Getting a grip

I played quite a lot yesterday. Not hugely successfully. I lacked the concentration to get tunes right: both Loch Bee and Magersfontein keep letting me down. My hands were uncomfortable on both chanters. I'm inclined to blame the cold and my marathon knitting sessions, but I suspect it's more down to an embarrassing lack of practice.

My stamina is good, though, and yesterday I just went from tune to tune, although I could probably have done with stopping at least once to get the bellows in the right position. It was one of those where my wrist rested on the bellows, neatly cutting off circulation in my fingers...

Today I've played through a number of tunes. I dredged up Teribus from somewhere in my memory. It's a bit shaky, but not in bad shape, considering. Still working on Troy. I think the speed is good, still having problems with accuracy. Currently losing the plot on the C part where I really want double high after after both the low A (correct) and the B (wrong, wrong, wrong). I also still have a tendency to play the first and the last part only of the D part. I suppose that the D, being the only non-repeated part, I've probably played only half as often as the rest of the tune...

The fan gave me two volumes of Donald MacLeod for Christmas. He was pleased to find Jack Adrift in volume 5, which he had been looking for. I was pleased to find an arrangement in the first volume of The Highland Brigade at Waterloo. In the B part, in place of the odd drop to low G then a D grace on a low A between two high A's, and the two drops to low G around a D between two high G's, there are grips. I can play grips! The other interesting thing is that I thought this was one of those tunes that was refusing to filter into my musical memory, but several times I found I was playing the remembered version (from the David Glen Collection via Ceol Sean) instead of the version in the dots before me.

January is coming. Knitting still not finished (yes, yes - it was Christmas knitting, and Christmas has been and gone) but I will play every day. And I will learn some new tunes - I've no excuse with two volumes of P M MacLeod.