Happy Wednesday everybody!
I always feel a little torn about wednesdays. I have to come down from tuesday night practice, but I get to spend the night working on scores, practicing my solo's and teaching.
Good rehearsal last night. Seems like the cold season is upon us, we were missing a few bodies. Kinda cool though to be missing a few and still have a bigger band then last year or the years before.
We kicked through the medley as seperate sections. Having played the same medley for two years I forgot how many growing pains come with this.
I gotta say 6 minutes is one helluva hand cuff. It just seems like you have to cut things to make it, or take out a whole section and play really short. Kinda feels like you have to sacrifice musicality.
But those are the rules, so be it. Lots of negotiation over tunes etc, and it's almost together. Frame is done, important tunes are in. Now there's the sacrificial lamb approach and we'll see what happens.
Then we have our clinic this weekend which will get Jake and John listening in and giving some advice.
We got the instruments out and played together for the first time this season. I could tell right away we made some huge headway last year. The drum corp was tight on a lot of things just because of experience, I even got to step out and let Cam play lead while I listened to our new spey. That puts us about 4 months ahead of last season. Very exciting.
We played through the new MSR working some trouble parts and making sure ensemble worked.
It's a real blessing having Chris Brown back. My good buddy, and new snare drummer, Dave Chorney did a fabulous job last season filling in, but Chris embodies ensemble and it makes so many things simple for me and the band having that steady bass in there.
Small wonder he's won so many awards for best bass.
All in all a great tuesday night practice prepping for an even better weekend workshop. I can't wait to see the fly-in players, it doesn't feel like band without them.
Stay tuned, I'll probably take tomorrow off, to prepare for some interviews I hope to do, then I'll be back at it friday to outline the upcoming weekend and post grade 3 practice wrap up.
Cheers everyone and happy practicing.
Sean
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
World's Solo Drumming Competition
Happy Tuesday everybody, it's grade 2 band night so I'm in a go get 'em mood.
Wanted to do a brief report on the World Solo Drumming this weekend in Glasgow. Some pretty awesome results, and it's always an exciting weekend for us drummers.
The snare corp was watching intently as former member Dave Bowman crossed the pond again to compete against the very best. Dave played at the World's last year in a very tough qualifying class, and though he learned a lot didn't manage to get through to the semi's.
I was very pleased this year when, sitting at Famous Dave's Restaurant in Sioux Falls, my crackberry reported the days results and Dave had managed to move up the list a bit.
Still this year wasn't quite his year, missing the semi-finals by a few points, but I feel that progress is everything and Dave managed to move up to a 12th place finish in his qualifier beating out 5 other drummers. Well done!!!
The big story of course this year was current champion Barry Wilson (Scottish Power Pipe Band) winning his, count it, THIRD consecutive World Championship. An incredible feat.
I know when we were in Scotland last year we had the opportunity to watch Barry "jam" with Chris Armstrong at the Lord Todd drumming recital. That man can perform some gravity bending rudiments and always seems to remain musical. Small wonder he's our champion again this year.
Canadian Blair Brown (SFU) found his way into the top 6, finishing 4th overall. This is a great result and shows some of the depth SFU has in their corp with lead drummer Reid Maxwell landing 6th place. Gordon Lee also from SFU came in 8th overall. If one scrolls through the semi-finals you find the SFU name scatterred all over with Derek Cooper, Tano Martone, our own Dave Bowman, and many others competing.
Two other worthy notes are Steven McWhirter (Inverary and District) and Gordon J. Brown (Boghall and Bathgate) gaining 2nd and 3rd place finishes respectively. Having Steven in the mix for the final must be like jumping in a muddy pool with an alligator, he can surface and bite you at any time and you won't even see it.
All in all a great contest. I'm really looking forward to the videos and audio of various plays to come out.
That's it for me today, I'll be back tomorrow with an update from tonight's practice.
Cheers
Sean
Wanted to do a brief report on the World Solo Drumming this weekend in Glasgow. Some pretty awesome results, and it's always an exciting weekend for us drummers.
The snare corp was watching intently as former member Dave Bowman crossed the pond again to compete against the very best. Dave played at the World's last year in a very tough qualifying class, and though he learned a lot didn't manage to get through to the semi's.
I was very pleased this year when, sitting at Famous Dave's Restaurant in Sioux Falls, my crackberry reported the days results and Dave had managed to move up the list a bit.
Still this year wasn't quite his year, missing the semi-finals by a few points, but I feel that progress is everything and Dave managed to move up to a 12th place finish in his qualifier beating out 5 other drummers. Well done!!!
The big story of course this year was current champion Barry Wilson (Scottish Power Pipe Band) winning his, count it, THIRD consecutive World Championship. An incredible feat.
I know when we were in Scotland last year we had the opportunity to watch Barry "jam" with Chris Armstrong at the Lord Todd drumming recital. That man can perform some gravity bending rudiments and always seems to remain musical. Small wonder he's our champion again this year.
