Saturday, February 28, 2009

NM Custom Drums
Recently, the City of Regina Pipe Band took delivery of a new set of mid-section drums, some of which we played at the recent Winnipeg Scottish Festival. Over the years, we have had a few sets of drums, and we have pretty much always purchased our drum equipment from our favourite source, in part because Hugh was so good to us when the band started out in 1992, and because his prices and service have always been excellent. Hugh always takes time with his customers, and for example he was a tremendous help to us in Scotland in 2005 when we were trying to get the best from an older set of Premier drums. So, it was a big step to go to Nathan McLaren for his drums, but we heard the great sound that Toronto Police had with them last season, and local expert Kenna Whelan was very enthusiastic about every aspect of the drums, so we thought we'd give it a try.

That move has worked out very well for us, and you can see the results above. From my initial inquiry about drums, right through to the first time we used them, every interaction with Nathan was clear, friendly and professional. He helped match the drums to our existing Premier snare colour, he provided timelines and updates as the drums were in production, and he came through for us in a BIG way right at the end.

We received the drums on the Monday before the contest last week, and when I opened the bass drum, one of the custom heads was split. Even though the heads were slackened before shipping, and very well protected in the box, travelling through 2 days of -30°C prairie weather in a truck did a number on one head, and it seemed like we were going to have to delay playing the new drum. I called Nathan to let him know [on the "Family Day" holiday] and he set to work right away. Within the next day, he found an exact replacement head for the drum, took it to his art guy with our bass head design, rendered the design on the head, and shipped it to Winnipeg, where we would meet it Friday. When we arrived in Winnipeg, we put the head on the drum, and played it for the first time that day.

We had very positive comments on the sheets regarding the tone of the drums, and one of the new tenor drums was used by the winner of the Pro Tenor class. Not a bad first outing.

We're looking forward to spending more time with these drums, and we strongly endorse the maker, the drums, and the service provided. We couldn't be more satisfied. Looking for new mid-section drums? Contact Nathan at NM Custom Drums.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Errors of Judgement
The bagpipe world has been buzzing for a couple of weeks now: first there was the pipes|drums story about the RSPBA barring overseas adjudicators. If you read everything there is to read, you come away with the clear sense that an injustice has been done. This was a very bad decision by the RSPBA, an error in judgement. It is clear that the RSPBA is trying to uphold a policy that has not previously been enforced, without notice to those affected, and without any chance of appeal, or any real discussion.

The second major story is the sad story reported in the Glasgow Herald after first being broken on pipes|drums about the likely scaling down of the Strathclyde Police Pipe Band. In the face of operational challenges——policing Glasgow & region!——they are winding up some of the traditional roles of a unit that has served the region for well over 100 years. Seems short-sighted to me, and the stories all talk about how the serving police officers in the band don't really have an idea what is coming, what their jobs will be like, or what plans might be for the band. The operational decisions seems to be made without the involvement of those most affected. That seems to be another error in judgement.

I am no stranger to errors in judgement, having made many myself. In fact, in the past week, I made a rather large error in judgement, which has adversely affected one long-time friend, and had an unsettling and disconcerting effect on a group of people that includes both friends and acquaintances I respect, and whose work I admire. What seemed like a bit of a wind-up, a short-term laugh, was taken hard, and seriously. It's a bit like sticking your foot out to trip a friend on the way home from the pub, and having them fall and scrape their head on a wall [no, I've never done that]. You can argue about what you hoped for, or what the intent was, or anything else, but it doesn't change the outcome, and it doesn't lessen the responsibility. I feel dreadful about the situation, and know that others are likely still upset. The apology has been made. It struck me that there is a relationship to these other errors of judgement.

My own [large] error happened because I let "the game" or the "sport" get in front of the people. I failed to fully consider how this would affect people I value, and in so doing, I let them down, and me too.

The RSPBA and the senior management of the Strathcylde Police are also putting process and sport in front of people. The RSPBA officials, including all the Scottish adjudicators [who could easily sort this with a boycott of judging], need to examine how the decision affects the PEOPLE who adjudicate. These are not names on a list. These are individuals who have committed many summers, and much of their own money to giving the RSPBA an international panel, and whose very presence gives the "World Championship" a legitimacy that it wouldn't otherwise have. The RSPBA needs to pick up the phone, talk to the people, come up with a solution, and make this right.

The Strathclyde Police may be a different matter. What I call an error in judgement someone else might call "more effective police management." The real error here is that the decisions seem to be made with not the people in view, but as a management/admin exercise. The losses in morale, retention, trust and public relations may not show up on the org chart or the financial report, but they will be a cost to deal with for many years, if this goes through.

At the end of the day, it's not easy to face up to dropping the ball, but it's a lot better than pretending you never had it, and it's much more respectful of the people you play with.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

"One of the Best Ceilidhs, Ever"
Have heard from quite a few people directly and indirectly who had a great time at the SOLD OUT Ceilidh this Saturday past. It was a fun night, and the band played pretty well. We particularly liked the two Gord Taylor tunes we played, accompanied by Gord on guitar, Stacy on keyboard, and Brett on drum kit. Very fun. Now we're refocussing to get ready for competing in Winnipeg in a couple of weks, and one thing the videos make clear: we have a lot of work to do.

Sunday, February 01, 2009

It's Ceilidh Time, and More

Had a long blow at the Legion today [heat was on, and moderate] in preparation for The Alexander Keith's Mid-Winter Celtic Festival which happens next Saturday. Make sure you get your tickets, because we have some great stuff lined up, including an exciting new addition to the Regina Irish scene in the form of Irish dancer and dance teacher Laura Buckley who danced successfully for years with the Blakey School in Saskatoon, and who is now teaching in Regina. She will be a great addition to what is already a vibrant scene here for Irish dance, and we look forward to her performance at the Ceilidh. While we are working on new concert music for the Ceilidh, and for concerts in the USA in March, we are also focussed on getting ready for the Winnipeg Scottish Festival on February 21. It'll be a tough day, for sure, because we'll all be noticing the absence of PPBAM President Marlene Stephens, whose personal efforts have helped make that event such a success over the years. Marlene was always a friend to the CRPB and also to the Conservatory Pipe Band, and we'll miss her happy face when we arrive at the Games. So, bring your chequebook for the silent auction, and get yourself to the Ceilidh. We're looking forward to a great night. And, if you get to Sunday morning and you think you haven't quite had enough fun, come to band practice at 10 a.m., and then for lunch at O'Hanlon's. See you there.