ORDER OF AUSTRALIA MEDAL AWARDED FOR SERVICES TO MUSIC

Greg Bassani, National Principal of Drumming with the Australian Pipe Band College has been awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 2011 for services to music. Greg has put in a huge effort over many years to promote drumming in Pipe Bands throughout Australia.

Greg was taught at the CBC Pipe Band and moved on to become Leading Side Drummer of the Adelaide University Regiment, Royal Caledonian Society of SA, Scotch College-Adelaide and The City of Adelaide Pipe Band, winning several Championships along the way. He has served many years as the Vice Principal of Drumming in South Australia and more recently as the National Principal of Drumming. His scientific work on mid section tuning has been published by the RSPBA.

Well Done Greg, a recognition long overdue!

WWW.SCHOOLOFPIPING.COM

Piping News in 2011

So we have a new season upon us and all sorts of things happening.

The 2011 R U Brown Gold Medal Competition has just been run in Adelaide, Australia with Ross Campbell taking first place. Ross has won three times previously, always a class performer. Second was Brett Tidswell and third was Stuart Easton from New Zealand. Approximately 96 competitors over 10 events this year. Gold medal judges were Robert Wallace (Scotland), Sam Young and Jim Smith. Full results can be seen on the news page at schoolofpiping.com.



I see all sorts of comments and suggestions from overseas about how to stop discrepancies in judging. Judging is always someones opinion and so long as they are not ridiculously off the planet, it is those opinions that we want to foster. Huge variations between judges often come from listening to opposing sides of bands when a blooter or similar rings out. That is the nature of a live performance and the human ear. I personally think the only answer is to maintain the quality of training and ensure the quality of the candidates in the first place. Some extent of discrepancies and variation will always be a feature of what we do, even if the judges all listen from the same point. The way to overcome their effect is to have a larger judging panel and a rogue element will be over ruled by the weight of the majority. I see in Brittany they have a table of about 10 or 12 judges and none are measuring sock heights that I am aware of!

The other issue regarding judging seems to be the debate over the inclusion of mid-section judging in Canada to form a part of the overall results. Word has been spread that it is done in Australia, but that is 100% false. Mid-sections are already included in the drumming and ensemble components. In fact many judges seem to give them far to much space on ensemble sheets in my humble opinion. They form an integral part of what we do, but I am a strong believer in simplification in all things, not making them more complicated.

On the subject of simplification, I see the debate of band formations again appearing in a few publications. How should we perform for competition purposes? What formation is best for the public? Simplification! Start here and form up there however you want inside the confines of the circle. Bands choice; open circle, closed circle, V shape, thistle shape, scotch pie shape, west highland terrier shape, whatever the band likes. Simple, allows for variation, or not as the case may be. Bands will soon work out how they can convey their performance the best. I do not see any reason to impose a specific formation or even a fixed judging position.

The City of Adelaide Pipe Band in South Australia has now introduced a Youth Development Band that will be competing in the coming year. Probably starting in Grade 4 and Juvenile. We have great hopes for the young players of the future and many of our young pipers have already featured in the prize lists at the R U Brown event. Well done to them all!

With the inclusion of Olav Goud (ex Lothian and Borders, Strathclyde and Boghall) as lead side, the band is looking forward to a very positive season. Hopefully our drumming woes are at last behind us. Now a few more quality pipers would help!!!!

The Scottish Championship at Dumbarton will be on us in just under two weeks. It will be interesting to see the results of the years first major. I have heard some video footage from Gourock last weekend and detect some improvements in sound from some of the bands already. This was an amazing past year with the shuffling of grade 1 Pipe Major's deck chairs! Good luck to all of the new Pipe Majors, I hope you have a great season.

The School of Piping website has undergone a complete overhaul. Each page has had a facelift with a more modern design. Some new features have been added and a new shop. This includes both a Beginners and Advanced publication section, and includes not only the School of Piping publications but also the College of Piping tutors and PM Bill Robertson's excellent series of DVD-Roms. The highlight in our opinion being his 115 Piobaireachd Tutorials which features a basics book with video links, manuscripts, tune histories and audio lessons for 115 tunes. A masterpiece by the ex Pipe Major of the Royal Scots. Quality Bagpipes and Accessories are also available.

Work is continuing on a number of new publications from the School of Piping and we will keep you all informed when they are available.

Well, last year I think the Worlds was excellent. The bands were all able to be viewed from the mound beside the grade 1 arena, and as a competitor it was a delight to be able to actually see some of the bands playing. The big screen is certainly amazing too (except when you are facing it whilst competing). I wish you all the best for the coming season and look forward to hearing some great performances.

VALE LEWIS TURRELL M.B.E

VALE LEWIS TURRELL M.B.E

We have been informed of the passing of Lewis Turrell in Auckland, New Zealand on the 21st April 2011 after a long battle with lung cancer. A sad loss for piping in this part of the world. Lewis was a much loved character and friend to all he met. A pupil of William Kennedy, George McLennan and PM Donald McLeod M.B.E. Lewis rose to legendary status in 1958 when he won the Gold Medal at Inverness playing the "Rout of the MacPhees" (the first overseas competitor to do so). On that day he also won the Strathspeys and Reels, the Jig and was second in the March. He has been Pipe Major of the Invercargill and Wellington Pipe Bands and has made such a huge impact on piping in New Zealand. Lewis will be sadly missed by all.

