I think this very eloquently says it all - about piping, about music in general, and about life as a whole. I hope my wife is doing rumbled thumps again for lunch. Gudden appetit. chirs
>-----Original Message----- >From: Anthony Robb [mailto:[email protected]] >Sent: Tuesday, April 14, 2009 11:10 AM >To: 'Rick Damon'; 'Dartmouth NPS'; Chris Ormston >Subject: [NSP] Re: Lisa Ridley > > > > Come on Chris, you know fine well who is responsible a and so do the > others on this list. Sounding off at bairns themselves >certainly wonat > bring about a process of reflection and correction. As for your > comments re the 4^th year piping student, it should be made >clear that > the only "main study" piping student to have come through the Degree > Course so far has just entered their 4^th year. I am their tutor and > they certainly know where to put the beat on a jig. Not >only that, they > are aware that a bar of 6 quavers would be played in 5 >different time > values in the north Northumbrian Tradition. Students come on to the > course from a wide variety of backgrounds and some are encouraged to > take up a new second instrument such as the pipes as a minor part of > their studies. You were obviously brought in to help with >this process > and Iam sure you taught them brilliantly so that by the end of the > course they did know where the beat lay in a jig! > > The Sage Gateshead, like all huge organisations, is far from perfect > but intemperate outbursts wonat persuade the people at the top to > change things. I am quietly arguing the case to bring a >more consistent > approach to the piping classes so the for the first time in >4 years we > can guarantee some continuity for Caedmon participants. > > As for enjoying mediocrity Iam afraid thatas exactly what I >do. I love > everyday attainable and sustainable things. I can only take stunning > amazing things in small doses and this goes for music too. >The sound of > an everyday sort of player like Carolyn Dickson or Jimmy >Little when I > first moved to Alnwick filled me with warmth and an >appreciation that > there certainly was music beyond aI saw my Love Come >Passing by Mea a > still my favourite piece of all time but only a tiny part >of what our > tradition has to offer. When Joe and Hannah Hutton first >came round for > a music night I played that (or another Peacock tune) and >Hannah just > said very quietly, aI divvent [sic] like these pippy [sic] tunes you > play Anthonya. I understood what she meant and took no >offence. It is > not a viable stance to insist that the only apropera way to play the > pipes is the tight closed style of the Cloughs. A folk tradition, by > definition, must be accessible to the vast majority of >players and not > the preserve of the extremely talented. I enjoy our music because at > its roots it has a sharing communal quality to it that the virtuoso > stuff doesnat have. I remember going to a Manitas de Plata >concert in > the 60s with a student who was learning classical guitar. >The playing > was exciting, truly mind-boggling but for me it palled >after 20 minutes > or so. The next day I asked him what he thought of it. He said he > thought it was like aspitting on a sixpence at twenty >yardsa; extremely > clever and totally amazing but not very heart-warming or deeply > refreshing. It is not mediocrity to see the aspitting on a >sixpence at > twenty yardsa aspect in some of the virtuoso material. To >give a food > analogy, Macdonaldas is appalling and Michelin Star places >are beyond > me. Just let me have good ordinary food a high quality mince and > vegetables and decent bread etc. Iad be surprised to find >Iam alone in > enjoying these simple pleasures on a daily basis. As for >the odd posh > meal, I love them too but not as my staple diet a not >sustainable for > us ordinary folk! > > As aye > > Anthony > --- On Tue, 14/4/09, Chris Ormston <[email protected]> wrote: > > From: Chris Ormston <[email protected]> > Subject: [NSP] Re: Lisa Ridley > To: "'Anthony Robb'" <[email protected]>, "'Rick Damon'" > <[email protected]>, "'Dartmouth NPS'" ><[email protected]> > Date: Tuesday, 14 April, 2009, 12:18 AM > > "Yes, the clip sounded poor and yes, the article itself was > unfortunate but Jessica isn't responsible." > Then who is responsible? And why doesn't the Sage promote proper > piping? I > was asked to provide some piping tuition for a 4th year >piping student > who > didn't know where the beat should sit in a jig. Unacceptable for a > degree > course. The Sage is about "Jobs for the Boys" and it stinks! They > pretend > to be about participation, but ultimately it's all about producing > middle-brow pap for the coach party market to promote the >incumbents of > senior positions there! I've already had a yellow card tonight from > Wayne, > for something posted from another with the same IP address. I'll go > before > the red card is brandished. Enjoy mediocrity! > Chris > To get on or off this list see list information at > [1]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > > -- > >References > > 1. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > >
