first competition --- in general.

iPiper · 04-19-2012, 12:43 PM

Disclaimer: If this is sitting in another thread or belongs elsewhere, I apologize in advance.

Two part question:
1. At what point in a beginner's piping career should he/she consider competing. I'm sure there's no definitave answer, but maybe when are the conditions right in terms of ability, etc.

2. As one prepares for competition, how does practice focus shift maybe to % of time spent on competition pieces versus other tunes? For example, I'm spending regular practice time on three 2/4 marches in increasing degrees of difficulty, three 6/8 marches in increasing degrees of difficulty, plus a smattering of 3/4 marches, jigs, reels, and slow airs. If I were to decide to compete, how does my time change? Do I all but drop the non-competition tunes?

Thanks!

bob864 · 04-19-2012, 01:41 PM

This sounds like a fun thread -- I'll play!

1) You're ready to compete when your instructor thinks you are. If you don't have an instructor then you're not ready. In general, you have to be able to play whatever the tune for the event is. You have to be able to blow your pipes long enough to get them warmed up.

Here in EUSPBA we mostly compete in 2/4 march and piobaireachd. If you can play a 2/4 march all the way through, consistently without going off the tune, then you're probably ready.

2) It's the other way around. You practice your competition material however much it needs, and you spend whatever time is left practicing other stuff. Unless you're in a band, and then your band material comes first, solos second, and then everything else. That's why I'm not solo competing for the first part of this season -- not enough time.

Hopefully I'll be able to devote more time to practice as the year goes on and work solos back in.

So how do you know how much time stuff needs? Well, you kind of learn over time. For me, I don't seem to get much benefit to working on a spot of music for more than a few minutes at a time. Maybe 5. So if there are 12 spots that need improvement in a tune, that's an hour. Early in the season there might be more than 12 spots. Later there might not really be any.

Right now when I practice I'm focusing on two tunes, a march and a reel. In the march I'm mainly working on making sure I've got all the parts in the right order. In the reel it's playing the tachums clean and not rushing the gde's. So with the march I play it through several times, trying to stay focused on what comes next. With the reel I turn on the metronome.

Mainly I don't work on more than two or three tunes in any given practice session, except when I rehearse a performance (i.e., play through all the tunes in sequence). Sometimes I don't work on more than one. I work on more tunes when I have a lot of new tunes to learn, but that's on PC and I tend to not count PC as practice.

Neil Clark · 04-20-2012, 12:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bob864

This sounds like a fun thread -- I'll play!

1) You're ready to compete when your instructor thinks you are. If you don't have an instructor then you're not ready.

Just passing right now, but had to comment on that. Bob, for me, thats the best quote of the year so far. Excellent.

kaypiob · 04-20-2012, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iPiper

Two part question:
1. At what point in a beginner's piping career should he/she consider competing. I'm sure there's no definitave answer, but maybe when are the conditions right in terms of ability, etc.

I'll assume we're talking solo competition...

Whenever he/she wants to. A good idea is to go scope out the competitions before you compete--listen to the players in the grade you'll start competing in. If you feel like you can hang with those guys, go for it. Anyone can compete... winning is a different story.

Quote:

2. As one prepares for competition, how does practice focus shift maybe to % of time spent on competition pieces versus other tunes? For example, I'm spending regular practice time on three 2/4 marches in increasing degrees of difficulty, three 6/8 marches in increasing degrees of difficulty, plus a smattering of 3/4 marches, jigs, reels, and slow airs. If I were to decide to compete, how does my time change? Do I all but drop the non-competition tunes?

Can of worms here. Practice what you feel needs the most work. After your first competition it gets easier to determine this as you'll generally have judges comments on the scoresheet (at least here in the EUSPBA) that'll give you a general idea of where to improve. Not all judges do this, and I think that's fine (we've had that discussion here before...), but most do try to put something useful/helpful there. If competition is more important to you than the other stuff, then focus on that. It's really an individual thing.

Steve397 · 04-21-2012, 06:31 PM

I did my first competition six months after starting the pipes. I've since gotten better, thank God. I work on what I think will be my new competition tunes over the winter. I try to play something different every year so I keep learning new tunes. I keep working on new material over the summer, but concentrate on my competition tunes for the week or so preceding each games.

