BBC Scotland has finally embraced twenty-first century technology and has announced it will live stream the entirety of the Grade 1 competitions from the World Pipe Band Championships over the internet. The Worlds finally reaches the world in an effort that recognizes at last the scope of and worldwide enthusiasm for piping and pipe bands.

In its release, the BBC’s Ewan Angus said:

“The World Pipe Band Championships have become an important fixture in BBC Scotland’s summer schedule. We are delighted that we will be enhancing our coverage this year with the live web streaming for viewers in and beyond the UK. We know there’s a big interest in piping in many countries abroad, particularly those where traditional music already has a strong following. It is fitting that our offering has gone global in this special year for Scottish culture and heritage.”

Sounds like something that should certainly get eastern U.S. pipers out of bed at 4:00 am.

Bre Pettis, host of MAKE magazine’s video blog and maker in residence at MAKE TV has posted the manifesto of the “Cult of Done.” It is worth reading…hell, it’s worth posting in its entirety:

1. There are three states of being. Not knowing, action and completion.
2. Accept that everything is a draft. It helps to get it done.
3. There is no editing stage.
4. Pretending you know what you’re doing is almost the same as knowing what you are doing, so just accept that you know what you’re doing even if you don’t and do it.
5. Banish procrastination. If you wait more than a week to get an idea done, abandon it.
6. The point of being done is not to finish but to get other things done.
7. Once you’re done you can throw it away.
8. Laugh at perfection. It’s boring and keeps you from being done.
9. People without dirty hands are wrong. Doing something makes you right.
10. Failure counts as done. So do mistakes.
11. Destruction is a variant of done.
12. If you have an idea and publish it on the internet, that counts as a ghost of done.
13. Done is the engine of more.

There are several bits here that apply to the modern bagpiper and drummer. Modern times have squeezed just about every drop of time we might have to devote to, well just about anything. Often we are pressed for time to do everything whether it is one’s job (“I’m busy as h***”), one’s hobbies, or managing one’s family activities. The Cult of Done manifesto contains something anyone can take to heart and may force you to think about your piping and drumming in a new way.

Perfection is the enemy of the good. Pipers and drummers are so focussed on perfection it has become a source of mass neurosis. Voltaire’s quote is almost a truism. After all, bagpipe competition is set up to punish imperfection. It is the very nature of the format. I dare say that punishment for imperfection overshadows rewards for the same in a typical pipe band contest. The result? Neurotic attention to detail and oftentimes overanalyzed activity bearing the fruit of paralysis and stagnation.

How many times has your band rubbed raw your 3 to 5 minute performance on the competition field? Does it help reach perfection? How much do you really improve though such obsession? Whatever the answer to that, it is important to realize that “perfection” is a myth. Number 8 in the manifesto above makes that clear.

My favorite is number 4. Take a moment to think about this and how it relates to the way you approach your own music making. In one way, this statement is freeing. It is permission to push aside your own prejudices and preconceived notions and move forward. In a sense, many of these statements can be combined into one: “Just do it.”

Number 9 is something you can use to brush aside the “folding-chair judging” and other negative commentary about your or anyone else’s performance. “Getting your hands dirty” means you are fully engaged in the work to develop your own music making.

It’s important to make the distinction, “perfection” is not the same as “development.” When you work toward improving yourself as a musician and as a competitor, it is not about striving to be perfect. It is realizing your potential, and that work reaps its own rewards. “Done” is merely a term, but as number 13 says: Done is the engine of more.

The 2009 Metro Cup Championship went to Willie McCallum for the second year in a row. McCallum’s third place in the piobaireachd and second in the medley earned him the overall prize, which this year included a solid gold US$50 coin worth approximately $1,000. Gordon Walker took the piobaireachd prize with his rendition of “Scarce of Fishing.” Alasdair Gillies, first in the medley portion of the contest, was in top form on a stage that saw several excellent medleys. Pictures from the event up on Flickr here.

Competitors performed their piobaireachd in the afternoon with the medley performance in the evening. Performers submitted a free-form medley that typically gives players a chance to show off and be creative. This year’s performances only saw a scattering of flashy arrangements with most players giving straightforward and more traditional presentations. While the “flash” is always enjoyed by the crowd, the straight deliveries perhaps give players a better chance to cast a more varied style into the mix while allowing the quality of their pipe to shine through. Personal style was indeed a highlight of the medley event, each player delivering obvious bits of themselves to the judges and audience. To the savvy listener, taking in the subtle differences in musical delivery and the color of the performances was as big a pleasure as the jazzy fingering and arrangements seen in prior years.

