They call it a purple patch when you happen upon a sustained streak of good fortune, and over the course of the last three months Stuart Liddell has had one of the greatest purple patches for solo pipers in recent memory.

Since August he’s won the Dunvegan Medal, the Clasp at the Northern Meeting, the Glenfiddich Championship and London’s Bratach Gorm and Gillies Cup. Those are four of the very biggest prizes there are in piping.

So hearing Stuart play, jet-lagged and all, this past Friday in Hamilton, anyone familiar with his record probably realized that here was a guy at the top of his form, just coming off a sustained streak of big wins. (That there were only 30 or so people there to hear him out of a metropolitan area of about 10-million is a post for another time).

Who knows? Stuart’s purple patch may even carry on through the next year or even decade. But that night hearing him play right now was a rare treat. He’s known as much for his pipe band leadership as he is for his piobaireachd as he is for his competition light music as he is for his creativity as he is for his blinding hands as he is for his great sense of humour.

Here’s a sample from the night. Ho-ho-ho, indeed.

So, I started this thing called: “Poetweet”.  Basically a complete poem that fits within the size of a Twitter post.  I was walking around the Plaza library a while ago and heard these bagpipes in the not too far off distance.  It was an ideallic fall day.  Here’s the poetweet that came from it:

Bagpipes sighing on the winds of fall. Rackets echoin a tennis ball. Young sk8ers videotapin skills. Girls laffin as dey watch their spills.

Anyway, a few days ago was driving by in time to catch the headlining musician in action (he was on break from his bus route).  Here’s the quick vid I made:

To my Tweeples:

Update on the week of Tweets.

Well, there haven’t been that many tweets, huh?  I’m kinda reorganizing my time around endeavoring to get more disciplined with how I allot the time I have in the day.  So far this week it’s been good!  The stuff of daily life that seems to slip through my fingers like cleaning, spending time with family, getting product made, meetings and all that…well, it seems to be getting done!  Actually, it seems that the most important things are getting done and it’s leaving room for me to do the less important things.  Basically, this schedule has helped me better define priorities and basic needs and I find once those are satisfied I and everyone I touch feels a lot better.

Good stuff.  I got some good motivation.  And, just when I needed it.  Lord, I thank you for knowing our hearts and our desires (better than we do) so that you can send us the encouragement we specifically need to grow better.

Now, the challenge is to keep this routine up!!!  Any bets?

On the fashion front, I may just be talking stuff right now, but call me on it if so.  But, I’m going to see about creating product specifically for an Etsy online store of my own.  These will be designs that I’m comfortable sharing with the public…but my signature pieces will be available in-person only through me or at RAGZ Design House (Crown Center, 3rd level).

In the meantime, here’s the bracelet from a one-of-a-kind set of beaded pearl jewelry that I finished yesterday.  You can see the necklace on my facebook photo album entitled simply, “Product”.  If it doesn’t sell before I open a store on Etsy, it’ll be available there as well.  But, if interested, email me! quoleshna dot facebook at gmail.com   (quoleshna.facebook) .

I’m putting together a small event, as well.  I could use a mannequin or two of you have it to spare…you know, like maybe you have one lying around that you forgot about until I mentioned it…?  Hah. But, seriously…I’ll take it if you have it.

And, for anyone interested, there’s a fashion show tonight at RAGZ Design House starting at 6:30pm. I’ll be there for a bit around 7ish. So, if you’re looking for me, ask for me around that time and like MJ says, “I’ll be theeeerrre”. Just look over your shoulder…

That’s about it for me this week.  Some things about myself have been made more clear and solidified a lot more.  And, it feels good to know what you want, no matter what you’re looking for.  I remember when I was looking for an apartment in L.A. so I could finally live on my own.  (woot! woot!) I lived with other people for the first couple years I was there and was ready to have my own peace and quiet and personal portion of heaven.  But, what was funny is that through all that I learned exactly what I wanted in my own apartment.  And, man, when I found the spot…I knew it was meant for me.  My legs just rooted themselves to the carpet.  It was a nice apartment, true enough.  But, what made me content with it despite any negatives that came up as I lived there…is the fact that I knew what I was looking for in the place in which I lived.  And, this place had that…it had the essential characteristics of what I truly desired in a home.  That made that nice apartment into the absolute “bombest” apartment in the history of mankind…at least to me.

So, it’s been a long journey learning about what makes me tick, what makes me soar, what makes me stumble, what makes me crumble.  But, it’s so worth it to finally have some sense of settlement…understanding of what makes this little chica up.  I’ve learned about likes and desires that I never ever would have imagined being important to me as of a couple years ago.  And, I’ve learned about weak spots, fears and gained perspectives that were at one time foreign to me, but dag-gone it…they resonate so much with me that it’s scary.

I could not have discovered all of the bits of me if I wasn’t seeking to know the One Who made me…(and there’s still lots more to discover in both of us, I’m sure!).  Praise you, Jesus Christ, for holding me and guiding me and showing me what and who I am.  You rock, Lord.  Seriously.  If you want to begin or jumpstart your journey into discovering and accepting the unique person that God ordained you to be…

If you’re looking to really impact people, you gotta be uniquely you, uniquely who God called you to be…no one else.  Duplicates are not required.  If you want to delve into the manuscript of God’s original design and plan for you, it’s so easy…open your mouth, say that you believe Jesus Christ is Lord and that you, yourself, are not. And then, believe that God not only has the power to raise him from the dead, but that he did raise Jesus from the dead because of the Lord’s love for us. You find this verse in the Bible in the book of Romans, chapter 10, verse 9 (aka. Romans 10:9). Next, find yourself a good church community and Bible Study to learn in. Don’t be afraid of questions. Don’t think you have to be perfect. Don’t think that any Christian you ever encounter will be perfect. We’re all trying, but instead of trying it on our own, those that truly love Christ are regularly made aware that we have to rely on God’s help to be better than what we are.

