(Edited and condensed from United Scottish Society's 65th Highland Gathering & Festival's Souvenir Program—Costa Mesa, California; 24 & 25 May 1997)
(Edited and condensed from United Scottish Society's 65th Highland Gathering & Festival's Souvenir Program—Costa Mesa, California; 24 & 25 May 1997)
A land of lochs, a monster, mountains and glens, Scotland conjures images of fertile, green valleys littered with sheep and dotted with castles. Across the country where bloody battles have been fought since 85 A.D., when Scotland was known as Caledonia, mist swirls and the songs of the bagpipe echo.
The bagpipe, with its haunting sound, is believed to have originated in Sumaria thousands of years ago, spreading through ancient Persia and India, to Greece and Rome. Its introduction into Scotland was most likely the result of Roman conquests. While defending themselves tenaciously, the Scots embraced the bagpipe as their national instrument, evolving it into its current form.
The chilling music is as Scottish as a man in a kilt. Pipe tunes evoke melancholia and courage, cast spells and chase blues. The music lingers and endures. Today, pipes echo from across the globe. Drawn to the bagpipe, and committed to the enormous amount of time required to become and remain proficient, pipers labour to learn and reproduce the ancient music.
It has been said that the bagpipe "takes nine years to learn, nine years to play, and nine years to perfect." Ideally pipers practice at least an hour a day, and those in pipe bands gather to rehears twice a week. It's definitely an instrument that is easy to play poorly, but difficult to play well. To play the bagpipe is like cradling a three to nine-pound, tentacled apparatus that needs CPR and data entry simultaneously!
The bagpipe (Highland Pipes) consists of a blow pipe that fits into a bag with a one-way valve. You must keep the bag full of air. You "play" by squeezing the air out of the bag and into the three "drones" (pipes coming out of the bag which create the buzzing chords), and into the "chanter" (nine holes recorder-like pipe which plays the melody). Nine notes, one octave is possible. The sound is loud and stirring. Artistry is achieved when the mechanics are unconscious, melodies are memorized, grace notes are added (creating by flitting fingers to embellish a note) and all players are in tune and synchronised. It's a joyous chore to those who tackle and tame the bagpipe. Like the clansmen who met on the Scottish Highlands in the early years of Christendom, the mastery and music is passed along to "family" who will spend the time and appreciate the traditions.
Genuine interest in playing and performing demands a financial investment as well. Bagpipes cost between $750 and $6,000. A practice chanter costs about $48. A complete uniform with cap, jacket, belt, spats and kilt requires over $800. Kilts alone average about $350 (THESE ESTIMATED PRICES ARE AS OF MAY, 1997).
Since the early 1700s plaids or tartans have identified different clans (families) in Scotland. Choosing among the plants that grew around them, local weavers blended the colours of dandelions, heather and juniper berries, among other plants, to create distinctive patterns of lines and checks. A sharp eye of the time, with a knowledge of Scotland's flora, could pinpoint the native region and named of a kilted traveler.
Take time to appreciate the history, artistry and melodies that have crossed thousands of miles to reach us. 'Tis a noble sound that touches the soul.
Here's a little "Scotland the Brave" to send you on your way...
Okay! So who broke my counter ALREADY?!?
