I was privileged to have been taught by him for 13 years. I have a cassette in Donegal of a recital he did in 1987 at the BBC Concert Hall. My father recorded it when it was on the radio, and said it was the best concert he had ever been to.
Mighty playing, what a tone he’s got as well, love those bold ringing drones, bright tenors and strong bass. The slight hum of the vhs tapes harmonize with the drones giving a very cool growl effect, gives some punch 😎 I wonder, is that a Warnock chanter or a Naill? Hard to tell
Donald MacPherson was not only the greatest piper of his day but will go down in history as the greatest piper of all time! I had the privilege of being taught the pipes under his brother, Ian MacPherson, who resided in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Donald and wife, Gwyn, came to the States around 1993-;94 to visit Ian. While Donald was in Oklahoma, he played his pipes for then Governor David Walters and wife, Rhonda, in the State Capitol rotunda in Oklahoma City. Following his performance, we enjoyed a relaxed lunch at a local restaurant. Governor Walters presented Donald with an official State "Proclamation". Donald told me, sometime later, that he had the Proclamation framed and hung it on his wall at his home 'Balbeggie Cottage' in Perth, Scotland. Not only was Donald an acclaimed piper, he was also a very humble gentleman.
I was at this performance. He also played the march, "The Royal Scottish Pipers Society" and all four parts of his strathspey, "Mrs. Donald MacPherson." It was cool.
Beau, Was this recorded from Idyllwild pipe camp? I attended that school in 1987 & 1988. I think you were there in 1988. I was Melissa Pratt back then. Anyway, great upload indeed. Jimmy was a great piper and instructor. Thanks for posting this.
Surely, Melissa Bautz! I remember you and Roy Trinidad. Seamus, Dr. John and Jimmy in the mountains of Idyllwild....great memory! I have you performing on tape somewhere I think.
@@melissabautz2346 Yes, it is.....i went out to North Carolina and won the Grandfather Mountain grade 2 the next year, did some competing in grade 1 solos....height of my competitive solo playing. I played for Johnny l Morris' Top of the Rock for a few years, which was the height of my performance career, met Johnny and his friends, Kid Rock, played for Val Kilmer and put alot of miles on my car! Actually I have gone back to finish an engineering degree starting in 2018-2019.
@@beaubuffington That’s super. After pipe camp I continued playing with the band, went to the Worlds with them. In 1990 I won the Aggregate trophy at the Vancouver Indoor Meet. Then went to Gr 1, competed a bit more bit got super involved with career (geologist). After getting MS in geology I moved to WY, started a band in my small town (population 7000). Then married and had 4 kids. In 2016 youngest was 5 and I was ready to get back into piping more seriously again. My now 11 year old son got into snare drumming to play in the band 2.5 years ago. He’s like a sponge. He’s in RMM Grade 4 PB as a long distance player. I’ve resumed lessons with Murray Henderson and Stuart Liddell and I’m learning snare (so I can speak “drummer” 😂). I run a community pipe band here. It’s neat. I have a pack of 10-11 year old boys learning tenor and pipes. It’s really fun. My son is the lead tip (the only tip) bit he’s learning from Blair Brown and climbing up in the solos. He’s in an online drum workshop this weekend. It’s a lot of fun. I’m also resuming learning my uillean pipes which I purchased in 1990! 😳 that’s super you resumed the engineering degree. I reclaim abandoned mines for my job and I work with many many engineers.
@@melissabautz2346 All fantastic news! I am looking at interning somewhere this summer and graduating next Fall, knock on wood! I have taken a geotechnical engineering course or two and I am very interested in phytoremediation and green material such as hempcrete, bioplastics, biofuel.
P/M Macgregor would have been using P/M Jimmy MacIntosh's pipes here, I don't know the drone make (Possibly Henderson?), but the chanter would be a Naill, with one of MacIntosh's own reeds singing in it. Great selection of 2/4 marches, Parker's, Millbank, and Braes of Castle Grant, magnificent tunes, and great passionate playing.
