Glenfiddich 2009

Well, I’ve been back home for a week now from Scotland after this, my third trip to Scotland and I am taking a well deserved break to rest my arms for a while. What an experience! I have been ever so fortunate to now play at the Glenfiddich 7 times and it never ceases to amaze me each time. On the one hand, it is as stressful as it gets and this is driven by two main factors. 1st, the obvious prestige of the championship, but secondly, the way that you are treated is second to none and you just feel you have to do everything possible to perform your best for this knowledgeable and enthusiastic crowd. My wife, Beverley, came along once again which is very good for me and we had a wonderful stay with our god friends Roddy and Margaret MacLeod for the first couple of days. Their hospitality is always appreciated as it makes the trip seem more like home. On the Friday evening, we traveled up to the Pitlochry to the Athol Palace, the host hotel and that is where everyone gathers for the evening meal and our tunes are selected and given to us as we nervously chat over drink. This is one of the only contests where you are not likely to see a competitor out much after 11pm as it seems that everyone gets their tunes, and then scurries up to their rooms to have a last minute check over the music to make sure that we have all the right notes in order.

The next day starts with all the competitors gathered at Blair Athol Castle at 9am where we take a photo and then commence with the draw for order of play, a very fair way of doing it. This year luck was on my side as I was 8th on and 9 on respectively which was much better than playing first on in the Piob last year as the great hall tends to be cold still and it generally has adverse effects on the pipes.

This is not going to be a play by play of the event, you all know how the day went after that, it’s just to give you a little taste of the lead up and a forum for me to publicly thank Liz Maxwell and the whole Glenfiddich team for the outstanding job they do in making you feel both comfortable and very special. There is definitely nothing like this anywhere else. I would also be remiss not to publicly thank the United States Piping foundation who I represented this year and their funding for the trip, so thanks to Mac and all the gang there, see you next June.


There were several highlights during the weekend for me but for the big memory, I have to say this: When you are just trying to do your best to get through the events and hopefully play a nice tune and perhaps the greatest competitor ever, Donald MacPherson and his extremely knowledgeable wife Gwen actually come to you and tell you they really enjoyed your playing, well, to me, that’s what it’s all about and I felt very honored with that. I can only say here that if you ever get the chance to go to the Glenfiddich. Do not pass this up and do not pass up the evening dinner/celidh it will most likely be one of the great piping highlights of your life.

finding enough players in a small market

The piping season is barely over, especially in the EUSPBA and there is a mad scavenger hunt going on to try to find new players, keep your old players and get ready for the new season. I find this year to be especially challenging. We are losing players, and gaining some but with the AGM coming up this weekend for our band, I am not finding the same excitement level as usual and probably will not until I arrive and see who IS playing and staying and who is not. While a person certainly has free will to come and go as they please, I just find the whole band "business" turning into a real band Business now, much like sports teams with not much loyalty but more of a where's the next best thing. Perhaps, the fact that I have only played in 4 bands in my 40 years of piping, 3 of which were running the grade 3 band where I worked at the College at PEI, it just feels odd that many people don't seem to stay for more than a year or two with any band, and it makes it tough for the band to really keep their "musical personality".

I too have toyed with changing bands. Teaching piping full time, the idea of being able to study tunes on my own, and just come to one or two practices during the full off season, then arrive to play and hopefully help that band out in competition seem pretty inviting, especially for us northern people who just want to go anywhere to get away, sometimes even another cold place just for the change in scenery, but for now, at least this week, I think I am staying put.

I can honestly say that I have had several offers to play elsewhere which leads me to the dilemna here in that while I don't like that so many people are always changing bands, I'm now out there "poaching" away as good as I can and feel like a hypocrite for it. But, for the band to survive and be able to compete against the others, I feel this is now the only way. I could sit back and not try to stir up interest but the band size, especially in a very small market like Halifax would just have a tough time growing. Here’s hoping that the plus side out weighs the minus side on the personnel side of things this season.

Bruce

Aloha

Well, after a week in the beautiful sun of Maui Hawaii, it was a cold re entry to chilly Dartmouth as I went through a 65 degree temperature change from airport to airport. This was my first trip to Hawaii and hopefully not the last but it would not have happened without the help of Michael Riedel arranging this workshop and my two very gracious hosts Alan Davidson (Pipe Seargent of the Isle of Maui Pipe Band)and Norman Mizuno (Band Manager) Thanks must also go to David Asher for hosting the workshop at his beautiful home. This group of Pipers and drummers do all they can to remain inspired by the music which I imagine is rather difficult due to their isolation.
Currently the Isle of Maui Pipe Band has 10 active pipers and 7 drummers and most were at the workshop. For the past several years, Jack lee has come out to Maui to do a "band" workshop so it was decided that I would do an "open type" workshop that would hopefully appeal to more of the pipers in the area, many of them showing up to learn all sorts of new tunes and a Piob, as well as learning some of the theory around timing and pulsing tunes. This band is not well funded and it is a tremendous effort that goes into raising money to host these types of events and a tribute to their eagerness to continue to learn.
Overall, a great week of learning for the students and warm weather for me as well. Oh yeah, playing golf at Kapalua was pretty damn good too. Can't wait to go back !

