Title says it all, and the recordings will make it obvious why, lots of mistakes and sloppy fingering. Played ’em straight through, they’re presented in order. Took out the Naill spec Rockets and put the Canning tenors in so I’m all Canning in the 1950’s Henderson’s (polycarbonate bass <- I love this reed, thanks again Gord!). Husk reed and the loveliest Colin Kyo chanter I’ve had my hands on. Of my 3 blackwood (2 obtained aftermarket, as it were, this one being one of those 2) it is simply brilliant. When I die, I’ll be sad to let this chanter go. L&M bag and a Gibson split stock water trap. Things sharpened up a bit at first but then flattened out just wee bit for the last couple sets. That’s all I got, here are the recordings.

1-Arthur Bignold of Lochrosque, Highland Harry, Bessie McIntyre, PM George Allan, Eileen MacDonald

2-Scotland the Brave, Wings, Lord Lovat’s Lament, Murdo’s Wedding, Rowan Tree

3-Alan MacPherson of Mosspark, Troy’s Wedding, Clumsy Lover, Glasgow Police Pipers

4-Miss Proud, Locheil’s Away to France, Charlie’s Welcome, Captain Lachlan MacPhail of Tiree, Rejected Suitor

5-Ewe with the Crooked Horn, Inverary Castle, Dora MacLeod, Shepherd’s Crook, Susan MacLeod

6-Donald MacLean’s Farewell to Oban, Major Manson’s Farewell to Clachantrushal (had a little oopsie at the end of the last tune so I had to cut it here and rerecord it below, Kantara…)

7-74th’s Farewell to Edinburgh, Kantara to el Arish

Okay, so they weren’t all competition tunes.

Start this week with yet another booboo from a grade 1 band, haha. Not really, they just got a tune name wrong. I’ve been listening to a lot of Battlefield Band lately. They’ve got some great songs accompanied by pipe tunes. Their “Home is Where the Van is” and “Happy Daze” albums are excellent. Karine Polwart lends her most awesome voice on Happy Daze and it is really a great album. Check it out. She’s on several Ed Miller albums too, who also employs EJ Jones a lot for smallpipe accompaniment. Okay, I’m starting to link like a Wikipedia article. One instrumental pipe set on Happy Daze ends with Nighean Cailleachd Nan Cearc, which apparently means the Hen Wife’s Daughter. Well, I immediately recognized this as the final tune of the Spirit of Scotland’s 2008 medley. But, the last tune in their medley is always listed as The Grey Old Lady of Raasay, and I always thought that was the strangest version of that tune, as in, doesn’t sound like it at all. Go figure, they got the tune title wrong. So, the Hen Wife’s Daughter it is. See for yourself. I’ve included a version along with Spirit of Scotland’s on my sheet music page on my main website. I personally prefer the GDE ending of the original all on low A, instead of G on C and DE on low A as SOS plays it.

Enough of that, I wanted to give some exposure to some Donald MacLeod 6/8 marches I never hear played and then I just kept flipping through the book and played some other tunes.

Primrose Hill and Benside (both by Donald MacLeod, second one is a keeper)

Susan MacLeod and Neil Angus MacDonald (both by Donald MacLeod, I knew Susan just with different timings a la Scots Guards as opposed to his 4th book which contains Primrose Hill, Neil Angus MacDonald was the tune on the page facing Susan)

Archie MacPhail (I figured while I was playing reels I never had before, I’d play this one too, by Adam Scott, South Uist)

Last, and certainly least, as far as worth listening to goes, my band’s medley:

Battle of Waterloo (Donald MacLeod), A Dram Before You Go, Glasgow Police Pipers (Donald MacLeod, sort of), Deer Forest, Firth of Lorn (Donald MacLeod), Sleepy Maggie, and Dancing Feet (George S. McLennan)

A bit down on practice these days and my right hand is not doing a very good job of getting back down to the chanter so there are some false Es as my right hand takes its time.