A Lot of Fun Thanks to youtube

October 1, 2008 on 9:33 pm by Michael Grey | In Pipe Bands, Stories, Video | 13 Comments

The band had a lot of fun this season, or I think they did.  I know I did.  Stretchy music and youtube.com – what a combo.  Posts of our medley performances on the video site gave us waves of anonymous commentary; a sort of huge sputtering, spittley mouth-piece of amazingly passionate – and mostly vitriolic - comment.  Entertaining in the extreme for us.  I think of anonymous comment as entertainment and that with a bona fide signature as constructive.      
Continue reading A Lot of Fun Thanks to youtube…

Hope for a New Premier Grade Event

September 27, 2008 on 4:02 pm by Michael Grey | In News, Pipe Bands, Stories | 15 Comments

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). 
Continue reading Hope for a New Premier Grade Event…

Practice Chanters: Size Matters (Thanks Ben Johnson)

September 21, 2008 on 6:59 pm by Michael Grey | In Solo Piping, Stories, Tips | 2 Comments

With competitions and general busyness most Saturdays I’ve come to be a chronic Sunday reader of Canada’s Saturday Globe & Mail – a favourite newspaper. Out on the back deck this afternoon, as the setting sun of the last day of summer sort of warmed, I came across an article of interest: one that made me immediately think of a bagpiping parallel (not an entirely uncommon thing to happen – I’m slightly embarrassed to admit).
Continue reading Practice Chanters: Size Matters (Thanks Ben Johnson)…

Scott MacAulay

September 10, 2008 on 2:48 pm by Michael Grey | In Photographs, Stories | 6 Comments

What sad news that the dynamic force of nature known as Scott MacAulay has died. I’ve known him for pretty much as long as I have been piping, and, I guess, because of that, I’d expected him to be around for, at least, as long as I was. I hadn’t spent much time with Scott over the last number of years; like so many people we know, especially friends, we take them for granted: “I’ll call tomorrow”, “We’ll get together soon”.
Continue reading Scott MacAulay…

Benbecula

September 1, 2008 on 6:00 pm by Michael Grey | In Photographs, Stories | 9 Comments

Labour Day marks the official end of summer for most people in this part of the world.School starts back tomorrow and there’s no more holidays in sight until mid-October and Thanksgiving.
Continue reading Benbecula…

Rumours on the Internets

June 30, 2008 on 8:32 pm by Michael Grey | In Stories, Whinges | Comments Off on Rumours on the Internets

You don’t have to be very old to remember the world before the Internet.  I think my first foray was around 1996 using a workplace account (for business purposes only, of course).  I imagine there’ll be loads of people in their late 20s who remember, even a little, a pre-Internet world. 
Continue reading Rumours on the Internets…

Summer Vacation

May 29, 2008 on 6:17 pm by Michael Grey | In Humour, Photographs, Stories | Comments Off on Summer Vacation

In honour of the looming and long-awaited Canadian summer I post for your edification and enjoyment a truly archival Grey family photo – summer vacation a good few years ago, Lake Massawippi, Quebec.
Continue reading Summer Vacation…

It Should Never Be a Chore to Play

April 30, 2008 on 9:23 pm by Michael Grey | In Stories, Tips | 5 Comments

You sometimes make your luck and you sometimes chance on luck but however it comes I can tell you I’ve had a fair bit of it when it comes to tuition.  The 20th century master, Captain John MacLellan, is one teacher who helped me a lot; he left a big impression.  Of his many memorable pieces of advice one that stays close to the surface is this:
Continue reading It Should Never Be a Chore to Play…

A Jig, “Jenny Hazzard”: Score & Sound File

April 8, 2008 on 10:05 pm by Michael Grey | In Music, Score & Sound File, Solo Piping, Stories | 4 Comments

I’ve had a couple of notes from people looking for “more jigs”.  So for the jig hounds here is a 4-parted 6/8 jig, “Jenny Hazzard”, from “Old & New Tunes“, published 1995.   I’ve played this in solo jig competitions with success and I’m pretty sure Peel Police Pipe Band played a couple of parts in a competition medley when I was PM in the mid 90s. 
Continue reading A Jig, “Jenny Hazzard”: Score & Sound File…

A Great Spirit

April 5, 2008 on 7:40 pm by Michael Grey | In Music, News, Stories | 2 Comments

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.
Continue reading A Great Spirit…

« Previous Page — Next Page »

Dunaber is using WordPress customized and designed by Yoann Le Goff from A Eneb Productions. feeds rss Entries and comments feeds. Valid XHTML and CSS.