Tweaks to Monday's lesson of 3-19-07. I again played
Struan Robertson's Salute, but started with the
crunluath and continued through to the
taorluath doubling.
Winkie highlighted the following and it has been my focus for this week.
1. My
crunluath is improving. Still working on the F. I have heard improvement because the F is becoming more prominent. It has been weak, but I can hear a better
crunluath since the F has been balanced with the rest of the
gracenotes. Still a work in progress. This particular movement is called a
crunluath breabach. I'm also doing finger exercises to strengthen the E and F notes. Hands flat on the desk, then raise each finger up and down (both hands simultaneously) continuously for 5 sets of 10 reps. I raise the fingers up as far as possible during the exercise. Stretch and shake the hands afterwards.
2. The
piobaireachd high G with a high A
gracenote, in
canntaireachd is pronounced "
hee". My high A
gracenote was big and floppy. I have shortened the
gracenote to keep it in balance with the other
gracenotes. It is somewhat prominent, being found in the first bar, 2
nd and 3rd line of the
urlar, T singling and doubling, C singling and doubling, for a total of 20. Correction has been made.
3. For some reason, while playing the full tune on Monday, my
hiharin went south. The more I thought about it while playing, the worse it got. I've dropped back to the basics, and have the timing down and getting the distinct A-G-A. The right hand index finger and little finger should touch the chanter at the same time. Self 1 caused some problems. Correction has been made and Self 1 will be kept plenty busy. Self 2 is very capable to perform this movement. An interesting side note, Jimmy McIntosh calls this movement an "
eallach".
4. The ebb and flow of music is very important. The next tweak has a bearing on this. The last bar of all 3 lines of the
urlar, T singling, C singling. The phrase, "
chay um toe", I was parking on the D (toe) much too long. This was disrupting the flow of the music. This is not a march. Play with feeling.
5. Instrument. High G was sharp and will correct with a little tape. I have way too much adrenaline going and need to play relaxed. Squeezing too hard will sharpen the notes and cause playing out of tune and unsteadiness.
I have been playing the C first, then the rest of the tune and finish with the C. Another exercise I have added is doing the John Cairns
gracenote exercise with an F
gracenote. Also, I have been working on listening at a higher level and staying in the zone. The Inner Game of Tennis is a must read for all pipers.
Winkie gave me positive feedback on my playing. Ebb and flow of the tune has improved. The transition from singling to doubling is much better.
Winkie also talked about playing too hard of a chanter reed. Don't. When manipulating a reed, start with one that is close to your finished water column in inches. Better to start with a 32" WC and finish at 29", than starting with a 38" WC. Food for thought from Donald Lindsay. She also suggested an alternate method of squeezing the bag. Rather than pinching it with the elbow against the body, use a slight arc. This will prevent the bag from sliding down your body. I've been working on this technique. I may try a smaller bag to get it up under my arm in a better leveraged position.
I love
piobaireachd. Good bye band, hello
ceol mor.
Big Will with his first big stick. He does a nice job of handling it.
Big Will, my grandson, doing what he does best.......playing and having fun.
Bonnie and I at "Swallow at the Hollow", a fantastic barbeque restaurant in Marietta, Georgia. A must visit if you're in the area. The BEST barbeque, period.
The wee laddie in his kilt with Grandpa. Maybe he'll play the pipes someday.
Getting words of wisdom from Winkie Taylor of Marietta, Georgia, my instructor. She has more musical knowledge about the pipes than anyone I know. Everything I know about piobaireachd, I learned from Winkie. Everything I know about competing, I learned from Winkie. Fantastic instructor.
Playing for Pipe Major Sandy Jones. A great place to compete. Perfect weather, the venue is wooded and shady, the stewards are knowledgeable, and all the information you need is at the competition table or result board. I was pleased to place fourth. I have 34 total points for the year in 3 competitions. That puts me at number 39 out of 776 pipers in Grade 4. I'm looking forward to next year and competing at several more Highland Games. Winkie has told me, one of her jobs as my instructor is to empower me with confidence. I feel much more confident with my playing and know what is expected of a competition piper.
I've got a lot of catching up to do. Here's a start. That's me playing "Struan Robertson's Salute" for piping judge Ed Neigh of Canada, at the Ligonier Games in Pennsylvania. I got third (and a bronze medal) at Ligonier and a fifth at the McHenry Games in Garrett County, Maryland. Both were full piobaireachds.
