By Fergus Muirhead PROFILE Pounding the Beat As Policeman and Piper
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
by Fergus Muirhead PROFILE Pounding the beat as policeman and piper John Wilson HAT John Wilson would end up playing the pipes was never in doubt. THis father William was a piper in the 8th Battalion Argyll and Sutherland The Beginning of the Run: Highlanders. His uncle, Archie, Pipe Major John as a 12-year-old with the Scottish Pipers’ Association of the 8th Battalion, was killed, like a lot of piobaireachd, march, strathspey his colleagues, leading the battalion into bat- & reel trophies; the marches, strathspey and reel trophies from tle at Longstop Hill in 1942. The battalion Cowal; the Inverchapel Piobaireachd suffered heavy casualties in this battle, one trophy from Cowal and The Inveraray Highland Games of the decisive engagements in the North Junior Piping Trophy. Africa campaign, and the Wilson family, and the piping scene in general lost a gifted and talented player. After the war John’s father became Pipe Major of the Campbeltown Pipe Band and the young John found himself drawn to the music. “It started for me with a house that was always full of young pipers being taught by my father and as a toddler I was brought up in that environment. My father had a very small practice chanter made for me when I was four or five and I would sit in with the boys and try to imitate what was going on.” This informal involvement didn’t last long and soon Wilson senior decided that his son should take his pip- ing to the next level. “The serious stuff started when I was about six, that’s when my father told me I needed to start to learn to play the chanter. He taught me in a very standard way in the sense that we went through the basic exercises and we got together with the embel- lishments and the ornamentation and how to ‘I was about six... my father taught me piobaireachd! play these properly and then he showed me one or two basic tunes in terms of understand And I always recall that he gave me Salute to Donald timing and rhythm.” All fairly normal up to this point you might and The Massacre of Glencoe and I could play them be thinking. But after John had picked up both before I could play the Glendaruel Highlanders’ his first couple of tunes the teaching regime changed, and Wilson senior surprised his son about six years old! He used to tell me that It wasn’t long before John was strutting his with the direction he took. “He taught me piobaireachd was the ultimate challenge and stuff on the competition boards, and since his piobaireachd! I always recall that he gave me that if I could handle the subtleties that were first outing he has had a phenomenally success- Salute to Donald and The Massacre of Glencoe required in piobaireachd playing and the tech- ful competition career, winning more prizes and I could play them both before I could nical demands of piobaireachd playing then the than we have time to list here. “My father was play The Glendaruel Highlanders. And I was rest would be simple.” the man who took me through the initial stages PIPING TODAY • 10 PROFILE Pounding the beat as policeman and piper ‘...Donald MacLeod’s singing was just wonderful and that is the real way to communicate when you are teaching someone. It is the only way to get people to understand the nuances of style and expression...’ Campbeltown Pipe Band pre-War. John’s father William Wilson is second left and far left is Ronnie McCallum — Stuart Liddell’s grandfather. Also pictured is Piper: J. Blair; Drummers: F. Rogers; N. McIntyre; J. Coffield; Pipers: A. MacGougan; Arch. McCallum; Allistair McMillan and Dancers: James McCallum; Marion Campbell and Mary McCallum. and through junior piping where I was very with my version of the tunes. Donald would tape that I was sent contained Glengarry’s March successful from a young age. I competed for then return a tape to me with a critique on the and Patrick Og MacCrimmon. He told me they the first time at Cowal when I was barely nine tunes and another two to learn, and so it went were both extremely challenging pieces. On the and got third in the marches.” on. Maybe six or eight weeks passed between one hand you could form the impression that After this early success John’s teaching was Donald sending me the tunes and me receiving Glengarry’s March was a small tune that didn’t altered to include tuition from the great Don- his feedback so in a fairly short space of time I demand much — when in reality the necessary ald MacLeod, but it is to his father that John had built up about 18 or 20 tunes. phrasing and expression demanded a great deal. remains grateful for that early work. “My father And then teacher and pupil actually met! “Of Then you had the Lament for Patrick Og which put in place the essential strands of maintain- course in the early years I couldn’t have told you was a classic and the technical difficulty and ing my instrument, tuning it and building up what Donald looked like. He could have been a phrasing was there to be seen and the challenge a repertoire of MSR and piobaireachd before I giant of six foot five inches like Ronnie Lawrie. in that tune was proving yourself able to handle went to Donald MacLeod.” I didn’t pay attention to music books so I had it. I always remember him saying on the tapes His early lessons with Donald MacLeod no idea. So you can imagine that when I met ‘here’s a big tune that you need to be able to involved what would nowadays be called ‘dis- him for the first time at the Scottish Pipers’ handle, and, by the way, here’s a wee one that tance learning’ and it was actually a number of junior competition in Glasgow it was a great you may think is not that difficult but the months after the start of their lessons that the surprise and thrill.” difficulty lies in the focus which you have to two actually met. “I was about 10 when I first Although the best part of half a century has place on phrasing and movement’. He wanted went to Donald and we communicated ini- passed since these early lessons, John remembers to get his message across and he was very much tially through the medium of reel-to-reel tape. them fondly and talks enthusiastically about into forward movement in his phrasing and Donald would send me a tape with instruction Donald Macleod’s teaching style, love and shading in his playing. Of course his singing on two piobaireachds and I would return a tape knowledge of the music. “I remember the first was just wonderful and that is the real way to PIPING TODAY • 11 PROFILE Pictured at the Glenfiddich Piping Championship in 1978, from back left: Ed Neigh; Murray Henderson; Tom Speirs; The Duke of Atholl; Hugh MacCallum; John MacDougall and Dr William Wotherspoon. From front left: William Livingstone; Iain MacFadyen; Pipe Major Angus MacDonald MBE; Pipe Major John D. Burgess MBE; James MacIntosh and John Wilson. communicate when you are teaching someone and I still use it all the time. It is the only way ‘Some purists get offended when players play to get people to understand the nuances of style around with the theme of a piobaireachd. and expression because you can’t demonstrate that just by playing or by looking at the staff Now I’m not saying that we shouldn’t respect notation.” I got the impression that John would have piobaireachd and hold it in esteem but we talked all day about these early lessons with Donald MacLeod. John has a real passion for should also be open minded with the music...’ the music and it is obvious that he was deeply wish to be disrespectful to the academics, in this of the classical music within piping, although affected by the years he spent with Donald world it is a feeding ground for them and this he would probably be upset at my calling it MacLeod. Having said that he is also conscious can be off-putting for beginners who can only that given his previous comment about it be- of the way he introduces piobaireachd to his go on what they have heard about it. I firmly ing the music of the people, as well as what he own students today. While he is keen to show believe that it is the music of the people and, says next! his pupils the delights of piobaireachd early on, arguably, it was there before the light music “The mystique surrounding piobaireachd is, he is also aware that for some it can be daunt- so it’s even more a part of our music than the in my opinion, misplaced and, regretfully, there ing. “I am very quick to get young players on light music is.” is a bit of snobbery attached to its study. That’s to piobaireachd. You can sometimes see their John is in full flow now and it’s one of the a difficult term to use for someone who was wee faces when you mention piobaireachd and most interesting sights and sounds in the piping steeped in and brought up with piobaireachd you see the sudden realisation that I’m going world. He has a reputation for being quick with and taught by canntaireachd from the minute I to teach them ‘that slow stuff’.