Lament for the Old Volunteers (J. MacBeth) is January 2018’s Tune of the Month.

I originally came across this tune on one of the albums I listened to as a teenager when I was learning the bagpipes. I’m surprised the tape still works I played it so many times! The album is “Proud Heritage” by The Pipes and Drums and Military Band of The Royal Highland Fusiliers. The tune title is given as The 74th’s Slow March on the album but the original tune is credited in the liner notes. The arrangement below is a slightly modified version of the tune as presented on the album. 6/8 time seemed best when transcribing, though the original published source as linked above is in common time (4/4).

Lament for the Old Volunteers (The 74th’s Slows March)

74ths Slow March, Sweet Maid of Mull, Farewell to the Creeks (Colin Kyo bagpipes, Ezeedrone bass, Redwood tenors) – a recording from a few years ago so the arrangement is slightly different

All the albums I listened to while learning had a big affect on my resulting repertoire, and this album was no exception. P/M Gavin Stoddart’s solo MSR of 74th’s Farewell to Edinburgh, Shepherd’s Crook, and Lochiel’s Away to France is a favorite, I love all 3 of these tunes.