For information to folk who may have thought that the 'Ray' you mention
was Sloan it was in fact my wife Ray Fisher the singer who took up the
post of Secretary of the NPS.in the early days : the 'Mrs Roff' of
Ian's Route to Piping.
This all shows how we all refer back to certain individuals as being
important in the development of our interest in piping and how they all
deservt to be given recognition for the part they have played. They are
all cogs in the piping machine and does anyone deserve to be called the
main spring.
Colin R
-----Original Message-----
From: colin <cwh...@santa-fe.freeserve.co.uk>
To: nsp@cs.dartmouth.edu
Sent: Sat, 24 Oct 2009 0:57
Subject: [NSP] Re: Route to piping
Oh dear, I feel really boring now.
I had always like he sound of the Irish pipes but, in 1968, I heard
Billy Pigg playing the NSP on the Corries TV show and was hooked. I
found a copy of the (vinyl) Wild Hills record and was even more
determined to learn to play them.
There was a convenient address on the LP cover (yes, NPS c/o Ray.
I contacted them and they put me in touch with Bill Hedworth and I had
a simple set very quickly as he was just completing one. He sent me the
set (all of £36 - a huge sum back in 1972) together with his copy of
how to play them (I forget the author but I copied it out longhand - no
computers then or scanners and photocopiers were expensive) and started
"playing".
Unfortunately the reed had come a little loose so there was a little
correspondence on how to re-seat it and, of course, the inevitable
"dangling chanter" happened and he sent me a new reed.
I soon needed something better so he made me a 7 key chanter and added
and extra drone (although he forgot to drill the hole under the metal
bit - I had to do that).
I attempted to play it for the next 20-odd years with mixed results .
I also joined the NPS with a life membership (another huge sum in those
days).
I made the effort to get to the next AGM and was a little overpowered
by those there - Colin Ross, Forster Charlton and others and finally
realised who Ray was as well.
I also heard Colin playing the border pipes (well, he was just having a
try at them) - wow. what a sound.
For the millennium, I sent it back to Colin R who altered the holes a
wee bit and made a new reed.
They played beautifully - so it wasn't me after all.
Alas, age caught up with me so I can't play much now (bad joints and a
hernia that doesn't like getting pushed from side to side).
If the NPS hadn't existed, I doubt I would ever have played them at all
so yes, I'm one who owes them a lot.
I have never met or played with another piper in my life (other than
seen three play at a folk club and maybe passed a few comments with
them - one who I can't remember, Alistair Anderson and Gerry Murphy -
when I saw Colin T with the HLR, he didn't play them) and I'm too old
and feeble to make it to Manchester now to the local meetings.
Thanks NPS. You gave me a lot of enjoyment for over 30 years.
Colin Hill
----- Original Message ----- From: "Dally, John"
<john.da...@hmhpub.com>
To: "Dally, John" <john.da...@hmhpub.com>; "'Ian Lawther'"
<irlawt...@comcast.net>
Cc: <nsp@cs.dartmouth.edu>
Sent: Friday, October 23, 2009 9:25 PM
Subject: [NSP] Re: Route to piping
Sorry, I obviously meant Lance ROBSON, not Armstrong below.
-----Original Message-----
From: lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu [mailto:lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu] On
Behalf Of Dally, John
Sent: Friday, October 23, 2009 1:14 PM
To: 'Ian Lawther'
Cc: n...@cs.dartmouth.edu
Subject: [NSP] Re: Route to piping
IF you think Ian was long winded, press "delete" now. This is just for
the record. Here's a bit more detail about NSPiping in the Pacific
Northwest.
Sandy Ross was my close friend, fellow Highland piper and neighbor here
on Vashon Island in the early '70s. His father was from Newcastle, so
Sandy introduced me to the NSP via a recording of Billy Pigg. Sandy
lived in a Hippie commune in an old farm down the road. We sat around
the pot belly stove playing practice chanters and listening to LPs,
drinking tea or beer while partially dressed Hippies went about their
tasks. I often worked on the farm cutting wood, building fences and
taking care of the animals. It was quite an education for a Vicar's
son. NSP will forever be associated in my mind with naked Hippies and a
little wooden table in a kitchen smelling of goat's milk, garlic and
drying herbs.
Sandy eventually got a set of pipes from Colin Ross, who turns out to
be distantly related to him. I hope I can be candid without starting a
fire storm. I too sent letters to Colin Ross asking to order a set of
pipes and more information about them. When I finally received a reply
it was to say he was too busy to help. I was completely unaware of the
NPS. In 1979 I went to the University of Edinburgh to study Scottish
Literature. I again attempted to make contact with Colin Ross while in
Edinburgh. I don't remember exactly how this attempt failed, but I
didn't make any note of it in my journal, so it must not have been a
big surprise or disappointment. I do remember being told that the NSP
were essentially dead and that Colin was the only person making them,
but by whom I don't remember for sure. If I remember correctly it was a
Scottish friend from the Borders who found David Burliegh's phone
number for me. We made a trip to Longframlington, stopping off in
Falkirk for meat pies and baked beans at a pub where I entertained the
locals with my unintelligible English. They had Andy Stewart and
American country music on the juke box. I think they thought I was
German.
David Burleigh was very accommodating, delivering an eleven key set to
me before I had to go home three months later. Last I heard, David
Power, the uilleann piper has that set now (#392?).
David Burleigh sold me the NPS book one, which along with the tunes
enclosed in the "Cut and Dry Dolly" LP were my only NSP music for about
a decade. I found Butler's tutor somehow. I continued to cast about for
instruction and help until finally Lance Armstrong contacted me. He and
his lovely sister, Jane, visited my family in Seattle where we had
several small workshops over a period of years. Gail Gibbard in
Portland had discovered NSP on her own and eventually took over
organizing Lance's workshops, bringing in many more people in the
process. The fact we have so many NSPipers here in the PNW is due to
Gail's heroic efforts.
About this time Gordon Mooney was part of the Balmoral School of
Highland piping in Tacoma. Many of us attended solely because Gordon
was there. Gordon covered Lowland piping on SSP and spent quite a bit
of time on the NSP as well. He played the first Border pipes that I saw
and heard up close and personal. I didn't see the benefit of joining
the NPS nor did anyone I met suggest it would be a good idea to send
them money.
Lance and Jane introduced us to a structured way of learning the NSP.
Lance became a source for reeds, which were very difficult to come by
otherwise. Lance is a controversial figure, but it must be said he made
an effort to help us when few we knew in Northumberland would return
our letters.
I think Lance got in touch with me through the NAALBP (the North
American Association of Lowland & Border Pipers). The Pipers' Gathering
was creating a lot of excitement about bellows blown pipes at the time,
but a trip to Vermont was too expensive for me (still is). Lance
introduced us to the playing of Pauline Cato among others. Personally,
I don't enjoy structured learning programs with exams, medals and
levels--it's too much like work. So I didn't participate in that part
of Lance's program.
Ian Lawther gave us a big shot in the arm when he moved here and has
been a generous source of knowledge and inspiration ever since. Chris
Evans, likewise, was an amazing addition to our little group during the
short time he worked at that software company in Kirkland. Gail, Peter
Dyson and others have put in many hours organizing workshops with "big
name" NSPipers over the last decade or so. Unless I'm being
unforgivably forgetful, I don't think the NPS has been an integral part
of our success.
If you've made to the end, I'll buy you a pint the next time we meet.
Cheers,
John
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