IN THIS ISSUE "Swarm of Drones"(3): Hamish Moore on Reeds(5): Dixon Errata(7): Oiling Your Pipes(8): Smallpipes in the Wilderness(9): Melrose 2002(11): Hats off to Habbie Simson(12): Web Things(18): Harmonics and Drone Tuning (20): Piper Profiles - Andy May Allan Macdonald (31): Burns Supper(39): Competition(40): : Reviews(44): X-word Second Annual "Swarm of Drones" Bagpipe Weekend Allison Campbell s report on the meeting that took place in Vancouver in July last year was unable to be included in the December 2001 EDITORIAL ' ' The LBPS Melrose weekend in May was The Warksbum Piping Centre which Common Stock, another success - see elsewhere in this is funded by the EU through Northern but s ince another journal. In April the inauguration of a Arts is due to open this summer, Ray . such meeting is weekend of Scottish smallpipe and tells me, and it is dedicated to scheduled for " The idea right now is Border pipe tuition took place in the Bellows-pipes. August this year, to be a visitor centre Midlands. There were 19 candidates, and that it is going it is appropriate to Ian Clapburn (the organiser) writes: "By for tourists as well as a venue for include it now. the end of the weekend, everyone had a. bellows pipe enthusiasts with recitals and courses. The big plan for next couple of new tunes under their belts and With pipers in the stairwell, pipers in the parking lot, and reed shavings littering the the Border pipers had discovered the joys year, and subsequent years, is to hold an annual Bellowspipe Summer tables, the second annual `Swarm of Drones alternative bagpipe weekend workshop of harmony playing. I hope to repeat the died with a commitment from organizer Rob Macdonald to make it an annual event. event next year." School in Wark with courses in Uilleann Pipes, Scottish smallpipes, About 35 musicians from both sides of the border and from across the water met on the UBC campus in Vancouver for workshops and presentations, informal discussions, and Take note all pipe-makers, prosperity Northumbrian smallpipes and S aturday night concert at the ANZA Club. may be just around the corner. Ray Lowland [Border] pipes." Sloan passed me a letter he received in April, and I quote: "We have been A big welcome to Nigel Bridges who The alternative refers to the bellows-blown feature of the instruments featured that retained as a global marketing and has joined the editorial staff (!) as weekend. The Northumbrian smallpipes, Scottish smallpipes, border, and uillean pipes - sourcing people........One of our clients Deputy Editor. My desk in south east are all filled by the player pumping a bellows with one arm, holding the bag beneath the requires bulk products of pipes as per the England being rather remote, he will other. They are generally smaller and quieter than their highland cousins, with a wider attached sheet for Riyadah. We request co-ordinate day-to-day CS matters as musical range, and as Rob Macdonald noted, the players are generally encouraged to you to please send us your most they arise in Scotland. express more interpretation and variation than they are in Highland piping. competitive offer...... " ! Jock Agnew [email protected] Invited guests returning from last year included pipemaker Rob Moore from Vancouver Island: Robin Beck imported from Scotland with his high-tech aluminium pipes; and musician and teacher Dick Hensold from Minnesota. New guests included Jock Agnew, Editor of the Lowland and Border Pipers Society magazine Common Stock. John Liestman, pipemaker, teacher, and author of Northumbrian Small Pipes Tutor, and Martin Nolan, one of Irelands foremost uillean pipers. 3 Collogue 2001 - HAMISH MOOREs TALK ON REEDS Friday was a meet-and-greet session on Granville Island. Saturday and Sunday were given over to workshops benefitting players at all levels, as well as private and group Illustrated with slides, and with samples of cane being passed around as instruction. Reedmaking and maintenance, improvisation and harmony, the border pipes what to look for and avoid, the informal atmosphere allowed idiom, and the Dixon manuscript were among the topics presented. There was music in examples of questions and mini-discussions to develop, as well as opinions from the every corner, and the caring, enthusiastic atmosphere was especially welcomed by those who lacked other pipers in their community with whom to practise. audience... The Saturday night concert featured Dick Hensold and Martin Nolan. It opened with a Hamish made it clear from the start that he favours cane for both chanter and guest appearance by the local Kits Point Rapper Sword Team, dancing to pipes for the drone reeds. He explained that he buys in bulk, selects his own, and has, first time. Robin Becks rousing playing suited the fast-paced footwork and intricate over the