It’s been a hell of a year for new music. This year, plenty of performers have released new records, new collections and performances on live streams and YouTube recitals. Just in time for Christmas, here comes a collection of tunes titled simply, Pipe Tunes. John Dew, one of our most […]
Reviews, Hints & Tips
Donald WG Lindsay reviews Matthew Welch’s ‘New Compleat Theory for the Highland Bagpipe’
I was thrilled by the prospect of Matthew Welch’s new book, A New Compleat Theory for the Highland Bagpipe immediately I read about it. Having been familiar with Matt’s playing for some years, and with his innovative work both as a composer and in collaboration with some of the US’ […]
Maintenance, part 2
Stocks By Seumas MacNeill Having dealt with the bag situation the next obvious consideration is the state of the stocks you intend to tie on to your bag. Most people probably feel there is not much in the way of maintenance to be done on the simple five wooden tubes, […]
Dan Nevans reviews Ross Ainslie’s ‘Vana’
I don’t do drugs. Expanding the horizons of my consciousness with chemicals has never seemed as interesting as expanding my consciousness with more corporeal, external media. But, if I did want to smoke DMT or rub mushrooms on my temples until time becomes a visible substance, I’d do it to […]
Matthew Welch reviews Donald Lindsay’s ‘History of Sleep’
Donald WG Lindsay and I have come to know each other over the last decade through the very small network of bagpipers pushing the boundaries, capabilities, and future possibilities of the bagpipes and bagpipe music. His recent explorations in smallpipe and chanter design are seen through the lens of a […]
Dan Nevans digs Xavier Boderiou’s ‘Liamm’
The limitations of the great highland bagpipe are: A fixed range of melody notes/fixed octave drone; No dynamic ability; No rests (traditionally). Nevertheless, considering our instrument cannot become louder or quieter, we don’t start and stop, and we are restricted with what keys we can play in, it’s amazing the […]
Dan Nevans reviews ‘A Wee Bit o’ a Tune’
A bagpipe is an investment. If you are lucky then you’ll get a return out of that investment either for yourself or for whomever gets the pipe after you. The mystique of the antique bagpipe is much like the sword ‘Excalibur’ in Thomas Mallory’s epic, Le Morte d’Arthur: the object […]
Dan Nevans reviews Bruce Gandy’s ‘Performance: Delivering Your Own Awesome’
Bravado is cheap and flimsy. Like that wrench set you bought for £5 that sheared away on the second nut when you were replacing that toilet seat you broke trying to replace that tiny light bulb in the bathroom. Piping has always had a bad attitude when it comes to […]
‘Fhuair mi Pog’ by Margaret Stewart and Allan MacDonald
Fhuair mi Pòg by Margaret Stewart and Allan MacDonald (Greentrax Recordings Limited CDTRAX 132). By Roderick D. Cannon. The title track begins with Allan MacDonald playing the song version of the famous piobaireachd (I Got a Kiss of the King’s Hand) on the full Highland bagpipe; then as the sound […]