Til next post and next Thursday’s detailed update,

Q.

If I fail my Exam, I’ll tell your pimp to fire you. Anna Goldstienberg.

So recently I’ve been taking my bell (think hotel service bell) around with me in public. It pretty much instantly attracts attention (mostly confused, amused and positive) and starts conversations. It’s like that time I wore a party hat in public and interesting people talked to me randomly and I got free ice-cream.

I’ve recently been looking up various instruments that I can also add to my arsenal for personal use. So far i’ve bought an airhorn, and considering a whistle (sold by a non profit charity, also the design is pretty rad). I bought a friend a old school bell town criers used to use. Shit, that would have been awesome, oh well.

Instrument-wise, i’ve been quite harsh on my selection of possible instruments to use in my current instrument addiction phase. I’m considering get a trumpet (mainly to make fun of Timmy Trumpet), mini piano, loudspeaker, a cowbell and an accordion (i’d rather not spend over $100 for a joke).

So far i’ve rejected the following ideas:
tambourine (I’m not a hippie)
Bagpipes (This would just be annoying and an inconvenience to carry and learn to play, not that it requires any skill to play or anything…)
Claves (I’m not a monk)
Kazoo (Yeah.. No)
Maracas (I actually own a pair, though it is very ‘boy from oz’)
Bongos (you can only create like 5 beats on a congo and they all sound average)

Segue
Yesterday I went to the Nas concert with Q*bert and Supernatural. I prepared for Supernatural by trying to find random objects that would throw him off guard. Fruit or vegetables… meh, meat… hmm possibility, powdered soup mix… hmmm very random, No Salt (alternative low sodium salt substitute).. Bingo. The chick at the counter fucked up the sale and put the item through as bird food, nicely done, you can’t even type a few numbers on a register and realize that ‘No salt’ isn’t bird food. Enjoy your failed life. Technically since the price (and Item) was wrongly scanned I should have got the item for free, meh. I took $100 cash out, told her she fucked up the scan and she ignored me, nice, I saw it as an atm fee and left.

Went to a friends place, watched them make pizza, got several messages from another group of friends to hurry up and come to their place, left, ran to the concert, they still weren’t there, ran into several more friends, they finally came, Q-bert came on, Supernatural came on and this:
He freestyled and rapped for a while, Cool, But as he was about to finish, He told everyone to dig into their pockets and that he would freestyle about anything he grabs. He sees my ‘no salt’ and confetti and says “this guy came prepared”. Q*bert drops a beat and Supernat grabs by items. He freestyled an awesome verse about confetti that I can’t remember at all and then swung the box and confetti went everywhere. The crowd went wild. The he started to freestyle about my ‘No Salt’. Amazingly he freestyled a really witty verse about “no sodium for this guy” or something and threw it back to me. Crowd went wild.

He moved on and did a few more awesome verses, then I remembered I had my bell in my pocket. He grabbed it and said “…I never stop rocking til I hit that bell”
*ding*. Crowd went wild. I asked the security guy to give my bell back and he was being a capital dick and wouldn’t return it. I looked through my phone and found a photo I took of it a while back and showed it to him, he reluctantly gave it back.

Nas came on next, He was pretty awesome.
(I’m assuming that was the shortest review for a headline act ever)

Actually:
There was this woman right? and throughout Nas, she kept extending her arm and yelled Nas. This would seem normal right? but in her fingers was a friendship bracelet. I’m …pretty sure Nas has been offered just about everything, from sex, drugs, drinks, etc, But this woman thinks that Nas will go down and get this looped yarn from her. Ridiculous.

Met Sampology and Charlie Hustle after the show and they found my items amusing and took a photo, then I got a picture with Supernatural after the show, holding onto my no salt, confetti and bell.

The kids I were with decided to go to the valley, I had shorts on, but reluctantly went, on the way I threw confetti and made a trail of ‘no salt’ and even gave it a taste. ‘No salt’, No thanks. I’d take high sodium content salt anyday.

They wanted to go to Alhumbra, the security guard wouldn’t let me in, I was tired anyway but thought I might as well try to talk my way in just for the hell of it. I said the guy in front of me had shorts on, the guard goes “oh shit” and tells him that he can’t come it. I say “ooh… shit. I didn’t mean it..”, the guy had an European accent and was confused and upset that we was getting kicked out. I said to the bouncer that it was he’s last day in Australia and that he has cancer. I don’t think he heard me becuase he still wouldn’t let him in. Later the door chick let both of us in. I let her touch my bell-end.

Inside was pretty boring to be honest. I left everyone as they went to a different club. Apperantly they went to Gloria Jeans after I left, how gangster, Cafe after a Hip Hop show…

On the way home I met some people I knew that went to the concert.

The end.

New image in the animal musicians photoshop contest

…
Smallest bagpipe band photoshop picture

I finally found time to take my primary set of pipes to master craftsman Thomas Doucet in Niagara Falls, Ontario, for refurbishment. Thomas reconditioned the dilapidated John Wilson MacDougall of Aberfeldy set liberated after 30 years from his widow, and subsequently sold for $13,000 to Troy Guindon. Doucet has established a name for himself for his meticulous attention to detail, and to the traditional and painstaking methods of bagpipe-making, so I’ve entrusted him with these 1936 silver-and-ivory Lawries.

