JOHN-ANGUS SMITH
piping scene
The solo piping competition season really gets going in July. It is an art form which can be somewhat confusing to those unfamiliar with piping competitions, so I will try to explain what goes on.
The Great Highland Bagpipe is a "warm wind" instrument — by this I mean that the instrument is fuelled by breath exhaled by the piper through a blowstick into the pipe bag. This is moist air, and changes in atmosphere experienced by the performer as he moves from perhaps a cooler tuning location to a warmer performance area, or vice versa, will affect the instrument. So the piper will need to stabilise and retune the
instrument which, if it is to be done properly, is not an immediate process.
perhaps stays in tune for a short period of time before the drone harmonic starts to become discordant, or the piper has been unable to reset the pitch of a note that has
changed. So a little "pain" at the start pays dividends for the long-term enjoyment of the performance as it enables the piper to settle and properly tune the instrument.
Everyone familiar with solo piping competitions is listening from the time the piper strikes up the pipe — the top pipers have a process that they go through, and you can hear this in the phrases that they use as they listen for stability of sound and concordance of the drone with the chanter. Many pipers will deliberately set a dissonant sound, particularly on 'B', which can add tension depending on the performance piece.
It is interesting that less experienced performers are more likely to play a cacophony of notes — lots of fast fingering and retuning of the instrument. I would recommend that
young pipers study the tuning process of the great pipers — you won't hear too much fast fingering, but you will hear lots of melodic sequences as the piper tests the stability of the drone harmonic against the chanter sound. Let's say that the piper will be performing a piobaireachd that is predominately in the pentatonic key of A major, with
the primary notes A, B, C, E, F and high A — he will not spend any time tuning D and G, but he will continuously play the key notes until he is satisfied that the tuning is stable.
The concordance of the harmonic will amplify the sound and the piper should be able to feel this in his fingers on the chanter.
Judges will be watching this from the word go, as will the other competitors — and as long as they see a progressive process, this will
keep their attention. There is nothing more frustrating than an absence of process — it is not exactly good preparation for the performance if judges and audience are unsettled at this stage.
Only when the piper is satisfied that the drones are "locked" in to the chanter sound will he begin. By this stage, if the process has been progressive, there will be a sub- conscious feeling in the air that the performance will be about to commence, and perhaps after a rest on the low A tonic the piper will start the performance proper.
So that is tuning! Now on to the performance. There is a lot going on in the piper's head — setting tempo, remembering the music, drawing out the nuances of phrasing, listening for the continuance of the drone harmonic against the chanter and marching or moving around the stage. Getting through a performance in musical and technically faultless fashion on a well-tuned and toned instrument takes a lot of work, most of it done well before the competition day. Proper planning and preparation certainly minimises the risk of poor performance, allowing the piper to stride confidently on to the com- petition platform and maximizing his chance of delivering a prize-winning tune.
Here is a list of key piping com- petitions and festivals around the region during the summer, with associated website information where this is available.
6-11 July Ceolas Music Festival, South
Uist — www.ceolas.co.uk
19 JulyLewis Highland Gathering, Tong
— www.lewishighlandGathering.co.uk
22 July Inverary Highland Gathering —
23 July South Uist Highland Gathering
24 July Young Highland & Islands Piper
of the Year, Liniclate School, Benbecula
24 July Mull Highland Gathering,
Tobermory
25 July North Uist Highland Gathering
30 July Arisaig Highland Gathering
3 August Mallaig Highland Gathering
5,6 August Skye Highland Gathering,
Portree — www.skye-highland-
games.co.uk
6 August Silver Chanter Invitational,
Dunvegan Castle
11-17 August Piping Live Festival,
Glasgow — www.pipinglive.com
16 August World Pipe Band
Championship, Glasgow —
16 August Glenfinnan Highland Gathering
23 August Glenurquhart Highland
Gathering, Drumnadrochit
27, 28 August Argyllshire Gathering,
Oban — www.obangames.com
4,5 September The Northern Meeting,
Inverness — www.northern-meeting.org
Many would argue John's piping style was how it was back in the early 1900s, when South Uist was isolated and the pipe was the main form of music in the island for entertainment (reference FG Rea's book "A School in South Uist" where he recounts his experiences as headmaster of Garrynamonie School between 1890 to 1913). John's driven style and repertoire is very reminiscent of what this might have been like.
Finally, the answer to last month's picture competition — the judges were Iain MacFadyen and Archie MacLean. Well done to Tommy MacLellan, Tigharry, North Uist, and James MacKenzie, Back, Isle of Lewis, who will be receiving copies of "Orfeid Uibhist" in the next week. Congratulations also to young Jamie MacLean from Gairloch — whilst not quite getting the answer right, this was a very good attempt and we will send you a copy of the CD as well.
