Saturday, August 19, 2006

Moving on to the Next Thing

The band is entered to complete at Calgary and Canmore Highland Games, but it is looking doubtful if we have enough people to field a band that weekend. We have university start-ups, new jobs, lack of money and holidays as the main reasons, and good reasons they are.

The next thing is to decide who wants to have another go at the band in the upcoming season, and we have heard from at least one who is bowing out, and there may be more, as is common at this time of year. The real question is: who'sd out there that wants to take up the challenge?

Monday, August 14, 2006

Perth Highland Games: A Journey's End


The band got up and went to Perth on the bus this morning, and as you might expect, most people slept all the way there. Apparently, a few had a rather late night on Saturday.

Nevertheless, we had a decent performance at Perth, not quite as good in some respects as the Worlds, but pretty good. We were 3rd in a six-band contest. The winners were The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (who won at North Berwick, Perth and were in the final at the Worlds) and second was the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders. We were third, the 1st Battalion Scots Guards were fourth.

Following the games, we had a drink at the bus, and many songs on the bus back to Glasgow. The band bought a lot of Chinese food, and we had a buffet at the residence, after which many people went out. The photo here is of the Todd Bar at Strathclyde University. There were as many people again on the patio outside, and they were all there for the pipe band events.

So, that's it for Scotland 2006. It was a good band trip, and the members developed musically and in other ways. Next up is Calgary/Canmore, and we're looking into whether or not we can do that. Not sure we'll have enough people with holidays and money to make it work. Stay tuned.

Saturday, August 12, 2006

The Worlds: That's Us on the Right


The bus came at 7:30 am this morning, and we went down to Glasgow Green. As it turned out, we had a great parking spot for the bus, and it was a sunny and warm morning. We had a tune off the bus to settle in, then a walk 'round to make sure we knew where to go, etc., and then tuned for about 45 minutes before playing.

This was the best performance of the trip so far, and we were happy. It could have been better, but it was about the best we could expect today. It turned out to be 16/17 in the heat. In our defence, we played very early (2nd on) and of the six pipe bands who finished in the final six on the day, five were from our heat.

We recorded the Worlds performance on video, and you can listen to it HERE When you get to YouTube, search fior "CRPB" and you'll find it.


The 12 bands that made the final [see http://www.piperanddrummer.com] were all excellent, and were very happy to see that Robert Malcolm Memorial from BC won Grade 2 in the end. What a great achievement for the band, and so good to see friend Shaunna and Dave Hilder succeed after a couple of close misses. Well done also to Andre Tessier and the drum corps, and of course to ex-CRPB member Dave Thorpe.

So, all I can say is that the band gave a great effort, and we had our best play, and it was judged to be not what was needed for the day. The band members performed well, and we learned more about what our limitations are, and it draws some clear goals for areas in which we need to improve. A positive was that the drum corps was 10th in the heat.

Heard a few Grade 1 bands, and so many had a great sound. Excellent to see Alberta Caledonia in the final at the Worlds, and also to see SFU have such a strong finish. Band members spent lots of time listening to the bands, and meeting old friends and acquaintances. Apart from the disappointment of a low placing, it was a great day, and we're all looking forward to Perth tomorrow.

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Of Airports, Practice, Hard Decisions, and Festival Fun


The news of the airport madness came as we were waiting for band members Dave Hicks and Ian Aastrom to arrive. Dave flew from Calgary, and eneded up snarled in London, as did Ian who was travelling with the Transcona Pipe Band from Winnipeg. Both got here, but report of the widespread confusion, delays and difficulty. It seems as though something very bad has been averted, but it will not be easy travelling to and from the UK in the near future. Band members are anticipating having to check their pipes in the cargo on Monday, as well as all their personal belongings.

Band practice has been going well. Dave Roth has re-built the drums at least once, and refined the sound, and we have been working hard on tenors and bass, and of course the pipes too.

Trying to be competitive in the 2nd Grade at the World Championship is a big job for a band, and we are trying to push the band as hard as we can to get the most out of all the players, and represent our level as best we can. Sometimes, this means that not everyone gets to play, and these are extremely hard decisions to make, especially when they involve veteran players, valued band members, and of course—friends.