Canadian Blair Brown (SFU) found his way into the top 6, finishing 4th overall. This is a great result and shows some of the depth SFU has in their corp with lead drummer Reid Maxwell landing 6th place. Gordon Lee also from SFU came in 8th overall. If one scrolls through the semi-finals you find the SFU name scatterred all over with Derek Cooper, Tano Martone, our own Dave Bowman, and many others competing.
Two other worthy notes are Steven McWhirter (Inverary and District) and Gordon J. Brown (Boghall and Bathgate) gaining 2nd and 3rd place finishes respectively. Having Steven in the mix for the final must be like jumping in a muddy pool with an alligator, he can surface and bite you at any time and you won't even see it.
All in all a great contest. I'm really looking forward to the videos and audio of various plays to come out.
That's it for me today, I'll be back tomorrow with an update from tonight's practice.
Cheers
Sean
Monday, October 26, 2009
North of the Border
Well we're back home! It's good to be back.
Wes and I spent the weekend south of the border hanging out with the Dakota District Pipes and Drums (www.dakotapipesdrums.org) As always we had a tremendous time with those folks and got a ton of work done.
Every time we head down there we see what drive and hard work can accomplish with dedicated people.
They, like so many bands in the Northern U.S, are struggling trying to get a drum corp for their pipe corp. I have trouble identifying the reason for this, but as a pipe band snare drummer I blame DCI.
Well not really, they're good guys those DCI drummers, it's just that whenever these bands go looking for drummers they B-line for the DCI corps because they have "experience".
DCI drummers are an exceptional breed. Watching those players is an incredible treat for any drummer, but make no mistake it is night and day from pipe band snare drumming. While to the naked eye we are rooted in the same styles, I find the music is so different. DCI to me, and I'm still ill-informed on the subject, is a very complex drumming, utilizing grooves, and flashy stick motions to emphasize the show aspect of the overall performance.
I often watch these guys on YouTube cause they blow my mind. Check out the Blue Devils, it's insane, I think they defy gravity.
Pipe band drumming to me is rooted in ensemble. We use every rudiment in our arsenal to emphasize and accompany the piping. We use dynamics and closed rolls to create a more audible show as opposed to the visual show of the DCI corps.
So traditionally I find these DCI players come hangout with the pipe bands and very often get bored.
So my recommendation is to start them fresh. Find people who are interested in the music and the social aspect then make sure they can keep a beat and get them some sticks.
I don't much like rushing instruction either, but everyone has different goals for their playing. Especially adults.
Okay I'm done preaching on drumming. I think tomorrow I'll discuss the World Solo Drumming Championships.
Oh and lastly, for those of you who are playing grade 2. The medley is basically done. We did it! 7 hours in the truck with Wes on pain killers, and we worked it out.
Talk to ya'll tomorrow!
Cheers
Sean
Friday, October 23, 2009
On the Road Again
Well Wes and I are heading south.
Next stop is Sioux Falls South Dakota. Working with the Dakota and District pipes and drums.
It's always a ton of fun heading south visiting with P/M Tom and his gang.
I always look forward to these weekends. Aside from sitting a car for what feels like forever with pipe major, I do enjoy an entire weekend with nothing but pipe band on the brain.
Then next weekend we've got the whole grade two band in town for our first weekend rehearsal of the year. 23 pipers 9 sides 4 tenors, and Chris Brown...really gonna be something to see.
Also next weekend we have Jake Watson, and John Fisher coming to town to whip us into shape. These men are at the forefront of our craft and I always look forward to working with them.
But I'm off to buy beef jerky for my 7 hour trip. Wish me luck. I'll need it to avoid Wes leaving me somewhere in North Dakota!
Cheers,
Sean
Next stop is Sioux Falls South Dakota. Working with the Dakota and District pipes and drums.
It's always a ton of fun heading south visiting with P/M Tom and his gang.
I always look forward to these weekends. Aside from sitting a car for what feels like forever with pipe major, I do enjoy an entire weekend with nothing but pipe band on the brain.
Then next weekend we've got the whole grade two band in town for our first weekend rehearsal of the year. 23 pipers 9 sides 4 tenors, and Chris Brown...really gonna be something to see.
Also next weekend we have Jake Watson, and John Fisher coming to town to whip us into shape. These men are at the forefront of our craft and I always look forward to working with them.
But I'm off to buy beef jerky for my 7 hour trip. Wish me luck. I'll need it to avoid Wes leaving me somewhere in North Dakota!
Cheers,
Sean
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Follow-up
Well I was planning on following that last blog up a bit later. But luckily I have some readers who wanted to help me out.
In the last post I had mentioned Matt MacIsaac was in town playing for the new Airforce band here. Turns out I did know who Matt was, just didn't know he was that Matt MacIsaac.
So big thanks to Jamie Simpson for hooking me up with a link to Natalie MacMaster's webpage and bios of her band.