In addition to refinishing them, Thomas will correct wear in the middle bass-section, nip a few hairline cracks before they get worse, polish bores and recreate to Lawrie specs a matching blowpipe with wide-aperture plastic insert.

Interestingly, Thomas isn’t a piper, and seemed to come about his business somewhat by happenstance, learning the trade by working with the late Jack Dunbar, who of course learned his trade at Peter Henderson’s in Glasgow.

Coincidentally, I’d been reading Piano: The Making of a Steinway Concert Grand by James Barron. The book tracks the manufacture of a single $90,000 piano from the point of order, to the sourcing of wood, through every minute aspect of the labourious process until the nine-foot-long instrument’s completion. At the end you understand why the Steinway brand carries such gravitas and luxury – not to mention why the company’s flagship model is so freaking expensive.

While Steinway since 1853 was often enticed to employ new manufacturing methods and technologies, the company steadfastly resisted, at least when it came to their more major instruments. Almost all of the dozens of stages of manufacture are the same as they were 156 years ago. While Japanese piano-makers were gobbling market-share, Steinway resolutely decided to adhere to what they now refer to as “anti-manufacturing.”

I like this notion. While new technologies are developed to streamline processes and, presumably, push out more product with lower manufacturing costs to make more money, when it comes to great musical instruments, craftsmanship is everything.

It seems to me that most bagpipe-making through the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s may have been seduced by new technologies, and that’s why you infrequently see a top player with an instrument of that vintage.

But there are top soloists today playing drones from the last 10 years made using “anti-manufacturing” processes – that is, the traditional ways developed and perfected by MacDougall, MacRae, Henderson and Lawrie.

In an age of cheap, convenient, disposable product everywhere we turn, the bagpipe industry is again being led by those who commit to quality, sacrificing prosperity for the sake of the superior.

What an eye-opener the survey of solo pipers was for me. Being around it, you get a general sense of what’s being played, but to do an analysis and find out exactly what’s preferred was not only educational but fun.

Of course, the only real way to do such a survey is to promise that names won’t be used, and that’s why I think the response rate was unexpectedly good. I’m glad that people by-and-large feel confident that their secrets may be shared, but not their name.

Until a reader from North Carolina sent me the brilliantly obvious question via e-mail, I never even thought to check my spreadsheet to see if a piper actually played the exact combined set-up of the most popular makes and models. Amazingly (or not), no one puts together all of the leading items to create some sort of super-pipe. The sum of the parts does not necessarily equal the whole . . . or something.

That’s because the Highland bagpipe is still a very individual instrument. We can harp on about how every pipe sounds the same at the top-level, but it’s obviously not true, since the subtleties between chanters, reeds, drones and so forth are a matter of personal preference and taste.

The variety evidenced in the first-ever instrument survey just goes to show: for all the technology and new materials, the bagpipe and its players, even at the very top level, are as fickle as ever.

I’d be interested to hear from readers about what you’re playing, and whether this sort of survey has changed your mind about your instrument set-up.

So here is the story of our stumble onto the LAAFF festival in Asheville, North Carolina on the first weekend of September.  (I know, I know, I promised it so long ago!)

The thing that drew Shawn in at this festival was the distant sound of bagpipes.  We saw booths being set up, and we went into a store to look for some postcards, then heard the bagpipes.  Shawn immediately had to go outside to see where they were coming from, being a proud Irishman.  So I paid for our postcards and followed him outside, where he was watching a band of bagpipers warm up for their early slot on the stage.  We had to run to breakfast at this point, but when we came back, they were performing with a nice sized crowd jamming out to their bagpipe-rock.  Even though Shawn was enthralled, he agreed to tear himself away from the bagpipers, and we began walking down a very crowded Lexington Avenue.  As we looked around, this is what we saw:

Yup, that’s right, tasty festival food, tons of fun people, some of them even in cool costumes!  We were digging the fest already.  I found some neat little “air plants” that Shawn would not let me purchase because I have a horrible case of “brown thumb.”

A few booths down, I saw a couple of awesome ladies selling bags and wall art made out of IKEA fabrics, with some Amy Butler thrown in for good measure.  Doesn’t this just inspire you to buy a canvas stretcher and a couple of yards of your favorite fabric and hang it up on the wall?  I am itching to do this now…these ladies are so smart to pre-make these for people, I’m sure they sold a bunch!

As you can already see, the booths were filled with amazing goodies, art, and delicious-looking food (we were full from our amazing breakfast at Over Easy Cafe, so we couldn’t partake of any of the tasty festie food.)  I saw another booth with handmade ceramics, including this amazing jar that I am [still] totally smitten with.  I wish I had taken cards from the artists so I could order their wares on Etsy or something.

Don’t you just love the originality of that piece?  I adore the imperfections, like the glaze dripping down…I think it gives the jar so much personality.  Then we happened upon the “Cap Man” who is named because he has an ancient pick-up truck COMPLETELY COVERED in rusty old bottle caps.  This idea is amazing for a car that’s not looking so good as it used to be.  I was very inspired by the “Cap Man’s” ride…I want a bottle-cap-covered truck of my very own!

