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bagpipe-digest        Tuesday, October 26 1999        Volume 01 : Number 163




----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: 26 Oct 1999 15:21:41 GMT
From: [e-mail] (Ccc31807)
Subject: (bagpipe) Re: Speaking of . . .

>Do I need
>more than this???

1.  On the day of the compeititon, do not play your pipes before you compete -
just a tuning scale and maybe once through your tunes, just to check to see if
your pipe is working and you haven't forgotten the tune since the day before.
You now are not learning the tune, but performing, and you don't want to waste
yourself.

2.  On the boards, after you settle your pipes in and do your final fine
tuning, pause, take a DEEP breath, and play the tune HALF as fast as you
normally do, concentrating on musicality, not technical perfection.  You are
now one with the music, and the judge wants to hear Maeve, not a robot that can
pound out notes that have no soul.

3.  Then, when you finish, go the the higher grades and watch the contests
there.  You will be amazed at how easy it all appears.

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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1999 09:43:29 -0400
From: Chris Hamilton <[e-mail]>
Subject: (bagpipe) Re: Thow Story for Todd

On Mon, 25 Oct 1999 22:37:47 GMT, "Ron Bowen" <[e-mail]>
wrote:

>So my position remains the same.  Please, if you're new or inexperienced,
>don't spend your money on a "classic" bagpipe.  99% of the time it's a waste
>of your money and a waste of the bagpipe.  You will be much better off with
>a new or newer reasonably priced bagpipe.  You'll be surprised how the sound
>will improve as you become more skilled at blowing, setting up your reeds
>properly, and developing a piper's ear.  With all honesty, if you ever
>should aspire to the level where you need a "classic" bagpipe, I sincerely
>hope they're still available.
>
>Now, no doubt some will think I'm full of ...er...Canadian Bacon!  But I
>have to ask this question... If new pipes, and pipes of "lesser" reputation
>are suitable for pipers that I know in winning Grade 1 and Grade 2 bands and
>solo competition, why are they not good enough for a "young fellow" at
>Portage and Main?

Hey I LOVE Canadian Bacon.

I agree with your attitude 100 percent.

I've not been judging long, but long enough to hear some classic
bagpipes in the lower grades poorly set up and not tuned properly. And
some modern off-the-shelf pipes well tuned and balanced. Which do you
think wins the day?

Chris
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chris Hamilton -- [e-mail]
City of Washington Pipe Band
http://toneczar.freeservers.com/

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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1999 15:30:10 GMT
From: oshpiper <[e-mail]>
Subject: (bagpipe) Re: Taped chanters

In article <[e-mail]>,
  [e-mail] (Sir  just drop the chalupa ) wrote:

> I saw a guy opening and closeing an umbrella as if to signal someone,
just
> before the contest started...
> Bill

Nope.  That was Royce.  He's everywhere.

Pat


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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1999 16:49:46 +0100
From: "lsrapm" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (bagpipe) Re: dial manometer

Oh, yes... nice one, Lloyd!
I see it comes with a nice price tag as well - only $595. (peanuts really.)
I see from the specs. that it can also be "used in determining the magnitude
of vertical deformation of surfaces during an earthquake "......(sounds like
just what we need at band practice..)

 (!!)

Chris Eyre

Lloyd Bogart wrote
> "For those who care enough to give the very best"
> http://www.citycent.com/manometer/
>
> (And no, I haven't a *clue* where it attaches to
> the drone, but isn't it pretty?)
>
> ;-)
>
> Lloyd
> *****




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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1999 15:56:56 GMT
From: "Ron Bowen" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (bagpipe) Re: Tone - with no preservatives

Well, Sod, I see you've lost none of your love for the GHB over the years.
Folks, don't let him fool you.  Kevin is what we call a "natural."  He could
make music out of a few tubes and a couple of blades of grass tied together.

Here's the poop, though.  I am a "purist" that's been brought over to "the
dark side."  Kevin, I love cane and sheepskin.  I really do, and if I have
any talent at all, it's in making my pipes sing with this set-up.  However,
having played synthetic bag and reeds all summer (complete with your cat's
kitty litter), in 90 degree heat and in a driving downpour at the worlds, I
may never go back.  Aside from little things, pipe maintenance is a fraction
of what it used to be and the pipes are dead steady.  Blow for 5 minutes and
everything is locked in and doesn't move!

