Whether or not this was intended, Anthony Robb's comments on Dick Hensold's playing style came across to me as condescending at best. Well, Dick is my mate, and I'll stick up for him! I know him to be more concerned than most with his articulation, but not in the sense of focussing on one single 'correct' method for all purposes.
I've been taken to task here before by Chris Ormston, another mate, fellow Border Director, and a piper I respect hugely, for attempting to put the subject of articulation into a larger context. While I know that the Clough 'peas-out-of-a-pod' approach is the benchmark of traditional playing, I, as a non-smallpiper, find that I am much more interested in WHAT is being played, and the overall musicality of the performance, than in the staccato/legato issue. An illustration: 1/ My Ain Kind Dearie in Peacock's Tunes is a short masterpiece, and is out-on-a-limb in the context of Peacock's collection in that, though it is a variation set, it is not a plain chanter variation set. It explores new territory for the smallpipes while remaining true both to the tune and to the ethos of smallpipe variations. 2/ In the hands of the Cloughs the same tune (aka The Lea Rigges) stretches the technical boundaries of the instrument still further, with a version in A as well as G, but the tune suffers a little, with c replacing B at crucial points, and the variations, particularly the even-numbered ones, tend to lose the plot melodically and harmonically. While Tom Clough was of course capable of masterpieces of his own (e.g. the variations on What Can The Matter Be), this set shows that he did have his musical limits. 3/ Dick Hensold (Big Music for Northumbrian Smallpipes CD) returns to the Peacock setting and expands it into a variation sonata which includes sections in strathspey and jig rhythms. The piece lasts over 8 minutes, is full of variety, and never loses sight of the tune. It is so far off the radar as far as the generality of smallpipers are concerned that it has hardly been noticed, was barely mentioned in the CD review in the NPS mag, and yet it is a highly significant musical advance which is still firmly rooted in the tradition. Whatever you think of Dick's style of articulation, this consumer of Northumbrian smallpiping finds his musicianship to be of a rare order. It's not just *the way* you play it, its also *what* you play. To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
