Tam O’Shanter Suite

February 23, 2009 on 9:12 pm by Michael Grey | In Music, Pipe Bands, Solo Piping, Stories, Video | 8 Comments

To this day the “Tam O’Shanter Suite” has been one of my most interesting and challenging projects.  The recording here, from “Shambolica!” and tarted up visually for youtube, was the first track I tackled when going about making the Shambolica! project happen.  The whole “Tam O’Shanter” experience (meaning my efforts to create this track) tapped in to over 30 musicians and two different studios.  In the end there were nine of us – and the track all recorded in one studio.  Continue reading Tam O’Shanter Suite…

Online Music Directory

February 20, 2009 on 6:44 pm by Michael Grey | In Music, News, Tips | 10 Comments

I have a few hard copies of various tune directories.  They are all out of date, though the oldest is not more than ten years old.  Directories are handiest for tracking tune sources, but interesting reading, too, for getting a sense for the printed proliferation of any one particular tune.   According to Iain Millington’s “The Complete Bagpipe Tune and Drum Score Index” (Montreal: Concordia University, 1992) , the strathspey “Mony Musk” is available in no fewer than 35 printed sources.  Who knew?  I find that impressive number interesting, especially for a tune that is not hugely popular (though, for what it’s worth, one of my favourites to play in solo competition). Continue reading Online Music Directory…

Sign the “Save Strathclyde Police Pipe Band” Petition

February 18, 2009 on 7:48 pm by Michael Grey | In Music, News, Pipe Bands, Stories | 6 Comments

From the land of brilliant thinkers like David Hume and Adam Smith we’re shocked yet again with another indescribably dunderheaded idea – and this within a week of last week’s judge-banning mess.  The narrow, inward-looking leadership of Strathclyde Police service, as most now know, have decided it makes jolly good sense for the fine people of Glasgow – and Scotland - to rip the heart out of one of the country’s greatest living cultural assets, the Strathclyde Police Pipe Band. Continue reading Sign the “Save Strathclyde Police Pipe Band” Petition…

Scotland’s Year of No’ Coming?

February 13, 2009 on 6:24 pm by Michael Grey | In News, Tips | 5 Comments

Like the rest of the pipe band world (minus the marketing maestros leading the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association) I was pretty shocked to read that the international judging team was kicked off Scotland’s judging panel.   When the facts as we know them are laid out it’s impossible to understand the reason behind the decision. Continue reading Scotland’s Year of No’ Coming?…

Free for Pipe Band Members

February 1, 2009 on 10:14 pm by Michael Grey | In Pipe Bands, Stories | Comments Off on Free for Pipe Band Members

I had a walk through Glasgow’s excellent Museum of Transport last week.  In one area of the museum, that displaying 1950s train stuff, there was an intriguing notice; I include it here: Continue reading Free for Pipe Band Members…

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