O.K. nothing is gained without something being sacrificed.  It (the
synthetic set-up) is a "different" sound.    To go straight from cane &
sheepskin to a synthetic set-up was a shock to my system.  Having said that,
I believe that much of what I hear on my shoulder is lost three feet back.
(all except that "craw" in the high A that stuck out like a sore thumb at
Bethlehem.  Damn!)

The Chief sends his best.  He's planning a trip to Kamloops, so batten down
the hatches!  Arhhh, another homosmogomos for the lads!
Ringo

Kevin MacDonald <[e-mail]> wrote in message
news:u6bR3.189$[e-mail]...
>
> Bob Dunsire <[e-mail]> wrote in message
> I know that the sound you hear, influences the sound you
> > like.. but..
> >
> > How can you not love a great set of cane drones, with a sheepskin bag?
> And how
> > can you not notice the difference? ...
>
>
> ok Bob, you asked...
>      Speaking from a purely personal viewpoint, i'll tell you how you can
> NOT love cane reeds.  They are so blasted finicky that you sometimes
> end up hating the instrument because it's just too hard to get it stable.
> Is it worth the aggravation to select, break in and maintain a cane reed?
> Depends how much time, experience and patience you have.  As for a sheep
> bag, you can always tell when it's time to season it, it's a day of the
week
> that ends with "Y".
>      A bagpipe is already an evil, unpredictable, vile creature.  Cane
reeds
> and
> sheepskin are more of the same.  They can be lovely, but so can the cat.
A
> bagpipe with cane reeds and a sheepskin bag is more claws than purrs.
That
> said, it's always a treat to listen to somebody who knows how to make them
> sing.  And if i could make cane work, i'd be real pleased with it too...
> kevin
>
> ps.  you must be a proud papa!  what a year...
>
>



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------------------------------

Date: 26 Oct 1999 15:35:05 GMT
From: [e-mail] (Ccc31807)
Subject: (bagpipe) Re: Quiet Piping?

I live in a suburban area, on a hill, and across the street from a golf course.
 I often practice at night out doors, between 7:00 and 9:00.  All the neighbors
seem to enjoy it (except one, who threatened to call the police), the golfers
try to schedule tee times, light permitting, and sometimes I collect an
audience of dirvers-by.  And I have got several gigs out of it.

When I can't do this because of the lateness of the hour, I go to a pavilion at
the local university and play there.  This can be really late (midnight) and
sometimes I collect an audience of patrol cars (writing their reports, of
course) and inebrieated students.

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------------------------------

Date: 26 Oct 1999 16:24:08 GMT
From: [e-mail] (Bob Dunsire)
Subject: (bagpipe) Alasdair Gillies

Please forgive this moment of ... I don't know what to call it.

I know there are a few way to spell the name Alasdair.. (Alisdair, and others),
but for Mr. Gillies  his first name is spelt: Alasdair
(notice the English spelt?  - impressive? Oh well... How come we don't use that
word on this side of the pond?)

I am a terrible speller, and I know no harm is meant with the spelling errors,
but it was starting to bug me..He is arguably the best solo piper in the world,
and everyone on the NG seems to spell his name wrong.. So this is my little
(very little) contribution ..

Sorry,
Bobb

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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1999 12:57:18 -0400
From: Bentley Wall <[e-mail]>
Subject: (bagpipe) Re: composing collaborations

> A great tune I've been playing recently is the 78th Frasers 'Up to the
> Line'.  The tune is attributed to Michael Grey and Bruce Gandy.  I can't
> think of any other original pipe tune composing collaborations (between
> pipers).   A quick scan through my books turned up none either.  Are
> there others?
>
> Doug C.

In fact, I have talked to many people who have collaborated on the ideas
behind tunes.  There are many examples of tunes that have original parts
where an additional author has added parts.  Also, there are other reasons
why a certain author might have credit for a given tune when in fact it
was a collaboration.  I know of such a piece which  was listed as being
written by
a single author.  When it first came out on a
pipe band recording, one of the collaborating authors was no longer in the
band so only the author who was still in the band was listed as the author.
When it was actually published a couple of years later, this situation
remained
listing only the single author.  One other sign of a collaborative effort is
when a
tune is published with the 'author' space omitted and instead has 'arranged
by'
which most commonly refers to technical setting differences but very often
significant melody line alterations whether it be dot/cut inversions or
additions
or outright melody note alterations.  I think it is a travesty when someone
publishes tunes and does not list the original author but instead only lists

