This winter season I decided to compete in local solo piping competitions called Knock Outs. There have been two so far and in the 40+ category I have come first place both times...okay, I was the only 40+ competitor. :o) The first event which was held in November I had to play a Slow Air followed by a 4-parted 6/8 march. I chose the tunes "Fair Jean" followed by "George Beley". I practiced a lot and was nervous playing in front of my peers as well as some pretty advanced players. luckily I got to go first so I got it over with. My play went well and I didn't make any note errors. Technique is the big challenge for beginning pipers as well as timing. Steady blowing is always a concern at my level as well. Had there been other 40+ pipers in the event and I had come last it would not have mattered as it's not about the placing so much as it is about the experience and the score sheet you get from the judge afterwards. The score sheets are very detailed and, from the good judges, very constructive. When you practice tunes over and over you know what your weak areas are so the score sheets usually don't contain too many surprises but every judge is different and they have different things they notice in any given tune. I was pleased with my first Knock Out experience.
The second Knock Out for 40+ was held on January 9th and I was to play a 4-parted 2/4 march. I chose the "Haughs of Cromdale". I was a bit rusty as I was away on vacation over the Christmas break and had very little opportunity to practice. I had just 1 week to knock the rust off the tune. Again, I didn't make any glaring errors but I know I could have played better. Nerves get to you when playing in front of people. I finished first again as I was the only 40+ competitor. It's a bit of a hollow victory but it's all about getting experience playing under pressure.
The finals for the Knock Outs are in March and I have to play a Medley. I have chosen "Jack's Welcome Home", "Skye Boat Song" and "Lochanside". I am looking forward to it however the audience will be about 4 times as large at least. The nerves will be running high that evening but with no other 40+ competitors who have qualified I just need to get through the Medley without being disqualified. Fingers crossed on that.
Here is a link to the brief write up about the Knock Out on the PPBSO website including a photo of the top 6 B grade pipers from the January Knock Out and myself on the right.
Showing posts with label PPBSO. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PPBSO. Show all posts
Wednesday, 13 January 2016
Friday, 11 September 2015
The Off-Season is so Short
Just when I was getting used to a slight lull in piping events be it from parades, concerts, Highland games, band practice or lessons the time has come where the lessons start up again and band practices are not too far behind them. I have been taking my lessons at the Glengarry School of Piping and Drumming with this being the start of my third season. Their instruction is fantastic with many instructors from the Ottawa Police Services grade 1 band. We enjoy the luxury, here in Eastern Ontario, of being in a band-populous area. In and around the National Capital area we have numerous grade 5 bands, a few grade 4 bands, a grade 3 band and a grade 1 band. That's a lot of inspiration and challenge for a 3rd year piper. I am looking forward to the band aspect of my piping career but this year I plan to start taking part in solo piping competitions. I took part in a few over the summer with disappointing results. This off-season/lesson season I will be taking some private lessons to augment my group lessons at the school in an effort to improve my solo playing. The local pipe band society, the Pipers and Pipe Band Society of Ontario, holds solo competitions for piping and drumming at different skill levels throughout the winter. These are called Knock Outs. They have category A for experienced grade 3 pipers up to grade 1 and they have category B for grade 5 up to less experienced grade 3. Luckily for me they also have a 40+ category for adult learners getting started in solo competing. That is where I will be competing. I will be nervous as playing the knock out is in front of spectators which are fellow pipers and drummers. All I have done as far as solo competing goes is a few Highland Games which has very few spectators for the solo competitions. This new experience for me will hopefully work on the "nerves" component and the "focus" component as they have been my kryptonite during band competitions this past year. It's all about growth and hopefully this will help me.
Another thing I want to share is a blog post from blog portion of the Pipes|Drums web site. It talks about the support we get as pipers or drummers from our families and/or spouses. It really hit home with me as my spouse is so supportive of my piping hobby. Here is that post.
Cheers,
Scott
Another thing I want to share is a blog post from blog portion of the Pipes|Drums web site. It talks about the support we get as pipers or drummers from our families and/or spouses. It really hit home with me as my spouse is so supportive of my piping hobby. Here is that post.
