By TIM CUMMINGS. Piping Today #97, 2019 “What’s the first thing you think of when I say ‘triple time’, in the musical sense?” I have just asked this question to the barista at one of the coffee shops I frequent when doing my laptoppery (such as writing this article). This […]
BY CHRIS APPS. How you seat your reed in your chanter is very important. Having a solid contact between chanter and reed will produce a vibrant sound and will be more stable. Consequently, there must be just the right amount of hemp at the end of the reed. It must […]
BY CHRIS APPS. If the high A is little thin, there are some adjustments to be made to improve the sound. First, blow through the reed, without the pipe, for 30 seconds. Moisture will change the sound, hopefully for the better. Play it in the pipe to see if that […]
BY CHRIS APPS. Some players produce a beautiful vibrato, played in the pressure window just above the croak and just below the clear high A. It takes some very steady blowing and at the exact pressure to get these sounds. Sometimes the high A is just too rough, and the […]
By CHRIS APPS Easier reeds are more likely to move pitch with pressure changes. It is also true that if your reed is much too hard, attaining a steady pitch will be problematic. Steady blowing will ensure a steady pitch no matter the strength of the reed. Recent innovations like […]
BY CHRIS APPS. If you are struggling to blow a strong reed, how are you to play with any finesse or musicality? You need to be able to relax into playing. You will never play musically if you are struggling with your instrument. After all, this is an instrument not […]
By TIM CUMMINGS. Piping Today #96, 2019 In the last episode of Theoretically Speaking, we took an initial look at some of the theory behind rhythm and metre – specifically, decoding time signatures (or metre signatures). In case you missed it or would like a quick refresher: time signatures are […]
By TIM CUMMINGS. Piping Today #95, 2019 I have been teaching private lessons on the pipes and other instruments for close to 30 years now. Those of you who have done any teaching for a decade or more can understand my experience that every student is unique, and brings a […]
Finlay MacDonald presents the lovely 3/4 march, Pipe Major Angus MacDonald, and shares his experience of being taught by Pipe Major Angus back when The National Piping Centre was just about to open it’s doors for the first time. The videos of the tunes presented so far are all below, […]
By TIM CUMMINGS. Piping Today #93/94, 2018/19 Part 1 Since starting piano lessons at the age of six (now 38 years ago), I have enjoyed and been challenged by a decades-long stretch of both learning and teaching music in one-on-one, small-group workshop and classroom settings. Most of this music has […]