'arranged by'.  That pisses me off.  Whether or not someone should rewrite
or 'arrange' other people's works (for publication purposes) is one of our
age old
ethical arguements on which we will never decide.  But, if the tune evolves
say from a dot/cut style reel to a rewritten even style reel, it has no less
been
a collaboration of different people, one for the basic melody line, and one
for
the presentation or style of the musical flow.  In truth, every time a tune
has been
published in a different 'traditional' pipe music text, there are
differences based on
either personal style, or perhaps different branches of the military having
different
'setting', etc.  The final result of every tune is really a synthesis of all
of this input
and arranging over time in conjunction with how each band and player
contributes
individual tweaks while performing each tune.  This is most noticeably true
in
Piobaireachd where the published 'score' has only a basic influence in how
the
tune is presented and where it is acceptable (at higher levels of play) to
present the
pieces interpretively.  The real collaboration therefore, is a composite of
personal
presentations of the same score by many highly acclaimed and educated
players
of both the past and the present.  My opinion is therefore, that there is no
such
thing as a tune that does NOT have a collaborative component to it over
enough
time, unless of course it was written by one person, published once only,
and
never played thereafter.

This may be a small diversion from your original question so if you were
only
interested in a list of tunes with multiple authors please disregard the
above.

Bentley Wall


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------------------------------

Date: 26 Oct 1999 16:08:49 GMT
From: [e-mail] (Bob Dunsire)
Subject: (bagpipe) Re: THE BIG TONE CONTEST

Hi John,

Gee - another 'just for fun thing' on the newsgroup.. certainly, count me in..
(or, as you say.. 'invovled')

>Just to keep things fair, I will not submit a sample and we
>can get the vote master invovled again, OK with you Bob?



Bob D.

(having too much fun with web pages, including:
http://members.aol.com/bdunsire
http://members.aol.com/bagpipeweb (Bagpipe Web Directory - 1000+ links)
http://www.user.dccnet.com/bcpipers/index.htm (BC Pipers' Association))

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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1999 17:26:47 GMT
From: aberdeen <[e-mail]>
Subject: (bagpipe) Re: Iain Macpherson Memorial Results

Thanks for posting the results.

Thanks also to:

- -- All the contestants both amateur and professional.  Many of them
traveled a long way to be there.
- -- The judges.  It was the first time I had the opportunity to meet
Donald MacPherson.  A very nice gentleman.  It was good to see Mike and
Jimmy again as well.  I'm sorry Mike wasn't able to compete, but maybe
next year.
- -- All the sponsors.  Without the money and prizes, I doubt it would
have been anywhere near as successful.
- --  A very special thanks to Tom Campbell and his committee for putting
it all together.  A big undertaking with lots of hurdles.  Good job of
bringing it all off.

It was a rare occasion to be able to hear such a competition in this
part of the country.  It was also nice to meet the competitors,
customers and others who we just know by recordings, email, newsgroup
postings, or voice.  Good being able to put a face to the name.  It was
a little surprising there weren't more spectators on hand than there
were, but hopefully that will grow in future years.

I look forward to next year.

All the best,

- --
Jim Hudgins
Aberdeen Bagpipe Supply
<http://www.AberdeenBagpipe.com>


Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.

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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1999 10:24:36 -0700
From: "Iain Sherwood" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (bagpipe) Re: Goddess newage gothic - new genre

just wait for the merchandising....


IS
Don Robertson <[e-mail]> wrote in message
news:[e-mail]...
> Oh for crying out loud !!
>
> blackswans wrote:
>
> > Band Goddess debut album on mp3 is a new genre.
> > Gothic newage - discussing death as reality, not cliche morbid junk.
> > www.blackswans.com - site is gothic with a christian outlook on death.
> > mp3 spoken category voted "blackswans" no1 for 2 weeks.
> > Gothic can be good !
> >
> > * Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet's Discussion
Network *
> > The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet - Free!
>
>
>



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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1999 12:46:34 -0400
From: Chris Hamilton <[e-mail]>
Subject: (bagpipe) Re: Alasdair Gillies

On 26 Oct 1999 16:24:08 GMT, [e-mail] (Bob Dunsire)
wrote:

>Please forgive this moment of ... I don't know what to call it.
>
>I know there are a few way to spell the name Alasdair.. (Alisdair, and others),
>but for Mr. Gillies  his first name is spelt: Alasdair
>(notice the English spelt?  - impressive? Oh well... How come we don't use that
>word on this side of the pond?)
>
>I am a terrible speller, and I know no harm is meant with the spelling errors,
>but it was starting to bug me..He is arguably the best solo piper in the world,
>and everyone on the NG seems to spell his name wrong.. So this is my little
>(very little) contribution ..

