On piping with the Stewart Tartans for a second year

It’s December 2014 and I come to the end of my second! year in a pipe band. Last Sunday was our band’s last performance of the year, playing in San Mateo for our second Christmas Concert. The band performed 16 times, 6 parades and competed 9 days in the year culminating with our band’s back to back Scottish Christmas concert! 

Mathematically the band played every other week, plus some. Again, I have to acknowledge (and thank) my beautiful my wife and family for encouraging and supporting my piping. Playing the pipes this year has been overwhelmingly fun. I started last year with the goal of performing well and playing at a level that I would be accepted into the competition band. I see many hands in the running of our pipe band. From the pipe major and drum major on down to the most in need of more practice, so many folk helped make this year fun and profitable.

The band itself played successfully through the competition year coming in 4th overall in WUSPBA. This standing, along with a healthy desire to see the band progress, had the band management apply for and be approved for moving from grade 5 to grade 4. This spells more time and energy needed to play well at the next level up. Along with that was the band’s desire to keep the grade 5 band going as a farm band to support player’s upward movement. Based on the rules of competition, our pipe major will stay with the grade 4 band, and I was asked to step up and into the role of PM for the grade 5 band. OMG, what was I thinking when I accepted?

This coming year will be another year of growth for me in the new role as well as progressing in my playing to stay in the upper band when the grade 5 band is not competing. Our band will be establishing individual goals for each member this year, as a trial. I do well with goals set and accomplished. I hope that the band will respond favorably to the idea. My personal goal / fantasy will be to compete personally whenever the band is competing. I guess that I’d better get practicing.

Thank you to all those who listen to our band, and music!

Merry Christmas!

John B

'Behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people, for unto you is born this day a Savior which is Christ the Lord.' Luke 2:11

On playing Christmas carols

Every year at Christmastime I find myself being asked to play Christmas carols at different festivities. And during our Scottish Christmas Concert our band will play a couple carols, changing tune combinations each year.

Some piping friends have challenged the ‘need’ for playing carols at all as “they were not composed for pipes.” I have to say I disagree. Music transcends the instrument if the transposition of tunes can be played well on the pipes. 

I thoroughly enjoy playing carols as a treat to listeners. It surprises and stirs listeners when they least expect it. Played solo, the tunes can be added to most any repertoire where exact embellishment may be laid aside for the sake of the listener.

Trusted tunes that work are:

Angels We Have Heard on High
We Wish You a Merry Christmas
Oh Come Oh Come Emmanuel
Come All Ye Faithful
Hark the Herald Angel Sing
Deck the Halls
I Saw Three Ships


Merry Christmas!

Freedom is not free!

On this Veteran’s Day, I want to acknowledge the countless men and women who have served their country. My words are worth little compared to the efforts on the battlefields, in support of the troops on land, in the air and on the sea. Thank you for your service to our country and the freedoms we enjoy today. I also acknowledge the service in my own family: my Dad who served in the Army in WWII, his brothers who both served (Uncle Dave in the Army and Uncle Richard who served in the Marines) and my big brother who served in the Navy during Vietnam. In my wife’s family, two of her uncles served in the Marines and Air Force in WWII, brothers served in the Navy and Air Force. I also think of students and son’s of friends who served in the Marines, Army and Navy! Some are serving as I write. I’m proud of them all!

Our band marched in the San Jose Veteran’s Day Parade, leading the parade. What an honor. We march in honor of all who served or are serving. I consider our performance as a heartfelt gift to those who serve.

This year we honor the end of WWI ninety-six years ago at 11am, on the eleventh day of the eleventh month. I was awestruck when I read about the honor given to the English veterans who were lost during the war. As a temporary memorial, 888, 624 ceramic poppies were created and ‘planted’ in the dry moat surrounding the Tower of London. One poppy for each service member who died for their country. Amazingly touching. After Veteran’s Day, the poppies have been sold to raise funds for charities. What a beautiful gesture.

On the Flowers of the Forest

Flodden Memorial, erected 1910

One of the many ancient pieces of Scottish music, the Flowers of the Forest continues to stand the test of time for laments played on the bagpipes. The earliest written version of the tune was in the early 1600’s in a manuscript by John Skene. Then called “Flowers of the Forrest” the tune has become synonymous with playing at funerals or memorial services In 1756, Jean Elliot wrote the memorable lyrics to the somber yet powerful song about the losses during the Battle of Flodden Field in northern England in 1513 against the army of Henry VIII. Although possibly not the author of the original lyrics, she captured the sentiments and grief felt at the loss of their loved ones in battle as well as the loss of Scotland’s King James IV. For the past 150+ years, Flowers of the Forest was the tune to be played at funerals. Today everyone thinks of Amazing Grace as the tune to play at memorials, yet this wonderful piece is relatively modern.

When I was leaning the tune initially, my piping tutor told me that to play the tune except at funeral or memorial (or practice) was unlucky. Here are the lyrics:

The Flowers of the Forest
Lyrics by Jean Elliot

I’ve heard them liltin’, at the ewe milkin,’
Lasses a-liltin’ before dawn of day.
Now there’s a moanin’, on ilka green loanin’.
The flowers of the forest are a’ wede away.

As boughts in the mornin’, nae blithe lads are scornin’,
Lasses are lonely and dowie and wae.
Nae daffin’, nae gabbin’, but sighin’ and sobbin’,
Ilk ane lifts her leglin, and hies her away.

At e’en in the gloamin’, nae swankies are roamin’,
‘Mang stacks wi’ the lasses at bogle to play.
But ilk maid sits drearie, lamentin’ her dearie,
The flowers of the forest are a’ wede away.

In har’st at the shearin’ nae youths now are jeerin’
Bandsters are runkled, and lyart, or grey.
At fair or at preachin’, nae wooin’, nae fleecin’,
The flowers of the forest are a’ wede away.

Dool for the order sent our lads to the Border,
the English for ance by guile wan the day.
The flowers of the forest, that fought aye the foremost,
The prime of our land lie cauld in the clay.

We’ll hae nae mair liltin’, at the ewe milkin’,
Women and bairns are dowie and wae.
Sighin’ and moanin’ on ilka green loanin’,
The flowers of the forest are all wede away.

On stepping in for the Pipe Major

Back in mid-August, I wrote an entry regarding standing next to the Pipe Major (Top Ten Reasons Not to Stand next to …). Little did I envision stepping into his shoes and running a band practice. Now there is an example of irony. Crazy? Yes, I know. But fate has a way of taking us out of our comfort zone.

There are times in a band’s year that the Pipe Major and Pipe Sergeant are both out. We have several members of the piper corp. capable of running a practice. Based on what is needed that evening, the effort could be a fun time or a challenge. If it is chanter work on new or existing tunes, tuning the band member’s pipes, then playing tunes in the circle, then it can be managed. Even if a piper is capable, he or she, may not want to. I think that it comes down to confidence to lead and competency on the pipes.

So that’s where I found myself a couple weeks ago. I had direction from the PM as to what he wanted accomplished, so my job was to follow through on his outline. The first time stepping up to leading in the circle is an interesting one. The first question: where is the PM starts the evening followed by a simple announcement that I was asked to run the practice. Done. So let’s get going. Chanters first, pipes second (warm up, tuning to 480 hz, drones tuning, circle up leaving room for drummers, tuning sequence, etc.), then on to playing new and old tunes (bring your music if they aren’t memorized yet). Add drummers, and now the bass drummer and lead side drummer are watching my foot for tempo. You just can’t think about it. Lead in the moment; but remain very much aware of what is happening.