I also like how the “Cap Man” re-used old doors, windows, and other things to make his artwork.  Nothing like taking someone else’s trash and making it your treasure!  We also saw an amazing yurt that was being used by the bicycle company that was there sponsoring the “bicycle joust.”  How fun is that?  They covered the pavement in reclaimed insulation (the soft stuff, not the stuff with the fiberglass in it) and then put some hay bales in the middle.  The bicycle jousters rode these tricked-out pony bikes and “jousted” each other. 

Also, how much do you love the pink fairy with her super-cool mom and brother?  She was adorable.  Here’s the yurt the bicycle company was using, and it kinda gives an impression of how popular this street festie was, it was packed!  But definitely in a good way, there was still plenty of room to move around and the crowd was artsy and lots of fun.

I have always loved these paper stars, and I almost lost it when I saw an entire store window filled with them!  Doesn’t it look so amazing?

At the very beginning of the morning, we were walking the streets taking photos, and we spotted this awesomely-dressed lady here:

When I saw her, I knew she must be going somewhere cool.  So we followed her to Lexington Avenue, and saw her join her friends to set up her booth.  I would like to thank this lovely lady, because she was like our White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland.  She led us to this amazing festival, where we had tons of fun, and stayed over an hour later than we should have, because we were almost late to the wedding we were to attend.

As we were running towards our car, we saw, without a doubt, the coolest bus ever.  It was totally tricked out, and purple!  Need I say more?

Apparently, this company does comedy tours of Asheville, and I’m betting we’ll go on one next year, since I desperately want to get on this bus!  (Oh, did I forget to mention we had so much fun, we’re planning next year’s trip already?! )

Glasgow
February 2009

“Clanadonia are a Tribal Pipes and Drums band, steeped in the Pictish/Celtic traditions of Scotland.”

… says Gary West about a new book from Ashgate: The Highland Bagpipe: Music, History, Tradition. The book is edited by Joshua Dickson, and the contributors – from Scotland, England, Canada and the United States – discuss the bagpipe in oral and written history, anthropology, ethnography, musicology, material culture and modal aesthetics.

From Gary West:

The highland bagpipe has never been more popular than it is today. It has been enthusiastically embraced in almost every continent, by young and old alike, and at no point in history have there been more players of this iconic ‘national’ instrument. Performers are taking the instrument into fresh contexts, exploring new possibilities, while also digging back into the oral and written record for clues as to lost styles, alternative approaches and a forgotten aesthetic. It is, in short, a vivacious and vibrant musical scene.

Composed by both emerging and leading researchers in the field, many of whom are themselves performers of note, this collection of essays is a further demonstration that scholars too are keeping pace with these developments, and with excellent results. Issues of organology, historical contextualisation, revivalism, repertoire and style are each dealt with here with precision and detail and presented with an authoritative voice. The methodologies and sources are varied, providing a colourful and eclectic approach, and yet a careful editorial guiding hand has ensured a strong thread of continuity throughout.

Piping scholarship to date has been monograph-led, and so one of the strengths of this collection is that it brings a much needed interdisciplinary balance to the field. And yet what emerges from the whole is a heightened sense of the meaning of tradition, a more acute awareness of historical and contemporary attitudes towards style and aesthetics, and a fuller appreciation of the impact on the music of changing social and cultural contexts. That is a lot to achieve in a single volume: the result is an excellent book which moves our understanding of the highland bagpipe forward by a large leap.

Dr Gary West, University of Edinburgh

This in from my friend Chris Harrison. A nice short story for this nice short week.

“As a bagpiper, I was asked by a funeral director to play at a graveside service for a homeless man who had no family or friends. The funeral was to be held at a cemetery in the remote countryside and this man would be the first to be laid to rest there.

“As I was not familiar with the backwoods area, I became lost and being a typical man, did not stop for directions. I finally arrived an hour late.

“I saw the backhoe and the crew who were eating lunch but the hearse was nowhere in sight. I apologized to the workers for my tardiness and stepped to the side of the open grave where I saw the vault lid already in place. I assured the workers I would not hold them up for long but this was the proper thing to do.

“The workers gathered around, still eating their lunch. I played out my heart and soul. As I played the workers began to weep. I played and I played like I’d never played before, from Going Home and The Lord is My Shepherd to Flowers of the Forest. I closed the lengthy session with Amazing Grace and walked to my car.

“As I was opening the door and taking off my coat, I overheard one of the workers saying to another, Sweet Jeezuz, Mary ‘n Joseph, I have never seen nothin’ like that before and I’ve been putting in septic tanks for twenty years.”

hier ein neues video von mir und meinem hümmelchen.

das stück heißt hameln und ist durch die spielleut von in extreme bekannt geworden. viel spaß beim sehen / hören

gruß euer

ew0lff

Otta er stedet (unnskyld… byen) som stadig er stuck i den mest harry delen av the 80’s, der mannfolka har lange barter og går med skinnvest, der damene har munnspill i veska og amcarinteresserte ikke tør lukke øynene i frykt for å gå glipp av noe eyecandy.

Otta er kanskje ikke så vakker i seg selv, men omgivelsene er fantastiske. Rett ved renner turkist brevann i elva og fjellsidene reiser seg bratte og tredekte. Det er mye flott natur i Norge og Gudbrandsdalen er absolutt ikke det verste vi har. En kjøretur på litt over ei mil opp fra E6′en tar deg til Mysusæter; starten på Rondane. For et par år siden overnattet vi i hytte der og jeg fikk oppleve soloppgangen over Rondane. Det var så vakkert at det tok pusten fra meg.

