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A new owner of a set of my Pear Smallpipes has posted two clips of himself playing the pipes:

A chanter

D chanter

Not bad for only two weeks of playing them!

Samhainn tune

While getting into the spirit of Samhainn (the Cetic New Year, Gaelic for Summer's End), Tim Cummings has written (and played) a new tune based on the 13th century Dies Irae (Day of Wrath) chant.

"Dies Irae" - Timothy Cummings

Cape Breton Weekend

I went down to the Upper Potomac Cape Breton Fiddle Fest this past weekend.  I had a great time.  It was a very quick two days of music.   And it was my first workshop where I was solely a fiddle student.  

Wendy MacIsaac, and Kimberly Fraser 

 

It wasn't easy, but I got through all the classes alright and learned a lot about how to do some of the little things that make Cape Breton Fiddling sound like Cape Breton Fiddling.  I especially enjoyed Wendy's classes.  She has a very easy going and friendly way about her that put me at ease, typical cape Breton demeanor really.  

To other pipers thinking of learning to play the fiddle:  Do it.  It hasn't gotten in the way of my piping at all.  In fact, I think that fiddling has really helped my piping.  I've never felt more confident as a piper than now.   If you think of music as a valley that you can only see from the mountain you live on, learning to play a different instrument is like standing on a different mountain.  It just gives you a different view.  You can see different things from fiddle mountain.

There's me in the back with the blue hat.

We should all thank Joanie Blanton for putting together a great weekend.  I hope she gets more Cape Bretoners down soon.  Next music weeked for me:

Maine Pipes and Fiddle Workshop

I'll be bringing both fiddle and piping student hats to that one.  Everyone should come!

Just a quick note.  Here's a photo of me when I was trying to find a light source for helping me scrape a reed for Ms. McPhee's pipes.  Not ideal, but it worked!

Helper #1

I'm not making pipes fast enough, I know.  Life tends to get in the way, and I just can't increase my wait list fast enough.  Everyone wants a set of my pipes!  It's a great problem to have.

But I seem to have found a solution:

Meet Tony, a fantastic musician and the drummer with my favorite New York band Roosevelt Dime.  He doesn't play pipes (yet), but he's picking up all things bagpipe making quickly.  He's going to help me get caught up with my orders and hopefully even reduce that pesky wait list a little.

Thanks Tony!

Nice Article by my Alma Mater's Alumni Magazine

Here's the online version.

And here's the photo from it.  I love the 70's look.

D Chanter Clips

Finally!  I have D chanter sound clips up on the website.  Thanks again to Tim Cummings of Beithe Publishing for doing my pipes such justice.

Here's a sample:

The Calling

And here's a picture of Tim playing his pipes at the Vermont Bellows Pipe School in August.  It was sent to me by Christian Haerinck, fellow attendee and piper for the Quebec band Crepescule.

 

Tim is the bearded fellow.  The Piper between the two fiddlers is Ryan MacDonald, and the fiddler to her right is Sarah Hoy.