by John Slavin GERMANY Piping cultures flourish in Germany Dudelsack-Akademie

reserving old traditions and ensuring that they flourish is a vital Ppart of piping around the world. Encouraging and supporting relatively new traditions also makes for a vibrant music scene as piper Thomas Zöller has been show- ing with his piping school in Germany. Besides the main focus of the Dudelsack- Akademie being Scottish piping traditions, the RSAMD BA (Scottish Music — Piping) graduate is developing new teaching methods for the Sackpfeife, “mediaeval” German pipes which were actually invented in the 1970s. Thomas graduated in 2005 and it was around this time that he decided to pursue setting up his own school when he returned to Germany. He spoke about it with Allan Mac- Donald, who he regarded as a great mentor, teacher and influence on his own playing. He explained: “I asked him to be involved with workshops and seminars and become the patron of the school because I wanted his style of playing, and his approach to music, to be part of it. It had such a big impact on what I had learned. “When I returned to Germany, I started thinking about where and how to do this, we continued that process and kick-started the school. It was meant to not only include the Scottish piping tradition but also the medi- aeval German tradition, Irish pipes and other European piping traditions, with the idea being pipers could learn from each other’s repertoire or the approach to their instrument.

“I set it up in my home town Hofheim, Thomas Zöller which is situated in between Frankfurt and Photo by John Slavin @ designfolk Wiesbaden in the Rhine-Main area. It’s a small to teach while he was travelling back and forth Scottish smallpipes and the second was Brian town of about 30,000 inhabitants with a very to Glasgow during his studies. Haase, who played mediaeval pipes. picturesque old part of the city.” Thomas added: “Once I got back home there Later, Thomas approached Masaki Kato, At first, Thomas rented a small old building was an interest from the piping community who he knew from his time at the RSAMD in in the city centre, using some of the rooms for that just grew bit by bit really with a constant Glasgow. He came over to work part-time in teaching and also living in the premises. As increase of students to the school.” the school as a teacher and spent the rest of his he admits, there wasn’t any major financing As the school’s popularity grew, Thomas time instrument making. behind the project or government support, it could no longer cope with all the teaching du- Then last year, they added another teacher, was achieved purely through the will to make ties himself so he persuaded other teachers to Jan Belak, who is also teaching Scottish pipes it happen. come on board. – Highland pipes and smallpipes. He had a small core of students he continued The first was Katrin Krüger, who taught Thomas added: “Meanwhile we moved

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PipingTodayIss51final.indd 42 7/4/11 21:25:03 PipingTodayIss51final.indd 43 work, or they would use the recorder doesn’tto it really practise,so scale different a has which would practise it on a Scottish practice chanter People instrument. the learning to approach there has never been a real system or a standard mers. drum- two or one and pipers, three or two with various bands going around, usually with marketsnow overall weekend Germany every 1990s. downthe came in Thereare mediaeval wall the when push big a got it and Germany repertoire usesFnatural. would play, and a F natural because a lot of the of playing the F sharp, just as the Highland pipe important for the instrument to have the option two tenors. and bass a have to common very it’snot but top of the tenor, or just the bass and the tenor might have a tenor drone, and the baritone on droneyouyouhavebaritone or Then mighta drone. bass a have certainly “You explained: notes inthescale. fingering, a bit like the , and has nine to the Highland pipes. 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Some students just and so far we have had Roddy MacLeod, Glenn year a once Centre NationalPipingfrom The over examiner an Weget exams. usually these for students the prepare we and institutions, fered by The National Piping Centre and other of- is which syllabus exam the with coincides also That things. of side competition the in and smallpipes. school teaches the Highland pipes, doubled thespace.” have we but centre, city the in still premises, new a in are we now so January in premises “Because the way the instrument came about East former the in started movement “The very is It possible. is fingering cross “Some Thomas as varies, drones of number The The Sackpfeife was invented sometime in the German mediaeval the to regards “With He explained: “Some students are interested the tradition, Scottish the to regards With system that works really well and sounds good means to learn it properly providing a fingering low-up forthat. fol- a on working are and collection music a released have myself and Haase Brian Lately, chanter. practice new this developed myself and bagpipes of types other and smallpipes scottish Bieger,of Clemens maker pipes. a val mediae- the for chanter practice a with along and limitstheplayer speedwise. — which can corrupt the musical flow of a piece use the same grace notes several times in a row never been a real fingering system. People would pipes —it’s abigmix-up. French or pipes Scottish from taken are reeds The notes. grace the can’tplay they then but Interkeltisches Folkfestivalin2008. performs attheGälischeNachtduring Allan MacDonald,patronofthepipingacademy, “We are at the forefront of producing the producing of forefront the at are “We “I decided to write a tutor book which goes has there things of side “Fromteaching the was takenattheannualconcert2008. very beginningoftheDudelsack-Akademie. Thispicture Barnaby Brownwhohasbeenaguestlecturersincethe Deckelmann (student),FelixSchumacher(student)and holding amediaevalSackpfeife,ThomasZöller, Boris (student), AnreasJakobiRobert Kriese(student) (teacher attheDudelsack-Akademie), MarkusEngelter Centre forGaelicCultureandLanguage,MasakiKato From left:MichaelKlevenhauswhorunstheGerman smallpipe groups where we do ensemble playing players. there is some group teaching although for more beginners, advanced for particularly tuition, of view.” point theoretical a from doing are they what together with other musicians and understand play to skills their on work to want but bands folk in play who Youcompetition. people get a for prepare to want who people or playing bands who come here to increase their personal pipe bandastheydon’t corps. have adrum as more of a Highland ensemble, rather than a the band at the school, which Thomas describes Germany.” of regions many in played pipe a mouthblown is and smallpipe, the like quiet, very is It many centuries, and is fingered like a recorder. Hümmelchen. the year, this of course the in tradition pipe looks likeScottishsmallpipes. which smallpipe, of type rebuilt It’sa music. mediaeval the for suitable is which scale and system fingering different a has but smallpipe Scottish the to sound in similar is which pipe of tunestorevive that. back to mediaeval times and look at collections go it’sto think thing I repertoire.good own a their rediscover to trying are Germany from people it’simportant think I chanter. the on Thomas explained: “We’ve got two Scottish individual is learning of focus main The pipe “Weother fromHeadded: people get The Akademie also prepare students to join “It is a historic instrument which goes back bag- another on take to want also “We small- mediaeval of kind a teach also “We PIPING TODAY •43 7/4/11 21:25:11

