What really got me interested was the gift of Kathryn's first cassette, "On Kielder Side". Wonderful music! It was given to me by friends who live on Orkney and heard her at the Orkney festival. At that point I was trying to learn to play the Highland chanter. The teacher had just received a notice from Alan Jones about the North Hero weekend (the 2nd, I think). I phoned Alan forthwith to enquire whether I would be able to borrow and try the NSP if I went. He assured me that I would - but in actual fact that did not happen! However I was so impressed by Richard Butler's playing and teaching that I ordered a set right away.
Sheila -----Original Message----- From: Richard York <[email protected]> To: John Dally <[email protected]>; NSP group <[email protected]> Sent: Sun, Dec 19, 2010 7:55 am Subject: [NSP] Re: Doubleday et al (I've missed a day on this, while I was daft enough to honour a gig in Hampstead: 1 hr 40 there, 7 hours 20 back. The joys of the soft south!) You're absolutely right, John. It is, to adapt an earlier comment, pointless comparing apples and potatoes. But since we've mentioned it.... I was going to write and comment that it's all down to so many elements of time, place, mood, etc. And before seeing yours below, was going to say that for me hearing Billy Pigg (interesting how often his name crops up in this) playing the Wild Hills of Wannie just Did It when I when I was about 18, had never even heard of Northumbrian smallpipes or any pipes other than GHB's, (as played by buskers when crossing the border on Scottish holidays) ... a seed was set, and ever since then I wanted to play these things. (Pity it took until I was in my mid 50's before actually pursuing them!) And it is enormously subjective. It's like foods, tastes vary so widely. I'm not surprised that Paddy Keenan's Blackbird is John Gibbons' defining one (quite agree!) Irish pipes, Irish tune.... (yes I know they're an English invention). We could go off topic and discuss which instruments do different jobs for different people - for me a one row melodeon does a fantastic job with some dance tunes, but is 'orrible even when played by a great Irish master for a slow air. But that's another big discussion, and I've take us off topic too often recently, so I won't suggest it :) It would be interesting to know how many people, either within the North Eastern fold or out of it, were first inspired by hearing Mr Pigg's playing, though. Best wishes, Richard. On 18/12/2010 17:51, John Dally wrote: > Thanks to everyone for the edifying discussion. To me Doubleday seems > to be saying, the NSP are a rude, wee thing with enough charm to make > them worth preserving, and within its narrowest scope in its own way > it's quite nice, really. Another way of looking at it is that he's > saying "fa\g a phiob bhochd", "leave the poor pipes alone," which > makes good sense to me too. All that is fair enough. Contrast that > with George Sand's novel, The Bagpipers, which is truly inspired by > the rude sounds of peasant instruments. I think she wrote about the > same time as Doubleday. > > The discussion lost me when it took on the topic of most expressive > instrument. "Whatever gets you through the night," as the late, great > Liverpudlian once sang. All music is nostalgic and so much depends on > your frame of reference. When I first heard the NSP when I was about > fifteen I was drinking tea in a close corner by a wood stove after a > cold, wet day of scavaging fire wood from a logged off patch where > alder and madrona were left to rot. My friend, Sandy Ross (somehow > related to Colin), put a recording of Billy Pigg on the record player > and I was hooked. If he had put a recording of the best violinist in > the world I would have hurried out the door without finishing my tea. > There is much more to the context of that moment, social and personal, > that made it so important to me. But suffice it to say that for all > it's many flaws and short comings the NSP are the only thing that > works to express some things for me, and every time I hear and play > them that moment of contentment and happiness shines through. Of > course, I have many flaws and shortcomings, which explains a lot! > > > > To get on or off this list see list information at > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > --
