squashing air

I just finished an LP entitled Shotts and Dykehead Caledonia Pipe Band. This, according to the album cover “has become established as one of the consistently best pipes and drums combinations in the world.” For the uninitiated, these are bagpipes and what sounds to me like a whole lot of the sort of little drums one sees in drawings of the drummer boy marching at the head of the regiment.

This was my initiation, and possibly last visit, but some curiosity remains. The disk’s 12 tracks are, except for the first and longest, apparently subdivided into two, three, or four pieces, mostly three. The tracks are labeled things such as 4/4 Marches, 8/8 Marches, and Slow Air and Jigs, with the parts listed under those headings on the album cover. For instance, under 2/4 Marches there is
The Argylishire Gathering
The Conundrum
John MacDonald of Glencoe
each with what is probably the composer’s name (or Traditional, arranged by ...)

The more educated might get a different message, but I cannot, either on-screen or by listening, get any idea about where one of these sub pieces ends and the next begins. Is this a general characteristic of such music? Does it mean the tracks are, sort of, more or less, compositions made from the listed originals?

It's certainly quite common for these bands to do medleys (which is effectively what you are talking about here), but usually you can spot the difference in the tunes - although it helps if you know what the actual tunes are in the first place!

If you want a clue as to what you might be listening for, here's a link to John MacDonald of Glencoe, with a midi playable version:

http://abcnotation.com/tunePage?a=www.thesession.org/tunes/display/9345.no-ext/0000&p=y

And if you look on Youtube, you'll find versions of other individual tunes as well. But generally in these medleys they tend to play them all in the same key, and with the best will in the world, all this pipe and drum music sounds similar anyway, so I'm not really surprised that you are confused.

I would have thought a different album title might be the go 

I think I can  recognize some of the midi file in the bagpipes recording, but only in a general way. I don’t think it helps that my midi playback sounds like a tinkle tinkle piano. I could probably do better if I had enough interest in midi to figure it out, but not now.

It must be, as with any art form, that some people have considerable interest, but it seems to me that, except for the first tune, every track on the LP supports the viewpoint ‘heard one, heard them all.’

The Shotts & Dykehead band was formed in 1910. As of the album recording (undated) they were eight times World Champions in bagpipes and drum competition, as well as European Champions.

Maybe they have such competitions in order to assure an audience?

It must be, as with any art form, that some people have considerable interest, but it seems to me that, except for the first tune, every track on the LP supports the viewpoint ‘heard one, heard them all.’

Absolutely. And having them as medleys makes it seem even more so.

The Shotts & Dykehead band was formed in 1910. As of the album recording (undated) they were eight times World Champions in bagpipes and drum competition, as well as European Champions.

Maybe they have such competitions in order to assure an audience?

I think that there are still a few, but quite frankly it's not music - it's a competition sport and the people who really benefit from it are the participants. And I'd guess that the competition winners are the ones that keep going longest...

You have to bear in mind that here, the classic definition of a gentleman is somebody who knows how to play the bagpipes - but doesn't do it!

I thought that was a saxophone 

I thought it was a banjo .

No, no, the accordion, silly.

You know how to define what an optimist is?



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An accordion player with a pager!
(buh-dum tish!)

drum & pipe, drum & fife competitions have a long history . . . in mid to late 1800's the competitions would draw 1000's to 10k's audiences . . . shed pop of it's day

in US the vestigial tradition was mostly support by fife rather then pipe (bag or uilleann)  with an Othar Turner tune appearing in 'Gangs of New York'  the music form supported, informed development of blues & New Orleans Jazz  . . . like a lot of receding pop forms Black Watch style pipe and drum music is probably an acquired taste but but like opera I'd still consider it to be music . . . competitions might an ossified version but then so does US American idol presentation of pop forms of '60's, '70's & '80's . . . so is/are Karaoke competitions . . .

seeing Othar Turner (and possibly his father) in West Memphis in '68 was an illuminating experience and one without which I might not have been able to appreciate large assemblages of pipe & drums . . . with the form being about as pure a distillation of what was remembered of Senegal traditions blended with US military service, but both traditions refer to a time when 'music' was other then passive entertainment.   don't have a massive amount of pipe and drum music in the library but there are times when it is an entirely appropriate choice . . . a state of mind not entirely different from choosing to listen to Bach's 'St. Mathews Passion' in its entirety.

(actually have a story about accordion not quite on speed dial.  In mid '90's was recording an out of town band in Nsh.  Band was not country (in fact not from US) but had been exploring a number of 'native' or 'roots' forms of US music and decided one Sat. evening (last scheduled day for tracking) that accordion would be appropriate. One of the band had actually brought an accordion with him but it was an antique inherited from family and accordion's unlike guitars to not 'age'  . . . with time we had there was no way we could 'fit' his accordion into the the arrangement.  Nashville being Nashville we figured that there was someone in the red book who had an accordion (even though it was possible that he might have a weekend gig) .. . we found a gentlemen, perhaps 70 yr. old still paying dues and not working that weekend.  Initially we figured we'd just pay him for a session but have the band member use his accordion for the actual track.  Nashville being Nashville it turned out that while Accordionist primarily worked the Lawrence Welk Polka vein after listening to him do a quick run through everyone in the band agreed that his contribution would be superior . . . every once in a while accordion optimism pays off   to date, while have recorded uilleann pipes have not had the pleasure of recording bag pipes, still waiting for that line on the resume)

...have not had the pleasure of recording bag pipes, still waiting for that line on the resume)

The further away you do it from, the better it sounds... about 2 miles is good.

Bagpipes appear to have passed the test of time...

Daniel 3:5 - English Standard Version (©2001)
that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.

Or this.

Obviously not a Scottish invention (although the decimal point is, apparently).

The further away you do it from, the better it sounds... about 2 miles is good.

An Irish friend of mine is an uilleann pipe player and also plays the Scottish bagpipes. One night we were at an Irish session in a pub which also had an auditorium (opposite side of the pub) with a rock band playing. When it was Ian's turn to play he left the room & played outside. The rock band complained that the pipes were too loud...

I want to say very thank you for this great informations. now i understand about it. Thank you !

An Irish friend of mine is an uilleann pipe player and also plays the Scottish bagpipes. One night we were at an Irish session in a pub which also had an auditorium (opposite side of the pub) with a rock band playing. When it was Ian's turn to play he left the room & played outside. The rock band complained that the pipes were too loud...

Awesome!!! The Bag pipes were really that loud?? If it is so.. then it is really Awesome!

It is loud. Maybe that's why it was used on the battlefield. The saying went that you first heard the Schottisch regiments, then saw them (during the great war).