Latest Bash at Kilt Wearers

Today's Advertiser Newspaper has a ridiculous comment from former Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, that just highlights what a pompous, more "English than the English" prat he really is. Suggesting that Prince Charles eccentricities including his kilt wearing do not sit well with most Australians. Well I would suggest that any such comments regarding a national dress are out of place, and a former Foreign Minister should be sympathetic to such matters. The large percentage of Australian's who are proudly of Scottish descent may feel differently, and I am sure many other nationalities who are proud to wear their own national dress would be supportive as well.

Can you imagine suggesting that a Royal from any other nation was eccentric for wearing their own national dress and that "it didn't sit well with most Australians"?

Speak on your own behalf Sassenach there are many proud kilt wearers in Australia.

Bagpipe Instruction Manual Review

Bagpipe Instruction Manual Review by John Miner

“I recently had the opportunity of acquiring “The Bagpipe Instruction Manual “by Brett Tidswell. Not to be confused with the more comprehensive “Complete Piper’s Handbook”, this smaller, 32 page, manual was designed to provide as much useful information on bagpipe setup and maintenance as possible into a small, portable, booklet that can be thrown into the pipe case and reviewed at a moment’s notice.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a complete nut when it comes to bagpipe maintenance. I have always felt that there is a special relationship and connection between the piper and his/her instrument. The time and energy one invests in learning and caring for the pipe will be returned many times in the form of a pipe that sounds great and is reliable and dependable every time. I have long been a fan of Brett’s schoolofpiping.com site and have found it a great resource for anyone who is interested in bagpipe care and maintenance.

I was actually very surprised with how much information Brett was able to cram into so few pages. Although similar in appearance to the old classic “Piper’s Handbook” by Pipe Major John MacLellan, I found the “Bagpipe Instruction Manual” to cover more topics and to be much more in depth. There is no time spent covering history or other topics. The book is 100% focused on providing clear and helpful information. It also contains many helpful photos, including detailed instructions on tying hemp bridles for cane drone reeds, diagrams of how to alter chanter reeds, and many others.

I think this book will become required reading for all of my students. The bagpipe can be an intimidating beast for a new player. This book provides a clear list of all the “must haves” for your pipe box, instructions on drone cords, bags, bag covers, valves, moisture control, reed basics, and many other topics. All very helpful for the novice player. Having said this, the book also contains enough valuable information to make it very much worthwhile to the intermediate to advanced players. The largest portion of the book is dedicated solely to reed trouble shooting and manipulation, both for drones and chanter. Pretty much every possible problem is addressed, and simple, helpful solutions are provided for each. It certainly goes well beyond the basics and is probably the best I’ve seen in the form of a small, comprehensive maintenance and setup guide. Certainly a worthwhile resource to have available for any piper. There is also some mention of matters of refinement, pitch, tone, and tuning positions, but readers are referred to the “Complete Piper’s Handbook” for more in depth discussion on these issues.

I appreciate this book because it helps take a lot of the mystery and superstition out of bagpipe setup. Certainly some these techniques take time to master, but many other tips can be applied immediately and become a great help to the player. There is no reason in this day and age that pipers of any ability cannot have a well set up, reliable, and pleasant instrument to enjoy. For those looking for a compact, clear, and comprehensive guide to “de-mystifying” bagpipe setup and maintenance, or simply looking learning a few new tricks to have a better sounding bagpipe, this book is a must for the pipe case.”


The Manual is available from schoolofpiping.com

Whats on the Net!

Allan Hamilton of Strathclyde Police has developed a website called Pipers Persuasion that features interviews with prominent pipers. These are video interviews divided into segments. Allan obviously has a long history of interviewing people (probably not under the same circumstances) and gets his subjects feeling comfortable and talking about the topic they are all so passionate about. This is a site you can spend hours watching and is going to become a valuable historical resource.

Several new reviews have been posted at the School of Piping site, these include the new Bannatynes Bag, new Glass Fiber Crozier Drone Reeds, Bruce Gandy's new CD "Front Row Seat" and details on the new SoP publication "The Bagpipe Instruction Manual".

The Bagpipe Instruction Manual

Ever wonder why your bagpipes didn't come with an Instruction Manual and you had to fool around trying to make things work!

"THE BAGPIPE INSTRUCTION MANUAL" covers everything you need to know to set up a bagpipe and solve the most common problems. A concise, inexpensive A5 publication with 36 pages and demonstrative photographs. This is the perfect size to fit in your pipe case and help you when assistance is most needed.

Just like the manual for your TV or DVD player except easy to read and follow!!!!

Chapters include: What you will need, The Great Highland Bagpipe, Tying on Cords, The Bag and Cover, Blow stick, valve and mouthpiece, Joints, slides and hemping, Moisture Control, Drones (including set up and problem solving), Chanter (including set up and problem solving), Maintenance checklists, Caring for your Instrument. Everything you need to get you started and keep your instrument going well.

Available from www.schoolofpiping.com for only $19 + postage.