Solo Piping on an Edinburgh Stage

July 12, 2007 on 6:06 pm by Michael Grey | In Solo Piping, Video | Comments Off on Solo Piping on an Edinburgh Stage

OK. It’s July. It’s summer. And I’m a bit lazy. Better to be outside than at the computer, I think. So I havn’t been all that attentive to this spot. My good intentions have been washed away by good weather, among other things.

Here’s a bit of video from the archives you might find of interest. It is a little of Bill Livingstone, Bruce Gandy, me and John Walsh (though he features mostly in part two). The film quality is poor but the sound is OK – just.

This from a concert in 1989 at the Queen’s Hall in Edinburgh; a great concert hall adapted from original use as a church. Well, maybe not great for a pipe band, but it did the trick, tiny stage and all.

I believe this is the first time the now well-known “solo tag team” presentation technique was used. The idea was to allow the band time to tune up and take a breather. Contrary to what most might think, it was less about ego and aimed more at pragmatic staging.

There’s a “part two” to follow that includes John Walsh and the finishing quartet. [added July 24, 2007]

Back to the deck …

M.