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The Average Piper - Do you hear what I hear?

Do you hear what I hear? The answer to that question is more complicated than you might think. Last night at the pub I almost spewed my Guinness! I’ve been stressing use of the metronome and the importance of properly executed and timed GDE’s.…

The Average Piper - Wearing of the Green

Before you know it St. Patrick’s Day will be here. Streets and pubs will be flooded with pipers and drummers providing various interpretations of tunes to celebrate the occasion. Unfortunately, you’ll hear some less-than-stellar renditions…

The Average Piper - Band Practice

I'm currently instructing Celtic Nations Pipe Band and last night was our regular Tuesday night band practice. PM Ken, SJ, and I arrived early and set up. Ken plugged a speaker his metronome. Tables were set up in a horseshoe with Ken and myself…

The Average Piper - The Consistency Factor

I’m going to encourage those reading The Average Piper to incorporate these lessons into your daily practice regimen. Never practice without a metronome. Rip the tunes apart and understand exactly where the notes are supposed to land. Practice…

The Average Piper - The Metronome

Let’s wade into the deep end. The reality is that many Average Pipers do not know how to use a metronome effectively. The word I’m about to use are not intended to be mean. If another word was as descriptive, believe me, I’d use it. Many…

The Average Piper - Two Issues

I’m going to double-up on today’s post and give examples of two “deadly sins.” I recently encountered the quintessential “average piper”. Please do not interpret this as negative. It’s anything but “negative”. I’m so happy…

The Average Piper - Complicated Tunes!

I’m going to hit “reset” today and go back to our list of 7 deadly sins. #2 was choosing tunes that are too complicated. Most of the tune books today are written by Grade 1 pipers for Grade 1 pipers. There is little that is within the…

The Average Piper - Understanding Notation...#2

Following the notion that a "lack of understanding" is a primary issue impacting The Average Piper, let's continue to explore the first measure of Scotland the Brave. Point of clarification…when I talk about playing a note “on the beat”…

The Average Piper - Breaking things down!

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…

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Music Background...Blessing or Curse?