Sometimes people perpetuate issues because of a lack of understanding or a lack of proper instruction. You can imagine their frustration when I bring these issues to their attention and further when they try to fix them only to discover that their fingers want to behave as they’ve been trained. Technique and Timing are two […]
Author Archive for: Ron
Entries by Ron Bowen
I spent many years in management and have always been intrigued with human behavior. People tend to look at the end result and assume that someone was blessed with superior intellect, talent, or circumstances that enabled their success. In my experience, this is sometimes the case but more often it’s quiet perseverance. I often wonder […]
I confess that nothing drives me crazier than improperly executed embellishments. There is just no excuse to massacre an embellishment by overlapping notes, swapping the order of notes, or including notes that simply don’t belong! For instance, sometimes I hear pipers putting a G gracenote in front of or atop a D throw. Go away! […]
Dealing with frustration can be…frustrating. Some tunes and some tempos are simply beyond our abilities. Let’s take Scotland the Brave. Despite being perhaps the most widely recognized melody worldwide associated with Scotland and the GHB, played as written and up-to-tempo, it’s anything but easy. Many people “bake in” sloppy technique and timing as they thrash […]
I’m going to keep hammering on this until the message sinks in. If you’re struggling to memorize tunes, or to play with proper timing, you’re doing something wrong. STOP! You know the definition of insanity. All you’re doing is laying down an incorrect foundation (muscle memory) that will continue to negatively impact your progress! Put […]
I work with pipers all over North America and have for many years. Many started later in life driven by a love of the instrument and the culture. They come to me with a collection of issues, understandable confusion, and a desire to improve. Many have been taught incorrectly and find themselves at odds with […]
Blowing good tone…It’s easier than you think. 1. Stand straight with heels together and toes pointed into the middle of the circle or otherwise facing the PM. Back and shoulders straight. Chest out. 2. Take a deep breath. Steadily and slowly blow your arm off the bag. Keep the pressure in the bag constant. You […]
You can’t fool your bagpipe….or your Pipe Major….or your band mates! Just what is your bagpipe telling the band? I have to be careful here as there are always extenuating circumstances, however my #1 goal for the past 50 years has been to show up to practice with a perfect bagpipe. It took me a […]
Visual Memory – Visual memory is memorizing with your eyes, as in visualizing staff notation in your mind. This is the least favorable/reliable means of memorizing a tune. If you are inclined to pursue this method, STOP! You’re making things much harder on yourself than you need to. Auditory Memory – This is where you […]
Over the course of several careers I had the opportunity to work with some brilliant people. In 1997 I was sent out to Edmonton to work with a consultant on “information management”. I spent many hours with him over several days and weeks as we scaled a massive program into manageable (and understandable) pieces. The […]
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