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.

On piping with Stewart Tartan Pipes and Drums - Year 1

It’s December 2013 and I come to the end of my first year in a pipe band. Last Friday was our band’s last performance of the year, playing for the San Mateo Fire Fighter’s Academy graduation in Atherton. At last count the band performed 22 times in the year culminating with our band’s Scottish Christmas concert at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Saratoga, CA earlier this month!

Mathematically the band played almost every other week. We played in six parades, 3 competitions and a myriad of performances big and small; some with the full band, some with smaller numbers of pipes and drums. We played some in full uniform, others in band shirt and glengary. I played in 16 of the 22 gigs and performed as well as Piper John B for additional weddings, memorials and parties. A tremendously big Thank You goes to my wife and family for encouraging and supporting my musical addiction. I would have to say that I’ve had the best year of piping since taking up the bagpipes! Add in weekly practices with the band and practicing my instrument, I’d have to say that I’ve had almost enough piping for one year.

Playing music, whether wood wind, string, percussion, brass or even bagpipes is a wonderful past time. Playing at one level is the partial mastery (spelled: P R A C T I C E) of a difficult instrument, at another is performing at a level that people enjoy hearing. We practice in hope of improving musically and play to give pleasure to those who come to listen. Some of us also have a competition genetic predisposition that spurs us to perfect our technique. The Stewart Tartan’s competed as a band and improved. Hopefully we will continue to improve in 2014. Some members of the band also competed as soloists. It takes guts to put yourself in front of an adjudicator and be judged on your playing. My hats off to Wes, Dave, Daryl and Melody for doing just that, taking the wins and losses in stride, always striving to become better musicians.

As for me, as delighted as I was in 2013 to be playing weekly with many musically kindred spirits in a wonderful pipes and drums corp., I see work (also spelled P R A C T I C E) ahead in the New Year. Work is also spelled: F U N, as I hope to play in a pattern of continuous improvement in preparation for performing for many friends still be met. There’s certainly new music ahead (starting the year with ‘Mrs. Lilly Christie’, ‘Steam Train to Mallaig’ and ‘Colonel Macleod’ reel, maybe solo competition, certainly more parades, band competitions and performances.

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 piping for a wedding in Yosemite National Park

I’ve written before that two of the greatest honors a piper may be blessed with are first, in  playing for a memorial service bringing comfort and in honoring someone who has passed from this life, and second, to play at a wedding ceremony where the lives and hearts of a couple come together in marriage. The bagpipes lend themselves to celebration in either circumstance.

Just before Thanksgiving this year I was asked to travel from our home in Silicon Valley to Yosemite National Park to provide music for a couple getting married next to the Merced River on the Valley floor. I was excited just to be going to Yosemite in the Fall with my young wife, let alone being honored with piping for a very much in love young couple. The groom described the affair as incorporating one of their favorite places, Yosemite, with Scottish touches of kilts and plaid, wrapped in and surrounded by family to witness their bond of love.  

Yosemite in autumn is a magical place with crisp air, trees dropping leaves of orange, yellow and red, the Merced River reflecting the beauty of the mountains backdrop. The fall also sees fewer visitors to the park, so trails and roads are less travelled and the park in general has a slower pace. You can visit the historic Ahwahnee Hotel and sit by the enormous public fireplace, hike across a valley meadow of golden grasses or sit on a rock and take in views that really have barely changed in 150 years. You may experience a frost in the morning so be prepared for cold nights and chilly mornings. In a word: majestic!

The Sunday of the wedding dawned bright, cool and amazingly clear. My wife and I enjoyed coffee and a snack in front of a fireplace near the Visitor’s Center. Then it was off to change into kilt, warm up the bagpipes then meet at the Swinging Bridge. Years ago, it actually did swing, but today is as stout of a structure as you can find, able to support multitude of tourists and one bagpiper. We arrived at the bridge, by arrangement, before the couple, met both sides of the family then struck up playing 11:45am expecting to play for fifteen minutes. As I played, I marched across the bridge within sight of the granite wall of Yosemite Falls. The bridal party arrived, the bride beautiful in her white gown, shoulders covered with the red plaid of her family; the groom in a kilt of green family tartan. I met them on the far side of the bridge and piped them slowly across to the ceremony to Highland Cathedral, with the couple stopping to greet family and friends. The ceremony began on the banks of the Merced with the Sun giving its mid-day warmth to everyone. Once the ceremony concluded, I played from center span of the bridge while the family and newlyweds received congratulations, talked, hugged and took pictures. One touching symbol of their new unity was the bride removing her plaid and replacing it with the groom’s plaid about her shoulders. It was a beautiful meaningful moment; simple and sweet.

We then drove to Curry Village for the reception held for the newlyweds. I played tunes outside to lead and draw wedding guests to the reception room. Once everyone had arrived, I concluded with one last tune. We were then off to drive home to the Bay Area. It had been a beautiful day of celebration and memories; one that no one in attendance will soon forget.