blog
Wilson Brown
Wilson is part of the new ‘all-star’ Spirit of Scotland pipe band specially formed to challenge for this year’s World title.
Well it’s all over and there is real sense of anti climax as I went back to work today after what has been one of the best weeks of my life. We started off the week not knowing how things were going to go, many of us not having met before, and we ended the week with new friendships, friendships being renewed and friendships being reinforced.
On Saturday, we played in the qualifying round at 0909hrs and at the end of it we were second equal with another 2 bands and made the final. In fact we tied for piping which is a remarkable achievement. I thought the MSR went really well and we produced a very good sound. Perhaps the break to the reel wasn’t quite spot on and some tension crept into the playing in the middle part of the reel. However we came off and we were reasonably pleased with how we played.
We then went to St Andrews on the Square for breakfast and we waited to hear if that was the end of the big adventure for the band. Roddy was waiting for Lesley Shaw to phone to let us know but of course Roddy kept getting phone calls from his friends. The film crew obviously wanted to capture the big moment and finally the call came in to say we had made the final. There was great elation and it was one of the best feelings I’ve had at the worlds, and I’ve been lucky enough to have been involved in a few.
After that it was back to business as we wanted to put on a good show in the finals. We had achieved what we had set out to do so in many respects we were more relaxed in the build up to the final. I thought we played the MSR better in the final as there wasn’t the tension that was there previously. One of the funniest things I will always remember and doubt if it has been seen before was that in the final tuning area we actually took time out to practice the drill for getting the pipes up and down. You have to remember some of these players had actually never played in a pipe band before and this was completely new to them. I have to say as well that I thought the turnout of the band was first class considering we were in hired uniforms. It is a disappointing trend at the worlds for bands to compete with no jackets on, I can certainly appreciate the need to remove jackets in extremely warm conditions however I didn’t think it was that warm. I remember the days when the police band actually competed at majors in full number 1 dress, minus the feather bonnets of course, how times have changed.
Anyway so to the medley and again we were very pleased with the way it went. After a very good intro I felt the break to the jigs wasn’t quite spot on and took us a couple of parts to settle down again. Having just listened to the winning bands on the pipe line programme I have to say the winning bands were very polished and congratulations to the SFU. I have known Jack Lee in particular for a number of years and always found him to be a true gentleman regardless of the result and I’m sure they have been at the end of some disappointing decisions over the years so well done. I have to say I think our medley in terms of content, excitement, drive, certainly provided the crowd with entertainment and their response at the end was brilliant, something I rarely experienced with the police, don’t know if it was the fact police in general are not that popular?
So to the prize giving and we were neither surprised, nor disappointed that we did not make the prize list. I have since read some of the forums and in general people have been complimentary and have fully understood the reasons behind the band forming and competing. What many people fail to realise is that the players put their reputations on the line and when you look at the amount of hard work and commitment these players have put in over the years this cannot be underestimated. If we had turned up on Saturday and failed to qualify with a disappointing performance and sound there would be some in the piping world who would not have let some of our more prominent players forget it. I read someone talking about the pipers in the band as being prima donnas which is utter nonsense. There was only one pipe major who everyone respected and followed his instructions to the letter. The attitude and commitment of those involved was exemplary and I’m sure for the younger musicians in the audience it was an excellent example of how to conduct yourself within the band environment.
We all retired to the band bus to reflect on the day’s events and enjoyed refreshment with family and friends. This is often the most enjoyable part of the day when you can relax and discuss the performances and when stories start to become exaggerated as evening descends.
We all headed back to the steps of St Andrews on the Square for a band photograph only to find a wedding party. The happy couple had been unable to find a piper on the day of the worlds and couldn’t believe it when some of the world’s greatest pipers arrived on the steps. For some reason I still had my pipes and Ian Duncan took my pipes and duly obliged with a rendition of ‘Here comes the bride’. I have to say on a personal note I thought my pipes sounded great and didn’t even need to be tuned. Others may say they only sounded good because Ian was playing them!! I then lead the band back to the bus with some family favourites leaving the bride and groom and assembled guests with some unforgettable memories of the day they were serenaded by the Spirit of Scotland.