@@chrismartin5652 I see, interesting. “Jimmy and I can only afford one set of pipes” is what made me think that it was likely P/M MacIntosh’s pipes. Lovely sound though nevertheless, in spite of the muddy audio quality the drones have lovely harmonics, and the chanter has a lovely ring.
I remember this. He made a lasting impression. I took pictures from that year to his family several years ago. Thanks for posting this, just sorry it took me years to see it.
"Donald Being my brother and only half as good as I am." LOL Thanks for posting this! Must have been a real treat to have this man in your piping circles. Question: in the first video, Iain gives someone a tune. Do you know what it is called and/or by chance have a copy?
I think it was 'Angus John's Fancy'. It is in one of the Gordon HIghlander's books, maybe book 2. Here is a copy I found online: plheineman.net/angusjohnsfancy.htm
I, too, was taking lessons from Big Angus at the time. Whether when he was here in the states, or when I travelled to The Piping Centre several times for week long stays in the late 90's. This brought back so many Wonderful memories!!! Yes, I'll miss his playing, and the tone of his Pipe (which we can still enjoy, as they've been passed down to John Patrick), but it's his VOICE that I've missed the most! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
Scott Reasons It’s been shut by the lockdowns, though there is an occasional video by solo Pipers uploaded occasionally. I think that they may be facing bankruptcy, so doesn’t look good at the moment.
Sorry to inform you that Iain passed this life in the mid-1990's. He, and wife Janice, were residing in Tulsa, Oklahoma at that time. I was privileged to have been tutored by Iain for about two years before he passed away. A great piper, one of the world's finest!
The tune starting at 00:42 I'm pretty sure is 'Leaving Barra' . Absolutely love it and glad I came across this as theres not many videos online of this particular song.
hello fellow Piper's as always Gordon just love the sound of his bagpipes so sweet to the ears such wonderful music there's no way I could match that but just glad we players that share the joy of music
Pipe Major Iain MacPherson, MM Pipe Major Iain MacPherson, MM, visited Alaska in 1982 as one of the first piping judges at the first Alaskan Scottish Highland Games. After viewing the wonders of the Great State, Iain left an active career as a piping judge and instructor in Scotland and moved to Alaska. After a five year vacation in the North, he went to Tulsa to Judge a piping Competition, met a lady named Janice and the wonders of Alaska could no longer hold him. He moved to Oklahoma and married her. Iain composed over 100 recorded pipe tunes which are now played around the world. It is reported that when playing a tune for an event, he used to just add another part or two and when asked what that new tune was he said he just thought it needed a few more parts. Unfortunately, for the pipers of our world, if the event was not recorded those new parts were only played on this earth once. Iain was the older brother of the World Famous Donald MacPherson who won more piping honors more times than any piper living or dead. Iain told us that he was a better piper than his brother, but we never had the oppurtunity to hear them face off, so his word will have to stand. In the fall of 1995, Iain moved upstairs to accept a commission as Pipe Major of the Northern Lights Pipes and Drums of Heaven. Iain"s Brother Donald joined him in 2012.
I loved Iain although I never met him. I had the privilege of being a member of one of the many bands he founded. Ian, the brother of the famous world champion piper Donald MacPherson from Scotland, authored many pipe tunes and was a world class piper in his own right. The pipe Major of our band in Alaska was one of Iains best friends and when he died, inherited many of Ian's unpublished tunes. He was a great man and has left a lasting legacy to the piping world.
Very good tunes gordon im the boy nathan coburn who was at your recital in drumore i play for cottown pipe band could u name me some tunes to learn plz hard ones
I'd like to apologize for the seemingly ridiculous tangent but I couldn't think of another way to ask this... So obviously I'm a piper, but I also have a passion for listening to good opera singers. Being that your name is Nathan Coburn and I'm assuming you're from Oklahoma... do you know Sarah Coburn? She's a super amazing coloratura from Oklahoma. I stumbled across her while trying to avoid the all too common WOBBLY sopranos that make up like 99 percent of the opera industry haha. BTW, I have tons of really old historic piping recordings on my own channel if you're interested.
Someone calls his D "flat?" It's some cents sharp, in common with mid 20th century intonation standards. Search my name for several Scots Guards 1950 recording excerpts.