Just as I wrote about the PM hearing my playing, now, the band can hear and see my playing; some are even following my fingering, and, I am more aware than ever of others and their playing. Nervous? Yes. So I focus on playing and keep the tempo as even as I can and the evening moving forward. I’m ever more aware of phrases where the tempo can run away, and they do… arghhh! Stop, recognize it and repeat. Everyone learns from it. Add a little humor.

I thinks PM’s are unconsciously trained on certain praises and actions. Set the tempo; humming the first couple bars of music; ask younger pipers “How many beats of ‘E’” at strike in; stop if early ‘E’ is sounded; encourage control of your instrument; “Good cut-off”, or “watch the cutoff”; “It’s 1, 2,3 off”; we are in this to improve our music; listen to your neighbor for tuning, etc.

The evening flies by, guaranteed! At the end, words of encouragement to all and the DM announces “dismissed”. Then comes the questions and suggestions. I listen to them all and relay how the band did at practice to the PM. Interestingly enough, I hope that I will be asked to substitute again. My thanks goes out to the band for patiently following my lead.

“Irony is just honesty with the volume cranked up.” George Saunders (US Author)

On piping in Hong Kong

When Hong Kong’s pro-democracy demonstrations were in full swing in September, with literally hundreds of thousands of protestors peacefully demonstrating for freedoms, I listened intently to news reports on their demands and progress. They rallied for democratic reform and suffrage that they felt was due them (and all Chinese citizens too); Through peaceful civil disobedience they made a resounding sound that may not have been heard in Beijing. I applaud their efforts to bring democratic values and change to their land.

Even as the protests continued, I thought about Hong Kong as a British colony that until 1997 was the wild west of capitalism, banking and commerce. Its rich heritage is a mix of English, Scottish, Chinese and many other cultures, so it must have included bagpipes. I went in search of piping in the news for pipes and drum bands in Hong Kong, Kowloon Peninsula and the New Territories. A picture from the water of Hong Kong harbor shows a city built on green hills. Surely there must still be bagpipes playing today. A little research quickly shows that Hong Kong has a rich Scottish heritage.

The HSBC Bank was founded by a Scotsman, Thomas Sutherland in 1865. Even today, the firing of the Noonday Gun, a cannon mounted on a tiny jetty, is a daily ritual in remembrance of William Jardine and James Matheson, who were shipping tycoons from Edinburgh. Even at Hong Kong University which incorporates a castle erected in the 1860’s by a Scotsman, Douglas Laprik, the influence of the Scots can be found.

There are two pipe bands in Hong Kong: The Hong Kong Pipe Band http://hkpipeband.com/ and Hong Kong St. Andrews Pipe Band http://www.pipeband.org.hk/. The KH Pipe Band was formed in 1982 and continues to bring the music of Scotland to the city. Looking at their web site shows that they are into performing at many civic and private events as well as competing as a grade 4 band. One of their pipers, Andrew Yu took the top honors this summer at the All-England Championships in the United Kingdom in July. Andrew took grade one first place in the Piobaireachd, 6/8 March and second in the Air & Jig and March, Strathspey & Reel.

The second band is the Hong Kong St. Andrews Pipe Band http://www.pipeband.org.hk/. Their organization also plays our traditional Scottish music, but also plays arrangements of Chinese and Korean folk songs which can be downloaded from their site in pdf. I’ve attached one Chinese folk tune, “Dance of Youth” here. Very fun to play.

From a history perspective the Royal Gurkha Rifles, a regiment made up of Nepalese soldiers, loyal to the crown since 1857 became British regulars in 1949 following Indian Independence. Their regiment and pipe band were stationed in Hong Kong soon around 1962 and remained on station there until the draw down and final with drawl of all British troop in 1997. Today their piping tradition continues in in the Singapore Police Force Gurkha Contingent Pipes and Drums Platoon. Here’s a set performed by them on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yH-Y9kdWbjk

It is great to think that we have piping brethren across the world. From many cultures from Nepal to South America, from Canada to Dubai, my guess is that we have more than just bagpipe music in common. I think of those families in Hong Kong wishing for a life free to follow their God given rights.

On music programs in the Bay Area

Fall is in the air. Yesterday I saw a young student on the way to school carrying a large musical instrument case. In a heartbeat I was transported back to Lindbergh Elementary, in my home town, where in 4th grade I carried my saxophone to and from school, beginning a lifelong love of music. That year I was introduced to my music teacher who for the next nine years would guide us students each band period to excel in making music. We benefited from his passion for music, and his love and no nonsense approach for his students, that we might catch the beautiful creativeness of the arts.

Without a doubt, reading, writing and math are essential to a quality education. To that point, research studies have demonstrated how including music education in a child's life helps them to do well in school, developing confidence and self-discipline, creativity, a sense of accomplishment and openness to other cultures and their music. Playing instruments, I learned how to be part of a team, from concerts to half time shows, parades to jazz ensembles. We learned how to work toward goals and accomplish hard things. Music united us in purpose much like an athletic team might under the guidance of a coach, but giving our minds and hearts to the music and the audience.

Musicians of every genre speak of music as an expression of our humanity. Famed violinist Joshua Bell recently spoke after a New York performance that "Music is something that should be a part of everyone's life." I agree. Can we in the Bay Area, as a people of great cultures and beliefs, in an economic and technical hub, not pay attention to the need for music in our children’s lives? Join me this fall to encourage music students, their teachers and administrators, and school music programs to continue to thrive, not just survive.

So leave your windows open as that young student next door practices with all the excitement of a virtuoso, even as he or she hits a few wrong notes. Or maybe wave encouragement to that student with that over-sized case on their way to school and to new adventures through music.

With a perspective,
John

Top Ten reasons why not to stand next to the Pipe Major

One evening on my way home from a grueling sweaty summer pipe band practice I found myself thinking about standing and playing next to our band’s Pipe Major. In the church where we practice, the narthex is used for both its space to form a band circle and has somewhat less reflective sound than the main church. It’s tight, it works and I have found myself standing at times either next to or near the Pipe Major (PM).  Seems like when I have practiced the ‘right’ tunes for the evening I find myself standing across from him, my sound mixing with all pipers. On other nights, when I’d practiced ‘other’ tunes I found myself next to the PM, or Pipe Sergeant, or, in between both! You can guess how those evenings’ turned out (insert nervous laugh)… So I thought about the top ten reasons why not to stand next to the PM.

10. When standing next to the PM, I may get a stiff neck from craning my neck left or right depending which side of the PM I stand. - This is the only one of the ten that does not rely on the PM hearing me play. In a piping circle, everyone should stand facing the center, with only our heads turned toward the PM to follow his fingering and feet. My blow pipe is perfect for standing facing forward, but when I turn to the left the blow pipe feels too long. Getting used to playing in different physical piping circle positions makes a piper more confident, versatile and useful in the band.

9. The PM hears my chanter or drones are out of tune – We spend a lot of time tuning at practice and before competition, always seeking that ‘one sound’ from the band. Tuning at practice or before a performance I may match the PM perfectly. And yet during competition when the adrenaline is coursing through my veins, my pipe’s pressure may elevate and both drones and my upper hand 'D', ‘E’, ‘F’, ‘G’ or ‘A’ may quickly go out of tune. It take practice, confidence and control over my own emotions and physical excitement to play steadily with the group on the march or in the circle.

8. The PM hears my pressure waver as I play – A band’s sound depends on both a solid drone and chanter sound, as well as volume.  Maintaining pressure through the tune to its cut-off is important. Knowing that my arm can maintain pressure through that last birl and until cut-off should be part of my practice routine, always listening to the sound (how about recording your solo practice?). Without confidence and concentration you will (not may) lose focus. When that band ‘one sound’ occurs, you no longer hear your own playing. Practicing helps, but practicing your breathing and arm pressure technique properly is key. 

