The Piobaireachd Classroom

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Special Presentations

On a regular basis, you will be able to download recordings of tunes by some of the greatest piobaireachd players in the world.

Allan MacDonald

One of the most knowledgeable and greatest exponents of Gaelic music and its cross pollination with piping, clarsach, fiddle and song, has to be Allan MacDonald from Glenuig, Scotland. He has several recordings with Margaret Stewart , combining vocal and pipe versions of many ancient melodies. Recently, a video of his was put on YouTube and it is well worth the look. He involves many different instruments in the playing of a theme inspired by

 Duncan MacRae of Kintail's Lament

 called

                                              Cumha Dhonnchaidh Mhicrath - King of Laois

Willie McCallum

Willie McCallum is arguably the king of the present day competitive piping scene. With 8 Glenfiddich Championships to his credit he has no peers. This impressive record also includes several runners-up. So whenever Willie is competing in a major event, you can rest assured that he will be in the hunt for the top prize. As with many of the top professionals, Willie has other interests as well. Along with Stuart McCallum of  McCallum Bagpipes, he has designed and marketed the prize winning MC² pipe chanter. An accountant with Strathclyde University he is also an ardent season's ticket holder for the Glasgow Rangers Football Club. Many fans were able to meet Willie last year when he competed in NYC at the Metro Cup - and just happened to be declared overall champion. It is sage advice from Willie that has become important for all my students. His response to the question "when is a tune ready to use in competition or for a performance?" was very simple:" When I can play it flawlessly 3 or 4 times in succession" I subscribe to this totally.

As a pleasant follow-up to Colin MacLellan's Little Spree, I think you will find The Big Spree from Willie one of the finest listens to date. Many thanks to Willie for allowing the Corner to present his tune here.

Colin MacLellan

Colin MacLellan, holder of piping's most prestigious prizes, the Gold Medals at both Inverness (1982)and Oban (1992), is a world renown reed maker from Edinburgh, Scotland. He is a premier instructor at Winter Storm in Kansas City each January as his recording here will attest. He is playing The Little Spree on the practice chanter, part of his preparation for instructing at the KC event. Other recordings and lessons from Colin can be downloaded from his website. While visiting, check out his online reed service. I use his reeds as do many of my students - sound is superb and the service the best. Now for The Little Spree, some historians subscribe to the story that this tune was composed by a MacGregor chief about a blacksmith, a courageous warrior and equally dynamic drinker, causing him to tear up the town, so to speak, from time to time. However, if true, this story does not suggest the sadness that so many find in the tune - perhaps more a lament than a rousing "spree" song. The Captain's Corner thanks Colin MacLellan for his permission to present his tune here.

The Ground and Variation 1     Taorluath  and Crunluath

            
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Alasdair Gillies

Alasdair Gillies, a major player in the world of competitive piping for more than 20 years plays the Donald MacLeod composition, Cronan Corrievrechan (Corrievrechan`s Lullaby). Alasdair recorded this tune as a favour to me for one of my students and we thank him for it. The music may be found in Donald MacLeod's Collection of Piobaireachd, Volume 1. It is a recent composition, meaning the 20th century, of course. In Donald Macleod's own words about Corrievrechan's Lullaby,

"`Traditionally, the whirlpool sings Pos mi's posadh mi thee (Marry me and I will marry you). It was believed that if one entered its clutches, there was no escape. There is an old Gaelic song of the same title"

                
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Whence Come We

Today's pipers in Ontario like Bill Livingstone, Bob Worrall, Gail Brown, Chris Anderson, Michael Grey, Reay Mackay, and so many more were taught by the great John Wilson, who emigrated after WWII to Hamilton, Ontario in 1949. From his Saturday morning classes at Fort York Armories in Toronto and his private tuition, came the foundation of Ontario's competitive piping scene.  In some cases , like Bill Livingstone, these players rose to rival their teacher in Gold Medal glory. For many others, they took their spots as instructors and Pipe Majors of many of the province's top bands. In all cases, John's students are having a major impact on the piping world about them today.

Now John Wilson came from somewhere and that was Roddy Campbell. At this point every bit of piping history starts to explode, because prior to Roderick Campbell, we are back to the great generations of Cameron's ! Yes, Sandy Cameron, Donald Cameron and the Cameron school as so many talk about. This is where Roddy Campbell received his tuition.