Turns out Matt is quite the decorated piper. Instead of me screwing up dates etc. I'm just gonna post some stuff from Natalie's webpage title Matt MacIsaac and you can get the info first hand. Enjoy the read:
Matt MacIsaac
BAND FUNCTION: Highland Bagpipes, Small Pipes, Whistles, Banjo
NATALIE RECORDINGS: Live, Blueprint
SOLO RECORDINGS: "The Piping Album" BUY ONLINE
Born in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Matt MacIsaac was exposed to and surrounded by piping at an early age. A great-grandson to Pipe Major John A. (Black Jack) MacDonald of the Cape Breton Highlanders, Matt has followed his traditional lineage as a piper just as his relatives have before him. He is truly a natural talent.
After spending his early childhood years listening to family members play the pipes at gatherings and ceilidhs, Matt began his formal training as a piper and received his first instruction from Scott MacAulay at the College of Piping in Summerside, P.E.I. Although born in Cape Breton Matt grew up in New Brunswick where he continued his piping tuition with the Fredericton Society of St. Andrews Pipe Band organization under the leadership of Pipe Major Sandy Gordon moving through the ranks quickly joining the grade 2 band by the age of 12.
After a two year stretch with Fredericton Matt relocated with his family back to Nova Scotia and joined the grade 1 Halifax Police Association Pipes and Drums under the direction of Pipe Major Doug Boyd and later Pipe Major John Walsh. Matt continues to perform and compete with this organization which is now known as the 78th Highlanders Halifax Citadel (2003 North American Pipe band Champions).
As a solo piper Matt has won every major amateur championship in Atlantic Canada and beyond from novice juvenile to grade 1 including the March, Strathspey, and Reel at the prestigious George Sheriff Memorial Invitational in Ontario where he caught the ear of world renowned Pipe Major Angus MacDonald who recognized Matt's level of play as prize worthy in Scotland and encouraged Matt to travel to Scotland and compete at the international level. In 1997 Matt traveled to Scotland and proved what Pipe Major Angus MacDonald pointed out the year prior in Ontario. Competing in the open juvenile 17 and under category Matt won consistently at Abernethy, Perth, Crieff, Glenfinnan, Cowal, and won the MacGregor Memorial Piobaireachd contest at Oban. At Cowal, Matt became the first Canadian to win both the open juvenile 17 and under March, Strathspey, and Reel and Piobaireachd in the same year.
Matt's success in 1997 in Scotland earned him an invitation to play at the 1998 Silver Medal contests at Oban and Inverness. In Oban at the world famous Argyllshire Gathering Matt overcame a faulty fire alarm to win the Silver Medal. Later the same year Matt would place 2nd at the Silver Medal event in Inverness behind his friend and mentor Bruce Gandy.
After years competing solo and with pipe bands Matt now enjoys the best of both piping worlds as a professional touring musician. In 1999 Matt ventured into the world of folk bands touring with "Cuillin", giving him exposure to many other musicians, disciplines, instruments, and styles all of which have served to further his musical experiences and eventually land him his current job touring with Natalie. In December 2004, Matt released his debut solo recording "Matt MacIsaac - The Piping Album", and is currently working on his second album which will feature several different instruments, including the Irish high and low whistle, the guitar and banjo.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So that's Matt, if you happen to bump into him at local contests or out and about say hi and welcome him to the city. I know the new airforce boys aren't exactly excited about the weather but hey, it isn't January yet.........................sorry just enjoying a quiet chuckle to myself thinking of all these eastern fellas in Winnipeg in January.
I think i'll be trying to pick out a few of these guys and doing some bios on them. With their hectic schedule they may not be around a lot and this way we'll all know them before we meet them.
I'll look into it.
See ya'll later.
Sean
Sources: http://www.nataliemacmaster.com/bios/mattmacisaac.htm
In the last post I had mentioned Matt MacIsaac was in town playing for the new Airforce band here. Turns out I did know who Matt was, just didn't know he was that Matt MacIsaac.
So big thanks to Jamie Simpson for hooking me up with a link to Natalie MacMaster's webpage and bios of her band.
Turns out Matt is quite the decorated piper. Instead of me screwing up dates etc. I'm just gonna post some stuff from Natalie's webpage title Matt MacIsaac and you can get the info first hand. Enjoy the read:
Matt MacIsaac
BAND FUNCTION: Highland Bagpipes, Small Pipes, Whistles, Banjo
NATALIE RECORDINGS: Live, Blueprint
SOLO RECORDINGS: "The Piping Album" BUY ONLINE
Born in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Matt MacIsaac was exposed to and surrounded by piping at an early age. A great-grandson to Pipe Major John A. (Black Jack) MacDonald of the Cape Breton Highlanders, Matt has followed his traditional lineage as a piper just as his relatives have before him. He is truly a natural talent.