7. The PM hears my chanter drops out – Maybe the reed is too old that over blowing finally killed it, or it is too stiff and not properly broken in (“Sorry, but I just changed my chanter reed the morning”), or lips are shot to hold blowing pressure at end of a performance. Then I’m reminded why I practice. The chanter may stop in practice but on the day of a competition may end up with me being cut from the field, or the band losing a placing.

6. The PM hears my drones cut out – The band needs the drone sound of every piper. Maybe they worked perfectly at home, but because I’m now over blowing or drone reeds are damp, one (or more) drones cut out. Controlling my instrument and having ‘nerves of steel’ to drop out and re-start my drones and chanter is a difficult task in performance or competition. I should practice this at home to be prepared for performances.

5. The PM hears my drones strike in early or late – Controlling my pipes is equal to correctly playing music. Striking in IS part of the music. Both music practice on pipes and bagpipe maintenance must be part of my practice regimen. A band depends on producing one sound so striking in together is key. No early drone sounds allowed! Proper strike in sounds solid from the start, not wavering and is maintained. This takes concerted effort, confidence and practice.

4. The PM hears my fingering mistakes, both tune and embellishment – “Question: What’s similar between lightening and a bagpiper’s fingering? Answer: Neither strikes the same place twice.” The old joke holds some truth. Have you ever been ‘encouraged’ during band practice to revisit your music before the next band practice? I have, and on music I have played for years! How could I even mess up on a tuning sequence? Everyone, from the PM on down to the neophyte piper makes mistakes. Rushing embellishments or ending phrasing? Or "The 'D' in D-throw is to be heard but not held." When mistakes happen, play through, not wincing or making eye contact with the PM. Make like it never happened, then go home and correct with practice. If asked in practice 'Who played the note errors in bar 27?" Just owe up to it and move on to perfecting your music in practice at home. In performance, as a band, we must play to the PM’s foot and fingering, and as an ensemble with the drum corp.

3. The PM hears my ‘E’ strike in, early or late – Even more pronounced than ricochet drones is a band with ricochet ‘E’ strike in. As a band we practice this many times. That crazy strike in exercise of repeating the roll-off, strike in, ‘E’ and first four bars of a march then repeat makes sense to do, but I don’t have to enjoy it. The almighty ‘E’ depends on the confidence of each band member controlling their pipes and striking in together. Practice at home on the march and with a metronome will make a big difference.

2. The PM hears me cut-off late – OMG! If practice teaches me nothing, it is controlling my instrument. Ending the tune solidly together is as important as starting together. Cutting off late, or having trailing drones after everyone else cuts off will cost a band. Using drone valves may help (I’m in favor of these, but that’s just me), but learning to be present in the moment of the tune ending, anticipating its end is key. Keeping enough air in the bag to complete the tune with proper drone and chanter pressure is paramount. Cut-off together should be the norm. To hear the PM say “Nice cut-off” should be a rarity.

And the #1 reason not to stand next to the Pipe Major is:

1. The PM wants to hear me play solo so he volunteers me to lead out on a build-a-band tune. We play a very loud instrument: at home, in a park, and certainly before band practice to warm up. Why is it that I become so nervous when asked to play solo in front of fellow band mates and PM? My friends are probably just breathing a sigh of relief that they were not picked, or, are concentrating on practicing fingering technique while I play. Learning to play in any situation builds your confidence and makes you a better piper.

Nine out of the ten points has the Pipe Major hearing me play. I am truly amazed that the PM can hear what is happening while concentrating on tempo and playing correctly for the pipers to follow. It’s not walking and chewing gum that may cause me to stumble, but… roll off, marching, arm swing, dress right, strike in, ‘E’, one beat ‘E’ (or two?), playing the tune to the PM’s beat, mark time, turn into circle, stop, continue playing focused on the PM’s fingering, transitions between tunes, cut off, then breath once again.

I value the PM’s constructive criticism (most of the time) and his praise and support (all the time). I also feel comfortable speaking to him about what I observe or think about practice, competition, band matters, etc. Whether my PM implements the ideas is secondary to the communication line being open. I may sometimes prefer not to be in the PM’s watchful gaze, or him being in ear shot of my playing. But playing next to the Pipe Major is to play with a better player than me, and can only improve me as a piper and musician. I think I see a mantra: practice and control improves confidence and performance. Next practice, I’m standing next to the PM.

On The Battle of the Somme as a massed bands tune honoring WWI

Today, July 28, marks the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the Great War, known today simply as World War I. A fellow band mate and piper, Melody, sent me a link to the BBC Special “Pipers of the Trenches" on http://youtu.be/4oXiAu3P0LM (great show by the way). After a short email discussion about the show, she suggested that the classic pipe tune The Battle of the Somme become a tune to be played with appropriate fanfare by massed bands over the next four years, honoring and celebrating the lives, valor and sacrifices made by the men and women who served during the Great War, 1914 – 1918.

The tune: The Battle of the Somme is attributed to Pipe Major William Lawrie (1881-1916). He was PM of the 8th Argyllshire Battalion of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in 1914 and remained as such until pneumonia, pleurisy and meningitis contracted in the trenches of France took his health, was sent home and succumbed to an early death.

Prior to the war, Lawrie was a student of the pipes under both his father, Hugh, and the great John MacColl, winning many awards for his piping. He left the piping community a legacy of compositions of which ‘Battle’ is considered one of the best and remains a classic 9/8 march played by pipe bands to this day.

The setting of the public domain tune pictured above is included for download: The Battle of the Somme

To add your voice to the discussion go to Bob Dunshire’s forum at: http://forums.bobdunsire.com/forums/showthread.php?t=156316

On Finding Piping Music

PM Willie Lawrie, undated

I stood nervously. “Hi. My name is John and I’m a pipe music junkie”; group response: “Hi John.” With that I opened the 1st meeting of Piping Music Anonymous, Silicon Valley Chapter (PMASV for short). All kidding aside, I have noticed that most pipers love new pipe music. I do. I listen to my fair share of pipe music on-line, on Pandora, on Youtube.com, on iTunes of my own MP3’s and even CD’s in my car. I have more music than I could ever play in books such as Scots Guards Vol. 1 & 2, W. Ross Collection(s), Irish pipe music, Scottish dance tunes, folders and binders of copied music given to me and a fair number of PDF’s. A few weeks ago at pipe band practice I heard a fellow piper playing 'From Maui to Kona' by Bob Worrall. Very catchy tune when played well and at tempo. And I wanted the sheet music; no… I needed the sheet music. So where do you find new music?

In year’s past, I would have fired up my laptop, opened Google.com (or your favorite flavor of search engine) and spent time searching by name (alternate name, composer, composer’s mother’s maiden name, etc.) for a PDF, gif or BMW of the tune. If the tune was a bit obscure, I might get a hit on Bob Dunshire’s forum site finding a discussion that might give me clues on where to find that elusive tune. Occasionally, I’d find a band’s unlocked web site music page with their current play list available in PDF format with my sought after tune included. They don’t call it data (err… tune) mining for nothing. A lot of digging and an occasional gold nugget (of music). I still resort to this process on occasion but with the advent of reliable tune sites, I do it less and less.

