It’s hard to believe, but a full year has passed since the very first post here on Pipehacker. In that time, there has been a tremendous amount of posts covering the inner workings of the bagpiper, a handful of projects for the handy DIY piper, a bunch of small tunes, and a lot of good clean fun. Take the time to explore the categories. Below I give you the very first post that ran here on the blog.
We can all admit it. The highland bagpipe has a less-then-lofty image among the listening public as compared to other instruments. While it may be true that many in the U.S. are too used to hearing bagpipes played poorly, is still doesn’t change the basic truth that, as pipers, we are also musicians.
What if the non-piping public is not entirely at fault for their impressions and we have ourselves to blame? Then the solution lies with us. Maybe we owe it to the public to present the full richness and vibrancy that we know exists in our music? It is easy to fall back on the competitive music that normally demands so much of our time. But maybe, as musicians, we owe it to ourselves to develop a broader view. Ask yourself: “Do I have a set of non-competitive, non-band material that I can perform for 8 to 10 minutes at a stretch? Do I have a list of favorite marches, reels, jigs, etc.? Do I play them?” If your answer is “no†to any of these, then it is time you begin the process of constructing personal tune sets within your playing ability that you can rattle off on demand.
Your personal music list provides you with an expression of personal taste and style in a way that playing competitive material (band or solo) does not. Building a personal repertoire of favorite tunes and sets is also both educational and rewarding. Not only will your understanding of the various types of tunes improve as a result, but so will your sight reading skills and your overall artistry on the instrument. So, how do you get there? If all you’ve got are competitive MSRs, how do you go about building a personal repertoire of music? Read More
This weekend begins a series of straight international bagpiping travel for this pipehacker and many other American bagpipers and drummers starting with this Saturday’s North American Championships at Maxville, Ontario and continuing on with various games in Scotland leading up to the World Pipe Band Championships on Glasgow Green. Posts on Pipehacker will be sporadic over the coming weeks and dependent on the internet connections found abroad, but I will be doing my best to post pictures and recaps of various events and adventures as I can here or directly to the Pipehacker Facebook page.
Don’t forget, if you’re stuck here in the US, the BBC will be streaming the Grade 1 in its entirety live on their website. If you haven’t yet stocked up on coffee (or other pipe band watching beverages for a 4 a.m. start here on the east coast), you’ve still got time to collect your piping and drumming compatriots for an early morning gathering. It should be mentioned again that this year’s Worlds sees 15 pipe bands from the USA representing in each grade of competition!
P.S.—That image has got to be the goofiest bagpiping image I’ve seen to date. Naturally, I couldn’t resist.
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