After spending his early childhood years listening to family members play the pipes at gatherings and ceilidhs, Matt began his formal training as a piper and received his first instruction from Scott MacAulay at the College of Piping in Summerside, P.E.I. Although born in Cape Breton Matt grew up in New Brunswick where he continued his piping tuition with the Fredericton Society of St. Andrews Pipe Band organization under the leadership of Pipe Major Sandy Gordon moving through the ranks quickly joining the grade 2 band by the age of 12.
After a two year stretch with Fredericton Matt relocated with his family back to Nova Scotia and joined the grade 1 Halifax Police Association Pipes and Drums under the direction of Pipe Major Doug Boyd and later Pipe Major John Walsh. Matt continues to perform and compete with this organization which is now known as the 78th Highlanders Halifax Citadel (2003 North American Pipe band Champions).
As a solo piper Matt has won every major amateur championship in Atlantic Canada and beyond from novice juvenile to grade 1 including the March, Strathspey, and Reel at the prestigious George Sheriff Memorial Invitational in Ontario where he caught the ear of world renowned Pipe Major Angus MacDonald who recognized Matt's level of play as prize worthy in Scotland and encouraged Matt to travel to Scotland and compete at the international level. In 1997 Matt traveled to Scotland and proved what Pipe Major Angus MacDonald pointed out the year prior in Ontario. Competing in the open juvenile 17 and under category Matt won consistently at Abernethy, Perth, Crieff, Glenfinnan, Cowal, and won the MacGregor Memorial Piobaireachd contest at Oban. At Cowal, Matt became the first Canadian to win both the open juvenile 17 and under March, Strathspey, and Reel and Piobaireachd in the same year.
Matt's success in 1997 in Scotland earned him an invitation to play at the 1998 Silver Medal contests at Oban and Inverness. In Oban at the world famous Argyllshire Gathering Matt overcame a faulty fire alarm to win the Silver Medal. Later the same year Matt would place 2nd at the Silver Medal event in Inverness behind his friend and mentor Bruce Gandy.
After years competing solo and with pipe bands Matt now enjoys the best of both piping worlds as a professional touring musician. In 1999 Matt ventured into the world of folk bands touring with "Cuillin", giving him exposure to many other musicians, disciplines, instruments, and styles all of which have served to further his musical experiences and eventually land him his current job touring with Natalie. In December 2004, Matt released his debut solo recording "Matt MacIsaac - The Piping Album", and is currently working on his second album which will feature several different instruments, including the Irish high and low whistle, the guitar and banjo.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So that's Matt, if you happen to bump into him at local contests or out and about say hi and welcome him to the city. I know the new airforce boys aren't exactly excited about the weather but hey, it isn't January yet.........................sorry just enjoying a quiet chuckle to myself thinking of all these eastern fellas in Winnipeg in January.
I think i'll be trying to pick out a few of these guys and doing some bios on them. With their hectic schedule they may not be around a lot and this way we'll all know them before we meet them.
I'll look into it.
See ya'll later.
Sean
Sources: http://www.nataliemacmaster.com/bios/mattmacisaac.htm
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
In Motion
Welcome back after a great weekend of piping and drumming!
Some really exciting stuff this weekend. Mad Plaid was a great success again. While turnout for the amateur events during the day was low, the evening's pro contests went extremely well.
The Pro piping was won by new comer Matt MacIsaac (sp?). I'll let you know when I have some background on Matt, but for now suffice to say he's incredible, and playing with this air command band here in Winnipeg. It was a real pleasure to watch him rip through a great medley.
Other news for the pro piping was young Andrew Laird making his first pro performance. Andrew played quite well and though he didn't beat his former teacher (Clarke Stockton 2nd place) it was nice to see the future of piping in Manitoba.
Drumming was quite an experience. Originally I had no intention of playing but it seemed like a good idea when I signed up saturday morning. Saturday night, the four open snare players gathered in the warm-up room and, perhaps without knowing it, attempted to show off to each other until the show started.
It was really something to watch Dave Bowman, and Jeremy White warming up. Dave showed control I've rarely seen, it was awesome watching him practice his MSR for the World's Drumming Championships this coming weekend.
Jeremy was warming up with various licks from Duthart salutes and managed to scare the living daylights out of me. I've never seen sticks move that quickly. Very cool!
In the end the dust settled and Dave won the day. I played last and so, didn't get to see anyone play. I must have sat on a horseshoe or something earlier cause I squeaked by with second place, with Jeremy 3rd, and Ian Aastrom (CRPB) 4th.
Hopefully this contest will set the stage for a really great solo contest season in the pro circuits.
There's a lot of movement in the grade 1 scene. For the most part this all gets noticed by pipesdrums.com and everybody gets the ooo ahhhh factor. This year is no different.
SFU has reported its new roster and I've gotta say...... wow. Just plain old wow. Good luck to anyone trying to beat that band this year. They took the greatest band on earth and added even better players.