And so the 2008 Worlds were over and all we are left with are the memories of an unbelievable experience. We are fortunate that John, Nick and Charlotte have followed us for the whole week and some time in the future a documentary will be put together of the week we have had. We are all really looking forward to seeing the DVD when it comes out and hopefully there may be some interest from some UK TV company to buy it so all of you can see what we went through.
I hope you have enjoyed keeping up to date with my world’s adventure. Has it been enough to rekindle my interest in piping to such an extent I would consider competing in solo competitions, perhaps not? This has made me realise again the amount of commitment that all pipers and drummers have to make to play in a band, not just a grade 1 band but all grades. It is not just the players but the families and friends who follow them around the country and travel from abroad to support them, encourage them, console them and hopefully sometimes celebrate with them. Although we didn’t win a prize I certainly feel we were all winners, richer for the experience of playing in the band. It was a privilege to be part of it, will we do it again - who knows. My thanks go to my friends in the council events team for putting on a great show and also for making it a thoroughly enjoyable day for my wife, family and friends.
Until next year maybe…………..
Nearly midnight here in Glasgow, just back from St Andrews in the Square where Roddy, Margaret, Linda and I have had a superb meal and a couple of refreshments. It was good to relax and some of the drummers were also relaxing at the same venue and managed to catch up on the good old days.
The practice today at midday was the best yet and the sound and playing was really good. We were lucky as much of Glasgow has suffered from flash floods yet we managed to practice for 2 hours without any rain although there was a lot of moisture about that affected the pipes. Again we practiced down at the Green and there were a number of people about who commented favourably on how the band was sounding. We really have to trust the advice given by the likes of Ian Duncan and Ronnie McShannon who have been assisting all day. It is only when you step back from the band that you are able to give any sense of perspective in terms of how the band is performing. I don’t think anyone is kidding themselves that all is perfect but considering we only came together as a band a few days ago the progress is amazing.
Given the talent that is in the band both in the pipe corps and the drummers, there are no egos on display and everyone is determined to put on as good as show as possible. Considering the time, effort, and money that this venture has cost some of the band we must ensure that we perform to our potential. It is easy to say if only we had a few more weeks but what really sets us apart is the notion that it has only come together this last week. Can a band really be put together at short notice and still compete with the top bands in the world?
To qualify for the final of the grade one championships is, in my opinion, the realistic target however once in the final anything is possible. In the last few years the performances in the MSR section in particular, has not been that impressive although most bands seem to up their performance in the medley. We are now a band that would certainly not disgrace itself in any final.
The plans are being made in terms of Saturday and I am certainly looking forward to the get together after the worlds in an undisclosed location. To get an opportunity to relax with new friends after having shared in the unique experience of competing in the worlds is something I am looking forward to and actually makes me realise what piping and pipe bands are all about. To win the worlds is a fantastic experience as I have done on five separate occasions however it is the lasting friendships and memories that are the most important aspect of this whole experience. It is probably this that has made me get the pipes down from the top of the wardrobe, dusted them down and been prepared to expose my musical frailties. Having spoken to Robert Crozier, who reminded me that we had met in 1988 in the grandstand at Old Anniesland during a police practice in the good old days, speaks volumes. I wish I had not taken for granted the success I have previously enjoyed, although it is to Glasgow’s credit and the development of Piping Live that the worlds has been elevated to the event that it now is.
I now have to go in tomorrow at 0930hrs to be interviewed by John McDonald for the documentary however I don’t mind. This has been a special experience that I’m really glad I was invited to take part in. Over dinner, Roddy and I thought it would be great to get as many of the band together for the first showing of the documentary whenever it is available and look back and reflect on what, regardless of the result, has been a tremendous week. I look forward to when the ‘big movie’ starts so I can bring along the popcorn.
