), won the gold medal at the Argyllshire Gathering, becoming the first woman to ever be at the top of that prize list. She also won the medal the first time she played in the contest, and at 18 years old is one of the youngest to win.
This marks a great milestone for women in piping, and I’m sure there will be many others. I’m sure there are some crotchety old men sitting around and grumbling that women can’t play pipes as well as men, but this seems like a pretty solid proof to the contrary.
There’s one unfortunate thing about Faye’s win, which is that she won’t be able to win both gold medals in the same year. Due to a smaller number of players allowed in the contests, she’ll be playing in the silver medal competition at the Northern Meeting. I’m sure there aren’t many who have won a gold medal and silver medal in the same year, so she’ll have a chance to add her name to that list as well.
Random piping video
I haven’t posted a piping video for a while, so here’s one. Last weekend was the World Pipe Band Championship in Scotland, and the winning band in grade 1 was the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band from Vancouver. The week before the Worlds they appeared in concert at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, and from what I’ve heard it was a fantastic show. This video is a clip from the concert, of the band playing the piobaireachd “Field of Gold.” I don’t know much about the tune itself, but it’s pretty modern as far as piobaireachds go, having been written by Donald MacLeod around the mid 20th century.
It’s rare to hear a piobaireachd played by a band, especially one played so effectively. SFU Pipe Band is a good one for expanding horizons, and inventive performances like this prove the point. I love the way it starts with a solo piper in a spotlight (Jack Lee if I had to make a guess) and the ensembles and lighting expand until the whole band is playing. My favorite part is the repeat of the ground with the solo piper playing and the rest of the band singing the canntaireachd.
Video: Piobaireachd
At Southern Maryland on Saturday my first event was piobaireachd, playing for judge John Bottomley for the first time this season. The hot and humid weather made me kind of nervous as I was tuning; playing 10-minute long tune in the direct sun is sure to play havoc with the pitch, but it turned out fine. I played a few minutes in the shade, did my final warmup in the sun, and was asked to play The Massacre of Glencoe when I got to the bench. My drones were set pretty well at the start of the tune, but by the toarluath they had really locked in and were sounding great. I was quite pleased with the whole performance: the pipes sounded good, the tune flowed, and the embellishments had better technique than my last competition.
I spoke with John later, and he commented several times that he enjoyed my tune. He tells me I have a slight hitch in my crunluath movement, pausing just a bit on the second low G before playing the top hand grace notes, so this is something I shall work on in the next few weeks. His last comment on the sheet: “Polished performance overall, small details yet.”
Breathing new life into traditional piping
The Piobaireachd Society announced their set list for 2010 competitions recently, and it’s in quite a different format than usual.
In 2009, the set list looked fairly standard: 14 tunes for Senior competitions (submit 6, play 1), two sets of four each for Gold Medal (submit two from each set, play 1), and eight tunes for Silver Medal (submit four, play 1).
Next year sees quite a change though: Gold and Silver Medal players get a free year, where they can submit any tunes they like (eight for Gold, six for Silver) and will be required to play one tune. The Senior tune set consists of eight pairs of tunes; four pairs must be submitted and the player will be asked to play one pair.
This is quite a departure from recent years, and I applaud the Piobaireachd Society for the change. While I think I like the new format, what I appreciate most is the fact that there’s a change, and a significant one at that. I had this impression of the Piobaireachd Society as a stalwart organization as easy to change as the rotation of the Earth, but now I’m rethinking my opinion. Is it possible that an organization dedicated to upholding the traditions of piping can promote the music while still being open to change? Apparently so.
The Mysteries of Piobaireachd Vol 2: Addendum
The last post in this category was about the story behind a few piobaireachd tunes, and I just heard another that I had to share.
A highland village near a loch relied heavily on the men of the village to catch enough fish to get through the winter. In one particular year the old men were to old to fish and the young men devoted their efforts to catching young ladies instead of fish; the resulting tune of the hardships of the village is “Scarce of Fishing.”
