Bagpipe Timbers, Past, Present and Future

Detail from painting of Campbeltown Fair Courtesy Campbettown Museum Library IN THIS ISSUE Back to the Borders (4): Friars Carse summer school (17): The pipers role in rural society (22): Bagpipe timbers and their future (26): Memories of a founder-member (34): Skipinnish at the Collogue (37) Dancing at the Collogue Mike Paterson/Piping Today EDITORIAL THE cauld wind pipes revival has been intentions of this society, the Scottish thriving burgh of Campbeltown and its A lad o paints straddling the Highland-Lowland bellows pipes revival has never really annual fair, to examine the role pipers divide of late - though it can doubtless caught on in their one-time Lowland once had in rural society. We also take AT BANFF, by the far-off Moray Firth be argued that we have still to establish and Border heartland have been a look at our own history as a society, around 1783, around 1783, Isaac Cooper a satisfactory definition of when greeted by an impressive new album and report founder member Mike provided for a distinguished clientele in the traditional dual role of musician and Lowland/Border pipes become of piping, released this month, which Rowans talk to the Collogue about the Highland reel pipes. Societys seminal years, as well as dancing master. In publishing his Last months showcases four fine Border players. collection he observes that the public LBPS Collogue was held in Birnam, in recalling the inimitable PM Jimmy Wilson. had been "so much imposed upon by Highland Perthshire, when a very Borders Pipes is part of the on- people who have published reels, and lively ceilidh dance was blithely going "Border Traditions"series, called them new and at the same time propelled by the fine West Highland produced by Dr Fred Freeman (who After Mikes talk, David Hannay they were only reels with new names". outfit Skipinnish, using Border pipes as gave us a taster at the Collogue at presented him with an honorary well as Highland pipes, alongside Newton St Boswells two years ago). lifetime membership of the Society for He advertised himself as the teacher accordion, whistles, etc. In this issue we carry Freds sleeve his role in its formation, and, looking at of an impressive list of instruments the a back number of Piping Times from notes for this important recording, harpsichord, violoncello, psaltery (viol), which Mike had quoted, pointed out A report of the ceilidh, and of other which is released this month and clarinet, pipe and taberer, German flute, proceedings at the Collogue, appears in comes highly recommended by Gary that its cover was in fact the Hannay Scots flute, fife "in the regimental style" this issue, while Professor tartan. He went on to recall how the and hautboy; and of "... the Irish Organ Murray West and Fred Morrison. A review of Pipe, how to make flats and sharps and Campbells edifying and entertaining it will also appear in the next issue of piping commentator David Murray had once observed to him (David was how to make the proper chords with the talk on the physics of bagpipes will Common Stock. brass keys. And the Guitar, after a new appear in the next issue. In the kilted at the time) how funny it was to see someone dressed in back numbers method of fingering (never taught in this meantime, however, observations that, Also, courtesy of Keith Sanger, we country before) of the Piping Times ... which facilitates the despite the name and orginal travel into the West, and the once most intricate passages". Jim Gilchrist -from George Emmerson s Rantin Pipe 0131 669 8235 and Tremblin String: A History of 0771 8700 696 (mobile). Scottish Dance Music, 1971. 3 called a Lowland pipe or a Northumbrian half-long pipe, it has been played well beyond the region of the country to which it is associated. (2) the A return to home ground Scottish small pipe - an instrument, made in various keys but most commonly these days in A or D, having three to five drones and sometimes Despite the undoubted one or two keys, with a cylindrically bored chanter. For a long time, the success of the `cauld- critical difference between the Scottish Small Pipe and the Northumbrian wind pipes revival, Pipe was only the chanter: the former being open ended and the latter, closed concerns are sometimes ended. expressed that much of the activity, especially In recent times the history of the pipes and the pipers has received admirable attention in the hands of Pete Stewart, Matt Seattle, Gordon regarding recording, Mooney, Hugh Cheape, Iain Maclnnes and so many others who have tends not to be contributed to this rather excellent journal. particularly focussed on the Border country and Revival of the Borders pipes its music, so the latest addition to the Border We do know on the testimony of John Stoddart, John Leyden and others that Borders pipes, of all varieties, fell out of