years, built up sufficient experience to recognise and avoid the many figures made by their interlocking swords. pitfalls in the process of selecting good cane. Hensold, whose background includes studies in baroque and classical music, followed The species used is, of course, arundo donax. Other names for the plant the dance performance with his array of pipes, including Northumbrian smallpipes, r include Giant Reed and Persian Bamboo. The bark can be so hard it will give Swedish sackpipa, and a reconstructed medieval set. His shoulder injury may have off sparks when struck with an axe. It is the most flexible plant in the world, hampered a lesser musician, but Hensold, as creative technically as he is musically, had Hamish claimed, with the facility of being able to be bent double and still rigged a foot pump (think `camping gear) to inflate the bag and carried on without recover - a trait which is important in reed making. missing a beat. He played a short set with singer Louise Crossley, impressing listeners with how well the Northumbrian smallpipes balance and blend with other voices and Acquiring suitable (and indeed sufficient) arundo for reed making can, instruments. Michael Korchonoff set aside his own pipes to accompany Hensold on sometimes, be difficult if not complicated. Prior to World War Two there was guitar for an instrumental set. so much available that choice of quality was huge. However during the war it was used for camouflage, which meant that after hostilities ceased it became Martin Nolan took the second half of the concert solo, giving the audience a wonderful (and remained) in short supply. chance to witness the range and versatility of the uillean pipes in a masters hands. A Dubliner with twenty years of piping to his credit, his playing exhibited a great deal of Arundo donax is cultivated around the world, but its characteristics, Hamish legato, characteristic of the travellers style. With musical colours ranging from sombre explained, vary with climate, soil, harvesting techniques and storage to jaunty, his playing seemed effortless. Along with Agnew and Hensold, Nolan also practices. The three main areas of procurement for reed making are: gave private tutorial sessions throughout the two-day session. California, France and Spain. Physical characteristics vary from area to area. The second annual `Swarm of Drones alternative bagpipe workshop provided a chance for musicians across the continent to jam, share ideas and resources, check out music Only of the total French crop is available for reeds (oboe, clarinet, books, tapes, and tutorials, and catch up on piping news. Its welcoming atmosphere and bassoon, bagpipes etc), the lions share going to make fishing rods and busy schedule sent musicians home with new ideas and approaches recharged their furniture. These manufacturers can purchase the stuff by the hectare and so dedication. control the market. Next "Swarm of Drones" weekend is planned for August 17 and 18. Pipers of all The age of the cane is important. As it ages the walls get thicker and thicker, persuasions are welcome, so mark it on your calendar now. so the optimum age for reed making is no more than three years, and during the time of storage the moisture conterft varies. For Sale - English Great Pipes, by Julian Goodacre in plum with boxwood mounts. Flutes and mounts The first consideration is how hard the cane is. When selecting for drone hand carved and truly unique. Beautiful tone. Pristine condition. Malcolm Stevenson 01262 676398 reeds, for instance, squeezing the cane as hard as possible between thumb 4 and forefinger should fail to collapse the cane. 5 In the same way that wine has good and poor vintages, so cane can vary from location to location and year to year. There is not a lot of quality control at source, so a large order is best divided between several suppliers - to hedge ones bets. The time of harvest can affect the quality too. Frost exposure is beneficial; for example harvesting at full moon is important. Careful selection, Hamish explained, can mean that good reeds are produced as a matter of routine. Since bellows pipes reeds are scraped to become thinner than those used in any other instrument, top quality is vital. For chanter reeds the hardness of the cane is important. One test that Hamish showed us was to tape the cane and see how it rings. Another is to use the thumb-naila deep to try and score a mark on the outer bark: if it leaves groove, then the cane is probably no good. There are specialised hardness testing machines for more accurate result - Finally the relative costs were mentioned. Cane suitable for drone reeds Vertical storage Vertical storage at (which are about 5mm in diameter) costs, per Kg, five or six times that used of wild cane cane producers for chanter reeds.