Favorite pipe music...?

**wgority** · 21st November 05, 05:38 AM

Virtually all pipes music is worth listening to-and believe me, I listen to it all. Right I'm listening to a CD by Jean Baron and Christian Anneix on biniou kozh and bombarde-some of the finest breton music available. Next on my CD player is Live from the Pipers Gathering featuring concert highlights from that event over a number of years. After that I've got Brian McNamara's CD Fort of the Jewels ready to go.

Picking a favorite piece? There are way too many to choose from!

The most difficult type of music? I'm not even going to touch that. I will say the uilleann pipes were the hardest type of pipes to gain a measure of mastery over. For pure technique, getting the highland pipes gracings down so they are consistent and near flawless took years........

That's what happens when you play 17 varieties of pipes........ Oh well

If you want to learn about all kinds of pipes beyond the highlands, check out The Pipers Gathering http://www.pipersgathering.org

Love them drones,
WSG

Originally Posted by Blu (Ontario)

A question for those who play the pipes or those who just enjoy listening to it....

What is your favorite piece of pipe music?

Is there a particular piece of pipe music generally considered the most difficult to learn and perform as a group?

**Cawdorian** · 21st November 05, 05:42 AM

My favorites are:

Highland Cathederal
Dark Island
Flower of Scotland
Scotland the Brave
Keester McGee's Favorite Drinking Song

I am sure I missed a few, but all bagpipe music is great.

**Graham** · 21st November 05, 06:59 AM

well, so far it blaringly obvious...pipes and kilts = peaches and cream!!

**wgority** · 21st November 05, 07:07 AM

The tunes listed so far are all pretty standard chestnuts. Things every piper plays all the time and kind of gets bored with. I thought I'd chime in with some tunes I like to play.

Okay, for the sake of argument, let's keep it limited to highland piping tunes:

1. The Desparate Battle of the Birds (Piobearachd and a bear of a piece to learn);
2. The Turf Lodge ( a great light music piece!);
3. The Little Cascade (a challenging reel by G.S. McLennan-probably the greatest composer of pipes music ever to live);
4. The Jig of Slurs (also by GSMcL);
5. Glasgow City Police Pipers;
6. The Silver Pipes of Ur (composed by a member of one of the bands I used to be in).

Love them drones!
WSG

**flyv65** · 21st November 05, 07:24 AM

I listen to several traditional pipe band CDs, but I'm also fond of a group called Lunasa that use several traditional instruments in new arraingements.

Bryan...besides, I thought there were only three bagpipe tunes: Amazing Grace, Scotland the Brave, and "that other one"...

**highlander_Daz** · 21st November 05, 11:29 AM

I like "high road to Gairloch" and "Bruces address" as they were my first tunes I learned
I like "scotch on the rocks" and "Top deck in Perth"

Piobaieachd style is generally more tricky to play due to the extra embellishments.

**macwilkin** · 21st November 05, 11:49 AM

Daz,

Are you referring to "Scots Wha Hae" as "Bruce's Address" (at Bannockburn)?

Interesting trivia: the tune that Burns put "Scots Wha Hae" to, "Hey Tuttie Tattie", is believed to have been used by Scots soldiers in Joan of Arc's forces in the Hundred Year's War -- some believe that it dates to the time of Bannockburn in 1314.

It was also used in the Texas Revolution and the American Civil War (with lyrics appropriate to that conflict), and there is evidence that Scots troops in the English Civil War used it as a marching tune.

Cheers,

Todd