That's funny ... over drinks in the Biltmore in Oklahoma City on
Saturday night, I had Alasdair write out the correct spelling of his
name on a napkin.  I had been spelling it Alisdair too (which is
probably the most common).

Chris
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chris Hamilton -- [e-mail]
City of Washington Pipe Band
http://toneczar.freeservers.com/

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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1999 17:58:14 GMT
From: "Ron Bowen" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (bagpipe) Re: Thow Story for Todd

This following response is from John Broadwell.  He's having trouble getting
posts onto the server, so I thought I would give 'im a leg up!

In response, John, you're a gentleman and I respect your position.  I'm
really not out to change the world.  I just want to be the little "yap yap"
voice in the back of your head.  You know...the one that just barges in and
says "Whoa there!  What's going on here?"  That's all.  I'm also pro-choice.
My personal choice is pro-life.  Good post, John.  Thanks for stating your
position.

Ringo

John wrote... Ringo, I have mailed this to you personally as I seem to be
having trouble getting my posts either on the list or read, not sure which?
I am amazed at the story about that girl with two split sets of pipes,
something in all my years I have never seen. Salutary lesson there, and I
can now see where some
of your argument is coming from, But I am honour bound to say I still do not
agree with you, yes it is a shame to see good pipes not being used to their
full potential, but that is the way of the world and I for one will do my
bit to watch over *those* pipers and their pipes to ensure that they do not
do anything too drastic with them, call it a fatherly interest if you will,
I have both the interest of the pipes and the piper at heart.

My email address appears to be wrong on the list, I thought I had corrected
it but it should be
[e-mail]  (there is a *t* missing if you look below)

John



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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1999 18:02:57 GMT
From: Bill Carr <[e-mail]>
Subject: (bagpipe) Re: THE BIG TONE CONTEST

I've been experimenting with recording onto my new computer but everything I record sounds
very crackley, lots of background noise.

I suspect it's the cheap and nasty headphone type mic that came with the computer (IBM
Aptiva) but I see that it is possible to record in all kinds different qualities. 8 bit
Mono, 16 bit stereo, etc. Can we agree on a format here or doesn't it matter.

Could we also agree on mic positioning in relationship to the position of the pipes?


Bill Carr



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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1999 15:11:00 -0400
From: Chris Hamilton <[e-mail]>
Subject: (bagpipe) Re: Manly-ometer

On Tue, 26 Oct 1999 13:58:48 -0400, "Lindsay Kirkwood"
<[e-mail]> wrote:

>
>Chris Hamilton <[e-mail]> wrote in message >

>> Mark was commenting on the fullness and volume of my pipe, which was
>> quite good.  The chanter timbre could have been better.  I thought my

>Is that what you want .A big fat pipe??

No, actually I was not aware that they were particularly loud, but
then again I'm playing, not listening from a distance.  I have
actually lowered the strength of my chanter reed the last year or so
in order to get a better blend and a bit brighter sound.

>It was a solo event not a band event

Right. I like a certain sound, which is on the "ballsy" side, some
would say very band-ish.

I often get compliments on it outdoors, but indoors I've gotten "too
loud" comments from certain judges. At a recent contest, I adjusted my
volume / "fatness" to suit this one particular judge, and that judge
said "chanter a bit tinny" on my scoresheet.  Same setup a few weeks
later and a different judge said "Pipe was perfect."  Hah, so ya can't
win! At any rate, ya can't please everyone.

>I'd say that Alasdair,Ian Whitelaw ,John MacKenzie's
>Pipe strength and (Volume) would be ideal.

I can't speak for the strength of their reeds, but they all had full
vibrant instruments. I think every pipe I heard did, mine included.
BTW, I played a 1985 Sinclair chanter, not my usual Gibson. I felt the
Sinclair was brighter but lower-pitched than the Gibson with the
particular reeds I had on hand.  Drone reeds were Mark Lee Rockets.