To all the bands taking part on Saturday, I wish you the best of luck. I have competed in Grade 4 back in the early 1970’s in Ayr with Strathearn, and also in Grade 2 and 3 with the Vale in the late 1970’s, so I can appreciate how this day is important for all grades.
Unfortunately the weather is not looking good for the weekend. Many of you may not be aware of the effort that the events team at Glasgow City Council put in to make this a special day for the competitors and spectators alike. I only wish that in the 1980’s when I was enjoying success the event had the status and prestige it seems to have now through greater media exposure. Best of luck to you all on Saturday, if you don’t have a band to support, look out for the Spirit of Scotland, we’ve even got kilts now!!!!
Just back from practice and today we managed two practices outside at Glasgow Green. Tonight we had 21 pipers with only two of the pipers unable to attend. We also had a full drum corps which was really good as it all seemed to start fitting together.
Yesterday was one of the hardest days I have had so far. I decided first thing to go out for a run, or some would probably call it a jog, and I certainly regretted it later. We had two practices at the concert hall and managed to get on to the main stage, which at least let us hear the sound a bit more clearly. Again my pipes seemed to be very hard and I was struggling in the evening when we had a full 2 ½ hours on the pipes. I thought it was my stamina but it turned out that the bag needed another season, which I did at 9 o’clock this morning.
Once practice was over last night a number of us judged the quartet competition. This was very well attended and it was a good standard of competition with the Scottish Power the eventual winners. It was interesting to hear the sounds of the 6 bands and it gave us an indication of where we were with our own sound. At the end of it I was persuaded by Fergus Muirhead to go to the festival club however after one refreshment decided to call it a day which I was really pleased as I was really tired.
Today, I had to go into work at police headquarters where John McDonald and his crew came to film me at work, despite the fact I am on holiday for a week, I thought that showed commitment on my part. After about an hour of filming they had enough material and I headed for the practice.
What a difference having a drum corps, it has transformed the band. I feel the standard is pretty good and probably as good as the last time I played with the police band. The basis is there for a really good sound, the playing is getting tighter each day and again the ensemble is good. The relationship between the players is excellent and it is good to see how Roddy interacts with John Fisher, Leading Drummer, and Hoss, in charge of ensemble, mid section etc. It has to be remembered that a band’s style of playing and how the pipes and drums interact is usually done over the year; we are trying to get this together in a week.
So tomorrow is another day when hopefully we can get outside to practice both afternoon and evening. We should also be issued with the remainder of our kit so that will make it seem more real with only two days to go. We have been practising all our sets based on the fact that we may need them in the qualifiers. What we only realised today was that in the qualifier the band can choose for itself the set it plays. The dilemma for us is that both MSR’s are going really well so it will be a tough decision.
After practice tomorrow night, Roddy Macleod and his wife Margaret are coming out for a meal with my wife Linda and I. This will give us an opportunity to relax before Saturday and reflect on what up to now has been an enjoyable week of practice. Given the standard of player in the band it is not surprising that we are fairly self critical but all in all I think we will perform well on Saturday. Until the next time…………
Just back in the house after this evening’s practice. It had started this morning with a practice between 12 and 2pm, which we mostly did on practice chanters, tidying up some of the tunes and also playing along with the drummers on the pads. Most of the drum corps have arrived along with a new set of premier drums. The ensemble in particular seems very good and we can’t wait to get the full band together on pipes and drums.
We didn’t have as many pipers as I thought we would have today however so many of them have commitments this week playing at Piping Live and work etc. Roddy has said that we should have most of the players back tomorrow for the two practices. The disappointing thing today was the venue for the practice which wasn’t ideal, very cramp, hot and crap acoustics. We had Ronnie McShannon and Ian Duncan assisting with the drones tonight which left Roddy to concentrate on the playing. I certainly think that Roddy and Robert Crozier are starting to put together a really sound, we just need a venue that we can actually hear what is going on about you.
