Andy May's new CD is full of great music. I've listened to it over and over again ever since I got my hands on it a couple of weeks ago. One tune sticks out, "Happy Hours", which Andy writes he picked up from the playing of Billy Pigg. Andy slips a very Piggish embellishment in the second and third times through the tune, which some might consider improper NSP technique. It works for me. The tune appears on THE BORDER MINSTREL recording, but, relevant to another recent discussion on the news group, Andy takes his time with the tune, getting a lovely lift out of it.
Anyway, I am curious why this tune does not appear in the wonderful book on Billy Pigg and his music written by Adrian and Julia. The tune appears to have been played by many Scottish dance bands, including Jimmy Shand's. Some of these bands toured the countryside of north Northumberland. Did Billy Pigg pick up the tune from Shand's or another Scottish dance band? Did the tune originate on the continent, perhaps France? I found it listed on a French accordion recording, and also on youtube played by a French box player. Does anyone know the composer of "Happy Hours"? This leads to my main question, which is, how much of an influence have Scottish dance bands had on Northumbrian pipers and music? Billy is often credited, or blasted, for bringing in Scottish pipe tunes and ornaments. The most extravagant embellishments that Billy (and also Andy for that matter) employs are rarely if ever used by Highland pipers. I don't play piano accordion, but it seems as likely if not more so that the Scottish repertoire and style that Billy is often credited or blamed for may have been the influence of Scottish accordion players, rather Highland pipers. Thanks, John -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html