For those of you not on the direct email list of the contest organizers of the Salado Scottish Festival, you might have noticed the entry forms to the Salado contest may not be too easy to find on the web. So, I’ve attached them to the bottom of this post for your convenience. It includes individual piping and drumming, pipe band, and dancing entry forms.
SALADO – WORD document
SALADO – PDF document
I was a little concerned about the D on the RJM solo chanter being flat from my initial set up of the chanter. A summary of that post has both new and broken in Husk and new Melvin reeds all giving a flat D such that I had to tape every other hole down (except high A) to match the tuning of the D. Both those reed makes being hybrid ridge cut or full ridge cut respectively, I figured I’d see if the flat D persisted into the realm of straight cut reeds. I found one of my old broken in Gilmour reeds from days past and lo and behold, I didn’t have to move a piece of tape; therefore, the D is still flat. So, I feel this particular chanter might could stand a little undercutting on D. Another RJM player has reported a perfectly fine D but another flat note, so looks like there’s a wee bit of variability. (EDIT November, 4 2012 – Roddy has reported that the flat D is unusual and would like to take a look at the chanter, you can see a pic of his personal chanter in the original post.)
I figured I was 2/3 the way to what I call the standard Gold Medalists set up, so I figured (we do a lot of that in West Texas) I’d go all in and so I have switched the bass drone reed in these Colin Kyo pipes from a low pitch Genesis Kinnaird to a Henderson Harmonic Deluxe. I prefer this combination as the bass isn’t quite as overbearing, so you get a really good blend. Since this is the combination a lot of upper echelon players use, I guess these CK pipes are a lot like all those classic Hendersons those guys play. If I recall correctly, Murray based his pipes off an old Henderson.
My fingers are still adjusting to the different chanter spacing from the Colin Kyo chanter, pardon the slips please. Mic is drones side, i.e. behind me.
Burden of Innocence and Happy Days – a tragic tune followed by a happy tune
Ewe wi the crooked horn and Rejected Suitor – still working on my strathspey phrasing, SWSW seems to work pretty well for the first part of Ewe, just need to figure out what works best for the other parts
Kantara to El Arish, Cowal Gathering, and Major Manson’s Farewell to Clachantrushal – gotta work on my 2/4s for the upcoming competition in Salado, TX