favour during the early 1800s Traditions series of though there is ample evidence, with makers like recordings funded by Gunn, Mark, MacDougall, Glen and Henderson Scottish Borders Council continuing to make sets, that a moribund but and the Scottish Arts tenacious tradition did persist underground, Council is a welcome probably right across Scotland. Francie Markis, for development, featuring example, was a renowned Aberdeenshire Border pipers Calum Galleitch, pipe player who lived from 1823-1904; Jimmie Chris Ormston: cross-border piper Wilson of Hamilton, who attended early LBPS Gordon Mooney, Chris meetings in the 1980s, had performed on a set of Ormston and Chris Waite. At a time when the Society has Henderson Border pipes since the 1930s; and so been re-assessing its origins and progress so far, we many pipers in the forefront of the revival - Hamish reproduce here the albums introductory sleeve notes, Moore, PM Iain McDonald, Jimmy Anderson, to written by Dr Fred Freeman, producer and musical director name a few - have stories about 19 1 and 20th-century sets they either of the series revived or copied. The Borders pipes Sometime, round about 1920, W A Cocks of Ryton and George Charlton commissioned Jimmie Robertson of Edinburgh to make several sets of THE TERM "Borders Pipes" refers to two types of bagpipes that were Northumbrian half-longs or, by its other name, the Scottish Border pipe, for played on both sides of the Scottish / English border and that have been various Scout troops in Northumberland. Some 60 sets were duly made, and given various names over the centuries. I have chosen to refer to them as: the troops, as well as Newcastle Grammar School and Armstrong College (1) the Border pipe - an instrument, usually in the key of A now, having amongst others, were involved in something of an early revival. Robbie three drones from a common stock and a conically bored chanter. Often Greensitt, of Herriot Allan Bagpipe Makers in Northumberland, fondly 4 remembers playing regularly on one of these sets, in the 1950s, with the 13 1 Whitley Bay, St Pauls Scout Pipe Band. It was not, however, until later that a serious revival of the Border pipe and Scottish small pipe began to take shape within the Scottish folk movement. In the mid 1960s Jimmy Anderson of Larbert, who is generally, if unofficially, recognised as the founding father of the Scottish small pipe revival, began experimenting with Scottish chamber pipes and practice chanters. Jimmy, who was a joiner to trade, borrowed wood from Bob Hardie to make wee Gordon Mooney: LBPS co-founder Jimmy Anderson: pioneer small pipes maker drones and began plugging-up practice chanters and re-boring them with hand-made reamers in a desperate his long joints for the home grown Scottish Small Pipe he produced. Being attempt to create an instrument that would sit nicely, alongside two fiddles a Northumbrian pipe maker of considerable reputation, and a friend of Billy and voice, in his group The Clutha. The Highland pipes were altogether too Pigg and Jack Armstrong, he experimented in the 1950s and 60s, with some loud; the chamber pipes too soft; both were in B flat - not a great key for degree of success, with a hybrid Northumbrian-Scottish reed for the Small fiddlers. pipe. On Willie Hamiltons death, his widow would pass on to Iain 17 sets of her husbands pipes - uilleann, pastoral, gaita, bombarde and more - Once a chanter was in hand, the critical problem was to find a suitable which formed the original core of the large collection Iain now possesses. reed for it. In the late 60s and early 70s, Jimmys friends and contemporaries Willie Hamilton is more than a footnote to the revival. in the folk scene - Rab Wallace, Iain MacDonald and others - would suggest his experimenting with cor anglais and bassoon reeds for the sound Meantime, in 1975, according to Eddie Maguire, Rab Wallace would and projection he was seeking. Indeed, in the mid 70s, P/M Iain MacDonald borrow a set of drawings of an old Border pipe from an Inverness museum (and Dougie Pincock after him) would use one of Jimmys key of D and have it copied for playing in his group, The Whistlebinkies. He would prototypes, with the modified bassoon reed, in the noted folk band, also, by 1983, be performing with the `Binkies on a set of Jimmy Anderson Kentigern. small pipes in E flat, based upon a 19 th-century set of MacDougall of Aberfeldy small pipes Jimmy saw in the Scottish National Museum. In the early 70s, Iain was given further impetus to play bellows bagpipes by one Willie Hamilton of Maryhill, Glasgow, who used to make Colin Ross, a Northumbrian pipe maker, who had taken note of Jimmy Northumbrian and various Continental pipes on an old pedal Singer sewing Andersons early endeavours and, according to Jimmy, made "helpful" machine.

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