It's Jack Lee Week for the Salt Lake Scots!

To follow-up on the last story, I finally did get the new drone stock tied in.  All hemping of drone and chanter reed was checked and re-checked by multiple people.  I got a Canning Normal tenor drone reed to replace my Kinnaird tenor drone reed. Finally, my pipes work.  I have found I have to check the drone reeds each time before I play, as they tend to slip out and get loose pretty regularly.


Just for the record, here is a list of the equipment I have in my pipes:


Bag:  Ganaway medium
Drones and stock: McMaster (they tune high)
Chanter: Chesney
Blowpipe:  McCallum
Bass drone reed: Kinnaird
Tenor drone reed:  Canning normal


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So . . . Jack Lee week.


Some kind and generous soul in the band paid (again) for world-class piper Jack Lee from British Colombia, Canada to come to Utah and coach our band for two days, individually and as a group.  This will be the third time Jack has come to coach us.  Each time we have used my local Church of Jesus Christ chapel for the individual lessons, and since I have a key to said chapel, I get to hang around Jack for two solid days, usually.  I have learned he is lactose intolerant and chooses not to eat meat. I provide him with fruit and hot tea and water throughout the day, and take him to lunch with another band member one or both days.


The first day, I brought (among other things) blackberries, of which he is apparently very fond.  Sande and I took him to Star of India for lunch because it is nearby, it is a buffet so we can get in and out quickly (he only has an hour for lunch), has good food, and is relatively inexpensive.  I listened with half an ear to each person's lesson as they came, and it took a long time to get to the strathspey and reel because of all the corrections Jack had for their playing of the march.  When it was my turn for a lesson at 2:00 pm, I was at the strathspey by 2:20 and on pipes by 2:30.  Jack said I was playing much better than last year, and much better than the other people who had already showed up for lessons!  Wow!  Go me!  I asked him if he was only saying that because I brought him blackberries, and he laughed.  He asked if I had been practicing and I said 'no' without thinking, but I actually have been, just not a lot.  It was nice to be told by a world-class piper that my playing was good. 


If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you will know that my two main issues in progressing in piping are: 


    1.  no time to practice
    2. lack of self-confidence


Jack's comment really shut up the tiny devil on my left shoulder who keeps whispering in my ear, 'You're a horrible piper!  You're getting worse instead of better!  Why are you still playing with the band anyway?'  And other similar comments.  Jack also gave me specific things to work on; mainly, doublings and torluaths (sp?), so I can focus on certain things that will improve my performance. Yay!


As soon as I get my pipe case back from Dan.

St Patrick's Day 2019 Pub Crawl

This has been the best St. Patrick's Day for several reasons.


1. Ian split the band into two groups here and there, so we were able to play for many more pubs than usual, and still be done by 9:00 pm. We played 12 times for pubs.
2. We only have two hours of church now (9:00-11:00) and tune-up wasn't until 11:30, so I was able to go to all of church (wearing my kilt) and still show up on time for tuning.
3. Nick was in charge of Group 2, and he was very tired, so tuning was short and chill. We played maybe 2 sets and were done.
4. I played solo for Highland Cathedral FOUR TIMES!  I VOLUNTEERED! Don't know where this self-confidence is coming from.  Meditation, perhaps?  I did very well, too.
5. We had Janelle (learning pipes) and her sister Annie (learning tenor drum) selling T-shirts and collecting donations.  We took in over $4600!  One guy bought $200 worth of T-shirts!
6. Janelle and Annie also were bouncers, keeping drunk customers away from the pipers and drummers.  Annie, especially, was very effective!


A few things were detrimental.


1. My hip was giving me problems (arthritis) so any walking was painful
2. Trevor had to go to a setting-apart for his brother being called to a bishopric in Provo, so Group 1 was short a piper for 3 hours, and I transferred from Group 2 to Group 1 to fill in the gap. I never transferred back to Group 2 due to people wearing out early
3.  My pipe case got left in Dan's truck when I switched to Group 1, and I still haven't gotten it back.
4.  I also had my music, my practice chanter, and my car keys in my pipe case.


A few funny things happened. Here's one:


1. While playing at The Leprechaun, always loud and crowded, I was standing behind an elderly gentleman and playing right into his ear.  After the first set, I leaned down and apologized for playing so close to his ear.  He said, "That's OK. I took my hearing aid out before you came in!"  That got a laugh from the table and neighboring pipers.  When we were ready to move on, I clapped him on the shoulder and told him he could put his hearing aid back in again.  That was good for another laugh.