BBC Pipeline

Hello to all, a busy Christmas season is upon us now and students are busy learning the new tunes for next years upcoming competition season so remember, Christmas is a time to enjoy what you have with your friends and family. This also includes your piping ! Don't fall into that trap of taking the full two weeks off as you could set yourself back quite a ways from the progress you have already made this fall in the new tune learning. Give your pipes a blow now and then to keep them and the reeds from drying out and it will be much easier to get back into the swing in January. As my good friend Willie McCallum once told my son Alex when he was teaching him "it's not the practice everyday that wins you a gold medal, it's the fifteen minutes on those days where you didn't want to play that keep you in good form" Well said Willie

However, you may find you need a break just now so I might suggest a little self promotion at this time and let you know that from now until this saturday, you can hear yours truly playing on BBC's pipeline radio show http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00fn0fd
While I was over in Scotland last month for the Glenfiddich Championship and the London piping competition, I was contacted by Iain MacInnes to come in to the studio in Edinburgh and record some music for the radio show which aired live in Scotland last Saturday, Nov 22nd. It's always a tough task playing in the studio, most noticeable is the difficulty in keeping the lift and spirit in the tunes when you have to stand basically still in front of a microphone. All in all I was happy enough with the recording and the radio show also features a track from a great new album called Partners in Crime from Ross Ainslie and Jarleth Henderson. There are also little segments from the 78th Frasers live in Ireland recording and a feature from a new Greentrax recording with talking and playing of tunes from the great war.
I hope you enjoy and would love to hear if you have comments. The photo was taken late in the evening at the glenfiddich celidh while I was having a tune with Ross Ainslie.
cheers
Brue

Holiday Season

Just a small note to wish everyone best wishes for a great Holiday season. I will be traveling up to Ontario with my family and we will celebrate the week with several visits to our friends homes and there will be lots of tunes along the way.

I often find it tough at this time of year to keep motivated but now that I have entered for Kansas City Winter Storm, it seems that a deadline is just the trick to do that. I still love to play anytime, but I find that while I am so busy teaching and working on music, if there is not a reason, like a house party or the like, I just won't put the effort in.

i would love to hear how you all keep motivated to play when you just feel like you are burning out a bit, or just plain too tired or busy. I know that once I get up and start playing, I'm loving it almost every time but that big ugly word, procrastination, often keeps me from moving forward as much as I can. For instance, I looked at my clock and I was going to get a good hour in just now but I procrastinated once again and now have to run to get in this half hour session. Oh well, the pipes will be going and perhaps I'll squeeze in another half hour this afternoon. See you in January

Bruce

tough medicine-good people

Well, it's been awhile since I last posted a blog and a lot has happened since then. On October 27th I got news of a family emergency and needed t go home to Victoria. So, packed up everything into my computer bag and brought it home to get ready to go on the trip. Well, I left the bag in the cab, for only maybe 15 seconds but he was gone. I immediately called cab companies and then the police but after a few weeks, it was too late. Nothing has appeared since. It's just like Murphy's Law as I happened to have the backup hard drive with me as well, duh. So, that's what happened. The point, it's just a nice place to make a public thank you to all the great people in the piping world that jumped up and sent me all sorts of files and mp3's that they had received over the years from different lessons and workshops. Now I am on the rebuild and will hopefully have more news for you. sorry no pictures yet, have to get a new camera as well .
Cheers
Bruce

Always be Prepared

Had an interesting experience last Sunday that I'd like to share. I had the pleasure of playing with Alex and drummer Matt Trecartin for a show aboard the Norweigian Dawn Cruise ship that was docked in Halifax for the day. It was a 45 minute show with the Amethyst Dancers of Nova Scotia where we had a couple of piping sets and several dances to play.

Alex and I practiced together for a few days to make sure we had our settings and tunes in line so as not to be an embarrasment to ourselves and we spent some time over the days before just setting up the pipes so they would sound good. Yes, it is an advantage to have your piping partner at home as you can get the pipes out when you want so that made the setup a bit easier. I have always been uneasy about playing anywhere as I was brought up to play like it was the gold medal no matter where you have your pipes out.

We were to arrive by 1:45, board the ship at 2pm and the show started at 2:30. With all the trouble nowadays with security, this took a lot longer than it should have and we got on board at approximately 2:20. I asked where was our room for tuning and they didn't know what I was talking about so I explained that this was written in the email and we needed a room and hopefully 10 minutes would be anough to set the pipes as we were not going to get to touch them up for the duration of the show. We finally got a room just a little ways away and then the technician said the show was starting in 4 minutes, which I proceeded to tell him "No it's not". When the boss came in I explained we needed a few minutes, not long and the dancers also had to get into their various costumes as well. He agreed and the show started just 10 minutes late, which was good, as a lot of the passengers had not yet arrived at their seats for the same security reasons.

The point of this whole story is this. We went out and played and I felt the pipes were very good and was quite happy at the end of the show. As waited at the gangway for all of the cast to arrive (there was also 14 dancers I believe and we had to get on and off the boat together) various people came up and gave thanks and thought the show was nice etc. However, one fellow began to talk to us in an obvious Glasgow accent. He was on vacation with his wife and only moments later did I learn that he was now retired but was a former piper in the First Grade Denny and Dunipace Pipe Band from Scotland. Here we were in the land of nowhere but out there in the crowd was a guy who would have known if we had just fired up the pipes and done a substandard Job. Sorry about the photo, the kind lady that was taking pictures just couldn't get close enough to get a better shot.

Walking off the ship, I said to Alex, "That is the 100% reason why I insist on getting a room to set the pipes to ensure that under the conditions I can do the best job possible, becuase YOU NEVER KNOW WHO"S WATCHING OR LISTENING" You don't win a prize for playing at a nice little piping gig but when you're in your kilt performing in public, your reputation is always on the line and you can lose it in a heartbeat. I'm glad that I was taught that important lesson as a young boy and that I didn't just take the gig for granted! Food for thought