DIY Bagpipes

A piece of nonsense for Monday morning.  Want your own set of bagpipes? Can't afford them?  Here is the answer.  Dig out your old school descant recorders ... 

How to Make Bagpipes out of a Garbage Bag and Recorders

Next, we'd like to learn how to make a piano accordion ... 

Poignant Pipe Tunes: Ceol Chaluim, Now in RCS Library

Ceòl Chaluim - The Pipe tunes of Calum Campbell of Benbecula - Edited by Niall Caimbeul and Catriona Garbutt

 Tragically killed by a hurricane in the Hebrides in 2005, a lasting memorial to piper Calum Campbell can be found in his collection of pipe tunes, published by Acair Books.

We offer a traditional music degree here at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and have a number of pipers amongst our students.  Clearly, we needed to have a copy of this book.  It has just been added to stock.

Bagpipe Lung. It's a Real Thing

The BBC consulted Royal Conservatoire of Scotland researcher Andrew Bova for more information about this rare, but very real condition - bagpipe lung.

• Read it here:- http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-37152871

(Now, please do go and clean your bagpipes out!) 

Pipers, Tell Us What You Think!

We found a slightly retro bagpipe website called The Universe of Bagpipes.  There is literally loads of information there, and to the untrained eye, it looks quite respectable (though we don't like the luminous green type on the homepage).  And yes, the url is http://www.hotpipes.com/ !

Pipers, please tell us if you'd like this link added to our music portal on the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland's library Mahara pages.  If no-one passes any opinion, the link will stay on this blog but won't go to Mahara.  It's up to you!

The Universe of Bagpipes 

http://www.hotpipes.com/

Are you a Fan of the Pipes? Piping Live is on this week

Piping Live Festival this Week

Since our nearest neighbours are currently in the throes of Piping Live, we offer you an insight into the bagpipe music that we have in the Whittaker Library.

Search for Bagpipe or Bagpipes and you find THESE ...

Caution: don't play them too loud - you might annoy the neighbours!

Did you see the film, 'The Quartet'? Now read a blog by a piper!

Blogpipe

http://blogpipe-pipesdrums.com/

 

 

Blogpipe is a blog by piper Andrew Berthoff.  His latest posting is a reflection on the theme of the recent film, The Quartet (starring Maggie Smith) - but his musings have an interesting twist: Andrew blogs about pipers.

 

• Blogpipe homepage
• Retirement Hame - a reflection by Andrew Berthoff.

 

 

 

Pipes on Tyneside, Pipes in Oman

Back from the Northumbrian Minstrelsy gig at The Sage, 'Whittaker' went online to see if Chris Ormston's virtuosic 'I saw my love come passing by' was anywhere to be found. Of course it was!  Take a listen - Chris's Northumbrian smallpipe playing is phenomenal.  Here ... 

And here's more - Chris playing music from the Clough Manuscripts (Soundcloud)

As I said, don't imagine pipes are solely in the hands of the Scots!  And - on that note - here's Bibliolore's latest blogpost on The Sultan's Bagpipes.  Good timing, Bibliolore!

Now to play those smallpipes tracks one more time ... good thing 'Whittaker' isn't in the library today, isn't it?!

Gaelic names of Pibrochs : Concise Dictionary edited by Roderick D. Cannon

Gaelic names of pibrochs: Concise Dictionary

A very useful resource - uploaded February 2013.  You'll find it here, on Ross Anderson's webpages.*

Now, there is also another document by Roderick Cannon, on the National Library of Scotland website.  Don't be confused - it looks the same, but it's not!  Headed, "Gaelic names of Piobearachds" online, the article is actually entitled 'Gaelic names of pibrochs' - just like the new concise dictionary.  Barnaby Brown says that it is 'a companion publication, very different', and advises us that the Concise Dictionary complements the classification article.  Here is the article.

* It's worth noting that Ross Anderson's website is extensive (to say the least); pipers will find a plethora of useful bagpipe information there, at www.piob.info. 

Free Bagpipe Music

If you're a piper, you really should take a look at the Petrucci Music Library.  Old printed music sources, digitised and freely available to download - here's the list:-

http://imslp.org/wiki/Category:For_bagpipe
 
Anyone playing Northumberland smallpipes might like this 1805 collection by Francis Peacock:-

A Favourite Collection of Tunes with Variations

Noting the Tradition - a National Piping Centre project

Noting the Tradition

'Noting the Tradition' is a project interviewing people who have been involved with the Scottish piping tradition.  There are interviews to listen to, transcriptions, and photographs.

• Noting the Tradition is project-managed by James Beaton.  Contact details on the website.
• You might also like the Museum and Heritage page at the Piping Centre.

Bagpipes and Body Percussion - Julia Wolfe

Intriguing article title from BBC Music Magazine.  Take a look here!

Naturally, the Whittaker Library knows about Julia Wolfe - here's what we've got in our catalogue.)

Historic bagpipe recordings: Piper's heaven

At the request of course leader Josh Dickson, eight new piping CDs were obtained from The Bagpipe Library at The Bagpipe Place.  These allow students to listen to historic early recordings.  (See the list here ...)

Have you encountered The Bagpipe Place yet?  If you're curious, why not visit the website?

http://www.thebagpipeplace.com/

   Which leads you to:

The Bagpipe Store,
The Bagpipe Museum,
The Bagpipe School, and
The Bagpipe Library.

To a piper, this must surely be somewhere near heaven!

Iain MacInnes plays Jig and Stumpie, from Highland Vocal Airs (1784)

© National Museums Scotland. Licensor www.scran.ac.uk.

Just one demonstration of why Scran.ac.uk is such an excellent resource!  Accessible to anyone associated with a subscribing institution.  (Like the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, for example.)

Bagpipes from hell - how did we miss this CD?!

Absolutely NOT the Red Hot Chilli Pipers.  'Bagpipes from Hell' is Vittorio Ghielmi and Luca Pianca playing 17th and 18th century music for viola da gamba, lyra-viol and liuto, ceterone.

And we have it in the Whittaker Library.  Form an orderly queue!

Welsh bagpipes

Released 5 years ago, but it takes a while for these things to filter through the misty Celtic borders ...

‘This is a new CD by Ceri Matthews, a solo album of pipe music played on the pibe-cyrn (bag-hornpipe). This is the first recording devoted entirely to the instrument.’

And we have it here in the Whittaker Library at M145 M.  There!  I hope you’re impressed!  Find it here.