Today, I initially visit a couple of sites that publish pipe tunes. My current favorites are:

http://pipetunes.ca/ – Jim McGillivray’s site. One becomes a member, login and buys credits for future tune PDF and mp3 purchases, downloading as you go. Great resource.

http://www.leeandsonsbagpipes.com/ - Jack Lee’s site. Purchase tunes PDF and mp3 as you go with a link to the download emailed to you. Wonderful site.

Coming back to “From Maui to Kona”. My first thought was to go to McGillivray’s site, hoping to download a copy, paying as I go. The composer gets paid a little and the site gets paid a little. And no worries for me about copyright issues. I didn't find the tune there so went to Jack Lee's site where I’ve purchased tunes before as well. Didn't find it there either. I even went online to Ebay.com, then Amazon.com, to see if Worrall’s book was for sale by private party as his book is out of print. No luck there. Like many pipers, we are a determined lot, so I went searching the internet for that elusive PDF. Early one Saturday morning, while the household slept, I made coffee and settled down for a pleasant hour’s search. Going down more than a few rabbit trails, I eventually found a PDF scan of the tune from the original book (I believe). Sorry Bob, I really wanted your book, chuck full of new tunes.

There is also a mountain of public domain tunes. No need to purchase that, right? Technically there is no need to purchase. But the format of the music if you find it may not be neat and clean. Go looking for some of the classic piobaireachd and you may find a copy of a copy of a page typeset and printed in the 1800’s that looks like it was faxed in the early 1900’s. This week, I went looking for classic WWI tune: The Battle of the Somme by William Lawrie and found a copy on pipetunes.ca and a copy as a gif on another site. I decided to spend the few credits with pipetunes.ca and downloaded a beautifully set PDF of the public domain tune as well as an mp3 of the tune to work with. Money well spent.

Starving bagpiper’s aside, paying for tunes is the right thing to do. A composer works hard to create music that is both fun to play and enjoyable to listen to. He (or she) deserves royalties for their intellectual property. It also take guts to publish a book of tunes, yet thankfully some pipers continue to compose. Hardcopy tune books are fun to browse and play through on chanter or even pencil (it just helps to finger a tune as you sight). Maybe soon we will be able to buy a tune book (besides in pdf format) for example College of Piping: Highland Bagpipe Tutor Pioaireached in a form that can be formatted for viewing on and played straight from the iPad or Surface. I think I’ll go in search to see what progressive bagpipe composers are doing.

I might even find a tune I just have to have.

The Piper - By Robert Louis Stevenson

The Piper

By Robert Louis Stevenson

AGAIN I hear you piping, for I know the tune so well, -
   You rouse the heart to wander and be free,
Tho' where you learned your music, not the God of song can tell,
   For you pipe the open highway and the sea.
O piper, lightly footing, lightly piping on your way,
   Tho' your music thrills and pierces far and near,
I tell you you had better pipe to someone else to-day,
   For you cannot pipe my fancy from my dear.

You sound the note of travel through the hamlet and the town;
   You would lure the holy angels from on high;
And not a man can hear you, but he throws the hammer down
   And is off to see the countries ere he die.
But now no more I wander, now unchanging here I stay;
   By my love, you find me safely sitting here:
And pipe you ne'er so sweetly, till you pipe the hills away,
   You can never pipe my fancy from my dear.

Memorial Day (In July?) Semi-Annual Back-to-Basics … Part 3

I remember taking my bagpipes for a spin when I first got them. I took them out of the old wooden case, initially seasoning the leather bag, then put reeds made out of actual reed into the drone stocks, added a chanter reed, inflated the bag, struck in the drones, then chanter and heard a cacophonous sound far out of tune. I was painfully aware that I was doing was probably done in excitement, and ignorance of how to tune. I needed to learn more; I was eager to learn more. That’s how we sometimes learn, by trial and error, learning from our mistakes.

In my Memorial Day Back-to-Basics, Part 1, I talked about the need to strengthen lips, lungs and arm. In Part 2, I spoke to bagpipes basic maintenance. Both parts are about the set-up of the pipes. In part 3, I want to look at tuning. You can have the strength to maintain a steady tone and you can have the lips to play for an hour plus, and your pipes may be set up to play functionally correct, but if your chanter and drones are out of tune, a great performance can turn into a dismal, painful sounding exercise.

Two schools of thought come to mind regarding effective tuning: Tune the tune the drones to the chanter or the chanter to the drones. Won’t they both get your pipes set-up correctly to play? I say yes, but consistent (and correct) technique leads to good piping. There is wisdom in the generations of pipers that came before me. So ask experienced player how they tune and play. Pick their brains. Watch their technique. Try things. Ask more questions, observe how others approach tuning, and playing technique for that matter. Let’s start with tuning the chanter first.

The chanter, made of blackwood or polypenco (a wonderful dense type of plastic), has been designed and refined for a hundred or more years for sound resonance with holes designed for bagpipe fingering. Eight finger holes for creating the scale of notes and two holes at the side of the base of the chanter for sound resonance. Without going into the music scale and it’s fingering, suffice it to say that each of the nine notes on the chanter must be tuned. To tune each note one adds (or subtracts) tape to the top side of the hole open nearest the fingering being played. Many pipers use black electrical tape, others a clear pipe chanter tape. Both work. Both need replacing as they will warn and slip causing a note to go out of tune.

But where to start tuning? Begin by warming up your pipes. Tuning will mean nothing if you start tuning while the pipes are cold. Of course you are developing your ear for tuning correctness. As I warm up, I will adjust my drones and chanter to sound good to myself. Practicing in tune is more fun than playing out of tune. If you are tuned when ‘cold’ as soon as you run through a couple tunes, your chanter and / or drones will be out of tune. Last weekend I played for a wonderful family who held a memorial service for their deceased Dad, sister and friends. I warmed up and tuned in 60 degree F, foggy weather. For the first 15 – 20 minutes of my playing, the weather held, but by thirty minutes into the pre-memorial playing, the sun was out, only wafts of fog remained and I started to go out of tune. If you find yourself in this performance circumstance, between tunes take time to make small adjustments to the drones to match the changing environment. Don’t panic, just take 30 seconds to retune the drones. Then soldier on.

Tuning starts with low ‘A’ on the chanter, the drones shut off. Typically, one changes the depth the chanter reed is seated to tune ‘A’. If you are part of a band, the Pipe Major or Pipe Sergeant will tune to a certain calibration, and let you know. Your job is then to come close to his (or her) tuning before the band tunes for practice. Lately our band has been tuning at 478 – 480 Hz using a tuner. A number of manufacturers have small tuners with digital readouts. My favorite is an iPhone app (not currently available on Androids) called aptly, Bagpipe Tuner from Blair and uses the iPhone mic and has an optional Bluetooth mic to clamp onto chanter or drone. I find that this app works very well. Once ‘A’ is in tune, slowly proceed up the scale adjusting each note, adding or removing tape in very small increments. These notes should be measured against the tuner.

A goal for every piper is, or should be, tuning without the aid of the tuner, tuning by ear. This take practice, and not every piper has the ear to accomplish this. When one plays solo, as long as the chanter and drones is in tune to middle ‘A’ then the performance will sound good. For a band the tuning becomes much more critical. A band is to sound and act as one, playing in unison with both chanters and drones playing the same notes. Extra care need be taken in the upper register of notes as these more easily can shift out of tune. High ‘A’ and middle ‘A’ need to sound essentially the same. One can’t play them simultaneously, but alternating one to the other will help, as long as you blow steadily.

