The Piobaireachd Society’s Facebook page has (since the lockdown in the UK) been hosting videos of Piob Soc members playing or talking about piobaireachd. It seems a very popular activity. There are other pipers out there doing similar things to entertain each other during this time … examples include Covid Ceol Mor and the pipers who have joined in with the Covid Ceilidh.
So far we have had
- Robert Wallace – played Too Long in This Condition
- Peter McCalister – played Patrick Og MacCrimmon’s Lament
- Callum Wynd – played Lachlan McNeil of Kintarbert’s Fancy
- John Frater – played a Nameless tune from Angus MacKay’s manuscript, which is clearly linked to Tulloch Ard
- Leslie Barrett in his wonderful modulated voice spoke about the power of music and asked some questions about the effect of piobaireachd on the listener
- Yahya Hussein played Lament for Donald Duaghal MacKay
- Douglas Gardiner played The Lament for the Old Sword
- Dan Nevans played The MacDougall’s Gathering
In the wings are another dozen pipers who have either sent me a video, or said they will do so.
Life isn’t a competition, but the number of ‘engagements’ and ‘likes’ on Facebook have been very impressive, Robert Wallace leading the list – with over 10,000 people reached. See screenshot below:
The power of music to lift people at this time is without question. Once a week the people of the UK go onto their doorstep to applaud carers, and those working for the NHS (Thursdays at 8pm, if you didn’t know). In my own town I can hear pipers from more than one garden amidst the clapping, banging of saucepans, etc…
I played jigs and Scotland the Brave a few times on the street for my neighbours, and this seemed very popular. This surprised me a bit, as my neighbours have heard me practising in an upstairs room for some hours per day, for about 25 years! Just shows you, the Great Pipe has its uses.
Anyway we’ll keep doing this for some weeks yet, and if you want a look then please go to https://www.facebook.com/PiobaireachdSociety/. If you are a Piob Soc member and want to post a video then get in touch with me at peter.mccalister@doctors.org.uk
