Scotland the Loud

There’s an excellent book around, “How Scots Invented the Modern World“.  A good read.  The Scots also invented, among a long list of other things, the Great Highland Bagpipe (duh), whisky, curling and golf.  All seriously popular exports in most places I know, especially Canada.  I don’t get the curling thing so much, I have curled, and it’s sort of fun, but not a pursuit that makes me jump out of bed at the prospect of curling a game (or is it sweeping a game?). 
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Hope for a New Premier Grade Event

There was a time I was heavily involved in the administration of the Pipers’ & Pipe Band Society of Ontario.  Bigtime involved.  Vice-President of the Toronto Branch when I was 18, President at 19.  Can you imagine!  What a presumptuous little brat I must’ve been (or am, depending on who you ask). 
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Oliver Schroer

Oliver Schroer died yesterday.  A sad day.  We do have his music.  You can experience some of it here.  RIP

M.

A Great Spirit

When I decided to start making recordings that went beyond a capella bagpipes a lot of good musical things started happening.  One of the best?  The chance was created to work with other, non-bagpipe musicians.  One of the first musicians – and best – that I’ve worked with is fiddler and violin-playing maestro, Oliver Schroer.
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A New Hornpipe: “Sliding into Colintraive” (Score & Sound File)

Yet another tune from the fifth book, “Music for Everybody”; this time, “Sliding into Colintraive”. This hornpipe is the kind of tune my great teacher, the Aberdonian, George Walker, would call, “hillbilly music”. To George, anything uptempo and easily played on the fiddle would usually fall under the hillbilly category. I remember playing what I could at one Toronto Knock-out final: lots of Cape Breton reels to finish – lots of sweat. George was there and came by as I was putting the pipes away, “Ach, metty, fine playin’ but all that hillbilly music!”
Continue reading A New Hornpipe: “Sliding into Colintraive” (Score & Sound File)…

La Dolce Bagpipes

It may be a freakish 25 degrees in Southern Ontario today but I know summer is well and truly over. The leaves are turning colour (and filling my backyard awaiting my raking pleasure) and days, sadly, are so much shorter.

Time now for a bit of a piping break and time to get back to these pages. There’s so much exciting stuff happening; so much to talk about. First: I must tell you a little about Italy and the world’s most enthusiastic bagpipers.

Last week I returned from 8 days in sunny Italia (I’ve nearly recovered from my “jetlag” – seemingly exacerbated when traveling in wine growing regions).

First, though, I have to say I’ve been fantastically lucky in my life to have traveled all over the world on a good few piping trips but this one? One of the best ever.

OK, sure, Italy has other places at a distinct disadvantage: great food, great wine, exciting history, scenery that would bring a tear to a glass eye (thank you, Billy Connelly) and art and architecture that defies description. It was the people, though, that made this trip (cliche, maybe, but true).

Along with Roddy MacLeod , Alberto Massi and Stevie Kilbride I was invited by the Associazione Piper Italiani to participate in the Bagpipe Italian Group’s (BIG) 5th Gathering. This gathering of around 60 pipers was to occur in Tuscany, in a small village, Tavarnelle Val di Pesa. Sure, that’s no Roseneath (Scotland) or Embro (Ontario), but I figured I would struggle on and do what I could to make the most of it — aand I think I did!

Duilio Vigliotti is the dynamo behind BIG and Associazione Piper Italiani. He is any organization’s dream: smart, energetic, creative, visionary, driven, positive – a real “good guy”. From what I can see it’s his foresight and organization that have brought a focus to much of the good that is happening in Italian piping. Yes, there’s great teaching happening thanks, especially, to the inexhaustible, Alberto Massi (any country or association would be well-advised to invite Alberto for a workshop or learning session – there is no one like him – and I mean that in the very best way) but for me, this time, it was the fresh, almost child-like joie de vivre, that fills the Italian piping scene – and make no mistake, there is a “scene”. It was all a real tonic for me.

Watching Duilio work reminds me how important our organizational volunteers really are for both the preservation and growth of our art. So often we – or me – take that for granted.

For attendees the Tuscany session was at once a weekend away and a learning opportunity – even a competition was included. But more than this: it was a “gathering”. A gathering of like-minded musicians, a gathering of friends. All keenly enthusiastic, all in proverbial “sponge” mode, soaking up all that was to be learned.The atmosphere: relaxed, nurturing , collegial, fun.The focus on the instrument, on the music, on learning: intense, driven – a real thirst to move to the next level.

The Scots have given the world an awful lot. For many it’s David Hume and Adam Smith that spring to mind – or curling, or golf or whisky. But, my God, bagpipes! I just cannot get over the influence and effect of this instrument on people everywhere. What is it? I surely don’t know. But … I’ll aim to write more about Italian piping, Italian pipers and some of what I learned from my visit.

I assure you, I came away from Italy with far more than I left.

M.

Nine Blasted Notes Again

A quick note to say Nine Blasted Notes is repressed and available again. Legal downloading is increasingly becoming a reality – even for those of us in the niche world of Skirling-eCeltic-World-Electro-Folk music. So, keeping the CDs going is always a think-twice sort of decision.

A friend of mine recently proclaimed 9BN the worst album cover he’d ever seen (yes, a friend said that … we call that the “gift of feedback”). I asked to see all his album covers to get a better idea of how they should look; alas, non to see.

I was glad the cover caused such a response – now that’s art baby!

Advice for today: before sending any copy to production have it proofed a few times by reliable eyes. This pressing of 9BN has the unfortunate original spine typo [“Michael Gey”] corrected. First edition of anything – always a collector’s item.

Good People in a Small World

I don’t know if it’s the case with all musicians but I can tell you that when it’s bagpipes you play a person gets to meet a lot of good and interesting people. Last August I attended the Lorient Festival in Brittainy. Maybe I’ll have a chance to pass along some of what I learned there – and that year – about Breton music (and how not to lose your passport in France). Anyway, I met loads of people including the famed Denis brothers, Loic and Armel and fellow Breton piper, Patricia Riou. It was through Pat that I connected with Yoann Le Goff, also a Breton piper (of course). Yoann lives in Connecticut right now making his way in the businesses of technology and piping. It’s thanks to his good work and ability that this site was developed. A huge sincere thanks to Yoann.

So, here I’m hoping to pass along some of the stuff I’ve learned over the years about music, bagpipes – I don’t mean to suggest the two are unrelated – and anything else I think is of any value to anyone. At the very least I’ll have an excuse to practice my keyboarding.

Btw, have a look at Yoann’s international directory of musicans – and sign up!