Glasgow in January: The Bothy Band & Altan

January 30, 2024 on 3:01 pm by Michael Grey | In Music, Photographs, Pipe Bands | Comments Off on Glasgow in January: The Bothy Band & Altan

That wise and great song-writer, Paul Simon, said that “music is forever; music should grow and mature with you, following you right on up until you die”. I’m not sure if in these words he referred to the music he made or if he was talking about the music he loved. I know the two are likely not quite the same; I’ll assume the later and bolt on a, “hear, hear!”. So, to be clear, I agree: music should grow and mature with you.
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Be Thankful: New Year’s Eve, Central Hotel, Glasgow, 1929

December 31, 2023 on 5:30 pm by Michael Grey | In News, Photographs, Stories, Tips | Comments Off on Be Thankful: New Year’s Eve, Central Hotel, Glasgow, 1929

For many of us, especially those living in the so-called developed world, 1929 was a watershed year. Among other things, this year marked the beginning of “The Great Depression” and, with it, real economic and social upheaval. It’s unlikely that your parents, grand-parents or great-grand parents – depending on your age, of course – were untouched by the significant fall-out from roiling economies and the resulting widespread feeling of human want across much of the world.
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Practice Chanters Up!

November 30, 2023 on 11:59 pm by Michael Grey | In Stories, Tips | Comments Off on Practice Chanters Up!

There are apparently no fewer than 19 musical instruments that can be played with one hand (or no hands!). Among them, as you’ll likely know, are the trumpet, trombone, harmonica and didgeridoo.
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Halloween Bagpipes

October 31, 2023 on 4:06 pm by Michael Grey | In Music, Photographs | Comments Off on Halloween Bagpipes

It’s All Hallow’s eve and shenanigans and candy-collecting have been going on for hours all over the world where Halloween is marked. Here, a stash of chocolate bars sit in wait the first knock at the door in, I’d guess, less than two hours.
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Magic with No Borders (Prosit!)

August 31, 2023 on 8:21 am by Michael Grey | In Photographs, Stories, Tips | Comments Off on Magic with No Borders (Prosit!)

It’s the last day of August and, for the second time in about a month, I’ve found myself in the stunning pastoral countryside of rural Germany – for piping. What else!
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Maxville Games 1949 / What’s their secret!?

July 31, 2023 on 5:34 pm by Michael Grey | In Pipe Bands, Solo Piping, Stories, Tips | Comments Off on Maxville Games 1949 / What’s their secret!?

In undertaking some other work related to this coming weekend’s North American Championships, the Glengarry Highland Games at Maxville, Ontario, I stumbled on an interesting broadsheet page from Glengarry County Archives. This edition of the paper is full of interesting facts and colour related to the 1949 games, including, one back-page story headline, a real eye-waterer for pipers, especially: “Ottawa Girl Loses 3 Fingers While on Vacation”. You will see most of the games’ headline reporting lands on the front page (photo from front page included here).
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John Wilson’s Finest Tune: Tom Kettles

April 30, 2023 on 3:59 pm by Michael Grey | In Music, Score & Sound File, Stories | Comments Off on John Wilson’s Finest Tune: Tom Kettles

In his autobiography, “A Professional Piper in Peace and War” (1979), John Wilson wrote that he considered his composition, the six-parted reel, Tom Kettles, his “finest composition”. It’s a technically tricky tune, full of interest – and original melody. As I’ve mentioned before, for me it straddles the line between hornpipe and reel, with maybe the reel vibe edging out that of the hornpipe by a hair. It’s a happy-sounding tune with a bright and lyrical – almost song-like – quality to it.
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Invented by pipers: Competition 2/4 Marches

March 26, 2023 on 6:49 pm by Michael Grey | In Music, Score & Sound File, Solo Piping, Stories, Video | Comments Off on Invented by pipers: Competition 2/4 Marches

Here’s a couple of tunes that number among my favourite: Inveran, made by one of the greatest pipers – dare I say musician – to ever live, George Stewart McLennan and Millbank Cottage by William Dumbreck, a man who held the title of Pipe Major in two regiments: The Black Watch and The Royal Scots.

This style of tune – intricate and heavily embellished with many technical figures – is a branch of pipe music that we can safely say was invented by pipers. Pipers love strathspeys but we know they were born of the fiddle. Jigs? Who knows but they likely sprung from any number of fiddlers, whistle-players and nimble singers of puirt à beul.
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Antigonish 1996: Not all 3-pace rolls

February 27, 2023 on 7:51 pm by Michael Grey | In Music, Pipe Bands, Stories, Video | Comments Off on Antigonish 1996: Not all 3-pace rolls

Among my stash of digitised VHS video is a good few hours of footage from the Peel Regional Police Pipe Band of my time as Pipe Major. The band then – as it is today, it seems to me – was well-travelled. With the exception of my first season (Antigonish!) we hit the World Pipe band Championships in Glasgow every year. In fact, its amazing to say now, as I think back, we even managed to make trips to Scotland for championship contests TWICE in the same season (Ayr and Renfrew) – to be clear: the band travelled to Scotland twice in the same summer. The commitment from this group was remarkable. It doesn’t take much thinking to reflect on the sacrifice members (and their families) made financially. And, for that matter, its true, so many bands do today – though – I, wonder, as a by-the-way, if that is diminishing a little.
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D R MacLennan: Solo piping innovation in 1928!

December 31, 2022 on 2:18 pm by Michael Grey | In Music, Pipe Bands, Solo Piping, Video | Comments Off on D R MacLennan: Solo piping innovation in 1928!

On the last day of the calendar year I offer a genuine curiosity: a recording of what is likely among the earliest recordings of the Great Highland Bagpipe played alongside other (non-bagpipe or percussion) instruments. This 78 RPM shellac (pre-vinyl) recording from 1928 stars a luminary from one of the great piping families of the last 200 years in Donald Ross (“D R”) MacLennan.
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