Otta er byen som hvert år feirer Pillarguridågå (=dagene) for å minnes Pillarguris varsling med luren, som var oppstarten til slaget ved Kringen. Årets Pillarguri er Wenche Myhre. Jeg tror ikke det er fordi hun har forårsaket noen nedslaktning av skotske soldater, slik som 1600-tallets Pillarguri. I disse dager er skotter heldigvis velkomne på Otta, og hovedgata er pyntet med norske og skotske flagg.

Otta har hotellet med to og en halv stjerne og innmari hyggelig betjening. Utenfor kan du sitte stille med kaffekoppen og en røyk etter frokosten, og nyte synet av sola som jager vekk tåkedottene rundt Pillarguritoppen.

Otta har Pillarguri Cafe, som egentlig er en pub, med entusiastisk betjening som tydelig setter pris på en gjeng sultne musikanter, spesielt når vi varter opp med en trall eller fem etter maten. De vet ikke nødvendigvis hva en gin fizz er, men ølet er kaldt og gyllent og tar aldri slutt. Dessuten spiller de gamle Marillionlåter på anlegget. Dette er puben jeg skulle ønske vi kunne flyttet nærmere Oslo, for her er vi så velkomne at det nesten er rørende. I dokøen får jeg en klem av ei dame jeg aldri har snakket med før, bare fordi hun er glad for at vi er der.

Otta har undergangen som bare ber om å bli spilt i, uansett hvilken tid på døgnet det er. (Akustikken er fantastisk, vi burde egentlig satset på konserter i undergangen i stedet for i parken.)

På Otta tror alle vi er skotske og prater i vei til oss på engelsk. Jeg skuffer ingen, sier ikke noe om at jeg er norsk om jeg ikke får direkte spørsmål. Vi er uansett språkforvirra i bandet allerede.

Som alltid er jeg totalt gåen etter Otta-helga, men det er verdt det. (Noen ganger er det ganske greit at de verste ME-symptomene først kommer etter et par dager.) Det blir nok rolige dager fremover, mens jeg gleder meg til neste gang.

Takk, Otta, for at dere nok en gang tok imot oss med åpne armer! Vi håper å se dere igjen neste år. Hilsen en av de kiltkledde.

• Min første Otta – Pipers in the wood, “Ekte” skotter på Otta.
• Min andre Otta – Otta Revisited, Pillarguri anno 2007

Jeg har øvd. Jeg har pakket. Strøket skjorter. Alt det der. Jeg er klar.
Otta here I come.

Pillargurifestivalen på Otta siste helgen i august hvert år er utvilsomt den mest folkekjære, mest berømte og omtalte, diskuterte, mediaopphausede, elskede og hatede musikkfestivalen vi har her i landet. Eller i hele Vest Europa for den saks skyld. Eller kanskje hele verden, hva vet jeg.

Og når det er Pillarguri på ferde, må det sekkepiper til. I den anledning samles absolutt alt som kan krype og gå av sekkepipband i hele norges land (2 stk) og møter mannsterke opp for å blåse liv i leieren. Jeg gleder meg vilt. Reiser i morgen tidlig. Sitter på med Alan. Det blir bra.

God tur til Oslo Caledonian Pipe Band & Bergen Pipes And Drums. Sammen skal vi filleriste Otta til langt på natt hele helgen. Men ikke etter klokken 00:00, det har den lokale sheriffen bestemt. Da får vi i tilfellet nesen vridd rundt. Ganske omhyggelig. Alle mann. Hvilket skjer hvert år.

Og her spiller noen av oss en liten spontankonsert sammen med et Koreansk Damekor som var på gjennomreise. Alt kan skje på Otta. Litt sånn Twin Peaks.

Det hender jeg drømmer ting som er så triste og vonde, at jeg våkner gråtende. Det skjer ikke særlig ofte, men mandag morgen opplevde jeg det igjen. Drømmen jeg hadde var masete og stressende, uten at jeg husker særlig med detaljer. Jeg husker bare at jeg (i drømmen) plutselig så på klokka at den var ni på kvelden og skjønte at jeg slett ikke kom til å rekke øvingen med bandet. Det var da jeg begynte å gråte.

“Steike!”, tenkte jeg da jeg våknet, “denne drømmen trenger jeg i hvert fall ikke lure på meningen med.” Mandag var nemlig dagen for første bandøving etter en lang sommerferie, og jeg gledet meg så innmari.

Nå har jeg heldigvis aldri vært belemret med å være sanndrømt. Jeg kom meg på øvingen, uten uhell eller hindringer. Selv om vi var litt amputerte (det var en del andre som ikke fikk kommet, men jeg tror ikke det hadde noe med drømmen min å gjøre), så hadde vi som møtte opp en skikkelig koselig kveld med mye skravling og (ikke fullt så mye) øving. Det kom ikke som noe stort sjokk at vi var litt ute av trening alle sammen, det er jo som det pleier være.

Om det ikke var noe sjokk, så fikk det meg i hvert fall i gang igjen. I dag har jeg gått gjennom det meste av det vi spiller, og ser at det ikke er noen stor krise på gang. Tenortromming blir kanskje litt som å sykle, har du først lært det så tar det ikke lang tid å hente fram kunnskapene igjen.

Hvorfor denne plutselige iveren? Til helga skal vi delta på Pillargurifestivalen på Otta i Gudbrandsdalen. Det pleier være veldig artig, og siden jeg ikke fikk vært med ifjor ser jeg ekstra fram til denne helgen. Den blir slitsom, men helt sikkert verdt det! På samme måte som ifjor, skal vi danne ekstra stort sekkepipeband sammen med en del fra Bergen Pipe Band.