I just had some overly-dry trouble and bag slippage that had my top
hand climbing and drones wavering in the MSR.

One phenomemon I noticed with the Rockets were that they would stay
stable, almost too much so, as the chanter reed changed with the
temperature and dryness. So drones that started out in tune with Low A
would be flat to Low A but in tune with each other by the end of the
performance.  Cane I think tends to change with the chanter as they
too are affected by the temp / moisture. I'll have to watch this in
the future.

>It was held indoors ,correct?

No, it was outdoors ... a sunny day but pretty cold, especially
Saturday morning.  The event itself was in a sunken amphitheater,
which was *quite* noticeably cooler even than the surface level air,
especially when in shade.  On Sunday they moved the contest to the
opposite end of the arena to better capture the sun, but it was still
cooler and the pipe would change when getting on the boards.

Chris
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chris Hamilton -- [e-mail]
City of Washington Pipe Band
http://toneczar.freeservers.com/

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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1999 19:16:29 GMT
From: John and/or Lori Gaudet <[e-mail]>
Subject: (bagpipe) Magarity Ross Reeds

Hi everyone, I'm wondering if the masses will give me their opinion on
these reeds and their reed makers....I was recommended to try them by a
reliable source..
They were described to me as Warnocks with Ooomph!
I have a young band who need the maximum volume for less effort. But I
want a reed with some meat on it! I call Warnocks "today reeds" here
today and gone tomorrow, and they are pitched too high for my early 80's
set of Sinclairs.
Can someone tell me of their experience with Magarity-Ross' customer
service as well?
Thanks in advance,
Lori


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Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1999 15:37:05 -0400
From: Chris Hamilton <[e-mail]>
Subject: (bagpipe) Re: Dropping out of Grade One

On Tue, 26 Oct 1999 13:33:12 -0500, Kenton Adler
<[e-mail]> wrote:

>Maybe the best bands in Grade II just happen to be playing Shepherd
>chanters, and Shepherd just happens to be a judge.

Ockham's Razor would declare that to be the case.

>Seriously though,  we're talking about a pretty small population here.  Is
>this guy REALLY going to jeopardize his reputation, and his longterm
>livelihood by creating an unfair result that may benefit him in the short
>term?

That's what I think.

>He may for all I know.  My real argument was that the using a Shepehrd
>chanter and having Shepherd as a judge was not the ONLY reason COW or LA
>Scots wond the Grade II.  My argument is that it takes more than a little
>schmoozing to get to the top.  Maybe it didn't hurt, but they had to get
>there on their own, and it took more than a particular name brand to do
>it.

The year the LA Scots won it, they were playing Warnock chanters (they
now play MacCallum).  The Western Australia Police won it in 1998
playing Sinclair.  We won it playing older Shepherds - the 1993-design
Mark II (still a GREAT chanter).  Just to ensure no one thinks we ran
out and bought a new set of chanters to ingratiate us to the man.

Hey and how about the flack Rob Mathieson took for moving Shotts from
War-Mac to Shepherd?  He attraced the to-the-dying-day ire of the
MacAllisters. Now THAT was going out on a limb, but he did it because
he said he wasn't getting the sound he wanted from the War-Mac.

Chris
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chris Hamilton -- [e-mail]
City of Washington Pipe Band
http://toneczar.freeservers.com/

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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1999 15:38:22 -0400
From: Chris Hamilton <[e-mail]>
Subject: (bagpipe) Re: Learning in Richmond VA

On Tue, 26 Oct 1999 15:06:32 -0400, "Gouldin"
<[e-mail]> wrote:

>Howdy all,
>I have always wanted to learn the pipes and have finaly found the time and
>cash.  Is there anybody in the Richmond Virginia area that teaches?  Just
>wondering cause I don't want to pick up any bad habits.
>Thanks,
>Will G.

Try George Albertine at [e-mail].  He's P/M of
the Emerald Society of Greater Richmond band, one of my minions.

Chris
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chris Hamilton -- [e-mail]
City of Washington Pipe Band
http://toneczar.freeservers.com/

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Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1999 13:00:02 -0700
From: "Todd" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (bagpipe) Re: Thow Story for Todd (was:  Dealers Fault)

Ron Bowen <[e-mail]> wrote

> Todd, this is the second "snippy" post that I've gotten from you.  I am
> temped to unload on you, however I think that I'll stick to the high road
a
> bit longer.

