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IN THIS ISSUE Letters(3): Melrose weekend(5): Elsies Chanter(8): Harmonic Progression(9): Low Cost Border Reeds(13): Reeds from Gouged Bassoon Cane(18): In Conversation with Julian Goodacre(21): Amplifying Recording Smallpipes(31) Corigenda - Now Wha shall play the Day it Dawes?(38): Border pipe Survey(39): Session Pipes(42): Annual LBPS Competition(43) Invitation Recital Competition(46): Reviews(48): Northumberland and developed there. Letters It was not a combined effort of a number of makers but through myself From Julian Goodacre with Hamish coming in at a later Peebles stage. If names are mentioned in the historical research section then names The delightful carving on the cover of could be put forward in the making the last issue of Common Stock was and revival or not all in either section. done in the early 20th century. The If I can comment also on the Thistle Chapel at St Giles Cathedral assertion that the drones on the pipes Edinburgh was completed in 1911 in the carving are referred to as and features two angel pipers - the modern or revival in the letter by other one is of stone. The stone angel Robert Macdonald from Vancouver. EDITORIAL issue, that Duncan MacDougall was is playing a set with three short The carving is so generalised that any Our cover picture is of Gary West tuning born in 1837, so the pipes referred to drones - one bass and two tenors. The comment on the style of the drones is up before playing at t Invitation would have been made later than the chanter has a large flared bell. irrelevant. You might say that perhaps Recital Competition. See pa 1840s. A childrens fantasy story book it represents a bass drone with tenor The oft-delayed M is on its I recently applied for a place has been written about the wooden or maybe baritone but to go any final home run. As we go to press the on the 3-year BA (Scottish music angel piper. It is called Play, Piper r further is pure speculation. Nice book is ready for printing, and the CD bagpipes) couse at the RSAMD - Play, and it is written by Lillia carving though and the hands are in rom master is being edkited before being see CS Vol 17 No 1 p35. I told the Stirling and Jennifer Wade and the right position at least. copied. The tunes from the original tutor director, of Scottish music I wanted to published in Canada in 1993. (ISBN have been reprinted in a plastic bound study Border music on Border 0-969788-0-1) A4 booklet entitled "50 Lowland & bagpipes, and was kept waiting two Border Tunes", months while the high heiduns and is available to From Sandy Robertson members (see back cover). grappled with this novel proposal. Newfoundland In this issue we focus on two Invited to audition I was faced by just From Colin Ross aspects of piping - Border/Lowland two assessors and told to play March Monkseaton pipes and the use of amplification. For Strathspey and Reel followed by a Loss hearing afflicts many musicians, the former a survey was undertaken by Piobaireachd! So no, I didnt get a especially those who play in I was interested to read Malcolm orchestras and probably pipers too the editor to tap into the knowledge and place. A waste of time and money? McInness article in the Common experience of current owners. If you Not entirely, for it gave me - and who practice indoors a lot. In my Stock which shows a need for a more case, born and raised in the perpetual didnt receive a questionnaired it means now you - an inkling of how certain detailed explanation on Border pipe dampness of Glen Affric environs, you are probably not registered as an wheels turn. reed construction than in the Border jJockAgnew I suffered from endless bouts of head owner/player of Border/Lowland pipes. [email protected] Bagpipe Tutor. I have that in mind for Jeannie Campbell writes, apropos 11 Ulting Lane, Langford Malden, colds that left me hard-of-hearing. To later this year on the lines of my correct it somewhat, I have gone the North hero report, page 5 in the least Esser. CM9 6QB England Smallpipe reed Tel +44 (0)1621 855447 booklet. through the evolution of hearing aid In Julians article on the history of the technology for 40 years. By the bellows pipes and their recent revival 1990s, the `in-the-ear I thought was he mentions that Northumbrian a major advantage. They were ideal pipemakers were responsible for for musicians because it built in helping the take off of the SSPs correction to block harmful where I think it would be more frequencies for those who play in accurate to say that it was initiated in rock bands and symphonies and 3 pipers who play indoors. For playing world of difference. Mine have 4 