How's your day going? Am following up re this earlier 'Connecting' email and thread ... 

As I listen thru and watch my video lessons with Connor Sinclair (with so many wins of top piping competitions) ... and he connected .. and so did I, I like seeing his confidence, his responses (and our connection) ... am learning much again and again ... and about connecting in a learning conversation with spoken language as well as connecting in learning a piping language ... and confidence re my playing too ... the feeling (sometimes bumpy, but sometimes good from daily playing) as I improve .. and the feeling of being little shy, or even embarrassed at times as I seek to improve (which feeling I feel far less these days than I recall feeling even in elementary school years, for example).

Interesting to experience re-connecting with Connor in lesson recordings, where we connected in real time (he in Scotland - and regarding even identity questions - being pipers, Scottish identity too perhaps) in the actual lessons (ie which were recorded). 

One aspect of playing a musical instrument for me is that I have a constant self-critique aspect in there ...

Our lessons are kind of a piping-learning 'blather.'  

Connor's a good, responsive and skillful teacher ... am learning a lot from videos to work with ... a lot of 'building blocks' from Connor ... Stuart Liddell's piping is my inspiration for inspired piping ...

https://youtu.be/pQEJf5XZPL8 ... 

Focused on piping this morning for nearly 2 hours, playing some, but tuning in further to my 19 Feb 2020 lesson with Connor helpfully. 

Love, 

Scott

Scottish small pipe and GHB keys all in the A chanter (about 5-6 keys in 9 notes?)
Notes from 19 Feb 2020 lesson video recording with Connor Sinclair 

Was very glad to learn the following from 19 Feb 2020 lesson re even thinking about the new E drone, and which tunes could work with it better than others:

Keys in tunes?
44:45


45:30
a bit of uniqueness in (SSP) drone sounds – (potentially with E drone sounding different)


46:45
A major

46:55
B minor

47:10
C sharp, or F sharp minor
(then going into A)


48:10
you could play an A over F sharp minor

((what about an E drone too? – to ask Connor))


49:15
key of D notes, Connor plays (on an ‘A’ GHB practice chanter, which is really in B flat mixolydian, or so called ‘Piper’s A’)


At a push you’ve got
The key of G – and he plays notes on his practice chanter in this key

toward > https://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/2020/02/western-honey-bee-re-my-upcoming-honey.html

* 

Back to this ideas from Guidelines for - http://scottmacleod.com/GuidelinesPracticingMusicalInstrument.htm

2 Write out a schedule, a plan with goals. (Choose pieces you enjoy playing – S.M.).
Yo-yo Ma says, never make a sound without hearing it first; hear it in your mind.

3 Set goals to chart development.

4 Concentrate when you practice.
Yo-yo says join feelings into your music when you feel bad, to integrate your feelings with your mind and body.

5 Relax and practice slowly.

* 

Sinclair chanters were preferred by top pipe bands for a while, some decades ago I think - 

"Sinclair is known for their famous chanter, which has been a favorite among top competing pipers and bands for since the 1960's."

Sinclair pipes may still be being made by a Sinclair son 

(Such 'William Sinclair & Son (Bagpipe Makers)' father and son traditions are long and old in some countries, such as Scotland)

I'll have to ask Connor Sinclair whether there's any relation to him.