Over the sea to Melrose

John Nelson travelled from Nashua, Massachusetts, to Melrose for the Society's annual teaching weekend in March. Here he gives a transatlantic perspective on the proceedings at the George and Abbottsford.

EVER SINCE reading about the Melrose Teaching Weekend in the June 2007 issue of Common Stock, I knew that I had to attend in 2008. I'm a relative newcomer to the pipes, having started on the Highland instrument about three or four years ago. My tutor, Ken Smith, a former Scots Guards piper now living in New Hampshire in the United States, introduced me to the small pipes and the LBPS early in my learning.

I eventually acquired a couple sets of small pipes and began learning those. At first I thought of these smaller pipes as a quieter way to practice my pipe band's Highland pipe tunes indoors without my family banishing me to the basement furnace room. I soon discovered however that this new instrument of mine had its own repertoire and had much more potential than just being a practice instrument. With time, my interest slowly gravitated from the Highland pipes to these new pipes. I still play with a pipe and drum band but my main interest is now the small pipes.

So as soon as the 2008 teaching weekend announcement was posted on the LBPS website I reserved my spot and purchased my plane tickets. I was eager to attend as my limited experience with the small pipes was with the one other small piper that I know and through the LBPS publications. I decided to turn the trip into a short holiday centered around the weekend.

As Friday evening approached and I returned from a nice visit with my pipe makers Richard and Anita Evans and some hill walking, my nervousness increased. However, George Greig and Judy Barker met me in the restaurant of the George & Abbotsford and made me feel at home. After a nice dinner more and more pipers began to show up, we moved over to the bar and the pipes began to come out; not only pipes but accordions, melodeons, and concertinas. I had never seen so many bellows moving in and out at one time: it was great. Finding that I recognized some of the tunes, my pipes come out as well and joined in a few of the sets although a bit awkwardly. The session lasted late into the night - or should I say early into the morning.

The learning went into full gear Saturday morning. We divided up into three groups based on each of our playing levels and went into sessions with Alan MacDonald, Lee Moore, and Malcolm Robertson. The theme of weekend was the Irish connection, the crossover and influence of Irish traditional music on Scottish traditional music. That theme was driven home right away when my group split off with Alan Macdonald, from whom we learned a wonderful Irish slow air out of Alan's tune book, Ar Eirearm Ni ‘Nedsainn Ce Hi. This was my first encounter with a tune without any set time signature or metre, and being told that the ornamentation was completely up to the player. It was so refreshing and a completely new experience.

By the end of Saturday afternoon Malcolm Robertson had taught us a half dozen or so lively marches, reels, and jigs. My brain had begun to fill to capacity with tunes and my fingers wanted a break so we adjourned until dinner after which Julian Goodacre delivered a surreal but very amusing speech that I'm pretty sure had some oblique relation to piping. The night was far from over as we continued the previous night's session continued well into the night. The playing was fantastic especially with the addition of Matt Seattle on his Border pipes, Nigel Richard on some type of ten-stringed guitar sort of instrument (presumably his cittern - Ed.), Iain MacInnes on his small pipes, Julian Goodacre on a set of Cornish pipes, and the three teachers on their respective instruments.

Sunday's lessons continued in the morning with me staying with Malcolm to give my brain and fingers a break with a slightly slower-paced group. We learned some more lively marches and jigs, well enough, in fact, for us to play the marches at the concert that concluded the weekend.

I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to have a teaching session with Lee Moore but his piping, along with that of the other teachers and students who participated at the concluding concert, was a nice finishing touch.

(above) Allan MacDonald, one of the course tutors

(above) Tutor Lee Moore

From my perspective the weekend was a great success. I got a chance to meet and play with many new pipers, learn some new tunes under the mastery of some great pipers, and see some more of your wonderful country. The weekend certainly motivated me to strive to improve my piping to the point that I can play in some sessions in my area. I hope to return in years to come.