Hi, Ian,
The internet is up again in Canyon, after around 3, long weeks!
Are you available for a lesson this Monday or Thursday at 5:40 Glasgow Time (9:40 am PT)?
Hoping to focus on competition tunes, especially the Piobaireachd per the College of Piping Yellow Tutor, "The Company's Lament," as taught there, but with my beginning to play it by memory, and to separate from reading the musical notation, as well as to play at the pace its taught here, non-mensurally. I'd also like to focus on the reel and strathspey, the two tunes I have least by memory - so least in my bodymind automatically - especially the reel "Mrs. MacPherson of Inveran" (but also "Susan MacLeod") in our 20 minutes.
The tunes again I'm focusing on again for competition are ...
MSR - Miss Elspeth Campbell, Susan MacLeod, Mrs of MacPherson of Inveran
Jig - Banjo Breakdown
Hornpipe - Scotsaire Hornpipe
6/8 March - Seamus MacNeill
Piobaireachd - The Company's Lament
Polka - The Black Watch Polka
Slow Air -
After piping for nearly 2 hours near a pear tree grove at a local triathalon (in Moraga 5 miles away from Canyon) in remembrance of the Boston Marathon, for which I think I'll get first news' PRESS for World University and School (as well as my bagpiping services - http://scottmacleod.com/piping.htm), I think getting a moisture filtration system inside my bag from House of Bagpipes makes eminent sense, as well as a non-slip piece of material on my bagpipe cover for close to my ribs. My drones were cutting off after about an hour due to moisture, and the bag always slips.
I haven't yet entered the competitions at the Scottish Highland Gathering and Games at Pleasanton yet (Sat, August 31 and Sun, September 1), but plan to, to improve my piping, and further immerse myself in this culture.
Just finishing my first, actual / virtual Harbin Hot Springs' book this week (9 draft chapters), and hope to begin the second book (coming again into conversation with a second book by anthropologist Tom Boellstorff). I'm seeking to publish this first book with the UC Press. The second book will involve building a virtual Harbin in a multimedia, 3D environment for ethnographic comparison with the on-the-ground and in-the-waters' Harbin. :)
I continue to be glad about improving my level of piping (with bliss-generation, and a top quartet, in the back mind :).
Cheers,
Scott
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