As one of the pipers in there somewhere - probably just behind the young
student who started playing last week, I first become interested after
hearing Billy Pigg play Bill Charlton's Fancy on the Corries TV program -
mistakes and all (whilst Billy was in hospital - 1968?) and got my first set
of pipes from Bill Hedworth in 1972 - a simple set ( a massive £36 which was
a lot then) - followed by a 7 key chanter and a tuning bead on the G drone
two years later (around another £30 so they cost, altogether, over a month's
salary).
I've never been a good piper and never will be (fingers never worked that
fast and various health problems have stopped me from playing much now -
plus I can't manage what I could play once nowadays).
I do still love the sound and playing what I can but I can be selective on
what I hear.
Yes, I have KTs early CDs (well, the first on vinyl, actually) along with
the vinyls of Richard B, Cut and Dry, Wild Hills, Border Minstrel etc (all
replaced with CDs where available) and also Canny Fettle, High Level Ranters
and so on.
Now I'm quite happy to say "not my cup of tea" to many of the more
adventurous of today's players in the same way I can to the players on any
instrument.
I am also happy with the fact that competitions are designed for a more
traditional way of playing.
I really do feel that eventually, many will learn to appreciate the sounds
of the "head" end after being introduced to it via the "tail".
Colin Hill
----- Original Message -----
From: "Gibbons, John" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, October 07, 2008 3:28 PM
Subject: [NSP] Re: Tharsei
In the early part of the century there was a 'head' of perhaps half a
dozen excellent pipers in various styles.
And others, the 'tail' less excellent, but more numerous, perhaps in the
dozens.
The head is still less than a dozen strong at most, - I won't name them
as if I leave one out by mistake, it will start a war, pipers being such
a placid bunch. There are scores of fairly good pipers. There is also a
very long tail.
The question for the development of the tradition is whether the head
and tail are trying to go in the same direction....
-----Original Message-----
From: tim rolls BT [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: 07 October 2008 14:21
To: Matt Seattle
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: [NSP] Tharsei
or as the translation from the greek goes,
" Be of good cheer" John 16:33 et al (wonderful combination, the
internet
and the bible.)
I think Chris is far too pessimistic and lacking in self confidence. I
may
be well off the mark here, but I'd guess in the first half of the 1900s
there were only a few dozen people carrying on the traditions and tunes
of
NSP. Now there are hundreds. possibly thousands of people playing the
pipes
all around the world, and a good many of them are aiming for the Gold
Standard, so there are quite possibly more people playing, or trying to
play, the pipes the traditional way than ever before.
Regarding the traditional Northumbrian tunes, it's known that many of
these
were lifted, or have migrated from Scotland and Ireland, and Keep your
feet
still Geordie Hinny and the Rowan Tree at least, were known under
different
names by my father-in-law playing the melodeon in Norfolk over 50 years
ago.
We should accept this cross fertilization as an invigoration, I've no
doubt
many Northumbrian tunes are played on Uillean pipes, and the playing of
other forms of music on the pipes widens their audience and brings more
devotees into the fold,( if that's not a mixed metaphor.) I thoroughly
enjoy
Chris's playing, but I enjoy trying to play the fiddle too, and back
beat
and syncopation does it for me.
I am not ashamed to say that KT first brought my attention to the pipes,
although she was a young lass playing the fiddle when I first saw her.
Without her more broadly accessible/commercial/populist (call it what
you
will) style and repertoire, many people would never have come to the
pipes.
That may have been a good thing or not, who's to say.
Whatever, I don't think traditional playing is threatened, but is
becoming
available to a wider and wider audience with the advent of the internet.
Discuss.
Tim
----- Original Message -----
From: "Matt Seattle" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Robert Greef" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Cc: <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, October 07, 2008 10:01 AM
Subject: [NSP] Re: More code?
I'll spell it out
A pint of Guinness (or similar stout) is the image, symbolising or
alluding to .....
Ireland, and by extension, in the context, Irish music. Chris's post
was an amusing (to me and presumably others) comment on the perceived
dilution of the Northumbrian piping tradition. It contained references
which would be picked up by many on this list, whether or not they
agreed with the underlying opinions, but you can't please, or amuse,
everybody.
Cheers
Matt
On 10/7/08, Robert Greef <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
This posting makes my point more emphatically, because even with this
extra
commentary the passage is still meaningless dribble. Say what you
mean!
Or
is this whole farrago totally content -free?
Cheers,
Robert
----- Original Message -----
From: "Matt Seattle" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, October 06, 2008 12:52 PM
Subject: [NSP] Re: Threat replies are in
I suspect there has been some misunderstanding of Chris Ormston's
post -
"The new threat is from another species imported from
Ireland and Scotland. This beast has a stout black body with a
creamy
white head, and has taken root in newcastlegateshead."
A pint of Guinness (or similar stout) is the image, symbolising or
alluding to .....
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