No 'snippy'ness intended  --  I just like to keep things reasonable...  When
someone tries to justify ripping people off, pointing to lack of experience;
I think that's pretty low.  (You must be aware of the validity of my
argument, because you've changed threads to avoid all the material in this
topic's original thread "Dealer's Fault"  (in which it was evident it was
the Dealers fault based on the information available in the posts) .  And
like I said, it doesn't have ANYTHING to do with the topic of who "Deserves"
these sets.  It's a business issue!   Period!  Let's not forget Ron, *YOU*
posted to the group specifically ASKING for input.   Now that  I've  given
you some you don't like, you get all defensive and ask for credentials,
etc..  Come on Ron;   you solicited responses from an internet newsgroup  --
what did you expect?!!   If you only wanted 'Qualified' people to reply,
perhaps a trade journal, or band meeting would have been a better forum.

> What we are talking about is newer and less experienced pipers being told
> (and believing) that the only way to get a superior sound is to buy a
> "classic" bagpipe.  Plain and simple, this isn't true.

Well if this is what you have now decided to talk about, then I completely
agree.  I have written much on this newsgroup about the strange way some
pipers hold an almost "Excalibur-like" regard for their pipes,  when really
the most important thing for tone  --  in my opinion  --  are reeding, set
up, and good blowing.  So, whether or not you agree with that, It  CERTAINLY
never could be construed that *I* put forth the belief that only a "Classic"
set can give superior sound.

What I was responding to, is your assertion that only an experienced player
actually "Deserves to OWN" a classic set;  and therefore, if a non-pro ever
buys one, he deserves whatever calamity may arise.  When in reality, anyone
who can BUY a classic set, deserves to own it, IMO.  For better or worse,
this is just the reality of market forces, and human nature.  The dealer is
not 'Off the Hook' in the integrity department simply because a novice
bought his pipes.

> The other
> truth is that newer and less experienced pipers can't hear, understand, or
> produce the subtle "superiorities" that a classic pipe is capable of
> delivering.  In this sense, a classic pipe is inappropriate for these
> pipers.

Maybe, and maybe not (I personally don't believe in these so called "subtle
superiorities").  But that doesn't mean they shouldn't own whatever they can
legally buy.  Besides all you have to do is take your argument a little
further:  what if the less experienced player GETS BETTER?  He then can grow
into the pipes which he bought (and you claim he wasn't worthy of), and
everyone is happy.   A Piper can BECOME worthy  --  n'est pas?

> I've owned and played more classic bagpipes
> than you have fingers and toes, assuming that you've got them all.  I take
> considerable care to ensured that these pipes get into the  "right" hands,

There you go again with that strange elitism of ghb ownership stuff.  What
are the "Right" hands?  Is there some kind of world panel of judges who are
the arbiters of such  worthiness in the piping community?

> Story time.  A new and inexperienced piper (my measurement, not hers)

Interesting story (very Excalibur-like).  It is as if you imply that,
because the piper was not yet worthy of such a magical pipe,  they simply
"melted" in her grasp.   It is as if you are indicting her for destroying a
mystical relic, simply by virtue of her inability to fully appreciate it.
Maybe, Ron,  A quick "heads up" on the care and maintenance would have been
a good idea.   You might have simply informed her of the best care and
handling procedures, Then you could have 'faced her' when you later
witnessed the dilapidated pipes.   Lord knows plenty of old sets would STILL
have fallen apart no matter what was done (maybe a good idea to mention this
fact at time of purchase/repair too).  Another interesting thing, you write:

>  I did a positive
> I.D. on them as being made by Thow of Dundee, from the late 1800's.  I
> totally refinished them (deep oil, burnished the bores, refinished the
> exterior) and brought them back up to standard.  I played them for about a
> month before returning them to her.  I didn't like the tone particularly,
> however they "were what they were"

"were what they were"!? --  I thought it was ALL about TONE with these
classic sets (that's what you've based your whole argument on).  If they
don't have great flippen tone then what is so great about them as a musical
instrument?   And therefore, what is the great shame in them being owned by
novices?

> Todd, I have come onto the NG to share my experiences and what I have
> learned over the years.  I am pretty much an open book.  Why not tell us
who
> you are, how long you've been playing and at what level?  It would sure
help
> to put your comments into context.