This is going to be a hard week and I’m glad I had put a bit of effort in the last few weeks as my stamina has been good and it hasn’t been as hard as I thought it was going to be. One of the main differences is playing in a band that uses harmonies quite a bit in the medley. In the police band I played in we used them sparingly and at times I have difficulty in concentrating on the melody. I’m sure once we are outside it will be better and when all the players are there, we will get the correct balance of harmonies.
After tomorrow nights practice most of the band will be going along to hear the quartet competition. I was there last year and it will be particularly interesting to hear both the sound and the material the bands will be producing. A chance to relax however will steer clear of the bar as I want to be in the correct frame of mind for all the practices. Will give you another update once we have a chance to get the pipes and drums togetherWell I’ve managed to survive my first practice on Sunday. We had 12 pipers playing for two and a half hours. This was the longest band practice I’ve been involved in and that includes with the police band. Some of the players I had not seen since I gave up solo piping 12 years ago, we must have aged fairly well as I recognised all the guys. At the end of it, I felt as if I had spent 2 hours in the gym.
This was the first time the pipers had played as a group and we played all our sets, including the medley which hopefully we will get a chance to play in the finals at the worlds. What I noticed was the high standard of each individual piper’s instrument and the overall standard of playing and excellent finger work. I was glad to able to keep up after being away from it all for 5 years and have to say in the end I quite enjoyed it.
The atmosphere was really good and this will only get better as I believe some of the drummers may be over from Canada by the time we have our next practice on Sunday. We are also going to have our activities filmed by John McDonald, a film maker from Los Angeles. He is also a piper and felt that this project should be documented to show what we are going through in the build up to the worlds.
Some of the pipers had been saying they had been reading some negative comments on various web sites about the band. Having not been involved in the pipe band world for a while I have to say I was oblivious to this. However, many bands over the years have been flying members in from all parts of the world to compete at the worlds so I don’t see the issue. On the day, the best bands will qualify for the final and over two legs you always hope that the best bands are in the prize list. The challenge for our band is that the majority of the pipers are also preparing for the most important solo competitions during the month of August. This takes a lot of commitment and it is to their credit that they are giving up their time to take part in the worlds.
So, less than 2 weeks to go, the first recordings of the band show much promise with a nice bright, robust sound with excellent technique that will only get better the more we practice together. The week before the worlds is going to be hectic as we all have to be issued with our kilt etc. At this rate, with all the practising I’m doing I’ll need a smaller kilt!!
I’ll update you next week after Sunday’s practice.
Well, the draw has been made for the Worlds qualifying round and we have been drawn 2nd. Not ideal as it will mean a bit of an early start for the band. I’ve not played in the qualifying round before but in years gone by you would have played the MSR in the morning followed by the medley in the afternoon, with no qualifying. Better make sure my alarm clock is working.
My pipes have seemed to be getting harder not easier as I’ve been playing them for about 45minutes to an hour each night. By the end of it, I look as though I’ve been for a work out at the gym. The new sheepskin bag does not appear to be airtight so I’ve just had a trip round to Jim Begg’s shop and bought my first tin (or bottle as it now) of seasoning in what must be fifteen years. Hope I remember how to season a bag although the wonders of technology now allow me to microwave the secret potion rather than in a pan of hot water, how times have changed. Hopefully this will do the trick and I might start enjoying this. Of course the harder the pipes the more your playing suffers so I need all the help I can get.
The tunes are nearly all memorised apart from one line of the closing tune that I just can’t memorise at the moment, maybe its just middle age. I intend to go to the next couple of Sunday practices for the home based players, I think we have been getting about 10 pipers together which should give us an idea of how the sound is developing.
The practice schedule for the week of the worlds has been discussed and it looks as though we will be practising twice a day for the week. That will be a test for my stamina.I’ll give you an update next week after I’ve attended my first practice.
