In August of 2015, Sarajane and I landed in Tucson. I had never considered the southwest as a destination however there I was. 110°F and 10% humidity. This was going to be a challenge. I hooked up with a small group of pipers and drummers called Tucson and District Pipe Band. One thing led to another and they asked for instruction. The first thing I did was switch everybody over to a Lee Goatskin bag. Then we swapped out the existing chanters for a set of Gandy chanters. With careful management, it is possible to achieve a true bagpipe sound!
Finding the right music was a bit of a challenge. They were in Grade 5 but wanted to play in Grade 4. We persevered and although the numbers remained small, the quality of sound and playing grew month over month. There are very few opportunities to play in front of an audience in Arizona or to even play outside. As someone once told me, everything in the desert is designed to kill you, or to at least inflict great harm.
Sarajane caught us at practice one afternoon in 2018, shortly after receiving the new Gandy chanters. The playing was cautious but the unison was good for the grade. The following February we traveled to Green Valley to put on a concert. The audio clip below is the 2019 medley. There were blowing and unison issues however I was pleased with our progress. Two weeks later we won the Grade 4 contest in Phoenix. I would have liked to play up into Grade 3 but it wasn’t allowed on this occasion. Just after St. Patrick’s Day Sarajane and I continued our adventure traveling 1,800 miles back to her hometown, Delafield, Wisconsin.
We made some great friends in Tucson and I’ll forever cherish the experience.
