Hear hear, welcome back and thanks for all the dots!!!!! Chirs (unashamed KT-worshipper - but aye, there's other equally fine ways of playing).
>-----Original Message----- >From: Anthony Robb [mailto:anth...@robbpipes.com] >Sent: Thursday, April 16, 2009 12:26 PM >To: Dartmouth NPS >Subject: [NSP] Not again! > > > > Hello again > > The number of people asking me to stay on the list has >really touched > me. I did leave but rejoined this morning as Iam convinced there is > much still to be said; in no particular order: > > > * It wasnat just Barry Sayas contribution that made me question my > presence on the list. It came after some very >unpleasant postings, > which, for me, came as quite a shock. This list can be >a source of > genuine information and help to pipers everywhere but >it will only > succeed if opinions are sensitively voiced and readers >take time to > assimilate what has been said. > * Surely it is contradictory to talk about aproper >pipinga, amoving > ona, apaths to perditiona and aconversiona and then >claim rules are > not being implied? > * Why, when Kathryn Tickell has done more, >single-handedly, to raise > the profile of piping than the NPS has ever done, are >some people > on the list frightened to even mention her name? Could it be she > doesnat follow the (non-existent) rules? Or perhaps it is her > success? I have watched her inspire extremely talented >bairns who > might not have been switched on to Northumbrian piping >if the some > of the more vociferous elements on this list had been doing the > teaching. Kathryn is one of the hardest working, talented and > modest (yes modest!!) people I have ever worked with. > * Last year I brought Chris Ormston in to teach some >pipes lessons at > The Sage Gateshead. His talent stood out but his single-minded > approach was not what is required in an area of music >that is meant > to be fun and all-encompassing. I was hoping to carry on with my > Northumbrian Band workshops. It would have been perfect >for me if > Chris had delivered what the people were paying for and been the > popular choice to carry on with the pipes when Paul >Knox had moved > on. Caedmon participants are from all walks of life and pay good > money for help in getting what they want from the >pipes. Being told > that the sounds that had attracted them to the pipes was not the > way to do it wasnat exactly the best choice of teaching >strategy. > So now I am back doing the pipes lessons at TSG. Not my ideal > outcome but it is why his ajobs for the boysa jibe was >particularly > nasty nonsense. > * With regards to my teaching philosophy and standards, I >invite any > one of you to ask any of the participants of aThe Cool >Breath Toura > if they found my approach musical and challenging. We >were aiming > for the highest standard of musical enjoyment and there >will soon > be a recording available to see if this was achieved and to what > extent. Perhaps Barry can recommend a similar >project/recording of > his own so that we can hear for ourselves just how far >along this > road he has travelled himself? > * As for the question of gracing; perhaps it is precisely because > such notes intrude and give some form of dynamics that >I find them > so musical and appealing. For heavenas sake, the pipes >are limited > enough to start with, please do not impose further >restrictions on > what they should or shouldnat do. If you want your >music clean and > unadulterated then Noteworthy or Sibelius might be the >answer. As > for Adrianas conversion, may I suggest that this is the greatest > loss to Northumbrian piping since the death of Joe Hutton? > * The description of conversions to the clean Clough >style sound as > inviting as joining some strict religious sect. This >contrasts to > what I was told by Bill Hedworth when I first asked for advice > about playing the pipes back in 1969, aAnthony, we each have to > find our own salvation when it comes to this instrumenta. > > > OK, this is plenty to be going on with. It has always been >my position > that the strength of our music is its breadth of appeal. I >am doing no > more than offering a description of my own salvation and >invite others > to take it or leave it. Unless, of course, you want me to organise > tours/concert groups etc. when youall have no choice but to >take it, at > least until I have left the room. > > As aye > > Anthony > > -- > > >To get on or off this list see list information at >http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html >