This year’s contest saw a healthy slate of local regional players and some first-time invitees. Ken McKeveny from North Carolina by way of New Jersey, Derek Midgely, John Bradley, and Jesse Ofgang all made their Metro Cup debut along with local regular Brian Meagher. Jori Chisolm of Seattle, Washington also made his Metro Cup debut with an excellent bagpipe and smooth delivery.

Some notable performances were heard from Alastair Dunn with a moving rendition of “Isabel MacKay” on a sweet sounding modern Henderson pipe with modern Peter Henderson chanter. Alastair’s medely performance was also full of drive and characteristic flair. First timer Glenn Brown also gave an evocative delivery of “Beloved Scotland,” which earned a fifth placing. A clear and well articulated medley on an extremely refined bagpipe earned a third placing in the medley contest. Metro Cup regular John Patrick earned a fourth place in the medley with a lively and crowd-pleasing performance played with energy and clarity.

Professional Piobaireachd
1. Gordon Walker (“Scarce of Fishing”)
2. Roddy McLeod (“Lament for Donald Dughal MacKay”)
3. WIllie McCallum (“Lament for the Children”)
4. Alasdair Gillies (“The Vaunting”)
5. Glenn Brown (“Beloved Scotland”)

Professional Medley
1. Alasdair Gillies
2. Willie McCallum
3. Glenn Brown
4. John Patrick
5. Roddy McLeod

Sounds like the makings of several good tunes. New tunes might be all the famed and fabled Strathclyde Police will have left as we move into the future. Despite their well received concert at the Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow this past January, and their trophy shelf full of cups and awards, the pipe band that can trace its origins back to the 1880s is facing official restrictions on their activities.

It appears that the restrictions limit the band’s outings to two of the five major contests this season and the pipe band world is apoplectic. Histrionics aside, it is easy to see how the restrictions on activities will hurt the band’s recent competitive surge. Pipe bands anywhere in the world have a hard enough time plying their craft without their parent organizations turning a sour eye on them.

The name “Glasgow Police” is itself legendary and can be attached to just about every past influential figure in modern bagpiping and drumming. The modern band, under the name “Strathclyde” Police has had its own share legendary success. Their twelve Worlds victories (with six in a row!) is still unmatched in pipebandom. One might think that having a band of that caliber would be something worth building on in these tough times, not paring down. Especially with the big promo push for this year’s Homecoming Scotland. Their withdrawal from the competition field will leave a big hole as well as give non-police members a reason to play elsewhere.

Still, it is possible that what we are seeing is but the latest news in a trend for institutionally sponsored world-class pipe bands. One thing we don’t need is more boneheaded decisions like those that befell the Victoria Police and Western Australia Police Pipe Bands.

For now, Rab Wallace over at the Piping Times has set up a petition for anyone wishing to express their dismay over these decisions. Sign it here.

The aptly named Blanksheetmusic.net allows customized sheets of blank staffs for all of your musical scribblings. Your personal formats can be saved for later printing in as much volume as needed. Sheets can include as many or as few lines in treble and percussion staves as well as time and key signatures, barlines, and seemingly just about everything you need except the notes. Very handy.

If you have an iPhone, you’ve already downloaded a slew of apps and have been rolling dice, playing games, and other gadgetry. But now your iPhone can be put to proper use. iPiper, a new app for the iPhone promises that anyone can become a piper! Although it’s not clear how anyone new to the instrument would be able to do anything except make noise, it is more likely that the app will keep actual pipers and their thumbs busy. But it does include “Scotland the Brave” played by Murray Blair!

I had a chance to give the thing a whirl and after playing with it for awhile and getting used to the split chanter, I still don’t know how anyone who doesn’t know how to play will learn. I now owe my iPhone wielding friend a buck, but I do consider his iPhone more complete. Plus, he now has a tool to annoy fellow commuters to no end!

If anything, iPiper is something for the iPhone bearing piper who needs bagpipes in all aspects of their lives (and who doesn’t?). But some might want to wait for iPiper Pro with built in tuner!

The end of another year is upon us. “The year’s best and worst” lists flood the bandwidth of many a web browser. Our own list of “10 Things Piping & Drumming Things to Plan and Do” done way back at the end of aught-five, covered personal efforts you can do to improve yourself and break out of your habits and expand your musical horizons. They still stand true and are worth doing in whole or in part every year.