Once the chanter is tuned, play middle ‘A’ on the chanter while the outer drone sounds middle ‘A’. If there is a beating sound, or a sound of ‘wa-wa-wa’ then the two are out of tune. To adjust, sound ‘E’ and reach across with your right hand and adjust the drone in (to shorten / sharpen the tone) or out (to lengthen / flatten the tone) to slow down the beating sound. Note that you can over lengthen or shorten the drone so that there is no beating sound. The drone is in essence on a different note altogether. Sound ‘A’ and repeat until the beating is gone. Here’s another reason to have your pipes properly set-up. Your drone should slide easily, but not too easily. If it’s too tight, you’ll have a hard time sliding the drone; to loose and the drone will move as you play. Next add to play the middle drone and adjust to the outside drone. The chanter can be silent during this, with the chanter eventually being played to hear and adjust the drones to chanter. Finally, stop the middle drone and start the third drone, the low ‘A’. Listen again to the beating adjusting the lower drone slide to match the outside drone tone. Then strike drones and chanter in to sound ‘A’ and listen. It can help to alternate to ‘E’ to listen for dissonance.

Finally, play a tuning scale listening all the while for out of tune notes and drones. If all is good, play a slow air or 2/4 march to hear the tuning. Play something you know by heart (e.g. Green Hills) so you can concentrate on how the pipes sound. Playing something familiar will allow for playing without stress and give your body and ears chance to play ‘normally’. If you are stressed while tuning, your blowing will be higher pressured, your arms and hands tighter and you’ll play elevated and sharp.

So just relax, play tuned, play, then re-tune, and play as if for an audience of only one… yourself.

On piping while sailing

When a loved one passes away, we celebrate and mourn. Such occasions are a mix of joy in celebrating the life of the deceased and a strong sense of loss for a cherished loved one now gone. I get that, having lost parents over the past few years. Several months back I was honored to play for a marvelous family whose deceased father and husband had requested that his cremated ashes be scattered at sea and that there be bagpipes.  He’d been an avid sportsman and sailor having traveled with his wife to many countries including Scotland. The family, their friends and I rendezvoused on the dock at a San Francisco yacht club.

We all dressed warmly for a crisp clear March day. Dressed in kilt, Argyll jacket and vest, white shirt and tie, and glengarry, I also made sure to wear sport shorts so as not to worry about wind accidentally revealing too much. I casually mentioned it to the host is case someone was a wee bit worried about what might be under a Scotsman’s kilt. ;-) Onboard the family friend’s 40 ft. sailboat, I added a light weight self-inflating life vest, as I would be standing on deck. Using a self-inflating vest is less bulky and much more comfortable than what one thinks of with a ‘normal’ bulky life vest. For any day of playing one should always ‘be prepared.’ I tuned before arriving at the dock, away from my potential clients' hearing. I also brought sunscreen (pre-applied), and, black cording and safety pins to attach my glengarry to my jacket in case the wind blew it off while playing. The same goes with sun glasses having a strap in case they fall off. A side note. I almost never play a gig while wearing sun glasses. But, playing aboard a boat may be that one exception. The exposure to the sun and glare from the water makes wearing glasses acceptable if done with prior permission from my host. Once aboard, I stowed my extra gear and pipe bag below deck, then struck up a march-medley on the foredeck as family and friends boarded.

We cast off from our slip and were in the Bay in little time. While exiting port, I stayed quietly seated so the boat’s skipper could both see and hear as the boat was leaving harbor. Then, with permission from the skipper, I stood, feet and back firmly braced against cabin, deck and second jib fore-stay, I played a 15 to 20 minute set as we sailed under the Bay Bridge, past the Embarcadero, past Pier 39 and out into the Bay toward the Golden Gate. I don’t know how far my music traveled with the slight head wind we were motoring into, but I do believe the family enjoyed the set.  After a break, we’d passed under the Golden Gate Bridge and were traveling outbound into the Pacific Ocean. There also a level of anticipation for events to follow, even as we looked up to the bridge far above us and heard the cars traveling across. Many of those aboard had not been out of the Golden Gate aboard any vessel and were thrilled to be experiencing such. It reminded me of my own family’s sail out the Gate in order to scatter my grandmother’s ashes at sea aboard my Dad’s sailboat.

There is a quiet dignity in performing a time honored ritual such as we experienced that day. The weather cooperated for the family I was piping for, with a light breeze and gentle swell on the ocean. We were able to motor to nearly a stop to scatter the Dad’s ashes and flowers in solemn tribute. Additionally, a wreath of flowers was laid on the water as the boat gently turned in a slow circle; I played Amazing Grace and Going Home twice through. A moment of silence was then observed. I broke the silence (pre-planned) with the tunes Flower of Scotland into Green Hills of Tyrol and Scotland the Brave.

As we motored back into the Bay, we had a light picnic lunch (me included, although I very rarely eat during a service). The family popped champagne toasting the Dad’s full loving life. As we traveled past the Embarcadero, I struck in my pipes for a medley of tunes on the fore-deck and played until we reached harbor. After the yacht was docked, my life jacket off, I jumped to the dock and piped the family and friends ashore. It had been a stirring, emotional day for all involved. Having said my farewells to the family I headed home thinking of the beautiful day spent with a family in mourning and celebration, and of my own loved ones now departed.  

On if our band lived by the Scout Law

Last weekend I participated in a Boy Scouts of America Eagle Court of Honor in San Jose, playing the pipes and marching the Scout troop into the ceremony. It’s always a pleasure to play for these kinds of events and this one was no different. Honoring the years of dedicated work by a young man in scouting, the Eagle award represents a wonderful achievement strived for and attained. At one point in the ceremony all scouts present stand and repeat the Scout Law, reciting from memory, “A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.” From the age of 10 or so, until age 18, the boys will recite this weekly at troop events and outings, and it becomes part of a boy’s scouting DNA, if not their personal DNA.

A guest speaker at the event extolled the values of scouting and living by the Scout Law. He spoke of how, although not attaining the Eagle award as a young man in Scouts, he always took the Law to heart. After college he established a business, and, incorporated the twelve points into running his organization. It gave me pause to think, what if pipe bands ran this same way. What if our band lived by the Scout Law? How would the band function? Would it make a difference in the lives of the members who embraced the ideals the Scout Law represents?

If all members of the band were trustworthy to commit to events and practices? To make our yes, our yes, and our no, our no. As we make a commitment to our band, we then stand by it. If band members were loyal to the agreed upon principles of our band as a 501 (c) (3) non-profit created to educate the general public in piping, drumming, dance, and other art forms associated with Scottish and Celtic culture. Loyal to the leadership, even when we disagree with minor issues such as style, choice of music or communications. We would see our leaders loyal to the membership as well. We are to be helpful to one another at practice or in performance. We should arrive to any band function ready to do our best, dressed ahead of time and our instrument functioning properly and pre-tuned? Are we helpful to the Pipe Major with tuning? Are we doing our part to help with drone shut offs as we tune, quietly waiting our turn with the PM or assigned piper?

To those who love listening to our music at highland games and public events, to band members and visitors to practice we should always be friendly. Would our band members’ speech and actions demonstrate friendliness to guests after we play, by answering questions and giving thanks and encouragement? What if we were courteous to each other? Courteous is defined as polite in a way that shows respect and a gracious consideration toward others. How would that play out during band practice or away at a highland games? Are we kind to one another and encouraging as we practice and play? There’s always someone who plays better than me (and maybe some who aren’t up to my level). Am I kind in my comments to the ‘better’ player? Do I offer my time and experience to ‘younger’ less experienced players? We could demonstrate kindness to one who misses practice, emailing or calling to see if they are alright. How deep does our concern for our band mates go?