MELROSE 2003 Report by Jock Agnew small pipes, the down side was, since programmable channels: p1 = normal, the hearing aid favoured bass at the p2 = speech in noise, p3 = music1 One of the Societys staple activities, the annual teaching weekend at Melrose, expense of high notes in the chanter, (highland bagpipes) and p4 = music2 was once again organised by Rona Macdonald with the help of other members the drones effectively drowned out (smallpipes), respectively. To hear of the committee. the chanter. Some contributors to the beautiful tone of the chanter and common stock - who presumably the full resonance of the not-so- A lot may be crammed into a short weekend, especially if the organisation is on dont wear hearing aid, have noted the overbearing drones of my Hamish top of the situation and the participants willing. Both these criteria were met problem of overbearing drones. In Moore small pipes for the first time (again!) in Melrose this year. winter, with windchill of -40°C and 2 came as a big surprise. With the push The form was, as previously, that each of the three tutors was allocated a room, m of snow (in the winter of 2000- of a tiny button on the hearing aid I while the students migrated from one to the other, either individually or en 2001 we got a record-breaking 6.48 m switch to programme 3 for the masse as the programme demanded or their individual whims took them. of snow) puts a damper on playing the highland pipes, to quieten the drones highland pipes outdoors; more to the a little to favour the chanter and hear Meanwhile in the body of the Kirk, so to speak (the bar, in fact!), help was at point some consideration should be the gracing much more clearly is a hand for any beginners who needed pointing in the right direction towards given to protecting hearing. great confidence booster. That is to balancing bag against bellows (weve all been there) while lifting the correct A new generation of digital say, if not being too pretentious, the finger for the right note. Also with, at one time, three pipe makers available, hearing aids came on the market a hard work I put into the gracings paid doubtful reeds could be looked at, wrappings checked and advice given on few months ago. Surprisingly, they off without me fully appreciating how maintenance. were targeted towards the musician far I have progressed. The result is market because they are my playing has become much more A short weekend of this sort can really only introduce pipers to new ideas, allow programmable - i.e., musicians who fluid and relaxing. them take heart from hearing others with similar problems to their own, and be wish to protect against hearing loss, Even listening to the tape of a introduced to some new aspects of piping to take home and digest (or preferably, without losing the fidelity of sound. small pipe competition gives a much practise!) on their own. A good time to have a portable recording device, I Having just acquired a pair of digital better appreciation of the subtle would have thought, but only one person (in the groups I joined) made any hearing aids, I must say they make a differences and talents of the competitors attempt to take advantage of this aspect. The three tutors (Allan Macdonald, Iain MacInnes and Hamish Moore) focused on three quite different aspects of piping. PIPES STOLEN - see also page 23 Allan concentrated on Piobaireachd, for which his individual approach is well On 11th January , 2 sets of pipes were stolen from outside Sandy Bells Bar in known and, in some piping circles, even notorious. He gave us his interpretation Forest Hill Lane, Edinburgh. Small Pipes : In A and D. Four drones. Boxwood and the justification for linking the origins of Coel Mor with its modern with gold plated ferrules and cocobolo mounts. They have the hall- mark of competition practice. It was interesting to hear some of the history of the tunes, Hamish Moore Pipes i.e. the distinctive three steps between the upper narrow and how they sounded when played in modern competition style. Allan argued part of the drone and the larger diameter section which houses the tuning slide. that over the years some of the introduction, or lead-in notes, had become "A" chanter of African Blackwood, boxwood mounts, "D" chanter Lignum exaggerated and embodied in the tune itself, so that when compared to the song Vitae, cocobolo mounts. Bag of black hide with dark green velvet cover. version it appeared distorted, stilted and forced. Indeed, sometimes the first or Border Pipes : Boxwood with gold plated ferrules and cocobolo mounts Green second variation might sound closer to the original melody than the Ground suede bag (no cover).