GERMANY GERMANY

and pieces with several harmonies so people can start working on playing together. We also have a group with mediaeval smallpipes.” A range of extra workshops are also offered covering topics such as music theory, how to maintain pipes and tuning. They also stage weekend workshops with guest tutors, for example, Barnaby Brown has taken a canntai- reachd workshop and Allan MacDonald has done piobaireachd sessions. On top of that the Dudelsack-Akademie runs a winter school called Stòras Òran — Gaelic for a treasure of songs. “We bring together the Gaelic language, the song tradition, the piping in terms of light music, ceol mor, piobaireachd, the 19th century style of playing the pipes like Angus MacKay, Scottish dance, bodhran and also medieval pip- ing,” said Thomas. “We try to get connections

between the different classes so that people play Thomas Zöller and mediaeval piper Brian Haase perform together at the third Interkeltisches Folkfestival in 2009. Key of “D” and work together. It is about bringing together those isolated elements making people under- “We also run the Interkeltisches Folkfestival every night, and we have a festival club after stand the culture and the music as a whole. from 18 to 21 August. We try to spread out the those concerts and a dancing event.” Key of “Bb” “Stòras Òran is staged in a cooperation with concerts through the whole city, and we have a The festival draws an audience of music Michael Klevenhaus. He runs the German very nice open air venue which The National enthusiasts — with people traveling up to centre for Gaelic culture and language and also Youth of Scotland has played at. We 100 miles. Key of “A” works for the BBC, Radio Nan Gaidheal and have used the church, and the city museum “We try to put on concerts that have a unique Sabhal Mor Ostaig. He is also a singer and the — it is spreading out all over the city. We also theme and over the years people have realised two of us play together in a band called Às a’ have a youth contest in the city centre in the that, so they travel quite some distances to the phìob. pedestrian area. There are usually two concerts event,” said Thomas. “I had a couple that came from Bonn and they got to know the town through the festival and they liked it so much they got married here. You get stories like that.” The school now has around 80 students Contact our staff for helpful and Thomas feels that by offering such a wide and knowledgeable advice range of different styles it give students the best chance to understand and learn what they www.BagpipeSpecialists.com want to learn. He added: “They have different interests and to me it is important that we address these. It is not focused on just one aspect but the full picture. “We sometimes get people moving on to other pipes, a lot of the Highland pipers play smallpipes as a second instrument. You also get Balance tone reeds, chanter and drone moisture systems mediaeval pipers who switch to Scottish pipes or vice versa or even people who play both. – All designed to make the life of the piper easier. “I am really glad at how it has developed and progressed over the first five years. I am Also available online • Bagpipes • Chanters • Pipebags • Chanter reeds also grateful for the opportunity I had to learn Bag covers • Cords/ribbons • Accessories • Smallpipes • Tutor books • CDs through The National Piping Centre and Pipe carriers hands free • If we don’t stock it we will get you a price the RSAMD because that has allowed me to [email protected] • Tel: 0044 (0)1854622385 increase my understanding and knowledge of www.BagpipeSpecialists.com the music and the instrument.” l

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