Many years ago, sitting in the passenger seat of our family car, my dad brought up the subject of possible career fields to go into. I wasn’t seriously looking at colleges yet, maybe early teens. The field mentioned as a possibility was chemical engineering, large impact on society and just a little lucrative. I don’t know why the memory stuck in my head. I remember looking at the chemical engineering building at Texas Tech University with the goal to do at least do something productive with my life. A year ago I graduated with my Ph.D. in chemistry (not engineering) from Texas Tech and today I signed a contract for a dual appointment in chemistry (teaching Chemistry II) and chemical engineering (prepping\/fixing\/piddling around their fluid dynamics lab) for the spring 2013 semester. It has taken a while since that moment long ago for me to make it to the chemical engineering building, but I’m here!<\/p>\n
So with that sap story comes another one. Today, I’m playing my dad’s old pipes again. I’ve got them set up with a Gannaway bag that’s a little too big (thanks Bryan, better than no bag at all!) and Colin Kyo drone reeds. Same chanter as before. In the vein of recollection, I feature many of the tunes I grew up hearing my father play. I hope you enjoy hearing them from me as much as I enjoyed hearing them from him.<\/p>\n
First up is a 2\/4 march by Pipe Major Robert B. Nicol followed by a reel. The sheet music for the reel my father first worked off of was a handwritten copy from Mike Cusack (former piping director, now school headmaster, at St. Thomas Episcopal School in Houston, TX). I think the march would be a great one for grade 4 solo players. Unfortunately it can only be found in one book that I know of:\u00a0The Gordon Highlanders, Pipe Music Collection, Volume I. Funny enough, it starts out A LOT like\u00a0John MacColl’s March to Kilbowie Cottage.<\/p>\n
Pipe Major Bob Brown’s Farewell to the Ballochbuie and Captain Lachlan MacPhail of Tiree<\/a><\/p>\n Next we have an air my dad used to play along with the jig I named after him, the second or third tune I ever wrote, and one of my best, I think. I say used to play because of course, he has retired from piping, so he’s not dead if you were wondering!<\/p>\n Laggan Love Song and Hilton McLaurin<\/a><\/p>\n I end this post with one more recording of Bryan’s Colin Kyo bagpipes with Canning tenors and a Rocket bass. The post previous to this one was recorded in the walk-in closet as the little people were sleeping, but since they were off at dance class today I get to record in the larger bedroom, so I wanted to give the CK one last airing in a bigger room. As I’m wont to do, I play tunes associated with whose pipes I’m playing, so this time we’ve got Bryan’s competition MSR.<\/p>\n Arthur Bignold of Lochrosque, Highland Harry, and Bessie McIntyre<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Many years ago, sitting in the passenger seat of our family car, my dad brought up the subject of possible career fields to go into. I wasn’t seriously looking at colleges yet, maybe early teens. The field mentioned as a possibility was chemical engineering, large impact on society and just a little lucrative. I don’t … Continue reading My Father’s Pipes (and one more Colin Kyo)<\/span>