The Worlds: Draw Me a Picture

July 21, 2009 on 5:58 pm by Michael Grey | In Pipe Bands, Whinges | 7 Comments

Another RSPBA head scratcher: how is it that the event at the World Pipe Band Championships that has the fewest entries (outside of the grade 4s) has a “qualifier”?
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Pipe Bands and youtube

July 7, 2009 on 10:31 am by Michael Grey | In Pipe Bands | Comments Off on Pipe Bands and youtube

Last Saturday I had a brief conversation with a well-known judge about pipe bands and the internet. We both agreed that the internet – and youtube.com in particular – is changing the way pipe bands are perceived. And its not just the punter’s perception but also that of judges and how they view a band’s capability. It’s a remarkable thing.
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Idiomatica

June 20, 2009 on 10:36 am by Michael Grey | In Music, Pipe Bands, Tips, Video | 6 Comments

Idiomatica. A bit of a poncie sort of self-conscious name for a medley, isn’t it. But what fun to say – and play. I feel confident saying that the Toronto Police Pipe Band had a great, if not challenging, winter of practice shaping this puppy up (as Pete Aumonier might say). And If anyone had any doubt about the degree of serious intensity most of the pipe band world takes pipe band music you only have to look to the internet. Yikes. Reading a sampling of the voracious and sometimes downright bitter opinion Idiomatica elicited made me think the Toronto Police Pipe Band might’ve had a cheerier response had we marched on the field and pulled a Sinead (publically rip up a photo of the Pope). Either that or offer the world the 7,864th medley that starts with a marchpipe. Continue reading Idiomatica…

Hank Thoreau

June 15, 2009 on 5:54 pm by Michael Grey | In Tips | Comments Off on Hank Thoreau

A quote for a lazy (can’t-think-of-anything-to-write) sort of Monday evening:
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Irony

May 30, 2009 on 7:13 pm by Michael Grey | In News, Pipe Bands, Whinges | Comments Off on Irony

Like a lot of you who happen to drop in I get most of my piping world news from pipesdrums.com. The Piping Live festival launch story really got me thinking – or annoyed, maybe that’s a better word (whinge alert).
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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.
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A View of Pipe Band Ensemble

May 22, 2009 on 3:22 pm by Michael Grey | In Music, Pipe Bands, Tips | 2 Comments

A couple of weeks ago I attended the Pipers’ & Pipe Band Society of Ontario’s annual adjudicator’s seminar. The theme of the day was the always-befuddling topic, “pipe band ensemble”. As you should expect, there was lots of interesting discussion. I was pleasantly surprised to find that there was a high degree of dislike for the word “ensemble” – I’d never thought much of the word, either; in fact, it was a possible majority who thought the word could be replaced with something better.
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A Pipe Band for the Masses

May 18, 2009 on 5:56 pm by Michael Grey | In Music, Pipe Bands, Video | 5 Comments

Iain MacDonald passed along a youtube link at the end of the string of comments from the get-rid-of-the-über-boring-pipe-band-set post. Really, now. I think it deserves full front row centre treatment. It is marvelous.
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Sunset the Set

April 27, 2009 on 8:08 pm by Michael Grey | In Music, Pipe Bands, Whinges | 18 Comments

If you were going about promoting a Highland Games, or a pipe band contest, and investing piles of your own time and money would you want the pipe band contests across the grades to be designated a “set” (march, strathspey and reel) or “medley” contest? A set contest, where listeners hear the same narrow repertoire, a maximum of three tempi and two key changes? Or a medley contest where, from a repertoire perspective, almost anything goes? What would an audience prefer? The overwhelming majority would opt for medley. I’d bet my outside tenor on that. If I were a games promoter I’d insist on an across-the-board medley designation.
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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?
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