Jeg blir visst eneste tenortrommis på Otta i år. Litt skummelt, men jeg tror det skal gå greit. Noen ‘Drumming for drinks’ blir det neppe på Pillarguri pub, men her kan dere se hvordan Sharleen Donaldson showa i Glasgow 2007:

Even when assessing about 90 performances over eight hours, as was the case last Friday on “Amateur Day” at the Glengarry Highland Games at Maxville, one can’t help but think of a few things in between players:

1. The RSPBA is seen by everyone – and rightly so – as a master organizer of pipe band events. They set the standard, and it’s a very high one indeed. But the PPBSO must be given huge credit for efficiently coordinating close to 300 solo competitors in a single day across about 50 events. This is a staggering amount of work, and the behind-the-scenes preparation and scheduling is as complex as it gets. The work of the judges is nothing compared with that of the administrators and stewards. If you were there and forgot to thank a few people, you may want to start with thank-you messages to PPBSO President Bob Allen and Administrator Sharon Duthart, who can then forward your thanks to Chief Steward Andy Donachie, Barb MacRae, Lloyd Dicker, your contest stewards and any others who deserve the praise.

2. When, oh, when will all solo pipers and drummers respect their fellow competing colleagues (and the judges) and tune up at least 50 metres away? The number of pipers – even a few in the Professional grade – who have to be told to move further away always amazes me. Sure, there are a lot of players, but there’s also a massive area. Please, find out from the steward who’s before you, tell the steward that you will be at that tree way over there, keep an eye on the contest, and mosey on over when the person before you is done. It’s simple!

3. Enough of the saluting business. I know it’s force-of-habit with some, but unless you’re in the military and the judge is an officer, the custom of saluting the judge is over. At ease!

4. Tell the judge your name and remember the names of your tunes. Most judges know many or most of the competitors, but, unless you’re certain the judge knows you, it would help if you said who you are. And then have the names of your tunes ready. Write them down if your memory fails when you’re nervous. Standing there tapping your forehead trying to recall the other march while your instrument is going flat doesn’t do you any good.

5. If the judge is still writing the previous competitor’s scoresheet, don’t just stand there! Feel free to keep your pipes warm and play something pleasant (but never anything you might play in the competition), all the time keeping an eye on the judge for when he/she is ready for you. This actually reduces your tuning time and increases your chances that your instrument will stay in tune . . . provided it once was.

6. Start only when your pipes are in tune. As long as you haven’t been screwing at your drones for more than five minutes, it’s okay to take a few more seconds to get them right. But don’t start tuning them until at least 20 seconds after you’ve started. But if five minutes have passed and you still can’t get them right, just get on with it. That dog just ain’t gonna sit.

7. It’s music; enjoy it. I know it’s easier said than done, but it kills me to see young kids so nervous about competing that they seem to forget that it’s music they’re playing. It’s a musical instrument. It’s art. Concentrate on enjoying the music that you are creating, and just do the best you can. Think of why you first took up the instrument. It was the music, right? There’s no such thing as a flawless performance, so you might as well accept that and have fun.

Just a few thoughts from the busiest day of solo piping and drumming yet known to humankind.

En liten rapport fra fredagens spilling: Det var ganske vellykket, om enn ikke like perfekt spilt hele veien. Det var sju av oss som møtte opp i varmen; 4 på sekkepiper og 3 på tenortrommer. (Vi trenger skarptrommer, altså..!) Vi stilte oss opp utenfor inngangen til Vestbanen, rett overfor Pride Park. Heldigvis sto vi i skyggen, og det blåste en deilig vind, som gjorde at det ikke ble altfor hett for oss. Skotsk kilt og ullstrømper er ikke helt å anbefale når det nærmer seg 30 grader ute, bare for å ha sagt det.

Jeg var litt nervøs, men det gikk greit. Faktisk var det veldig hyggelig å stå der når jeg så hvor mange mennesker som stoppet opp for å høre på oss. Mange av dem sto der hele tiden mens vi spilte, og det må da ha vært i rundt en halvtime. Dette synes jeg godt vi kan gjenta. Det er fin trening for oss, og har tydeligvis underholdningsverdi for andre.

Resten av kvelden ble viet til grilling og hygge hos en av bandets medlemmer, en riktig koselig måte å bruke tiden på.

Dessverre likte ikke kroppen min denne “utskeielsen”. Utpå natten gjorde det så vondt i armene at jeg vekket meg selv med jamringen min. Til slutt måtte jeg ta smertestillende, siden det ikke ga seg. Det var en ganske snodig følelse, omtrent som når en kroppsdel har sovnet og begynner å “våkne” igjen; prikking og en slags krampefølelse og intenst vondt. Æsj! Men det er bedre nå, heldigvis.

Det var mange som tok bilder og filmet oss mens vi spilte, så jeg får være litt på utkikk og se om det dukker opp noe på nettet. Si gjerne fra om du ser noe.

Et bilde fra tidligere tider. (2006, tror jeg)

Highland Way - Celtic Band

Kevin and I decided that it would be fun to attend the Scottish Highland Games & Gathering of the Clans this year in Vista. I’ve seen it advertised for the last couple of years and always thought it would be a neat thing to do. I wasn’t wrong.