Three weeks to go !!!!!!!!
Just over 4 weeks to go and I now have my new sheepskin bag fitted and have been issued with my McCallum chanter with Warnock reed. This is quite strong and will need a couple of weeks to blow in at least. Just as I was thinking I had the tunes all memorised there were a number of changes to the medley so still a bit to go to get them up to speed.
I’m starting to increase the amount of practice time and now that I’ve realised that the Worlds are quite close that will build up more as the 16th August approaches.
Some of the pipers have been meeting the last couple of Sundays however I’m trying to build up my stamina and commit the tunes to memory before joining them.
This is just a short update however working on the sound is crucial and the early indications are that we will be able to produce a good sound which is encouraging for the band as the 16th approaches.
Will keep you posted.
8 weeks to go to the World Championships! Starting to get to grips with the tunes and starting to memorise them. There have been a couple of practices with some of the Scottish pipers working on the medley, harmonies, breaks etc and we are waiting to receive MP3 files of the complete medley so we can hear how the tunes all fit together. Having not really played seriously for quite a while I want to make sure I am completely up to speed before thinking about joining in with the other pipers.
There are two main aspects to my preparations 1) to learn and memorise all the tunes including the tunes that have been circulated for tuning up with 2) once I get my band chanter start to work on my pipes and my stamina to make sure I am prepared when the band comes together the week before the worlds.
There appears to be a lot of interest in the band including press interest. This takes me back to 1986 when I was with Strathclyde Police Pipe Band and the BBC followed the band about for a week and made a documentary on the band winning 6 world championships in a row. Ah the memories!!
Hopefully by the time of my next update I will have the pipes going well and all the tunes will be committed to memory. I will know myself how well things are going however I will try to get some sessions with Roddy MacLeod who I’m sure will bring me back to reality.
Until the next time………..
Now the hard work starts!
It is 5 years since I last played at the World Pipe Band Championships and over 12 years since I competed in solo competitions. Each year since then I have played at 4 weddings and a funeral and the rest of the time my pipes have been gathering dust on top of the wardrobe.
That all changed following a conversation with my friend Roddy MacLeod who told me that a group of pipers and drummers were thinking of forming a band to compete at the World Pipe Band Championships. These players come from across the globe and will not meet up as a band until the week before the championships. These players were unable to commit to the normal levels of practice that is required for a top band however whenever they attended the worlds as spectators they missed competing.
So the Spirit of Scotland Pipe Band sponsored by Glenfiddich was formed and were registered with the RSPBA and graded in the top grade. The band members have all submitted their measurements and will be issued with their Isle of Skye kilt the week before the championships when practices will start.
Now I have the music, the MP3 files with all the tunes and have had my first run through the tunes, albeit briefly with Roddy. The fingers don’t appear to be too rusty however that will no doubt change when I am issued with my McCallum wooden chanter and it is time to set my pipes up for the band.
It seemed like a good idea at the time and the thought of playing at the worlds once again is appealing however there is going to be many hours of practice required on my own to bring me up to the standard that is required. Given the calibre of player that the band has attracted no doubt expectations will be high amongst the interested onlookers. However, in recent years, it has to be said that the standard of the grade one bands not in the prize list has continued to rise each year so it is a formidable task in trying to qualify for the final. This in itself would be a remarkable achievement.
I have been asked to make regular contributions to this site to update readers on both my own progress and that of the band as the day of the championships approaches. Unfortunately, there will be no results to update you with or reviews of our performance at other competitions in the build up to the worlds as we won’t in reality become a pipe band until 7 days before the competition. I think it is important that this is not viewed as some form of gimmick as the players within the band, many of whom I have not met before and some I will not have seen for years, will I’m sure value their reputations as musicians and would only want to be associated with a band that will be able to give a creditable performance.
I will close off now however, I will give regular updates on the progress I’m making with the tunes and any developments that may be of interest in terms of the band.