This year, however, economic ripples have and will work their way through bagpiping and drumming, for good or ill. The past couple of years have seen a good many games here in the eastern half of North America become simple “festivals” and excise piping and drumming competitions altogether as well as other Highland arts such as dancing and athletics. The games and events that remain struggle and some are on a slippery slope toward extinction. Highland gatherings and festivals are easily overlooked in a tough economic climate. As Highland musicians, we call all do a small part to make sure this aspect of the heritage is not overlooked. This year, take the time to work through the items on this new list of “10 Things to Plan and Do” and insure that good piping and drumming will not fade from the Earth.

1. Support your local games. Play at and make the smaller local events a part of your seasonal calendar. They need you as much as you need them. Make it a family affair and bring friends. Do what you can to make them a regular fixture on your schedule.

2. Expand your horizons. Travel to a distant games you’ve known about but have never attended. Whether you go to play or not, the experience alone will teach you things. Introduce yourself to other competitors or the folks running the event.

3. Share your experience. Attend enough competitions and you will formulate for yourself certain things that you like or dislike, and things that work or don’t work. Share these ideas and make helpful suggestions to games organizers. Write letters or send emails. After all, you are on the receiving end of things and without feedback, games folks won’t ever know whether they’ve done something well. Don’t be negative. Be constructive and give a “pat on the back” where it is warranted.

4. Contribute. Tough economic times or no, piping and drumming events still need the goodwill of others in the form of financial contributions. Pick one (or two) you feel are worth it and write a check. Buy raffle tickets and otherwise do things such as buy programs and patronize the vendors.

5. Volunteer. Sometimes “time” is more valuable than dollars. Make yourself useful and volunteer at an event where playing might not be feasible, or forego playing at an event and volunteer instead. Your help and experience as a competitor will go a long way toward keeping an event running the way it should be run.

6. Perform for free. (Come again?) Yes, volunteer your musical skills at a local Scottish or Irish function or other local affair and put yourself out there as self-promotion for you and the art. Sometimes people don’t know they like something until they encounter it. Tell folks where they might find more.

7. Be an advocate. More than that: Be evangelical. Your enthusiasm for your piping and drumming easily rubs off on others. Share it. Spread it around. Sell the idea of attending a games or festival. Expose as many as you can to piping competitions/performances.

8. Create and run a recital/workshop. Let’s face it, the world at large might have a passing interest in hearing a notable piper perform, but they are few in number against the enthusiast players around you who would jump at the chance. The idea that players can learn a few things in a seminar/workshop makes the experience that much sweeter. Build a team of like-minded folks. Align your event with a local games or relevant business to build awareness and promotion.

9. Be a better musician. Improve yourself. Seek further education and work on perfecting your craft. Being a better player means a more rewarding experience for you and your audience. In the process, the impression and regard folks have about Highland bagpipers and drummers in general just might improve. You do the art no justice if you don’t give it your all.

10. Teach. Teaching is the best way to reach a lot of people in a short time. Much like being an advocate, you get a chance to spread your enthusiasm by imparting your experience and perhaps inspiring others to take up the bagpipe or drum. Do this in a general way in a special class or seminar type session at your local school or community college. Find the right outlet and do your best to pass on the art.

The Voice wishes everyone a Happy Holiday season! May Santa bring everyone a Christmas pudding like he did these boys from Kingston Hill in 1935. That pudding could well be the Worlds “spike” and the scene could be the same…

The College of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts of Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Canada has launched its search for a new Executive Director to fill the void left by the recent passing of Scott MacCauly.

“The Executive Director will play a key role in maintaining and enhancing the world class reputation of our College. We are confident that this exciting opportunity will attract an individual who will be a good fit for the College as well as the Celtic performing arts community,” says Ken Gillis, Chair of the College’s Board of Directors.

Interested parties should have a background in educational programming, business and financial planning, and/or communications and public relations. Responsibilities for this very broad position include overall management of all activities and finances for the College as well as implementation of and major planning for the center’s programming, overseeing of staff, and wide ranging experience in general management. Application deadline is January 9, 2009.

The pipemaker’s craftsmanship is to be admired. But when the baker channels the spirit of the pipemaker you get something like this.

Western bagpiper Neil Hubbard from Seattle played his pipes at a birthday party where this cake was on display. My first thought was: “How would I insert a workable sound chip to give the full effect?” Gives new meaning the phrase “sweet pipe.”