The Piping Festival is a fantastic experience for all involved, and this is Gaelic singer Kathleen MacInnes in performance at the Piping Centre on Wednesday. What a beautiful voice she has. Get to this Festival. It's brilliant.

Off to the band dinner right now in Glasgow, and then we have an early day tomorrow. The lunches are made, the shoes are shined, and the water is in the cooler. Temperature looks to be mixed sunny and overcast, about 25°C.

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Playing for the World, And a Day Off


Monday morning the band climbed back on the bus for the short trip to Glasgow's George Square. Once again, we had the honour of kicking off the Glasgow International Piping Festival with a 30-minute performance at the Square. A large crowd was gathered, and they were very appreciative. We were followed by The City of Blacktown and the Australian Highlanders, both Grade 1 bands.

Following our performance, and a few photos, the band scattered for the next 48 hours. Many went to piping concerts and shows, some to meet friends and socialize, and many ended up at the Lord Todd Bar and the Piping Centre Club for some late night music. You can get a sense of the Festival by checking out PiperandDrummer.com.

Tuesday [today], band members have scattered to various parts of Scotland. Some took a driving route through central Scotland, some took the train back to North Berwick to explore the seacoast and the historic sites, and many are taking advantage of Glasgow's incredible museums, shows, and the Piping Festival. Two members have enrolled in the "Back to BASSics" tenor and bass workshop for the day.

Band members are getting a much needed break from daily practice and pressure to perform, before it all winds back up tomorrow, with two practices a day.

Thanks for all your messages in posts and emails.

Sunday, August 06, 2006

Bridge of Allan: And Work to do Before We Sleep


What started as a chilly and overcast day, turned out to be hot and sunny in the afternoon, and a beautiful day at the Bridge of Allan Games. The band had a very good warm up and preparation for Bridge of Allan, but in the end, we had some issues that would put us well down in the list. The drummers had a very rough play, and up front there were a number of blowing issues. Very disappointing for all.

The early draw combined with the bad play meant a very low placing. So, we spent the afternoon listening to bands tuning, and enjoyed the social atmosphere at the Games. There were many people there to watch and listen, and lots of pipe band folks from around the World showing up in preparation for the Worlds.

Alberta Caledonia had a great day, placing 2nd in the Grade 1 event. This is a superb finish for them, and bodes well for next week at the Worlds. The 78th Fraser Highlanders were there too, and finished third behind Alberta. I spent an hour listening to the pipe section warm up, and they were very good. I loved the tune selections they used to warm up: classic 6/8 and 4/4 marches. Great stuff.

Tomorrow the band performs at George Square in Glasgow as the first official show of the 2006 Piping Live! Festival. Then, we have a "day off" to recover, and start preparations for next weekend on Wednesday. The goal for the next week will to build on the positive elements of this past weekend, and to work hard to improve the delivery of sound, and the relaxed kind of musical performance that we need to contend for prizes in Grade 2.

On a personal note, I have to say that it is deeply disappointing to be so far back in the list today, but even more so to have played poorly. The band members have worked extremely hard, contributed a lot of personal time and money to be here, and it would be great to be able to put on a better show next weekend, regardless of what placings we get.

So, at the end of the day, looking for solace, I turn to other things that make me happy, or inspire me to try again. When you're working hard at something you love, and not always succeeding, you have to find the spark to keep yourself going, so that you can motivate others to keep going too. So I went to YouTube again and listened to this video by Scottish singer Karine Polwart. Hope you like it too. LISTEN

Saturday, August 05, 2006

North Berwick: A Beautiful Day on the East Coast


The bus arrived promptly at 8:45 this morning, and we made the 1.5 hour trip to North Berwick in good time. This year, the driver brought us into the town and ther games park from the other side, and we got a stunning view of the East coast, Tantallon Castle [see below] and other natural features.