We drove to Vista High School and parked our car there and caught one of the shuttle busses over to Brengle Terrace Park in Vista.  Once we arrived we got in line to purchase our entry tickets. While waiting in line we were treated to all sorts of Tartan Kilts on display as each clan was wearing their own special plaid. It was time to decide what to do first. We decided to walk around all of the vendor booths and see what they were selling. If you’ve ever read a romance novel that takes place in Scotland then that would pretty much be a description of what was being sold there. Everything from Kilts to Haggis. (Haggis is a food product that didn’t really look that appealing to me.)

After walking around we decided to go and listen to some of the Celtic music. A band named Highland Way was playing. I loved them! So upbeat! Great music!

Of course we were hungry so we made a trip to the food area. I had a smoked turkey leg with mashed potatoes and gravy and green peas. Kevin had a corned beef sandwich. They also had meat pies, haggis, fish & chips, bangers, rubharb pie, lemonade and of course good stout ale. (Which we passed on.)

Pipers Piping

Once our hunger was satisfied we decided to go and watch the Pipers and Drumming contests. I just love bagpipes!!! They have the most awesome and content sound to them. There were many, many groups that would march in playing, perform and then march out playing.

Sheep Dog Trials

It was on to the Sheep Dog Trials. This was really fun to watch. It’s the first time that I’ve ever seen this in person and boy do those dogs get a workout. Some of the sheep are down right evil! What great dogs though…it was hot and even though they had been running around forever, they never stopped until their owners told them (by whistle blowing) that they could stop.

Caber Tossing

Next we moved over to the Caber Toss. This is one of the most traditional contests dating back to the 16th century. You bascially have to pick up a huge pole (looks like a telephone pole) and balance it then run forward and flip it out of your hands hard enough to make it toss end over end. The poles are usually 14-20 feet long and the the weight can  be anywhere from 50-130 pounds. This contest will (as Kevin says) “Make your babies be born naked”!!!!

Tossing the Caber

After that we watched a Tug-o-War between the Marine Corps Officer Selection San Diego and the Scottish Highland Heavy Athletics. The Marines won! Of course they had about 13 of them to about 6 of the Heavy’s!!!!

All in all it was a really fun day, something new for Kevin and I…I totally want to get him a Kilt! We found out that we have a plaid from the county in Ireland that his ancestors hail from (County Clare) of course it’s insanely expensive and would cost almost $600 to have a kilt made for him. Then there is the hose (stockings), the flashes (garters), the Brogues (shoes), the Sporan (kind of a fanny pack hanging man purse), the kilt pin, the Sgian Dubh (knife for inside the stocking to protect me!). And of course I’d want him to have it all…so…maybe in the future!?!

I morgen, fredag den 26. juni, skal Oslo Caledonian Pipe Band lage litt (mye) lyd i Oslo sentrum. Vi kommer til å spille i området Vestbanen/Aker brygge fra ca. kl. 18.00.

Slikt skjer ikke så ofte, så om du vil se og høre oss bør du ta turen dit!

Jeg har ikke vært særlig i form i de siste ukene, men akkurat dette VIL jeg ha med meg. Det er jo noe av det morsomste jeg vet om, dessuten har jeg ikke fått trommet på leeeenge. Er nok litt rusten på grunn av manglende øving, men det får bli som det blir. Kan sikkert være underholdende nok bare å se meg gjøre feil. (Det er god reklame, vettu: “kom og se meg kløne det til”.)

Så, imorra kveld får sofaen greie seg selv, her skal det trommes!

Og, bare sånn for å reklamere litt; er det noen der ute som har spilt skarptromme og kunne tenke seg å lære den skotske måten å spille på? Eventuelt noen som ikke har erfaring, men som har innmari lyst å bli trommis i et sekkepipeband? I så fall kan du ta kontakt, enten med meg (epost under Om Lothiane), eller via websidene til bandet. (Eller stikk ned og hør oss spille, og ta en prat med oss der.) Vi trenger (veldig) trommiser! Det er superdupermorsomt å spille i dette bandet, dessuten er det jo verdens beste gjeng med raringer (hehe).

sitting around, bored out of your mind, watching CSI Miami reruns on A & E…this is the way to spend a gorgeous Friday evening. No plans, no people, no pain. 

Hey, the neighbours sound like they’re having fun too; a good bonfire always is …especially when it’s lit by the remnants of last year’s sociology notes (or philosophy papers …whatever those dreadlocked, hippy-dippy, postmodern, so-not-mainstream, ‘my-wardrobe-contains-only-wayfarers-and-ridiculously-coloured-spandex-garments-from-American-Apparel’ non-science types like to study).  

They had a fantastic bagpipe concerto going just minutes ago (sounded live…maybe there’s a Scotsman in there somewhere?), and now it’s switched over to a complete collection of Red Hot Chili Peppers albums, probably played as loud as their environmentally-friendly speakers will allow. That 30dB power really amps the bass. Sweet.

What’s this? Hooting and hollering too? Organic beer must be waaay better than regular crap… Stella should stop using pesticides, people could get drunker, artsier, left-wingy-er, and more pretentious faster!  Oh, and air-popped popcorn; mmm …nutty and grainy, that smell is pure deliciousness (not being sarcastic here…it actually smells really good, especially from the upstairs window closest to the back of their driveway).

You might as well invite yourself down there right now. That way if anyone gets shot, stabbed, or too drunk to sit up straight, falling headfirst into the fire, you can witness the beginnings of a real CSI case!

