Thank you for making this fantastic music and letting me have a great start into my day 😊. Andy Renwick's favourite ferret is my favourite tune! You played it and also the other tunes so well! I admire you for your skills. It's a pleasure to watch your fingers moving so fast and accurately on the chanter. Have you started very young playing the pipes and practiced a lot?
Great piping - thanks for sharing! Can you tell me which of the Glens made this set of pipes? Both Thomas Glen and his brother Alexander were my 4th great-uncles and I am writing a book about their nephew William Glen (cousin to John, Robert and David Glen) who was also a musical instrument maker, and who emigrated to Australia.
Wow what a connection! I'm not too sure who exactly may have made them but I'll ask and try to remember to get back to you! They're an incredibly special instrument and it's so amazing to see them out and about!
That was special. However I have a question. Some pipe tunes are meant to be played at warp speed. Especially some of the newer compositions. But sometimes I feel that some pipe music loses its musicality if it’s played too fast. Even hornpipes reels and jigs lose expression at higher tempos. What do you think?
Excellent question! As someone who enjoys a bit of piob and MSRs I totally agree that things can be too fast! On this occasion of my warp speed (I didn’t even know I was still capable of it tbh!) it was the nerves playing with Ross and Ali behind me and ALL of Gordon’s friends and family in front of me- the pressure was real 🫠 It’s mostly been band medley and MSR the last few months and my set was thrown together on the night- will definitely be slower next time I’m playing in public! 🤪
Ah I should have mentioned what the tunes are! First one though is Gordon's arrangement of "Wing Commander Donald MacKenzie" by Phil Cunningham! The actual accordion/fiddle original tune is epic too!
That must have been amazing Kyle! Over the last 20+ years, I've owned the silver-mounted pipes that John D. Burgess had Kintail make for him in 1984 to his spec. with flared drone stocks, and from AB he chose from the stock of Glens, after the company ceased trading in 1983.