Check out the article on pipesdrums.com for the rest of the shuffle.
For grade 2 in Winnipeg you'll probably have to check here for our own private shuffle. I'll let you know our roster asap.
Enough for now though, I have a mid-term in an hour or so, and I haven't even finished watching the 2008 World Solo drumming online. I'm way behind.
Good luck to Dave Bowman who is on his way to Scotland today! He'll compete against the best of the best. We'll be rooting for you Dave!
Cheers everyone,
See you at practice.
Sean
Some really exciting stuff this weekend. Mad Plaid was a great success again. While turnout for the amateur events during the day was low, the evening's pro contests went extremely well.
The Pro piping was won by new comer Matt MacIsaac (sp?). I'll let you know when I have some background on Matt, but for now suffice to say he's incredible, and playing with this air command band here in Winnipeg. It was a real pleasure to watch him rip through a great medley.
Other news for the pro piping was young Andrew Laird making his first pro performance. Andrew played quite well and though he didn't beat his former teacher (Clarke Stockton 2nd place) it was nice to see the future of piping in Manitoba.
Drumming was quite an experience. Originally I had no intention of playing but it seemed like a good idea when I signed up saturday morning. Saturday night, the four open snare players gathered in the warm-up room and, perhaps without knowing it, attempted to show off to each other until the show started.
It was really something to watch Dave Bowman, and Jeremy White warming up. Dave showed control I've rarely seen, it was awesome watching him practice his MSR for the World's Drumming Championships this coming weekend.
Jeremy was warming up with various licks from Duthart salutes and managed to scare the living daylights out of me. I've never seen sticks move that quickly. Very cool!
In the end the dust settled and Dave won the day. I played last and so, didn't get to see anyone play. I must have sat on a horseshoe or something earlier cause I squeaked by with second place, with Jeremy 3rd, and Ian Aastrom (CRPB) 4th.
Hopefully this contest will set the stage for a really great solo contest season in the pro circuits.
There's a lot of movement in the grade 1 scene. For the most part this all gets noticed by pipesdrums.com and everybody gets the ooo ahhhh factor. This year is no different.
SFU has reported its new roster and I've gotta say...... wow. Just plain old wow. Good luck to anyone trying to beat that band this year. They took the greatest band on earth and added even better players.
Check out the article on pipesdrums.com for the rest of the shuffle.
For grade 2 in Winnipeg you'll probably have to check here for our own private shuffle. I'll let you know our roster asap.
Enough for now though, I have a mid-term in an hour or so, and I haven't even finished watching the 2008 World Solo drumming online. I'm way behind.
Good luck to Dave Bowman who is on his way to Scotland today! He'll compete against the best of the best. We'll be rooting for you Dave!
Cheers everyone,
See you at practice.
Sean
Friday, October 16, 2009
Some Big Steps
Well it's friday,
This really means a few things.
1. Practices are done for the week
2. I should probably study, but will inevitably end up at some pipe band event
3. It's about 3.5 days until grade 2 practice
So, the week in recap.
Tuesday saw Wes back at practice. Which meant some serious catching up to do. We got a ton of work done on the medley contstruction, and the new MSR is coming along nicely. This tuesday we'll have the instruments out just to see. Hopefully I can find enough drums for the corp to play.
What a wonderful problem to have!
Thursday, last night, was an incredible practice. There was all of five snares out to practice. Four that will be playing no problem, and one fella that's gonna take some work but is really keen and I'm looking forward to teaching him.
I dug out a few snares and harnesses and got the grade 3 corp up and playing last night. Mark had the pipers working hard and after 3 play throughs of the new March for the MSR, they sounded pretty darn good.
Bob and Lynn Cooper were out last night. Bob brought me two great Salutes to work through. One, I'll be teaching to the Kenora drum corp who are looking for something showy to play. The other is the famous Centennial Salute.
The copy I have doesn't have a composer on it, but Bob thinks it was composed by Dave McNichol back in the day. When John Fisher comes in at the end of the month I'll confirm this. The salute is informally dubbed "The Cowbell", and I'll be teaching it to both corps hopefully to be brought out for the winter concert.
As I mentioned yesterday, Mad Plaid is this weekend. Definitely worth checking out.
If you look over on the right menu bar you'll find the blogs I tend to follow closely. I really wanna recommend the CRPB blog Ian wrote today. It's a very personal view of piping and being thankful for decisions you had nothing to do with.
Take some time and check it out.
Okay I have to go study, mid-terms next week....
See ya'll this weekend. Looking forward to it.
Sean
This really means a few things.
1. Practices are done for the week
2. I should probably study, but will inevitably end up at some pipe band event
3. It's about 3.5 days until grade 2 practice
So, the week in recap.
Tuesday saw Wes back at practice. Which meant some serious catching up to do. We got a ton of work done on the medley contstruction, and the new MSR is coming along nicely. This tuesday we'll have the instruments out just to see. Hopefully I can find enough drums for the corp to play.
