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 […]
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 […]
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 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 […]
This new edition of Binneas is Boreraig reincarnates the most innovative written piobaireachd collection of the 20th century. It is the only one showing tunes precisely as they were played by a master. And it shows them exceptionally well. ‘Binneas is Boreraig’ means ‘Melody and Boreraig’. The original edition, published […]
The present Piobaireachd Society Collection started with Book 1 in 1925. The most recent book in the collection was Book 15, published a quarter of a century ago in 1990, so the arrival of this new one is a bit of a publishing event for the Big Music. Although I […]
By Mark Stewart and Stuart Letford. In the decades ahead we will reflect on the last few years as being one of the most creative periods in modern bagpipe composition, albeit music that’s suited mainly to pipe bands and folk ensembles. Whether some of this new music will be played […]
Iain MacInnes reviews Chris Gray’s debut recording. As Scotland’s pipers explore ever wider musical horizons, this beautifully-made debut CD from Chris Gray points the way to what can be achieved. Gray comes with an impressive piping pedigree (he was a pupil of Tony MacDonald’s in his native Lockerbie), as well […]
By Iain MacInnes (From the February 2020 Piping Times) Scotland’s musical roots run deep, and on the evidence of this new CD, have spread far. Recorded in Arlington in Washington State on the west coast of the USA, Westering Home features two distinctive musical strands: the Highland pipe tradition as […]
By Stuart Letford I stood on the railway platform waiting for the train. My belly rumbled like a lion’s den. It was the postman’s fault for making me miss breakfast. He was early this morning. Despite this we had our usual intense and inspirational chat. We laughed, we argued. We […]
