Your first piobaireachd and who taught you it

[Stiubhard]

Hello everyone,

I did a search to see if this topic had been covered recently, but I couldn't find anything in the last few years - so here it is.

Pretty simple question: What was your very first piobaireachd, and who taught it to you?

For me, it was a simple, short, but relatively obscure tune - "the Munro's Salute". My piobaireachd tutor at the time was Ronnie Clark (Crieff), and I believe we used the Binneas setting of the tune. This was recommended by him as the first tune to tackle.

So, what was your first tune, and who ran you through it?

[Dave]

Re: Your first tune and who taught you it

The first tune I was taught was "Scots Wae Hae" by my first piping instructor Kevin Briley of "Whiskey Galore".


[edit]
Oops. Not piobaireachd. I haven't made it there yet.

[Andrew Lenz]

Re: Your first piobaireachd and who taught you it

Duncan MacRae of Kintail's Lament.

It was taught to me by my instructor, Jay Salter, who studied under Donald Shaw Ramsay, Jimmy McColl, Jimmy Thompson, and others.

Andrew

[Tom MacKenzie]

Re: Your first piobaireachd and who taught you it

The MacFarlanes Gathering

I learned it from Willie McCallum's CD "Worlds Greatest Pipers Volume 14", by playing along with the music and reading from Kilberry. Once on the pipes I would play a duet with Willie using the Church's PA system (practiced in a local Church back then).

I learned a lot about technique, tuning, tone and timing.

tomm

[dsb0628]

Re: Your first piobaireachd and who taught you it

The first was Clan Campbell's Gathering and the second was Glengarry's Lament (2019). My instructor is an open grade piper and former student of Jimmy McIntosh.

[Lochie]

Re: Your first piobaireachd and who taught you it

My very first Piobaireachd came from Jimmy McIntosh while at the Northern School of Gaelic Arts....Timmins, Ontario...1980 ? Anyway, Donald of Laggan....
Still a favourite of mine.
Dedicated piobaireachd study came much later for me as I matured as a piper and sought further challenge.
I was fortunate that Brian Williamson of Ottawa agreed to take me on as a student, and he started me off with Munro's Salute, same as the OP.
Still enjoy the tune, a great place to start off.

[Texas Gael]

Re: Your first piobaireachd and who taught you it

Jimmy McIntosh taught me my first piobaireachd Struan Robertson's Salute at a weekend workshop in Austin, TX, in October 1983. I was a beginner having started lessons the September a year before, and was barely on the bagpipe. The only beginner at the workshop, Jimmy pulled me aside after he had taught the tune to the class and told me I could do this, and went over the ground with me. I still play the tune to this day, though years later after being with other professional instructors I switched playing the taorluath singling and doubling to "up" and opposed to "down". That workshop was full of professional pipers and I felt out of place. Will always be grateful to Jimmy for his kindness towards me.

Cheers -

Wes

[Pppiper]

Re: Your first piobaireachd and who taught you it

My first was MacGregor's Salute, though the learning process was a little unorthodox, to say the least. It was initially learned by ear (and indirectly) through Mr. Jim McGillivray's site, pipetunes.ca.

This was a few years ago (2017, maybe?). I was looking to start competing (effectively for the first time) and I was advised that in order to progress through the grades, I really needed to seriously consider pursuing piobaireachd. I'd been playing for quite a long time, but previously never had the desire to compete.

Knowing that Jim's website had a few piobaireachd tunes available, I perused them, looking for the one that I "hated the least," since I was really not enthused with the notion of learning/playing ceol mor. Luckily, Jim allows one to preview the sound clip of his site's tunes completely before purchasing (as opposed to the first few seconds).

To my surprise, the recording of MacGregor's Salute really caught my attention. I didn't hate it at all—something I never thought possible with piobaireachd. I bought it right away pursuing it on my own and at my own pace for about 6 months or so.

It wasn't easy. I knew none of the movements apart from taorluaths, and the crunluath amach made my head spin. Still, I figured my way through most of the tune, and got a rudimentary feel for all of the tune/movements before I finally decided I was ready to have an instructor guide me. I turned to Lezlie Webster, an EUSPBA adjudicator and a very successful instructor in the northeast US.

After only a few short months, she really got me listening to and thinking about the tune in ways I could never have arrived at on my own. I started competing with it shortly after that, and it's been an excellent tune for me.

It's been nearly 3 years since then and I'm now in grade 1 for piobaireachd. Oh the irony. Despite my severe irritation with the notion of having to deal with piobaireachd at all, it has become far and away my strongest (and favorite) area. I'm still in Grade 2 for light music, perhaps I'll be ready to move up to 1 in that for 2021, or perhaps not—time will tell.

I'm learning my 4th piobaireachd tune now ... MacGregor's is still my favorite.

Cheers all,
~Nate

[phinson]

Re: Your first piobaireachd and who taught you it

I don't remember what my first piobaireachd was, but it was from a copy of Angus MacKay's book held at Eastern Illinois University. The first I competed with was "Clan Campbell's Gathering" from the PS collection & listening to an LP recording (Positively Piobaireachd) by Donald MacLeod in/around 1982. My first tune from an instructor was "Glengarry's Lament" from Donald F. Lindsay in 1988.

[Mac an t-Sealgair]

Re: Your first piobaireachd and who taught you it

Struan Robertson's Salute

Gordon Duncan

[John Dally]

Re: Your first piobaireachd and who taught you it

"The Old Woman's Lullaby" from Captain John MacLellan, who taught me so much in just a short time. I wouldn't start a student off on that tune now. FWIW, I start students on "Glengarry's Lament" Kilberry 100. It's such a lovely tune.

[Army.Bagpiper]

Re: Your first piobaireachd and who taught you it

Struan Robertson's Salute - Neil Clark.

I also won first time out.

Thank you, Neil!

[Chris Knife]

Re: Your first piobaireachd and who taught you it

Struan Robertson's Salute--played down
Glengarry's Lament
Lament for Donald of Laggan

Jimmy MacIntosh
Balmoral School, Edinboro PA '87 or '88

[jcsayre]

Re: Your first piobaireachd and who taught you it

Lament for the Old Sword


Iain MacPherson

[Stuart Barr]

Re: Your first piobaireachd and who taught you it

Glengarry's Lament, from John Wilson (Scot) at one of the Balmoral School sessions.

Thank you, John.