The Mysteries of Piobaireachd Volume 2: The Story
Piobaireachd is one of the forms of music that is quintessentially Scottish. It’s the original music of the GHB, played by lone pipers before anyone ever thought to make more than one piper play at the same time. It’s sometimes referred to as the classical music of the bagpipes, and there is a lot more to a good piobaireachd than just playing the notes. This series of posts will highlight some of the mysteries of piobaireachd, and why it’s such a unique style of music.
Another reason that piobaireachds are so great is that each tune has a story behind it. Sometimes the general story can be deduced from the name (“The King’s Taxes”), but a bit of research can usually turn up some really interesting stories. Here are a few of my favorites.
The castle of Duntrune in Argyllshire was at one time a stronghold of clan Campbell. Legend has it that the MacDonalds invaded and captured the castle while the Campbell chief was away, but the MacDonald chief had to return home for some reason. He left a small detail to hold the castle which included his piper. The Campbells returned and retook the castle, killing all the guard except the piper. They lay in wait for the MacDonalds to return, and the piper maintained a vigil on the ramparts, looking for his chieftain’s boat to come across the loch. When he saw the boat he struck up his pipes and played a tune the chief would recognize, but slightly different to indicate something was wrong. The MacDonald chief interpretted the warning correctly and turned the boat around. The piper received a punishment worse than death: his hands were cut off so he could never play again. He subsequently died from his injuries, and the tune he played has come to be known as “The Piper’s Warning to his Master.” This story was thought to be just legend until excavations at Duntrune unearthed a skeleton with its hands cut off cleanly at the wrist, leading to speculation that maybe there was some truth to the story.
Donald Mor MacCrimmon had a younger brother with facial ticks, which earned him the nickname Squinting Patrick. Poor Patrick was murdered by his foster brother, and Donald was not happy with this. His clan chief advised him to wait a year before exacting his revenge, hoping the time would cool his anger, but it didn’t. After 12 months Donald and a band of men rode to the village on Kintail, where the murderer was known to live. He went from door to door demanding the murderer, but no one in the village would give him up. Donald then had the doors nailed shut and set fire to 18 houses in the village, resulting in the death of several of its inhabitants. As the village burned, he played a tune called “A Flame of Wrath from Squinting Patrick.”
Email me if you know other good stories and I’ll add them in a follow up post.
Previous Mysteries of Piobaireachd Posts
Volume 1: What’s in a Name?
The Mysteries of Piobaireachd Volume 1: What’s in a Name?
Piobaireachd is one of the forms of music that is quintessentially Scottish. It’s the original music of the GHB, played by lone pipers before anyone ever thought to make more than one piper play at the same time. It’s sometimes referred to as the classical music of the bagpipes, and there is a lot more to a good piobaireachd than just playing the notes. This series of posts will highlight some of the mysteries of piobaireachd, and why it’s such a unique style of music.
One of the best things about a piobaireachd is often its title. Tunes were traditionally written to celebrate or mourn a person, commemorate an event or battle, announce the gathering or movement of clans, or make a general commentary on life. As such, each tune has a unique story behind it and the names are often very descriptive. Here’s a list of some of my favorite piobaireachd names, in no particular order. Tunes that I play are marked with an asterisk (*).
- The Unjust Incarceration
- The King’s Taxes
- The Red-Speckled Bull
- The Rout of the MacPhees
- Lament for the Only Son
- The Blind Piper’s Obstinacy
- Lament for the Dead
- The Massacre of Glencoe*
- The Finger Lock
- The MacKay’s White Banner
- Scarce of Fishing
- Lament for the Union (the Union being between England and Scotland)
- The Vaunting
- A Flame of Wrath for Squinting Patrick
- The Bicker
- The Bells of Perth
- Too Long in this Condition
- The Glen is Mine
- The Little Spree (A spree in this context refers to a drinking binge. There are also tunes called The Big Spree and The Meddling Spree)
- The Old Men of the Shells
- The Desperate Battle of the Birds*
- A Piper’s Warning to His Master
These are my favorite piobaireachd names; do you any others you like?