Well Ron, I'm a businessman, and have the experience of many years.  I know
that I would not get away with telling a customer, "I'm going to rob you
because of your lack of knowledge in my field."  On the contrary, my clients
pay me to AVOID costs due to inexperience.  I thought that is what bagpipe
Dealers claimed to do as well.  As for my piping experience,  that is
LARGELY documented on this group.  Feel free to do a 'deja' search.   To
wit, articles that include topics on:

The non-Tempered scale and GHB.
Mathematical methods to prove Long drone stability.
Analysis of Overtone series in conical vr. cylindrical chambers
The manometer  --  it shows you what you *SHOULD BE* hearing.
How to tune a GHB to play with concert instruments.
Reed adjustments for tuning 'out on the pin'.
Dangers of Pitch migration and its effect on harmonic overtone series (loss
of audible partials)
Lack of Standardized pitch in GHBing.
How to repair cracks with Resins.

...and many others, some written many years ago (>=4 years).  I'd say I'm a
pretty 'open book' too.  I've learned a lot over the years, so it's not all
good.  But it is all there for your reading pleasure.

Cheers
Todd





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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1999 17:17:28 -0300
From: "dnimmo" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (bagpipe) Re: Hurricane Maeve hits the UK!!

Blair wrote in message <[e-mail]>...
>
>dnimmo wrote in message ...
>>there was a previous thread discussing the changes in tone between the
same
>>drones in natural bags, v's "rubber bags"................... was this the
>>devulging of another secret ?
>
>
>Nothing to say here, but I just love that word 'devulging'. Has a great
>sound to it!
>
>....Blair


OOooops..........david



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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1999 17:20:13 -0300
From: "dnimmo" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (bagpipe) Re: Iain Macpherson Memorial Results

aberdeen wrote in message <7v4o8i$b0q$[e-mail]>...
>Thanks for posting the results.
>
>Thanks also to:
>
>-- All the contestants both amateur and professional.  Many of them
>traveled a long way to be there.
>-- The judges.  It was the first time I had the opportunity to meet
>Donald MacPherson.  A very nice gentleman.  It was good to see Mike and
>Jimmy again as well.  I'm sorry Mike wasn't able to compete, but maybe
>next year.
>-- All the sponsors.  Without the money and prizes, I doubt it would
>have been anywhere near as successful.
>--  A very special thanks to Tom Campbell and his committee for putting
>it all together.  A big undertaking with lots of hurdles.  Good job of
>bringing it all off.


Yes......but who is this Ann Gray ?   She stopped the champ from having a
clean sweep..........Should she be allowed back ?

David



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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1999 15:53:57 -0400
From: Chris Hamilton <[e-mail]>
Subject: (bagpipe) Re: Magarity Ross Reeds

On Tue, 26 Oct 1999 19:16:29 GMT, John and/or Lori Gaudet
<[e-mail]> wrote:

Hi Lori,

>Hi everyone, I'm wondering if the masses will give me their opinion on
>these reeds and their reed makers....I was recommended to try them by a
>reliable source..

Hmm, I think I know him ...

>They were described to me as Warnocks with Ooomph!
>I have a young band who need the maximum volume for less effort. But I
>want a reed with some meat on it! I call Warnocks "today reeds" here
>today and gone tomorrow,

We used to call them "Dixie Cup" reeds ... use 'em once and toss 'em.
Should have sold them in a dispenser.

>and they are pitched too high for my early 80's
>set of Sinclairs.

I find them a bit high-pitched as well.  We had trouble mixing them in
with Shepherd reeds, which were not designed to play quite as high.

But they deliver a bright bright sound, and a uniform set of them
would be quite good I expect.

>Can someone tell me of their experience with Magarity-Ross' customer
>service as well?

EXCELLENT.  Prompt and personable.

Chris
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chris Hamilton -- [e-mail]
City of Washington Pipe Band
http://toneczar.freeservers.com/

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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1999 22:08:27 +0100
From: "lsrapm" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (bagpipe) Re: THE BIG TONE CONTEST

What about "Castle Dangerous"? In my last band, we often used it to use as a
"tune-up"
tune, because it uses every note on the scale.

Chris Eyre

Royce Lerwick wrote

> Howbout just any simple march of two parts or less and leave it at
> that. I think John's point is just to keep it simple so it's a tone
> issue, not a playing issue.
>
> Royce









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------------------------------

End of bagpipe-digest V1 #163
*****************************

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