We spent an hour in the morning working on the bagpipe sound and drums, had the lunch that we packed at the residence, and then got down to playing. The Grade 2 event went well. We played everyone, had a good sound, and played well. There is room to improve for sure. We did improve on some aspects when we competed again in the Grade 1 event, but by then the players were tired, and the performance was physically much harder, and past our best. Still, the drummers had a better second run, and some aspects of the piping were better, in part because it was more relaxed.

We recorded the Grade 2 event on video, and you can listen to it HERE

Result: we were 4th of 9 grade 2 bands. Although initially this is a step back from the 2nd prize we got here last year, this was a stronger field than last year, with three excellent Grade 2 bands ahead of us. Full results at www.rspba.org


Aside from a great view of the castle, it was great to see so many pipe band friends there. Alberta Caledonia had two very strong performances to win the Grade 1 events, and the Gaelic College PB from Cape Breton did well in Grade 3. Also in the prizes was Ogden Legion from Calgary. We saw P/M Alex Cupples and his son Ian. They were visiting and came out to the Games. Also bumped into a wide variety of folk, from former Edinburgh Police and Babcock-Renfrew P/M Iain McLeod, to Major Gavin Stoddart, who was just at the piping school in Regina.

Thanks to everyone for their posts and emails. We are off to Bridge of Allan in the morning, and we play around 12:30 pm. Looking forward to a better performance, although a prize will a be a tough order, b/c there are more bands, and many more good bands likely to be there, and most of them playing after us.

More to come.

Friday, August 04, 2006

Day One: Finding the Scotland Sound


Looking forward to North Berwick tomorrow, and band members are focussed on playing well. Above photo is was taken a few minutes ago in one of the common kitchen areas at the dorm where we are styaing. In the background is the trophy from North Berwick last year.

Practice today was a shock to everyone's jet-lagged system. Pipes are harder when you first get here. The mositure opens up the reeds, and the system expands with moisture. The good news is that the sound is ultimately better, too. Bagpipes and humidity are a good match, to a point. New drum heads contribute to an overall Day One struggle as we try to turn around the band sound in a new climate, and with some new reeds and heads.


In the dorm, 10:20 p.m., there is the sound of practice chanters and pads here and there, some smallpipes in the 2nd floor kitchen, and an iPod boom box in the first floor kitchen playing tunes of a more mainstream variety. Some have gone to bed, and some are ironing shirts and cleaning shoes. Living in the dorms, we get to experience each other's culinary flirtations. Here's one I thought I'd share.

Bus comes at 9:00 a.m.tomorrow, and we'll try to post when we return.

Thursday, August 03, 2006

In Scotland Again


I have been here for pretty much a week now, and ytoday met up with the rest of the pipe band in Glasgow. Most of the band members arrived this afternoon in Glasgow. Since arriving, I have watched the Grade 1 and a few Grade 2 bands at the European Championships in Greenock, and have travelled around a lot, and played at two Highland Games.

Met some pipers from The Blacktown bands from Australia, and some friends from the UK and Canadian piping scene. Most impressive so far was Field Marshal Montgomery. They were stellar in the pouring rain, and would have been very deserving winners of that competition. Had the best pipe tone by a wide margin, plus a great overall package. 5th in ensemble? Not in my books.

Tayside Police were also very good indeed, and had a better sound than a few Grade 1 bands I heard. 12th in piping? Either something very bad happened that only one piping judge heard, or one of the judges had a bad day.

And a mystery solved: it turns out that the North Berwick people have "78th Fraser Highlanders" in the draw, when what they mean is "78th Highlanders, Halifax Citadel." Arrived at the dorms in Glasgow to find gate passes and the draw from the committee in North Berwick, and it seems that someone made an understandable error when entering the bands for the draw.

So, we will prepare the field for the 78th Highlanders [Halifax] at North Berwick, and not the 78th Frasers. "There can be only one.." [off-stage left, deep voice that sounds like Bill Livingstone.]

The title of this post: next time you're in a used book store, have a cruise through the Scottish and travel books to see if you can find this title by "H.V. Morton." He also penned "In Scotland," anbd they are charming travelogues from an era past. As we meander through the countryside, I often think of Morton, and what he would make of modern Scotland.