Cheers,
Scott
Monday, 3 August 2015
Pipe Band Season Coming to a Close
Well the summer Highland Games season is fast approaching its close. It's a bit of a whirlwind with lots of practicing alone and as a band. This being my second season playing there is still a whole lot to learn but it's not as overwhelming as last season. The highlight of our competition season is the Glengarry Highland Games of which we are the host band. It is the North American Championships and you always want to do your best in front of your home crowd. With 53 bands and almost 200 solo pipers competing across the 5 grades it's safe to say that there were a lot of pipers in Maxville, Ontario this past weekend. The games are much more than just the solo and band piping competitions. There are Highland dancing competitions, the Heavy events including the caber toss and hammer throw, the tug of war which had 10 entries of military teams and so much more. Oh, and lots of food and beer.
My personal experience at the games this year included solo piping and our grade 5 band competition. This is my first year taking part in the solo piping event. It's pretty straight forward actually. You choose a tune at the start of the season and learn it well. You play for a judge and he evaluates you on many facets of piping. At the grade 5 level (beginner) you see old guys like me who are adult learners and you see kids under 10 in the same event. Kids learn the bagpipes much easier than us old guys so it's not uncommon for the youngsters to take the top spots. There is no real audience while you perform other that the pipers who are piping after you. It's not really a spectator sport. The most valuable part of the exercise is the judges score sheet for your performance. The judge writes on how you performed and includes both what you did well and what needs improving. It is very constructive so even if you feel your play was weak you also get positive reinforcement for what you did well. Oddly, even though the score sheet tells you what you need to work on you usually already know where your difficulties lay. Knowing what you need to do and actually being able to do it under the stress of judgement is a whole different thing. I won't be graduating out of grade 5 solos into grade 4 any time soon but I know I have learned a lot this year with respect to playing alone in front of a judge. The tune I played all season, Lochanside, will be retired from my solo playing repertoire and next year I will try something different. It's not that I don't like the tune...I've just played it enough to last me for a while.
Our band competition this year at Maxville did not go as well as we had hoped. Our numbers are a little lower than we would like with just 9 pipers. More pipers, although not a guarantee of better results, do give you a bigger more full sound. The first part of any band competition is the march into the circle while starting to play the tune. The play begins with 2 rolls from the drums followed by the drones of the pipes and then an E followed by the first tune in the medley. This is routine but things can happen during this "simple" exercise. Stress and nerves can cause all sorts of problems including a poor strike-in (to get the drones going) or the dreaded early E. In an effort to get that good strike-in one can sometimes blow and squeeze too much which causes the early E. It stands out to all who are listening and as soon as it happens everyone knows it. It's not a competition killer at the grade 5 level but it certainly doesn't work in your favour. This year it was I who had the early E and I felt terrible about it. The important thing about an error like that at the beginning of your set is to not let it rattle you. It is so easy to start making mistakes in the tune because you are fretting about what just happened and it can be all downhill from there. Luckily I was able to play the tune without any errors at all which is actually an improvement over the past few Highland games this season. Nerves sometimes get the best of me and at some point during a play there is a wrong note here or there even though I have played the tunes a hundred times. Another problem that can happen is the momentary loss of focus. All it takes is letting your mind wander for 2 seconds and you can lose your place. It seems simple enough to keep your focus but it isn't as easy as it sounds. So, despite that nasty early E I played better than normal. We didn't place very well and it is definitely disappointing that the early E had a big part in that. You feel like you've let your band mates down. I know it's happened at Highland games hundreds, if not thousands, of times over the decades and I know it will likely be quickly forgotten but it doesn't make you feel any better.
