I received a call one day from someone looking for a piper. He was a classical musician from LA and had already received a recording from another piper in town. We talked for a minute and then he asked the most peculiar question. “Are note errors acceptable in bagpipes?” He explained that, in the recording […]
Author Archive for: Ron
Entries by Ron Bowen
Last night at band practice we chunked out a couple of phases in two small 6/8 marches that needed work. In “A Hundred Pipers“, 2nd part 7th measure, there is a tachum. This is shown in the picture above. The issue was that many pipers were already on the Low G before I had made my […]
Just to recap, we talked about the need to maintain steady pressure within the bag whether you’re blowing or taking a breath (I hate the term “squeezing” as the action is more subtle than “squeezing”). We also talked about the need to listen. The sounds you hear on your shoulder are most revealing, if you […]
I can remember the exact moment when I heard it. I’m talking about that moment when I heard the harmonics of my chanter blend with those being produced by my drones. It was an entirely new world opened up. I had placed myself in a corner of a room and allowed the sound to completely […]
My day didn’t at all turn out the way I thought it would. First of all, I’m working on a couple of stories that are going to rock the bagpipe world. I have to hold off for the time being as things are yet developing. However, at this morning’s lesson, Ryan asked “How do you […]
In the old days, I both loved and hated practice. I always made certain that my bagpipe was ready to go and after about ten minutes of playing it was tuned and completely settled. Others would arrive having not touched their pipes since the last practice. We would fight and fight to get the sound […]
So, what’s going on inside my bag and what can I do about it? Great questions. As I said earlier, you’re pumping air that’s close to body temperature into the bag and about 100% RH. Under moderate conditions, with everything working as it should, the air inside your bag will probably be in the upper […]
I’ve played just about every bag ever made, except Norman Kyle’s vulcanized rubber bag. I didn’t see the point. I played Cowhide and Sheepskin until synthetic bags were introduced. I’ve played all the synthetic bags and have now gone back to a hide bag for reasons that I will talk about later. What I learned […]
All pipe bags require understanding and management in order to achieve and maintain the right sound. Each type of bag has its advantages, limitations, and maintenance requirements. It is critical that the piper understand his or her pipe bag and make adjustments necessary in order to achieve optimal sound and performance. The bag’s responsibility is […]
Let’s shift gears for a minute and talk about something else. From the very earliest words written we know that there is something about the Great Highland Bagpipe that has stirred body and soul. Average audiences are drawn to the sound of the instrument, with only a basic understanding of a few simple melodies. Sometime […]
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