Bringing together the best.

[Stormy]

Following on from the "All Star Band" thread.
Do you think it is a good or a bad idea to bring together the "creme de la creme" in order to form a first class pipe band?

[Dan Peet]

Didn't The Power do that?

DP

[JRM]

I'd like to hear them!

Abilty, hard work, dedication, willing to be lead and conform your playing style to someone else.

These are some of the key ingredients to a successfull band.
Miss one and you fail. If you can achieve that with a collection of superstars that's great. Many of the bands that are beign referred to as super-bands have been together for a long time practicing together. SFU has been around for something like 25 years, 78'th Frasers approximately the same, Most certainly, Shott's and FMM didn't spring up overnight either. Can it be done...probably. But how long would it last. :shrug:

[Mike Szarka]

I think it depends on the specific individuals involved, and most of all, on the leader. You need someone with extraordinary leadership abilities who commands complete respect to keep those kinds of players focused on the same goal and willing to play someone else's style. Some superstars would always be back-seat P/Ms, but others have the right psychology to be committed team members.

Mike

[Ross McMahon]

I don't think a "creme de la creme" band could ever work. There would be too much ego. That's why a great leader with a solid group of players willing to follow his or her lead wins can win the worlds and super bands don't. As far as I know FMM isn't filled to the brim with Gold medalists and they're still a major contender year after year.

If you put 12 of the world's best PM's and 6-8 of the best lead tips together it wouldn't last. I imagine there would be eternal debate over who would lead the band. If they could ever settle that I'd like to be around when they tried to pick a Medly. The only people from that band who would get along is the bass section.
Cheers
Ross

[Thomas Cook]

Maybe the International Bagpipe Federation could host a World Cup! Or we could make it an olympic event!
Just imagine, each and every nation (including Vatican City) would send their elite pipers, in a competition for jingoistic glory! The bloodshed would be tremendous.

[Ian White]

Not all great solo pipers and drummers can get along well enough with someone to play in a band. So, to that end, putting a band together with the creme means you may wind up with it going sour, unless you have a great leader who can keep everything properly chilled.

At this point in time there are six bands whom together fill the top 6 at worlds just about every year... are they not the creme de la creme as we know it? If we put them all together just to play a few tunes as one... it would be a nice sounding mass band... lead by a Drum Major!!! We already have 6 great bands out there with at least a dozen more banging on the door in grade 1, and grade 2 has a few ready to take the next step to give grade 1 a go.

Pipe band excelence is nearly ready for the next big step; whereby the judges comments are taped while the performance is on and they are given an additional minute to summerize the performance before the next band lines up. No more writing things down... speek into a mike and let the words be printed as everything moves along. Points are given on the spot and whatever the judges say is in print for that band to go over. The score are known emediately to everyon... that way room isn't left for bands that play later to "squeek in" and take a prize... they have to take it boldly.

In short, the pipe band world doesn't need a dream team band... we need a dream team of RSPBA officers ready to push piping into the 21st century, along with judges and instructors to help everyone move to the next level.

MTCW, Cheers,

Ian White

[Go Cadets]

Ian White, you are a man after my own heart. Judges will find using a tape system will free them up to do more of what they like to do-listen and ajudicate! I totally agree with instantaneous scoring. No more listening to all the bands and then marking placements. This is a a detriment to the authenticity of adjudication. It allows too much time to second guess first impressions.

However, with a taping system, judges will instinctively leave a little scoring room at the top for the latter bands, and slotting could become a problem. Judges need to trust their instincts in this situation and score as their conscience allows.

[David]

I say what with the increasing level of knowlege in brain science and specifically knowlege of brain response indicators, go for the cranio-cardial electrode system. Each judge sits in a comfy chair on a rotating platform and at one point in each band's performance, they form circle around the judges. The judges' responses would be indicated on the big board, after processing by a program which assigns points to each type of brain or cardial response. Maybe a sodium pentathol/valium drip into the adjudicatory jugular beginning 20 minutes before show time to further enhance veracity. This should eliminated the influence of predjudicial factors which are bound to crop up on the "tight little island" of piping.

I'm only kidding, but I want the patent!

[Ash]

David the patent is yours!! :D ....Now where are the willing victi...erhm "judges"?! :D :D

[John Bottomley]

Well, I'm in favor of the comfy chair part, anyway!

[PyperGurl]

SFU is living proof that bringing the best of the best together CAN work. It all depends on the personalities involved and having everyone agree on who would lead. As I said in a previous post, egos break up bands.

[Iain Sherwood]

Invergordon Distillery did it in the mid-60s for three years running; five Gold Medallists in the pipe section, Alex Duthart leading the drum line, Donald Shaw Ramsay the PM. The most innovative band of its time, it won EVERY contest three years running - EXCEPT the World's. After three fruitless years in Glasgow, they pretty much quit.

They did produce the single most important pipe band album of all time, Pipes in Concert .

Unfortunately this album has never been brought out on CD. Damn.

[John Bottomley]

One of the things that should qualify you to be "the best" band player is the ability to work specifically for the good of the band; set aside personal preferences to play the band way. With that as part of the definition, I'd love to hear that band!

[Stormy]

Originally posted by John Bottomley:
One of the things that should qualify you to be "the best" band player is the ability to work specifically for the good of the band; set aside personal preferences to play the band way. With that as part of the definition, I'd love to hear that band!Get any recording of Strathclyde Police from the 80's. That's your band.
:thumb:

[John Bottomley]

Originally posted by Stormy:
Get any recording of Strathclyde Police from the 80's. That's your band.
:thumb: Gotta agree with you there, Stormy! :hatoff: