[Dixielandjazz] Bagpipes and Other Scottish Secret Weapons

[Ken Mathieson]

Hi Don et al,

In response to my mention of a trumpeter playing with a Scottish Country Dance Band, Don Ingle wrote:

Could have been worse -- giging with a bagpipe band.  The uiltimate 
would be a  mouth music set, Hebrides style. A little usque baugh and 
who gives a damn!
As my father said, "Theonly way to get two bagpipers to get in tune is 
to sho one of them."(He said it also applied to some alto sax players 
he'd known.)

I've written to Don off-line, but think I ought to share some of my thoughts with you all. Playing brass along with bagpipes ought (in theory) to be fairly straight forward, since the pipes are basically pitched in Bb, but there are some idiosyncracies in the scale employed by the pipes, so give or take the odd semi-tone, it should (again in theory) be OK. I think Don's dad was spot on about getting pipers to play in tune. One definition of a pipe band is "..an ensemble of bagpipers playing almost in unison." As a drummer (referred to by pipers as a piper's labourer) I'd say shooting is too good for them.

Don also mentions Hebridean Mouth Music, which is an ancient way of scat-singing native to the islands off Scotland's Atlantic coast. It was a crucial component of Hebridean work songs and is highly rhythmic. The time feel isn't a jazz feel as such, but is very close and only needs minor adjustment to get it swinging wildly. There used to be a fantastic vibes player called Jimmy Feighan in Glasgow, who came originally from Scotland's Atlantic coast and was familiar with its folk traditions. He used to do a wonderful mouth music thing starting with a traditional format and gradually turning into jazz scat. Incidentally Jimmy was one of Peanuts Hucko's favourite vibes players. Whenever Peanuts came to Scotland in the 1970s and 80s, he'd insist on Jimmy being in his backing band. There are some recordings of these concerts and they are great hard-swinging gigs with the rhythm section giving Peanuts a powerhouse kick in the seat of his pants that he obviously relished.

I promise I won't mention bagpipes again!

Cheers,

Ken Mathieson
www.classicjazzorchestra.org.uk