Royal Scots Dragoon Guards Pipes And Drums

[LANCER1562]

Hey all,
I'm sitting at the local Starbucks listening to the most recent CD (The Spirit of The Glen). I found the CD at Barns and Noble when I was looking for something else. I had never heard of them before. Has anyone else heard of them? According to their website, they are the only military band to win the classical BRIT award. They are FANTASTIC! I especially like track #13 "Your Love Echos Around The World". The words are set to the music of Amazing Grace.

[acolander]

Hey all,
Has anyone else heard of them? According to their website, they are the only military band to win the classical BRIT award. They are FANTASTIC! I especially like track #13 "Your Love Echos Around The World". The words are set to the music of Amazing Grace.

Being Scotland's only cavalry regt and one of the oldest - an antecedent regt being the Royal Scots Greys of Waterloo fame ("Ces terribles chevaux gris! Comme ils travaillent!" Napoleon) and Sgt C Ewart - they have a bit of a reputation...

And if I remember correctly, they recorded portions (all?) of that album whilst deployed for combat in Afghanistan.. or was it Iraq, can't remember. Amazing hey..

[Macman]

The band made "Amazing Grace" a number one hit back in the 70's, and the album it was on was a big seller. As acolander says, they are part of a very famous cavalry regiment. I'm glad you like the CD; I haven't heard it yet.

[piperdbh]

Their drummers played the salute in the "JFK" movie from a few years back.

[Taygrd]

They preformed one year in SA and I was fortunate enough to attend. I will see if I can find the billing for it. Love to make the Tattoo one year.

[ctbuchanan]

I saw them in Connecticut last winter. A very impressive group. They also recorded very popular versions of the Highland Cathedral and The Gael (theme from Last of the Mohicans). On a side note I went kilted to the concert in Stamford and only saw one other kilted gentleman there. Odd that, I thought.

[OC Richard]

I saw the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards pipe band on their USA tours of 1981, 1988, c2002, and most lately in 2008.

What's amazing to me is how they can play at such a high level- they compete at civilian pipe band competitions in Grade Two- in spite of the fact that they must make do with whatever pipers and drummers they happen to have in the Regiment at the time, and the fact that they are full-time tank crewmen, not musicians.

Yes indeed they're responsible for the popularity of Amazing Grace on the pipes. If you look at programmes of British military pipe bands prior to 1972 you won't see that tune. Around 1971 the Bandmaster of the newly-formed Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (formed from the Royal Scots Greys and the 3rd Dragoons) got hold of a 1969 Judy Collins album which featured Amazing Grace. He liked the tune (which didn't exist in Britain) and transcribed it from the album and created a lovely arrangement which combined the Pipes & Drums with the Military Band (brass band).

It so happens that the melody Judy Collins used is somewhat different than the standard melody as found in US hymnals. (By the way the melody is called NEW BRITAIN. There is no such melody as "Amazing Grace".)

So when the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards album ("Farewell to the Greys") that featured Amazing Grace became such a hit both in Britain and the USA, pipers all over the USA learned Judy Collins' slighty odd version, not the standard melody. This has created troublesome moments for pipers and churchgoers for years, because when churches hire a piper to play Amazing Grace along with the choir and organ the two different melodies are found to be not entirely compatable. Pipers are best off to learn both versions of NEW BRITAIN so as to avoid unpleasant surprises.