Aged to Perfection (Ravi Shankar)

October 19, 2009 on 8:57 pm by Michael Grey | In Music, Solo Piping, Stories | Comments Off on Aged to Perfection (Ravi Shankar)

I had a great night last Saturday. I was treated to a concert of Indian classical music. And what a treat. None other than the world’s greatest exponent of the art was centre stage, sitar in hands. Ravi Shankar, the eighty-nine years old living legend, and his twenty-eight years old daughter, the remarkable, Anoushka, enthralled the sold out audience with non-stop musical virtuosity.
Continue reading Aged to Perfection (Ravi Shankar)…

A Good Use of Time (Maybe)

September 27, 2009 on 5:06 pm by Michael Grey | In Stories, Tips, Whinges | 4 Comments

I was watching the local news last week and a segment popped up that talked about the release of new internet stats. I can’t find the link to the piece otherwise I’d happily provide it here. Anyway, the story centred on the internet: now preferred over TV for entertainment and info-gathering.
Continue reading A Good Use of Time (Maybe)…

Tea with Lord Lovat

September 2, 2009 on 7:04 pm by Michael Grey | In Pipe Bands, Solo Piping, Stories | 6 Comments

When I think of early September I think of the Northern Meeting in Inverness, Scotland. The grand daddy of all solo bagpipe competitions. It’s the number one event on the solo piper’s calendar; or, maybe more correctly, the solo piper with the most experience, the nimblest fingers and s/he amongst the select global one hundred and fifty or so pipers who aspire to `the medals`: the oldest, most venerable prizes offered in the Highland bagpipe world. Of all the indelible memories I have of times spent at the Northern Meeting none stand out more than the one not directly related to bagpipes: tea with Lord Lovat.
Continue reading Tea with Lord Lovat…

Memorable

August 10, 2009 on 1:21 am by Michael Grey | In Stories | Comments Off on Memorable

I write this while standing outside the entrance doors at Paris’ CDG airport; a cloud of smoke enveloping me as a dozen smokers take their last, desperate pre-flight drags. The flight home awaits but not before a few moments of quiet(ish) reflection.
Continue reading Memorable…

Lorient Cheese Nazi

August 4, 2009 on 2:55 pm by Michael Grey | In Pipe Bands, Stories | 6 Comments

Just as you should expect the music at the festival is superb. I’m still savouring the great tunes delivered by the first grade bagads at Saturday’s competition. It seems to me the best bagads play with a level of musicianship that exceeds even the best of pipe bands. It’s inspiring.
Continue reading Lorient Cheese Nazi…

All Wet in Lorient

August 1, 2009 on 7:57 am by Michael Grey | In Stories | 1 Comment

After a seriously long journey to Brittany (7 hours by plane, 8 hours by bus) we arrived. I suggest anyone planning to head to Lorient from Paris travel by high-speed TGV train (a 3 and a half hour journey) instead of bus (as mentioned, 8 arse-numbing hours).
Continue reading All Wet in Lorient…

Off to Lorient

July 29, 2009 on 3:38 pm by Michael Grey | In Stories | Comments Off on Off to Lorient

The band’s away to France tomorrow evening and we’re all pretty much set for nine days of music and, we expect, a lot of fun. Most of you will know the Festival Interceltique in Lorient is our final destination. This year marks the 39th year of the festival, and with attendance figures topping over 650,000, the “FIL” has become one of Europe’s largest music festivals. Continue reading Off to Lorient…

Smiling on the Judges

May 29, 2009 on 1:43 pm by Michael Grey | In Humour, Pipe Bands, Solo Piping, Stories, Tips | Comments Off on Smiling on the Judges

I am not a big fan of judging. I mean by that, that I don’t generally get a lot of heel-clicking, raise-your-glass glee out of judging, assessing, pipe band (or solo piping) competitions. Done well, judging, or “adjudicating”, takes great concentration – in fact, its damned hard work. Hats off to those who have for years undertaken the judging challenge with aplomb and undisputable fairness.
Continue reading Smiling on the Judges…

Easter Baggs

April 7, 2009 on 6:28 pm by Michael Grey | In Music, Solo Piping, Stories | 3 Comments

In December I wrote about the dearth of Christmas tunes composed specifically for the bagpipe. I came upon this (slightly wierd) antique Easter postcard – see below – and was struck by a similar thought. Easter is the highest of Christian holidays and [Great Highland] pipers have traditionally been overwhelmingly Christian. Where are our joyous Easter tunes? Is there an Easter tune made for the Great Highland Bagpipe?
Continue reading Easter Baggs…

Back Pipes

March 13, 2009 on 5:58 pm by Michael Grey | In Stories, Whinges | 2 Comments

For the last month or so I have been cursed with a “bad back”. I’ve never experienced anything like it. Pain-a-rama. It started on February 16th, “Family Day”, a precious mid-winter holiday here in the province of Ontario, and has, ever so slowly, and almost without mercy, improved.
Continue reading Back Pipes…

« 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.