Oh dear! I was fully expecting someone to come up with a tediously humourless response to my Amazing Grease riff, but I hadn't actually expected personal insults.
Anyway, to stick with the substance... As you say: hackneyed, shopworn, one of only a couple of tunes associated with bagpipes... In fact it's played to the exclusion of virtually everything else. When people in the States* think bagpipes, they think Amazing Grace (and perhaps that Other Tune too). That's my main objection to it (although I admit I personally find it a dull and boring tune as such). But as you say, it's doubtless there to stay. I would add: ousting a whole slew of far more worthy tunes (like Flowers of the Forest, and many glorious piobaireachd urlars that would be very appropriate for funerals). But I would prefer it to be "there" to stay -- i.e. on your side of the Atlantic -- rather than come back "here" to stay. Yes, I know a Scottish regimental band was responsible for it becoming a hit in the first place, but it doesn't yet permeate things over this side as it does in the States*, thank goodness. And it would be awful if it came to play a similarly dominant and excluding role in the Northumbrian repertoire too. * I'm not up on the situation in Canada. Cheers, Paul -----Original Message----- From: Jim Stewart [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: 12 November 2008 22:00 To: NSP Mailing List Subject: [NSP] Amazing Grace Dear Paul Gretton, Relax. Chill out. Take a pill. The sky isn't about to fall. Referring to Amazing Grace as an "awful piece of slop" suggests, to me at least, that you're having a bad hair day, you have some kind of bee in your bonnet, or you got up on the wrong side of the bed. Or all of the above. Life's too short to work yourself into such a lather, my friend. Oh, I know the tune is hackneyed and shopworn. I know all that. I also know it's one of only several tunes that ever gets associated with Highland bagpipes these days. As a musician, born in Scotland, with a deep love of piping in all its forms, that bothers me as well. But don't blame the tune for that. I went to a beautiful Remembrance Day service yesterday. Here (Canada), Amazing Grace has been part of such events for a great many years. The pipe band and the military band play it together as the wreaths are laid on the cenotaph. Even though I've heard that "awful piece of slop" thousands of times, it still moves me to tears. As does the solitary piper with Floo'ers o' the Forest. It's ingrained now, Paul. It's part of something that's bigger than all of us, part of a tradition that means a lot to a lot of people. Don't begrudge us that. Regards, Jim PS I think Highland Cathedral is a nice tune. Not ashamed to admit it. To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
