Palmetto Pipes & Drums

REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADUATION TO

LEVEL 4

Name the notes (the student will be asked to identify the notes on a sheet of music that he/she has never seen before).

Enumerate the characteristics of whole note, half note, quarter note, eighth note, etc.

Explain the meaning of various time signatures (2/4, 4/4, 6/8, etc.)

Demonstrate the correct finger posture.

Be able to play Page 14 of Sandy Jones’ Beginning the Bagpipe with a metronome well and without crossing noises.

LEVEL 3

Good OPEN execution of each of the gracenotes and embellishments found on Level 4 Daily Exercises.

Be able to play Scots Wha Hae and Amazing Grace well and without crossing noises (focus on OPEN embellishments, timing and correct execution).

The student will be asked to play the above tunes on the practice chanter with a metronome.

LEVEL 2

Be able to play Scots Wha Hae, Amazing Grace, Brown Haired Maiden, High Road to Gairloch, Mairi’s Wedding, and Barren Rocks of Aden well and from memory (focus on OPEN embellishments, timing and correct execution).

The student will be asked to play the above tunes on the practice chanter with a metronome.

LEVEL 1

Demonstrate knowledge of the Great Highland Bagpipes (What is the name of each of the parts? How does the instrument work? How are the pipe chanter and drones tuned? Maintenance techniques, etc.)

Be able to play Amazing Grace, Brown Haired Maiden, High Road to Gairloch, Mairi’s Wedding, and Barren Rocks of Aden on the bagpipes well and from memory [CHANTER, NO DRONES] (focus on OPEN embellishments, timing and correct execution).

The student will also be asked to tune up his/her outside tenor drone and maintain a steady tone (no chanter).

1 GRADE 4 (EUSPBA beginner piper)

There are two parts to the Grade 4 audition:

Part I. The student will need to successfully complete the Grade 4 Audition: Practice Chanter Test. This test covers everything that the student has learned from Level 5 to Level 1. There are seven exercises to this exam: 1) Time signatures, 2) Identification of notes’ characteristics, 3) Name the notes, 4) Beware of crossing noises, 5) Three exercises from Page 14, 6) Grade 4 Daily Exercises (all 3 pages), 7) Scotland the Brave to be played with a metronome.

Part II. Be able to play Amazing Grace, Brown Haired Maiden, High Road to Gairloch, Mairi’s Wedding, Barren Rocks of Aden, Flower of Scotland, McRae Meadow, Highland Cathedral, Bells of Dunblane, Scotland the Brave, Rowan Tree, Will Ye No’ Come Back Again, Johnnie Scobie, Green Hills of Tyrol, When the Battle is O’er, and Castle Dangerous on the bagpipes well and from memory [CHANTER AND DRONES] (focus on OPEN embellishments, timing and correct execution).

The student will be required to tune up his/her drones immediately prior to the performance.

The student will be asked to march (competition style) while playing one of the above tunes (of his/her choice).

INFORMATION REGARDING THE AUDITION PROCESS FOR

LEVELS 4 to 1

The student will be testing in front of Pascal Reber. After the audition is over the instructor will then offer his comments about the performance.

Failure to satisfactorily complete any of the requirements for a specific Level will result in a student being asked to try again at a later date. Failing a test is part of the normal learning process. Learning how to play the Great Highland Bagpipe takes years. The student should make sure that he/she practices regularly (a minimum of 15 to 30 minutes a day is highly recommended).

The student needs to focus on OPEN embellishments, correct timing and execution.

WARNING: During each audition the student will be tested on material that he/she has been tested on before. It is the student’s responsibility to keep practicing everything that he/she has learned previously.

GRADE 4

Part I. The student will be asked to take the Grade 4 Audition: Practice Chanter Test in front of Pascal Reber. He/she will have to go over every single exercise on the exam---including each of the gracenotes and embellishments found on Grade 4 Daily Exercises.

Failure to satisfactorily complete the Grade 4 Audition: Practice Chanter Test will result in the rescheduling of the audition (parts I & II). In other words, a student will not be able to tackle Part II of the audition if he/she doesn’t pass Part I.

2 Part II. The student will be testing in front of Pascal Reber as well as an audience made out of their fellow students, parents, friends, etc. The instructor will ask the student to perform a certain number of tunes on the pipes. Upon completion of the audition the instructor will then offer his comments. The student needs to focus on OPEN embellishments, correct timing and execution.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The student is required to purchase a metronome at the same time than he/she acquires his/her first practice chanter and book. It is imperative that he/she practices with this timing device at all times.

Practice Chanter can be purchased from The British Shop (www.britishshop.com) [Click on Chanter, then on Practice Chanter and select the one you’d like to buy].

The Book (Sandy Jones’ Beginning the Bagpipe) can be purchased directly from Pascal Reber or, once again, from The British Shop (www.britishshop.com) [Click on CDs, DVDs, & Books, then on Piping Tutors. Click on # 3 and order “Beginning the Bagpipe”).

It is strongly recommended that the student bring a tape recorder to each of the lessons in order to benefit fully from the instruction received in between meetings.

CONTACT INFO

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions…

E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.bydandpiper.com Home: (828) 749-3250 Cell: (828) 551-6034

02/10/2009