Going to practice and events has a certain social component. We enjoy chatting away about the last band gig, latest music or upcoming road trip. We need to learn when the mingling ends and be obedient to instruction and requests from one another. “Would you listen to my D-throws?” “Would you help me with the timing of a sticky passage in Battle of Waterloo?” We should extend the same level of obedience to the Pipe Corporal as we do the Pipe Major. We should listen to the young player and the old. And do such with a cheerful heart. Having marched a long parade, or completed a lengthy practice, do we leave grumbling about decisions made, or are we cheerful and grateful that we belong to a corp. of pipers and drummers who love Celtic pipe music? Piping isn’t an over the top expensive hobby but running a band does take money earned in gigs and donations. We have a responsibility to be thrifty in how the band spends money. Besides, I’ve never heard of a spend thrift Scotsman. Have you? ;-)

Brave? I had to think about this one. Pipers and drummers have a core of bravery in them in that we put ourselves in front of the public to perform. It takes both guts and a touch of bravery to give without really expecting in return. Am I brave enough to admit when I’m not ‘getting it’ in practice and ask for help? As a band, for the most part, we are a clean bunch. Yet how would we look if we ALL cleaned and bleached our spats, made sure our shirts are clean (and pressed) before a performance, shoes ALWAYS polished, no tears or wear on our uniforms, even our glengarry ribbons pressed? My best guess is that it would be very noticeable. And reverent… in a pipe band? Are we just musicians who love a good time? Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines reverent as “Expressing reverence, veneration or submission.” We all God’s children created for a purpose. Piping may well be part of that purpose for me. To do our best for God and country, and ourselves in part of that reverent attitude. To uphold this one point is to epitomize the other eleven.

We should and must approach running our band with an attitude honoring to the heritage of great pipers and bands who played before us. We must consciously determine to make our band worthy of the next generation. We are pipers and drummers, not Boy Scouts. And yet, we have been given a talent for music, for performing, for leading by example and for living up to the points of the Scout Law. Each point is relevant to each of us. In answer to my original question, what if our band lived by the Scout Law, I say we would be better for it. May we each incorporate these into our own DNA.

On honoring those who gave their lives on D-Day, June 6, 1944

Today, June 6, is the 70th anniversary of the D-Day Landing on the beaches of Normandy, France in 1944. As a nation we honor those gave their last full measure of devotion during this one battle, and yet it is also symbolic of the many battles fought for freedom around the world during the world war. Even as the last veterans of the conflict pass away, we should not forget their sacrifices.

By the end of the first day of Operation Overlord, the Allies (US, British, French, Canadian, Australian, Belgium and others) stormed the beaches of Omaha, Utah, Juno, Gold, Sword with more than 175,000 troops, 600 warships, and nearly 10,000 bombers and other warplanes. Almost a million Allies will be on French soil by the end of the month. For this year’s remembrance, Bill Millin’s son, John, age 59 and third generation piper, played the pipes (pictured above) in memory of the many who fought during the world wide conflict.

Bagpiping on D-Day made Bill Millin, then a 21 year old Royal Marine Commando, a hero to many a Scot and Brit. He is remembered for piping on D-Day during the initial landing. For an account of his bravery / craziness see my entry from last June. A few things you may not have known about ‘Bill’. His father was a piper in WWI. ‘Bill’ played in the pipe bands of two separate Highland regiments before volunteering as a Commando during World War II where he became the personal piper to Simon Fraser, 17th Lord Lovat, commander of the Special Services Regiment landing on June 6th. Bill played to bolster the spirits of the men as they left the River Hamble (East of Portsmouth), standing on the bow, playing for all to hear. As his battalion waded ashore, Bill held his pipes above his head, his kilt (he was the only one wearing a kilt) floating around him until he reached the shore. Lord Lovat asked him to play, so Bill marched and played many traditional favorites: “Highland Laddie”, “The Road to the Isles” among others. A fellow soldier, Tom Duncan, remembered Bill years later, “(His piping) reminded us of home and why we were there fighting for our lives and those of our loved ones.”

So take a minute and silently remember the men and women who gave their lives for the cause of Freedom in WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and many other conflicts around the world. Freedom isn’t free, and that freedom is often paid for in blood spilled on foreign beaches and lands, for you, and for me.

Memorial Day Semi-Annual Back-to-Basics … Part 2

In part 1 of my Memorial Day Back-to-Basics, I talked about the need to strengthen lips, lungs and arm, in order to play the music we love. With these three working with strength and control, you will be free to relax and play the chanter with more skill. With the big three working together, your mind will be free to concentrate on musical performance. In Part 2, let’s look at the bagpipes themselves.

Maintaining your instrument is fundamental to playing well. Even before playing, you should inspect your instrument, tuning, and warm-up. We sometimes (I know, because I have done it!) jump right into playing our latest and greatest tune without making sure our instrument is ready to be played. This inspection is not necessary every time we pick up our pipes, but certainly before our weekly band practice and any performance. A good rule of thumb is to do the maintenance the evening before an important event.

Start with a quick inspection. Are the drones (both stock end and drone slides), blowpipe and chanter properly hemped? Do the fittings sit too loosely in there stocks. Do the drones’ slides move smoothly but firmly? The last thing you want is to loose the top of a drone when it bumps a door, branch, etc.  Inspecting and adjusting these is to control your instrument to minimize changes in pitch and air loss. If any of these is loose (or too tight), the piper should work with hemp, waxed hemp and Teflon tape to insure the pipes can be adjusted.

You should also check the air tightness of the bag on a quarterly basis. If I’m going through the effort of playing, I sure don’t want to waste any air in keeping my pipes going. Cork the chanter stock (the chanter is removed). Then blow up the bag to the point that the installed drones have all stopped. Set the bag down and listen as the air slowly escapes. Listen and time on a watch for which drone plays first, which is second and third.  The drones should all hold and then moan at about the same time, in thirty to 40 seconds. If they don’t, then there may be a need to adjust the drone reed and / or drone valve (if you use valves). Also listen to the blow pipe for any air exiting due to the flapper valve not seating properly. Fix or replace as needed.

Then look at the pipe chanter for any tuning tape applied. Review that the tape is new and not slipping from the hole it is tuning. If it’s slipping or sticky when removed and re-applied, then it is time to replace the tape. Some pipers use black electrical tape, others use a clear bagpipe tape. As the weather changes, so does our tuning. So always have a piece (or two) of fresh unused tape stuck to your chanter sole in case you need to replace a piece.

Do you use a moisture system with your pipes? Moisture is one of the enemies of our pipes staying in tune. I highly encourage the use of moisture control systems. I use one moisture trap attached to my blow pipe and then secondary moisture capture to each drone. There are many different ways to capture the moisture in our breath. Some people swear by one brand over another. The key is to be using one. To use one, also means to maintain them. So I use a pipe bag with a zipper that lets me access the bag and moisture systems. I will regularly clean and dry the moisture systems. Another time we can speak to the different types on the market.

One last comment about maintenance. Do you have a maintenance kit with your pipes? You need one with tape, drone stoppers, hemp (waxed and un-waxed), Teflon tape, small scissors, etc. When you are confident in your instrument’s maintenance, you are ready to warm up and tune up. Stay ‘tuned’ for part 3.

Happy piping.

Memorial Day Semi-Annual Back-to-Basics … Part 1

It’s time for my semi-annual back to basics rant. Piping is a year round activity for most of us. We love to play most anytime and anywhere. We love to try new tunes and play old ones. Yet unless we stay true to our training, our musicality may slip. At a recent event, a Memorial Day performance, the band gathered at a Bay Area cemetery to play. We arrived, chatted, put on uniforms, warmed up our instruments, then took far too long to tune and hence we did not give enough time to gather with the drummers and run through a set of music. There were note errors, missed starts, missed pickups and cut-offs. Overall the performance was a ‘B’, but not the ‘A’ we should be performing at. There are many factors affecting a performance. By Memorial Day, every piper worth his, or her, salt should be hitting their stride, a plateau of performance, if you will. And if we’re not, then you need to attend my Semi-Annual Back-to-Basics blog!