What a wonderful problem to have!
Thursday, last night, was an incredible practice. There was all of five snares out to practice. Four that will be playing no problem, and one fella that's gonna take some work but is really keen and I'm looking forward to teaching him.
I dug out a few snares and harnesses and got the grade 3 corp up and playing last night. Mark had the pipers working hard and after 3 play throughs of the new March for the MSR, they sounded pretty darn good.
Bob and Lynn Cooper were out last night. Bob brought me two great Salutes to work through. One, I'll be teaching to the Kenora drum corp who are looking for something showy to play. The other is the famous Centennial Salute.
The copy I have doesn't have a composer on it, but Bob thinks it was composed by Dave McNichol back in the day. When John Fisher comes in at the end of the month I'll confirm this. The salute is informally dubbed "The Cowbell", and I'll be teaching it to both corps hopefully to be brought out for the winter concert.
As I mentioned yesterday, Mad Plaid is this weekend. Definitely worth checking out.
If you look over on the right menu bar you'll find the blogs I tend to follow closely. I really wanna recommend the CRPB blog Ian wrote today. It's a very personal view of piping and being thankful for decisions you had nothing to do with.
Take some time and check it out.
Okay I have to go study, mid-terms next week....
See ya'll this weekend. Looking forward to it.
Sean
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Winnipeg's Gone Mad!
That's right, tis the season for one of the most fan friendly of all pipe band contests. MAD PLAID!
For the past uh... lotta years (10?) the Winnipeg Celtic Pipe Band (www.winnipegceltic.ca) has put on this contest to add a more party-like atmosphere to a solo contest.
I still remember 3 foot tall Colin Pollock(CRPB), beating out Dave Bowman(SFU) on the applause metre and winning the whole thing when he was barely in grade 4. Good times.
It was the first time I ever stepped in a pub. For that I owe the organizers a deep debt of gratitude.
So, where has this contest gone to since then?
Well currently the Mad Plaid solo contest is held at the Irish Association head quarters here in Winnipeg. During the day amateur solo events are played in a small theatre and some classrooms throughout the building. Then in the evening the pros turn up the heat in the pub and rip through medley's and drum solo's to the crowd's delight. All contests are now judged by an adjudicator, though i'm sure for the evening shows entertainment value plays a big part.
Last year we were all treated to a very special occasion as Winnipeg Celtic, with help from the Irish Association, flew Mr. Terry Tully, P/M of St. Lawrence O'Toole pipe band (Dublin Ireland) to judge and perform at this contest.
It was a wonderful night and some great memories and friendships were made with this Irish man, a lot was learned.
This year the big ticket judge will be Mr. David Bowman. That's right the dude who once upon a time lost to a 3 foot tall gremlin with a cocky attitude. Dave will be in attendance judging solos, and from what I hear performing saturday night as well.
Dave is another great player to come from Winnipeg who can officially call themselves World Champions. Not only did Dave win the worlds,(and I was there to see it so it's true) he won it twice to prove he can.
I can't completely confirm this but I believe this makes Dave the 3rd snare drummer to be raised in the Winnipeg pipe band community and win the Worlds. Blair (Buzzard) Brown, and Roland Reid, also hold that distinction and interestingly enough all of these fabulous players won with the same band. SFU.
I should also mention we have some great piping talent coming out of the province as well. Recently, Blair Cooper played with SFU and won back to back worlds as well. I hope someday we can bring Blair home to judge at a contest or two.
So, Dave is the show on saturday. I hope everyone takes the time to come down to the Irish Association and take part in the festivities. Tickets, I believe, are $10. So it's a good price for a good time.
See ya'll there! Let the season begin!
Sean
For the past uh... lotta years (10?) the Winnipeg Celtic Pipe Band (www.winnipegceltic.ca) has put on this contest to add a more party-like atmosphere to a solo contest.
I still remember 3 foot tall Colin Pollock(CRPB), beating out Dave Bowman(SFU) on the applause metre and winning the whole thing when he was barely in grade 4. Good times.
It was the first time I ever stepped in a pub. For that I owe the organizers a deep debt of gratitude.
So, where has this contest gone to since then?
Well currently the Mad Plaid solo contest is held at the Irish Association head quarters here in Winnipeg. During the day amateur solo events are played in a small theatre and some classrooms throughout the building. Then in the evening the pros turn up the heat in the pub and rip through medley's and drum solo's to the crowd's delight. All contests are now judged by an adjudicator, though i'm sure for the evening shows entertainment value plays a big part.
Last year we were all treated to a very special occasion as Winnipeg Celtic, with help from the Irish Association, flew Mr. Terry Tully, P/M of St. Lawrence O'Toole pipe band (Dublin Ireland) to judge and perform at this contest.
It was a wonderful night and some great memories and friendships were made with this Irish man, a lot was learned.