*Disclaimer: sorry about the mean post, I’m in a mean mood. Judgmentalism (real word?) is funnest this way, but I don’t mean it seriously. I have tons of hippie friends and am very open minded …Does listening to Sam Roberts count? (he has beard, right?)

hallo allerseits!

ich weiß ich vernachlässige den log etwas aber ich hab immer viel um die ohren und wenig zeit um sachen zu posten..naja.

jetzt zu meinem neuem instrument.

es bläßt und spielt der dudelsack wo man sonst nur andre faxen macht…oder so…es war einmal ein pakistanischer dudelsack – also deko – und eben diesemwollte ich ein neues zu hause geben. denn ich weiß: mit geduld und etwas geschickten fingerchen bekommt man solche dekoelemente in ganz brauchbare musikinstrumente umgewandelt!

ich musste die bohrungen neu setzen und die reeds herstellen. klingt jetzt nicht so viel, aber wenn man bedenkt, dass bei der größe der bauteile ein 1/10tel mm über stimmt oder stimmt nicht entscheidet…das macht es etwas schwerer und vor allem zeitaufwendiger. denn wenn dann alles im einzelnen stimmt, stimmts noch lange nicht zusammen. man muss erst schauen ob man bei allen teilen den richtigen spieldruck eingestellt hat zwecks stimmung. najut genuch der theorie hier – was neues – ein video wo ich es vorstelle. fotos kommen später.

es grüßt euch

ew0lff

Helsinki Pipes and Drums performed on Espan lava at Esplanadi park.

It’s not usual to hear bagpipes in Finland so I followed the sound when I heard it a few days ago. I wonder if there is something going on in the city as there were two  guys playing bagpipes in another park just a few days earlier.

A few months ago I read an article called “Made in U.S.A.” in my favourite print magazine, The New Yorker. The story discussed the difficulty of finding products that are actually made in America, and to some extent bemoaned the apparent fact that Americans would rather buy cheaper goods manufactured offshore than pay more for stuff like electronics and furniture and many other things made in the United States.

The article prompted me to e-mail the magazine a quick letter-to-the-editor from the Florida beach-chair from which I was reading the article. The piece made me think of the Highland bagpipe market and the fact that over the last few decades numerous bagpipe-making businesses have started in North America, joining Dunbar of St. Catharines, Ontario, which I believe was the first maker to set up business in the colonies. John Walsh has been making fine instruments in Nova Scotia for several years now.

Cushing (New York), Gibson (Ohio), Kron (New York), MacLellan (South Carolina) and, most recently, Atherton (Illinois) are all U.S.-based makers of Highland pipes, and all of them (and Dunbar) are considered at least on par with instruments made in the United Kingdom.

My letter – which the magazine didn’t publish (those damned editors!) – made reference to the fact that all is not lost when it comes to U.S. manufacturing and craftsmanship, that there are reverse examples of North American ingenuity working to improve products and serve the world market.

This isn’t to say for a second that non-UK bagpipe makers are necessarily producing anything better than UK-made instruments, but I wonder if the UK media have ever written about Highland bagpipes being made increasingly more often on other shores.

I suppose there was a time when all pianos were made in Europe, but then that upstart Steinway set up shop in New York and conquered the concert-grand market (even though they seem to be struggling against Yamaha and Boesendorfer and the like these days). I also wonder if Yamaha, which seems to make high quality instruments of every other kind, will one day enter the Highland pipes and pipe band drum market.

Do Highland pipes “Made in Scotland” have cachet today? Do Americans, for example, prefer to buy “authentic” pipes made in the Auld Country, or, in this time of manufacturing losses, is there a preference to purchasing products made at home?

Wanted to take a quick second to update everyone on some of our upcoming events. This Saturday April 25th at Arizona Joe’s (formerly Dublin’s Irish Pub) we will be opening for Seven Nations. I have it on good authority that there could be something special going on. What? You’ll have to come to find out. Legion starts at 8:00 ish and Seven Nations starts and 9:00ish. Get mad at your fiddle boy!! (don’t know what it means? check out the new album)

May 9th we have been asked to do two gigs and unfortunately we can’t do them both. The folks at the Bon Air Victorian Parade had asked us to come back again but we had already committed to the Ettrick Celtic Festival. For more information on Ettrick check out the Ettrick Historical Society Things kick off in Ettrick at 10:00 AM. Hopefully the weather will be better than last year. For a quick reminder of things click here. May 30th is the Loch Studly Celidih that Pipe Major Shuff throws. It’s a chance for the band to whoop it up a bit in a really scenic and fun atmosphere. Not to mention totally awesome bar-b-que. June 6th finds the Legion playing two events at the Virginia Fallen Firefighters Memorial and the Ashland Strawberry Festival. June 13th we will be in Powhattan with Mr. Childress again helping raise money for the Famlies of the Wounded and McGuire Clinic. It’s always and honor and privilege to play for and help those who have done so much to fight for and protect our freedom. July 4th will be the annual march on Scotsville.

I’m sure there may be some more events sprinkled in here and there as Tim always forgets to tell us about an event or two. We look forward to seeing everyone and performing the music we love. We should have some newer members with us up on pipes. Those not on pipes yet seem to be making great strides since we broke them up into smaller groups and everyone is getting a little more personal attention. Robin has done an amazing job getting everyone to get the basics down. Between Robin and the help of Mary, Chance and Brian at GRPD the entire band is sounding pretty amazing.

One last thing to mention since we haven’t really put it anywhere but a big congratulations to Chris Fox who was promoted to Corporal at the Irish Festival. Chris really deserves it. He works hard and is really technically sound. So when you see him give him a good pat on the back for a job well done. Hope to see you all soon.

SALPD Honoring the past… Marching to the future.