The Highland Bagpipes are one of the most physically challenging of instruments to play. To play well a piper must be practiced confidently on his or her chanter (for the tune), have strong lungs and strong lips (to play steady and controlled), a strong arm (to play steadily and well) and a well-tuned instrument. When one of these (chanter, lungs, lips, arm & instrument) is off, the others will (not may) suffer.

A piper needs a strong lips, strong arm and a lot of breath to keep the pipes going. Practicing daily for twenty to thirty (or more) minutes helps develop the strength and stamina a piper needs to play well. You can tell a lot about a piper’s practice time by how long their lips last until he starts to sputter and loose air through his lips. The more you practice on both practice chanter and pipes to the point of sputter, then recover rest, the stronger you will become. Add strong breath support and a strong arm, both gained through practice, and you can then maintain strong and steady pressure keeping the tune, both chanter and drones, playing with an even sound.

Truth be told, it is just what my parents told me when I decided to take up alto saxophone in elementary school: practice and you improve; skip practice and you don’t, your decision son. My parents are very wise. Did I heed their advice through high school: sadly no. I practiced sporadically, or increased practice close to a performance. I was never a star player. Years later, I found out that you don’t just try bagpiping. The bagpipes are a strong taskmaster if you want to improve. Play your chanter every day. If you are new to piping, play your practice chanter until your lips sputter, then return later that day for another session. Soon you’ll be practicing for 30 or more minutes. With strong lips then practice can concentrate on the music. When you are on the pipes (be sure to take time to tune), do the same thing. Your lips, lungs and arm will strengthen allowing you to, once again, concentrate on the music.

Happy piping.

On the Piper of Tobruk, PM Rob Roy

PM Robert 'Rob' Roy

In June of last year I wrote about a Scots piping hero Bill Millin — who led troops during the D-Day landings in 1944. Many, if not all, have heard of his bravery in piping the troops ashore at Normandy. Yet three years earlier, at the Siege of Tobruk, April - November 1941, in Libya, North Africa, another soldier achieved similar hero status piping for the troops. His name was Robert "Rob" Roy.  

A Scotsman in the 2nd Battalion Black Watch, piper Rob Roy gained the title of Piper of Tobruk for his role in the breakout at Tobruk after being besieged by Axis forces led by Lieutenant General Erwin Rommel during the 241 days. The Port of Tobruk was a key location for the Allies as it was the only major port between Tripoli and Alexandria. Holding it forced the Germans to transport needed supplies over the 1500 km of desert. The location of the port also posed a threat to that same German supply line. The battle was fierce with repetitive bombings and ground assaults. Tobruk marked the first time that the advance of the German Panzers (under Rommel) had been brought to a halt.

As the Allies started their offensive to break out of the Axis stranglehold, Roy was called to play his pipes. Felled by a bullet at the start of the breakout, he got to his feet and continued playing, only to be hit again. Once more he got to his feet, but was hit a third time. Unable to get up this time, he kept playing his pipes while lying on the ground. Pipe Major Roy continued a distinguished military career serving in India and Burma, Gibraltar and Scotland as RSM.

PM Roy passed away on August 24, 1960 while rehearsing for the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. After his death, a military funeral took place at Hayfield Cemetery in Kirkcaldy, when his pipes that had inspired men on the battlefield were heard again — in lament. Five senior army officers who had commanded Pipe Major Roy were among those who joined his widow Hilda at the graveside.

It has been 53 years since PM Roy’s death, and yet his daughters Alice and Margaret, and son Robert are still amazed when they hear of history buffs remembering Roy and his service to his country. As Alice and Margaret recalled last year, "As young children we grew up with the sound of pipes being played by students in every spare room in our Dundee home. Their sound still evokes a curious mix of emotions — they cheer you up one minute, yet make you feel a little sad and homesick at the same time. The drone of the pipes, wailing a slow lament, turns your mind to all those who gave their lives for their country. “

As long as men are stirred to fight for liberty and freedom, men like PM Rob Roy will be stirred to serve and fight. As Roy’s daughter said so eloquently of the soldiers who gave their last breath for their country, “They may be gone, but none will be forgotten."

On piping with a metronome

As a kid, I remember going to the El Ray Theatre in beautiful downtown Manteca, CA to see the movie: The Bridge on the River Kwai starring William Holden and Sir Alec Guinness. In one scene you hear the British prisoners of war returning to the Japanese POW camp, first whistling the Colonel Bogey March, then you hear their boots marching in time to the music; very stirring “in your face”, spirit lifting combination. The movie was early impetus for me to learn whistling. When I reached High School, our marching band director, Mr. LeRoy Darling, chose for our parade competition piece: The Colonel Bogey March. I was in seventh heaven. The music drives the feet to march in time to the music.

Bagpiping is similar in that in many instances, the music is composed to be played on the march. Learning begins on the chanter in order to learn music and musical embellishments. You then progress to the bagpipes, applying the music technique now drilled into your head. This allows you (after a wee bit o’ practice) to manage breathing techniques with the pipe bag and handling your pipe chanter to produce a continuous sound and hopefully music. Can you imagine adding marching on top of that? Yet pipers learn how. I’ll speak to marching technique next time. Now back to the music (on the march or not). Practicing music, especially march music is all about the musicality of the tune played and keeping the beat.

Most of us do not have a natural internal sense for keeping time. Over the years I’ve found that successful drummers in bands (rock, orchestra, jazz, mariachi, marching or even bagpipe) have an innate sense of timing. The rest of us need lots of help to train our brains to keep time in a tune. Practicing on chanter or bagpipes lends itself to practicing with a metronome in order to teach our brains to keep proper time. Whether sitting or standing, tap your foot (or feet) to the metronome and music. Tapping your feet reinforces the tempo in your head. Later, in the piping circle, only the pipe major and bass drummer will tap their feet.

My chanter practice almost always includes a section of practice with my metronome and a headphone ear piece. I personally use only one earphone in one ear leaving the other ear for the music. When I’m learning new pieces (I’m just starting work on a hornpipe, Jimmy Blue) I may lower the timing to say 50 beats per minute, practicing the fingering diligently with all embellishments. Slowly over time, I will increase the speed until it is of the correct tempo. The metronome keeps me grounded and my music on target, tempo wise. Using the metronome keeps the embellishment in the proper place. The D-throw or taorluath is to be on the down beat, not early, not late.

When I get a tune up and playing on the pipes, I will play the tune with the metronome in one ear as well. Once the tune is being played well, in tempo, the piper can add marching. The marching must hit the beat of the tempo and music, or the music will quickly fall apart. So use the metronome in marching as well. Take your time, and be patient as you learn to keep the beat.

One last word about metronomes: use them as a tool, and not as a crutch. When practicing, also include time away from metronome. This gives your mind time to apply what it has learned and become conditioned through using the metronome. If you find yourself speeding up in the fourth part of a march or jig, go back to the metronome, and work through. Soon, your marching and playing will be together and you’ll be ready to join a pipe band that marches.