We have 1, possibly two, more competitions remaining and I know they will be fun as they always are. The sense of family that you get from a pipe band is difficult to describe but it's like having a bunch of siblings who all have the same hobby. Pipers and drummers all working to the same goal. Just as in any family there is drama, arguments, cheers, laughter and sometimes disappointment.....oh and a lot of waiting. As the 2-year mark approaches since I first picked up the practice chanter I realize how far I have come. I played tunes fairly well this year that I stumbled through last year and i learned others from scratch that I had never heard of before. A lot has been learned but I've only nicked the edge of the iceberg of what there is to learn. I don't aspire to be a grade 1, top level, player. I know that won't ever happen. Heck, I don't even know if I'll ever get out of grade 5. The only thing I aspire to be is better than I was yesterday. For me and probably everyone else learning to play an instrument there are good days and there are bad days but as long as I'm improving and having fun doing it I'll be happy.
My personal experience at the games this year included solo piping and our grade 5 band competition. This is my first year taking part in the solo piping event. It's pretty straight forward actually. You choose a tune at the start of the season and learn it well. You play for a judge and he evaluates you on many facets of piping. At the grade 5 level (beginner) you see old guys like me who are adult learners and you see kids under 10 in the same event. Kids learn the bagpipes much easier than us old guys so it's not uncommon for the youngsters to take the top spots. There is no real audience while you perform other that the pipers who are piping after you. It's not really a spectator sport. The most valuable part of the exercise is the judges score sheet for your performance. The judge writes on how you performed and includes both what you did well and what needs improving. It is very constructive so even if you feel your play was weak you also get positive reinforcement for what you did well. Oddly, even though the score sheet tells you what you need to work on you usually already know where your difficulties lay. Knowing what you need to do and actually being able to do it under the stress of judgement is a whole different thing. I won't be graduating out of grade 5 solos into grade 4 any time soon but I know I have learned a lot this year with respect to playing alone in front of a judge. The tune I played all season, Lochanside, will be retired from my solo playing repertoire and next year I will try something different. It's not that I don't like the tune...I've just played it enough to last me for a while.
Our band competition this year at Maxville did not go as well as we had hoped. Our numbers are a little lower than we would like with just 9 pipers. More pipers, although not a guarantee of better results, do give you a bigger more full sound. The first part of any band competition is the march into the circle while starting to play the tune. The play begins with 2 rolls from the drums followed by the drones of the pipes and then an E followed by the first tune in the medley. This is routine but things can happen during this "simple" exercise. Stress and nerves can cause all sorts of problems including a poor strike-in (to get the drones going) or the dreaded early E. In an effort to get that good strike-in one can sometimes blow and squeeze too much which causes the early E. It stands out to all who are listening and as soon as it happens everyone knows it. It's not a competition killer at the grade 5 level but it certainly doesn't work in your favour. This year it was I who had the early E and I felt terrible about it. The important thing about an error like that at the beginning of your set is to not let it rattle you. It is so easy to start making mistakes in the tune because you are fretting about what just happened and it can be all downhill from there. Luckily I was able to play the tune without any errors at all which is actually an improvement over the past few Highland games this season. Nerves sometimes get the best of me and at some point during a play there is a wrong note here or there even though I have played the tunes a hundred times. Another problem that can happen is the momentary loss of focus. All it takes is letting your mind wander for 2 seconds and you can lose your place. It seems simple enough to keep your focus but it isn't as easy as it sounds. So, despite that nasty early E I played better than normal. We didn't place very well and it is definitely disappointing that the early E had a big part in that. You feel like you've let your band mates down. I know it's happened at Highland games hundreds, if not thousands, of times over the decades and I know it will likely be quickly forgotten but it doesn't make you feel any better.
We have 1, possibly two, more competitions remaining and I know they will be fun as they always are. The sense of family that you get from a pipe band is difficult to describe but it's like having a bunch of siblings who all have the same hobby. Pipers and drummers all working to the same goal. Just as in any family there is drama, arguments, cheers, laughter and sometimes disappointment.....oh and a lot of waiting. As the 2-year mark approaches since I first picked up the practice chanter I realize how far I have come. I played tunes fairly well this year that I stumbled through last year and i learned others from scratch that I had never heard of before. A lot has been learned but I've only nicked the edge of the iceberg of what there is to learn. I don't aspire to be a grade 1, top level, player. I know that won't ever happen. Heck, I don't even know if I'll ever get out of grade 5. The only thing I aspire to be is better than I was yesterday. For me and probably everyone else learning to play an instrument there are good days and there are bad days but as long as I'm improving and having fun doing it I'll be happy.