This year the big ticket judge will be Mr. David Bowman. That's right the dude who once upon a time lost to a 3 foot tall gremlin with a cocky attitude. Dave will be in attendance judging solos, and from what I hear performing saturday night as well.
Dave is another great player to come from Winnipeg who can officially call themselves World Champions. Not only did Dave win the worlds,(and I was there to see it so it's true) he won it twice to prove he can.
I can't completely confirm this but I believe this makes Dave the 3rd snare drummer to be raised in the Winnipeg pipe band community and win the Worlds. Blair (Buzzard) Brown, and Roland Reid, also hold that distinction and interestingly enough all of these fabulous players won with the same band. SFU.
I should also mention we have some great piping talent coming out of the province as well. Recently, Blair Cooper played with SFU and won back to back worlds as well. I hope someday we can bring Blair home to judge at a contest or two.
So, Dave is the show on saturday. I hope everyone takes the time to come down to the Irish Association and take part in the festivities. Tickets, I believe, are $10. So it's a good price for a good time.
See ya'll there! Let the season begin!
Sean
Thursday, October 8, 2009
A New System kinda...
Morning everyone! Well almost afternoon.
Just kickin around in the computer lab at school trying to avoid another accounting assignment. Wanted to bring some light to some new changes in the drum corp. Thought it might be interesting.
As many folks know last year was a huge building year for our drum corp. We moved a lot of great talent up into roles beyond their years and the whole group rallied together and made it work.
This season i'm happy to say we're much more stable in the drum corp and therefore I felt it was time to start teaching the corp some self reliance.
Much like Wes' pipe corp I feel it is so important that my drum corp can rehearse, setup, and compete without me. Why is that? Well while i'm not prone to injury or health problems you just never know. With such a large group the season shouldn't rest on the shoulders of one player.
We've always had Cam Fidler to fill in the ranks when i'm absent or when I need to hear the corp from the outside. Cam does a great job. However, i've also started teaching some of the other fellas to take on some other roles.
Ian Walker has taken on the teaching of our youngest students. Ensuring that with or without me around there will be a feeder chain coming into the drum corp. Dylan Knight has stepped up and, with some coaching, is helping me write scores for the grade 3 corp. Graham Fidler is now handling score transcription to computer, as well as helping Dylan and I write for the grade 3 corp. Cam again fills another role helping me write for the grade 2 corp.
I feel having multiple writers of the music not only ensures a fill in, if I can't do it, but it also provides both corps with slightly different styles and rudiments combinations. Challenging them again and again.
It's amazing what someone, who hasn't been exposed to years of the best drum scores on earth, will write. I'm really looking forward to rolling out some of the new scores.
Look for Dylan's Braes of Marr (spey) in the grade 3 medley, as well as Cam's Ale is Dear (reel) in the grade 2 medley. Graham is also creating some reels for the grade 3 medley and i'm looking forward to those as well.
Keep up the good work boys. It's nice to know I can count on you.
Cheers,
Sean
Just kickin around in the computer lab at school trying to avoid another accounting assignment. Wanted to bring some light to some new changes in the drum corp. Thought it might be interesting.
As many folks know last year was a huge building year for our drum corp. We moved a lot of great talent up into roles beyond their years and the whole group rallied together and made it work.
This season i'm happy to say we're much more stable in the drum corp and therefore I felt it was time to start teaching the corp some self reliance.
Much like Wes' pipe corp I feel it is so important that my drum corp can rehearse, setup, and compete without me. Why is that? Well while i'm not prone to injury or health problems you just never know. With such a large group the season shouldn't rest on the shoulders of one player.
We've always had Cam Fidler to fill in the ranks when i'm absent or when I need to hear the corp from the outside. Cam does a great job. However, i've also started teaching some of the other fellas to take on some other roles.
Ian Walker has taken on the teaching of our youngest students. Ensuring that with or without me around there will be a feeder chain coming into the drum corp. Dylan Knight has stepped up and, with some coaching, is helping me write scores for the grade 3 corp. Graham Fidler is now handling score transcription to computer, as well as helping Dylan and I write for the grade 3 corp. Cam again fills another role helping me write for the grade 2 corp.
I feel having multiple writers of the music not only ensures a fill in, if I can't do it, but it also provides both corps with slightly different styles and rudiments combinations. Challenging them again and again.
It's amazing what someone, who hasn't been exposed to years of the best drum scores on earth, will write. I'm really looking forward to rolling out some of the new scores.
Look for Dylan's Braes of Marr (spey) in the grade 3 medley, as well as Cam's Ale is Dear (reel) in the grade 2 medley. Graham is also creating some reels for the grade 3 medley and i'm looking forward to those as well.
Keep up the good work boys. It's nice to know I can count on you.
Cheers,
Sean
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
"Good to see you! I thought you were dead."
I know I know, its been awhile. This past week and a bit has been absolutely brutal but I'm glad to be back behind a keyboard.