Nathaniel · 04-21-2012, 07:24 PM

Do you want to compete? Some pipers do and others dont. Are you practicing and learning as if a judge is your intended audience? Does that sound like your bailiwick?

Piperalpha · 04-23-2012, 02:53 PM

You should play you tunes that you're learned once through to warm up your fingers. Then concentrate on your competition tune(s) you'll build stamina and keep the tunes you've learned from being forgotten. Aim to be able to play your competition tune(s) three times through without making mistakes. When you compete you'll have no problem playing it once. It will feel short.

04-19-2012, 12:43 PM	#1
iPiper Forum Member - Shy or Quiet Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Leavenworth, KS Posts: 17	first competition --- in general. Disclaimer: If this is sitting in another thread or belongs elsewhere, I apologize in advance. Two part question: 1. At what point in a beginner's piping career should he/she consider competing. I'm sure there's no definitave answer, but maybe when are the conditions right in terms of ability, etc. 2. As one prepares for competition, how does practice focus shift maybe to % of time spent on competition pieces versus other tunes? For example, I'm spending regular practice time on three 2/4 marches in increasing degrees of difficulty, three 6/8 marches in increasing degrees of difficulty, plus a smattering of 3/4 marches, jigs, reels, and slow airs. If I were to decide to compete, how does my time change? Do I all but drop the non-competition tunes? Thanks!

04-19-2012, 01:41 PM	#2
bob864 Holy smoking keyboard! Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: South Carolina Posts: 7,100	Re: first competition --- in general. This sounds like a fun thread -- I'll play! 1) You're ready to compete when your instructor thinks you are. If you don't have an instructor then you're not ready. In general, you have to be able to play whatever the tune for the event is. You have to be able to blow your pipes long enough to get them warmed up. Here in EUSPBA we mostly compete in 2/4 march and piobaireachd. If you can play a 2/4 march all the way through, consistently without going off the tune, then you're probably ready. 2) It's the other way around. You practice your competition material however much it needs, and you spend whatever time is left practicing other stuff. Unless you're in a band, and then your band material comes first, solos second, and then everything else. That's why I'm not solo competing for the first part of this season -- not enough time. Hopefully I'll be able to devote more time to practice as the year goes on and work solos back in. So how do you know how much time stuff needs? Well, you kind of learn over time. For me, I don't seem to get much benefit to working on a spot of music for more than a few minutes at a time. Maybe 5. So if there are 12 spots that need improvement in a tune, that's an hour. Early in the season there might be more than 12 spots. Later there might not really be any. Right now when I practice I'm focusing on two tunes, a march and a reel. In the march I'm mainly working on making sure I've got all the parts in the right order. In the reel it's playing the tachums clean and not rushing the gde's. So with the march I play it through several times, trying to stay focused on what comes next. With the reel I turn on the metronome. Mainly I don't work on more than two or three tunes in any given practice session, except when I rehearse a performance (i.e., play through all the tunes in sequence). Sometimes I don't work on more than one. I work on more tunes when I have a lot of new tunes to learn, but that's on PC and I tend to not count PC as practice. __________________

04-21-2012, 06:31 PM	#5
Steve397 Forum Regular Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: San Ramon, CA Posts: 175	Re: first competition --- in general. I did my first competition six months after starting the pipes. I've since gotten better, thank God. I work on what I think will be my new competition tunes over the winter. I try to play something different every year so I keep learning new tunes. I keep working on new material over the summer, but concentrate on my competition tunes for the week or so preceding each games. __________________ Semper Fidelis "Thus may be exemplified my life, that perseverance in any profession will probably meet its reward." Lord Nelson

04-21-2012, 07:24 PM	#6
Nathaniel Forum Silver Medal Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Southwest, USA Posts: 355	Re: first competition --- in general. Do you want to compete? Some pipers do and others dont. Are you practicing and learning as if a judge is your intended audience? Does that sound like your bailiwick?

04-23-2012, 02:53 PM	#7
Piperalpha Holy smoking keyboard! Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Canada Posts: 1,045	Re: first competition --- in general. You should play you tunes that you're learned once through to warm up your fingers. Then concentrate on your competition tune(s) you'll build stamina and keep the tunes you've learned from being forgotten. Aim to be able to play your competition tune(s) three times through without making mistakes. When you compete you'll have no problem playing it once. It will feel short.