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The Keydet Piper Blog can now be found at http://keydetpiper.com
Stop by to visit often! You'll probably have to update your RSS feed, so visit the new site to do that. Thanks for reading!
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Hang on tight, we're going for a ride!
After much deliberation, I've decided that the KeydetPiper blog is moving from Blogger to WordPress. All of your favorite posts are still there, they just have a different URL.
I want to play like...
An interesting point came up yesterday while I was having a lesson Peter Kent over in Montpelier, VT, and that has to do with one's piping style. Beginning pipers usually have just one instructor during the formative years, and so will adopt the instructor's style whether they realize it or not. It's easy for those who don't listen to a lot of piping to not identify different styles and classify anything different from how they were taught as "wrong."
Stylistic differences aside, there are things that everyone agrees are "correct" about piping: note fingerings for example, which gracenotes make up each embellishment, tuning, that kind of thing. Every decent piper will play notes with the correct fingering, pipes tuned, and technically correct embellishments. Not all pipers do this, but I'm not talking about them here.
Beyond that, however, there is some wiggle room. If we just look at light music, here's a few points for argument: light or heavy D throws; strathspey pulsing of strong-weak-medium-weak, or a different approach like strong-medium-medium-strong; really tight doublings with the gracenotes immediately following each other, or with more spacing so there's an actual note between them; emphasis in reel playing on the beat or the offbeat; round, pointed, or pulsed jig playing. These are different from piper to piper, and even from tune to tune played by the same piper; there are a variety of answers for each of these point, and many others too.
The real answer, though, is that nothing is wrong as long as it is a) consistent and b) musical. I personally prefer to play heavy D throws in light music; I just don't like the sound of the light D throws. Willie McCallum, on the other hand, always plays light, and obviously it works for him. As long as you play the same kind of D throw throughout a tune, it's not wrong. Extended to doubling, it's common to play more open doublings toward the end of each part of a march than at the beginning, for example, but you had better play them the same way on the repeat.
The point of all this is that there are different styles of piping, and anyone who tells you that all pipers try to play things exactly the same hasn't heard enough piping to see the different styles. No style is correct or incorrect, but we have our preferences. Ideally, through a piping career a piper will have several instructors from different backgrounds, and listen to recordings of many pipers, and will combine bits and pieces of each to slowly form his or her own style. Developing one's own style is a slow and usually subconscious process, but by hearing others play we get a sense of what we like.
Stylistic differences aside, there are things that everyone agrees are "correct" about piping: note fingerings for example, which gracenotes make up each embellishment, tuning, that kind of thing. Every decent piper will play notes with the correct fingering, pipes tuned, and technically correct embellishments. Not all pipers do this, but I'm not talking about them here.
Beyond that, however, there is some wiggle room. If we just look at light music, here's a few points for argument: light or heavy D throws; strathspey pulsing of strong-weak-medium-weak, or a different approach like strong-medium-medium-strong; really tight doublings with the gracenotes immediately following each other, or with more spacing so there's an actual note between them; emphasis in reel playing on the beat or the offbeat; round, pointed, or pulsed jig playing. These are different from piper to piper, and even from tune to tune played by the same piper; there are a variety of answers for each of these point, and many others too.
The real answer, though, is that nothing is wrong as long as it is a) consistent and b) musical. I personally prefer to play heavy D throws in light music; I just don't like the sound of the light D throws. Willie McCallum, on the other hand, always plays light, and obviously it works for him. As long as you play the same kind of D throw throughout a tune, it's not wrong. Extended to doubling, it's common to play more open doublings toward the end of each part of a march than at the beginning, for example, but you had better play them the same way on the repeat.
The point of all this is that there are different styles of piping, and anyone who tells you that all pipers try to play things exactly the same hasn't heard enough piping to see the different styles. No style is correct or incorrect, but we have our preferences. Ideally, through a piping career a piper will have several instructors from different backgrounds, and listen to recordings of many pipers, and will combine bits and pieces of each to slowly form his or her own style. Developing one's own style is a slow and usually subconscious process, but by hearing others play we get a sense of what we like.
It's tempting to say I want to play a 2/4 march like Angus MacColl, or strathspeys and reels like Alasdair Gillies, or piobaireachd like Roddy MacLeod. It's not really wrong to say that, since those guys are really, really good at what they do, but it's like being in a tribute band and playing someone else's music instead of writing your own. Copying another players style isn't unethical, just unoriginal. It denies the essence of music. Everyone plays the same notes, but each musician adds his or her own stylistic interpretation, a personal touch, and transforms the notes into music.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Trouble sleeping
The dark hours between bedtime and 6:30 am are about to get a little lest restful. The reason is because of my furry companion.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Random piping video
There are of course literally thousands of piping videos on YouTube, featuring playing of all levels. This one came to my attention a while ago, and it features some great playing from a great piper.
Roddy MacLeod, MBE, is without question a legend among pipers. There isn't a major prize he hasn't won, and although most of his prizewinning took place in 1990s, he's had a bit of a resurgence lately, winning the senior piobaireachd at Oban, the piobaireachd at the Glenfiddich, and the Silver Chanter in 2008, as well as being named Piper of the Year by the online magazine pipes|drums.
This video features Roddy playing the strathspey Arniston Castle and the reels The Sheepwife and The Brown-Haired Maid. The playing is spectacular, the pipe magnificent, which is to be expected from Roddy. For pipers who watch the video, pay attention because there are lessons to be learned from his playing. For the non-pipers, this is what bagpipes are supposed to sound like. There aren't many people in the world who play at this level.
As well as he plays these big competition strathspey and reels, I think Roddy's true passion is piobaireachd. He is one of the foremost authorities on the subject, and you can tell he lives and breathes the stuff. His website, Roddy MacLeod Piobaireachd, offers recordings and manuscript of individual tunes for sale, and is a great collection of piobaireachd recordings played by one of the best in the business.
In this video, Roddy plays the piobaireachd "A Flame of Wrath for Squinting Patrick," which is a fabulous tune. You can see that he's really at the top of the line of piobaireachd players.
Roddy MacLeod, MBE, is without question a legend among pipers. There isn't a major prize he hasn't won, and although most of his prizewinning took place in 1990s, he's had a bit of a resurgence lately, winning the senior piobaireachd at Oban, the piobaireachd at the Glenfiddich, and the Silver Chanter in 2008, as well as being named Piper of the Year by the online magazine pipes|drums.
This video features Roddy playing the strathspey Arniston Castle and the reels The Sheepwife and The Brown-Haired Maid. The playing is spectacular, the pipe magnificent, which is to be expected from Roddy. For pipers who watch the video, pay attention because there are lessons to be learned from his playing. For the non-pipers, this is what bagpipes are supposed to sound like. There aren't many people in the world who play at this level.
As well as he plays these big competition strathspey and reels, I think Roddy's true passion is piobaireachd. He is one of the foremost authorities on the subject, and you can tell he lives and breathes the stuff. His website, Roddy MacLeod Piobaireachd, offers recordings and manuscript of individual tunes for sale, and is a great collection of piobaireachd recordings played by one of the best in the business.
In this video, Roddy plays the piobaireachd "A Flame of Wrath for Squinting Patrick," which is a fabulous tune. You can see that he's really at the top of the line of piobaireachd players.
Ugh
The practice chanter hasn't gotten much use lately. It's very hard to circular breath when you have a cold.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
One of life's simple pleasures
I've written about the simple pleasures in life, the little things that you just really enjoy. I left one off that list for purposes of decency, but I now feel that it's time to bring this one to the front, especially once I found this little essay on the subject.
The simple pleasure of which I speak is the joy of peeing outside. Outdoor urination is one of those things that most men feel brings them to their animalistic roots, while most women find it disgusting. There are of course exceptions, but it's one thing that almost any guy just really likes, as long as it's done with appropriate discreteness as described in the article above. The great thing about peeing outside is that as long as no one catches you in the act, no one will ever know. Within seconds all traces of your elimination is absorbed back into nature. The one exception to this is in the winter (remember Frank Zappa's advice about yellow snow?), which has given me a few "Oh gross" moments on some recent hikes. At least go a few steps off the trail, yeah?
The simple pleasure of which I speak is the joy of peeing outside. Outdoor urination is one of those things that most men feel brings them to their animalistic roots, while most women find it disgusting. There are of course exceptions, but it's one thing that almost any guy just really likes, as long as it's done with appropriate discreteness as described in the article above. The great thing about peeing outside is that as long as no one catches you in the act, no one will ever know. Within seconds all traces of your elimination is absorbed back into nature. The one exception to this is in the winter (remember Frank Zappa's advice about yellow snow?), which has given me a few "Oh gross" moments on some recent hikes. At least go a few steps off the trail, yeah?
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