Did you read the title and get confused? Did you think it related to the Leaf's chances of a Stanley Cup this year?
Actually it's a greeting/statement I hear a lot.
I know I'm 24 and fondness of double doubles, and single malts aside, I'm in good health. Its just that I travel a lot with this guy, and for some reason everyone thinks he's dead.
As some folks know, P/M Wes and I are constantly traveling. Planes, trains, and automobiles zip us around to clinics and contests etc. It just always seems when we bump into someone Wes hasn't seen in a few years, they thought he was dead.
Can't really blame them, for awhile there Gauger wasn't in particularly good health. The medical system prevailed though and thanks to a built-in defibrillator (I used spell check) he's right as rain. Or was.
Last week I got a call from the big guy saying he was in the hospital again. So I raced down there to find a large and cranky Pipe Major ready to hang some poor resident doctor.
Don't worry, it's nothing to serious, but we've been back and forth all week with doctors and I'm happy to say he should be right as rain shortly. I just thought that before it got around that Wes' dropped a drone reed and left the circle that I'd let everyone know he's doing quite well and should be back barking orders at the drum corp asap (great news....).
If there is a single good side to this whole experience it is that Wes proved his "system". He's always going on about the system, and how the band can run like clockwork no matter who's there as long as we stick to the system. Well surprise, surprise, he was right.
Now I'm only saying that because I know his current surroundings in the hospital have zero web access, and he's to busy hiding his cell phone from his angry nurse to bother looking for a computer to read my blog. So serves him rights, he missed it.
Tuesday last week, Paul Mundt was running the show in the piping room. Pipe Sergeant Cam Ballantyne was away with hunting season and Paul stepped into the role nicely. New tunes came out and the pipe corp plugged away.
Thursday was a great turnout and new P/M Mark Jorgensen actually had the pipe corp on noise makers. They even ran the tuning process with all new members, and Alex Peiden handling the chanter setup. I know the drummers were really impressed and a little peeved I haven't gotten them their drums.
All in all things ran like clock work. I could tell when I reported to Wes after each rehearsal that he appreciated the fact that we missed his company but the band didn't miss a single beat. That has been his goal from day one.
So to re-cap. Wes is alive, I haven't been up to see him today so I'm not sure about his doctor, or that nurse, but regardless of where our fearless leader tends to be, the beat goes on.
Remember children... W hat W ould W es D o ??
Then just D o W hat S ean D oes.
Cheers,
Sean
Did you read the title and get confused? Did you think it related to the Leaf's chances of a Stanley Cup this year?
Actually it's a greeting/statement I hear a lot.
I know I'm 24 and fondness of double doubles, and single malts aside, I'm in good health. Its just that I travel a lot with this guy, and for some reason everyone thinks he's dead.
As some folks know, P/M Wes and I are constantly traveling. Planes, trains, and automobiles zip us around to clinics and contests etc. It just always seems when we bump into someone Wes hasn't seen in a few years, they thought he was dead.
Can't really blame them, for awhile there Gauger wasn't in particularly good health. The medical system prevailed though and thanks to a built-in defibrillator (I used spell check) he's right as rain. Or was.
Last week I got a call from the big guy saying he was in the hospital again. So I raced down there to find a large and cranky Pipe Major ready to hang some poor resident doctor.
Don't worry, it's nothing to serious, but we've been back and forth all week with doctors and I'm happy to say he should be right as rain shortly. I just thought that before it got around that Wes' dropped a drone reed and left the circle that I'd let everyone know he's doing quite well and should be back barking orders at the drum corp asap (great news....).
If there is a single good side to this whole experience it is that Wes proved his "system". He's always going on about the system, and how the band can run like clockwork no matter who's there as long as we stick to the system. Well surprise, surprise, he was right.
Now I'm only saying that because I know his current surroundings in the hospital have zero web access, and he's to busy hiding his cell phone from his angry nurse to bother looking for a computer to read my blog. So serves him rights, he missed it.
Tuesday last week, Paul Mundt was running the show in the piping room. Pipe Sergeant Cam Ballantyne was away with hunting season and Paul stepped into the role nicely. New tunes came out and the pipe corp plugged away.
Thursday was a great turnout and new P/M Mark Jorgensen actually had the pipe corp on noise makers. They even ran the tuning process with all new members, and Alex Peiden handling the chanter setup. I know the drummers were really impressed and a little peeved I haven't gotten them their drums.
All in all things ran like clock work. I could tell when I reported to Wes after each rehearsal that he appreciated the fact that we missed his company but the band didn't miss a single beat. That has been his goal from day one.
So to re-cap. Wes is alive, I haven't been up to see him today so I'm not sure about his doctor, or that nurse, but regardless of where our fearless leader tends to be, the beat goes on.
Remember children... W hat W ould W es D o ??
Then just D o W hat S ean D oes.
Cheers,
Sean
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