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| Glengarry Pipe Band - Grade 5 Piping competition in Maxville, Ontario. 2015 |
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| Glengarry Pipe Band - Grade 5 Piping competition in Maxville, Ontario. 2015 Photos courtesy of Fred Cattroll |
Sunday, 10 May 2015
Off To A Good Start
Yesterday was the Ottawa Branch Indoor Games at a high school in Kemptville Ontario. This is a smaller piping competition but is the first of the season in these parts and is good for seeing how we do in competition with this years "set". There were 3 grades competing in the band portion of the competition. Grades 5, 4 and 3 played in that order. There were five Gr.5 bands, two Gr.4 bands and two Gr.3 bands. The order of play always starts with the lower grade (5) first and works up from there. We were scheduled to play 3rd out of 5 which means we do not get to see bands who play before us as we are far too busy tuning and getting our "sound" just right.
A quick aside on bagpipe sound:
For anyone who is not familiar with bagpipes and how their sound can shift with the smallest of changes in any one of a number of factors may be surprised to learn that a band going into compete, even at the lowest grade, will spend at least an hour warming up the instrument, getting it fine tuned, re-tuned, then don't play too much or it will go out of tune, then play a little bit to keep the reed just "warm" enough, then fine-tune some more right up until the last second before going into the circle. It's very important that everyone's instrument sounds exactly the same and that can be very difficult in a lower grade band as a person's blowing is not as refined as a higher grade player's is and blowing affects the sound too. The chanter reed is also a sensitive element as no two are alike. This year our band members all have new reeds from a different manufacturer. They are loud and hard but makes for a big bright sound. We also have new chanters which also have more volume and nice sound. It makes a big difference as not all reeds or chanters are created equally.
After playing our set and heading off to our classroom to drop off our instruments we returned to the cafeteria to watch the rest of the bands compete. We saw the final gr. 5 band play and they sounded good. We then watched the gr. 4 bands play followed by the gr.3s. Following this the awards for the solo competitors from earlier in the day (the solo competitions are for another post) were handed out. The band results were then announced and to make a long story short we placed first in our grade. We were all very excited and pleased with our result but we also know we still have a lot of work to do to eliminate mistakes and improve our unison (playing exactly together). It was a good start to the season but the next competition, The Kingston Scottish Festival, near Kingston Ontario, is outdoors and that is a whole different thing. All mistakes and errors are so much more obvious when playing outside and there is no hiding.
Cheers for now
A quick aside on bagpipe sound:
For anyone who is not familiar with bagpipes and how their sound can shift with the smallest of changes in any one of a number of factors may be surprised to learn that a band going into compete, even at the lowest grade, will spend at least an hour warming up the instrument, getting it fine tuned, re-tuned, then don't play too much or it will go out of tune, then play a little bit to keep the reed just "warm" enough, then fine-tune some more right up until the last second before going into the circle. It's very important that everyone's instrument sounds exactly the same and that can be very difficult in a lower grade band as a person's blowing is not as refined as a higher grade player's is and blowing affects the sound too. The chanter reed is also a sensitive element as no two are alike. This year our band members all have new reeds from a different manufacturer. They are loud and hard but makes for a big bright sound. We also have new chanters which also have more volume and nice sound. It makes a big difference as not all reeds or chanters are created equally.
After playing our set and heading off to our classroom to drop off our instruments we returned to the cafeteria to watch the rest of the bands compete. We saw the final gr. 5 band play and they sounded good. We then watched the gr. 4 bands play followed by the gr.3s. Following this the awards for the solo competitors from earlier in the day (the solo competitions are for another post) were handed out. The band results were then announced and to make a long story short we placed first in our grade. We were all very excited and pleased with our result but we also know we still have a lot of work to do to eliminate mistakes and improve our unison (playing exactly together). It was a good start to the season but the next competition, The Kingston Scottish Festival, near Kingston Ontario, is outdoors and that is a whole different thing. All mistakes and errors are so much more obvious when playing outside and there is no hiding.
Cheers for now
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