Whistle with me now, swing those arms like you are in the British Army, and march…

Piping for St. Patrick's Day 2014

The Irish came up with a great PR idea in having a day to honor St Patrick. The parades with all manner of participant, bagpipe bands, the green beer, corned beef and cabbage, Irish step dancers, accordion music, Irish flags and parties honoring St Pat galore. Who would have thought that the celebration today is honoring the day a 5th century Christian died, March 17. Patrick desired most of all to reach the pagans of Ireland with the Bible and the truth of Jesus’ love, making disciples of all men.

Patrick was a 5th-century Roman-British Christian missionary and bishop to Ireland. Patrick is probably the best known of Christian missionaries of the island country. History records that at the age of 16, Patrick was taken from his home in Great Britain to live as a slave in Ireland, where he lived for six years before escaping and returning to his family. After becoming a cleric studying in France, he returned to northern and western Ireland. In later life, he served as an ordained bishop, but little is known about the places where he worked. He reached out to the people of Ireland using examples from Irish heritage to explain the Gospel: the shamrock to show the triune God, etc.

The Stewart Tartan Pipes and Drums celebrated along with the best ‘em by marching in the San Francisco St. Patrick’s Day Parade. We had most of our pipers, drummers, color guard and banner carriers out in full regalia, marching in full uniform with full plaid and ostrich feathered bonnets. We were honored with Maribeth Allen joining us for her last gig on bass drum. Playing our standard parade sets, we honored all things Irish with ‘Wearing of the Green’ and ‘Minstrel Boy’ standards along with three other parade sets. We also had Scottish Dancers to march and dance with us. In front of the reviewing stand the band provided ‘extra’ pageantry by marching into formation to play ‘Orange and Blue’ for the dancers. Suffice it to say (and modestly I might add) our band took first place in the parade!

After the parade most of the band hung out together playing at a couple of pubs near the Civic Center. We all enjoyed the playing, as did the patrons, but there wasn’t enough space for us to hang out and have a cold one. Outside our second pub, a mom asked if we might play for her son who loves bagpipe music. Not missing a beat, I started to play, some drummers joined in and I went down on one knee to play for the lad at his eye level. Maybe a third of the band headed out to find a pub and the group I was with headed back to where the cars were parked and ended up being welcomed at The Chieftain Irish Pub, playing everything in our repertoire, plus some. The owner welcomed us like long lost friends, offering food and drink as we played for the appreciative crowd. We hope to return next year, but with even more music. As mentioned earlier, our band had split, so when some of us were leaving, the rest of the band showed up and played for another hour for the revelers. A good time was had by all. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

On bagpiping tryouts

When playing the bagpipes there is a certain self-imposed pressure in performing well. OK, we do play a very loud instrument and one that ‘speaks’ to many listeners. Yet nothing, for me, holds more pressure than playing for fellow bagpipers in tryouts for a competition band.

Our band has decided that this year, the pipe major, pipe sergeant and pipe corporal will review all pipers who wish to be part of (dare I say the word: tryout for) the competition band. It’s a fascinating idea that challenges each of us. The idea that we must meet a level of playing, meet the criteria of performance, be judged worthy to or not to join the group gives us all pause. And yet, I applaud the idea of setting high standards for play; expecting better performances from each member of our team.

Our band has an overarching principle of inclusion of all who play the highland bagpipes (or drums). If you want to learn the pipes (or drums) we’ll teach you. The only requirement is a dedication to learning, and then performing together at some level. Our band promotes a family environment where we support one another, and demonstrate that with experience pipers coming along side less experience; dedicated pipers encouraging more casual pipers, in an air of caring and support. As musicians you can see that there are several strata of players.

As a Western United State Pipe Band Association (WUSPBA, pronounced: woos-puh-buh said quickly) grade 5 band and nonprofit organization we are all here to learn, continually improve and share our music through performance. The levels of playing ability are observably three tiers and are all marked by a love of our instrument. The top tier is the talented, experienced pipers whose dedication and by their performance and playing abilities leads us. The second tier (here is where I live) is the players who are dedicated, play well in public performance, but continually work to improve (just like tier one) our playing by practicing a lot, etc. In some respects our group has a lot of fun, loves performing and are the heart of the band. The third tier is also part of the heart of the band. They are less fanatical than either tier one or two, but still with a love of the instrument and love playing and performing. Together we make up the band.

This brings me back to tryouts. We are to make an mp3 recording of our quick march medley (QMM) and submit it for review to the pipe major. Challenge …accepted. Making the mp3 is the first hurdle to overcome. Just listen to your family video singing ‘Happy Birthday’ and smile. Now consciously record yourself singing ‘Happy Birthday’ and think about sending it to America’s Got Talent. Each gets a different level of self-scrutiny as you make it. So it is in my preparing to submit a recording of my playing for review.

I remind myself that I am not defined by comparing myself to others, nor am I defined by the outcome of the tryout. To be part of the competition band is an honor. If my fellow players, or I, make the team, excellent! If others (or I) don’t, I’ll be cheering for my mates in the competition band, and it’s back to practice. Which if I think of it (practice) should happen anyway, no matter the outcome. Happy piping!

On genius in piping

Albert Einstein once said: “Genius is 1% talent and 99% percent hard work.”

As I start the New Year, I have been thinking of Einstein’s quote as it applies to playing and performing. Every piper looks at friends who play their instruments ‘better’, performers who excel in giving ‘enviable’ renditions of music, and listen to ‘amazing’ recordings of professionals. It’s easy to sigh, compare ourselves to them and wish, “If only I could sound that good.” There are those rare individuals who have a natural talent, whose brains are wired for bagpipe music, whose fingers just seem to naturally fly without a squeak or squawk when they play. I say, may God bless those with such capabilities, for they inspire the rest of us mere mortals.

We have a choice. Choose to work harder, work smarter and perfect our musicianship, or remain at the level we are. We may never attain ‘their’ level of playing, but no one can stop us from improving and progressing in our own abilities. One of the Winter Olympics snowboarders remarked that she approaches life fully engaged in her sport, and what she said rings true with me, to “Live life without regret.” I’ll apply that to piping as well embracing doing the best with the time and talents God have given me to bless others.

This year I choose to do the work, choose to practice and choose to perfect technique and musicianship. I’ve questioned friends and acquaintances as to how long they practice; how hard they practice. Their responses range from 20 minutes per day (most days) to every waking moment when they are not in school or working. The key takeaway: practice (a lot). Some each day is better than nothing. I keep my practice chanter in the front seat of my car, along with music. I work on tunes, 8 bars at a time, one stop light at a time on commute to and from work; to and from the store or school. I also work on my chanter perfecting tunes 20 minutes at a time at lunch, or spend 20 minutes playing the pipes. My goal is always the same: use the time wisely to play the music correctly, then practice to memorize a tune, or perfect a tune’s musicality and finally transition tunes to the pipes.

I’m taking a thirty day challenge. Choose an area in need of help… maybe D-throws. Start every practice with playing D-Throws up and down the scale. Clearly hear the low D. Don’t rush, but play every combination up the scale then down, then do your best to randomly play D-throws. You get the picture. Pick what you need to work on (taorluath, grips, birl, tachums, etc.) and in thirty days see how you’ve improved as you play. Then repeat another thirty days, reinforcing that D-throw, but adding another movement. I will be working on perfecting band tunes, especially competition tune sets, perfecting the parade set and playing and perfecting my WUSPBA grade 3 competitions MSR, as well keeping up on repertoire for piping at other events.

So if Einstein had been a piper (he did play the violin competently, so historians tell us) he probably would have written a similar equation to his quote above for practice: practice daily, rain or shine, don’t do the same thing expecting different results, practice technique until you are playing correctly then work on speed and memorization, and, play for the love of the instrument you’ve chosen. …and never give up.