Not going well today. I thought I'd avoid practising to get my speed up and just potter about learning My Home Town - a very lovely tune I know from Tryst and for which I found the dots on Ian Kinnear's website. There seems to be a howling gale around my chanter, which must mean my fingers aren't cleanly on the holes. My grace notes are slow and ragged. But the worst is that in order to get a steady flow of air I seem to be having to pump like billyo with both arms, twitching and hunching and generally giving myself shoulder-ache - something I've not done for ages, and that I really thought I had got past.
I've been lurking about Mr Kinnear's website, admiring - not to say lusting after - his very beautiful pipes. I love Morag a lot, of course I do, but she seems to be much more robust than the other pipes I've tried (practice pipes by Richard Evans, and smallpipes by the legendary Hamish and Fin Moore, both sets belonging to Vicki). I wonder if other pipes might be less physical effort. My pipes are lovely, but not made by a player, and the person who makes and puts in the reeds and sets them up is primarily a Great Highland Piper, so I just wonder if that affects the set-up. It's a shame it's not possible to walk into a music shop, or a maker's workshop, and try several out, as I know the fan has done with his various instruments.
My pipes have a lovely tone - lots of people have commented on it (and I suspect these recordings don't do justice to it). They look good too. I've also only had them five months (not that I have any thought of getting rid of them - only adding to them). Still, I don't need to rush into anything: Mr Kinnear has a waiting list, and there is the small matter of saving up. I'm just window shopping... At the moment I don't feel I play well enough to do justice to a really lovely set of pipes. Today I didn't even do justice to Morag. Sorry Morag.
Recording - My Home Town.
Retrieved (I think - I've got 2 and lost one).
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