Dear piping friends I am sure that to many of you these few questions regarding the competitions are going to seem ridiculous, with very obvious answers, You no doubt find the rules that are set out in the last Newsletter are all that is needed. Those who live in Northumberland and have attended the various competitions for years, are familiar with the "unwritten" rules for the different classes. However, for those living at some distance, and/or who have never attended previously but who are possibly considering entering, there are still some points which are not quite clear. For example, in the performance section:- 1. How many times does each tune have to be played? 2. Supposing it is an "A B" tune, does each section have to be repeated each time (i.e. "AA BB, AABB, AABB" ? 3. Classes 12, 13, and 16 - "Duets" , Must the tune first be played through completely in unison (AA BB ), before it is played as a "duet" with tune + harmonies/counter melody? Does this apply also if there are 5 or 6 players in the group? 4. May the "duet", if there are actually several people in the group, (for example, Small Pipes, Fiddle, Harp) have several distinct lines - similar to a classical trio or quartette - when playing the second or third time through? 5. Is the initial "Tune" to be played each time by the Small pipes? Or may one of the other instruments play the "tune" while the Small Pipes play the harmony? 6. Must the tunes chosen come from one of the NPS published books, or may they be from any source provided that they lie well, and sound well, on the Small Pipes? Class 3 Compositions: 1. Recently I have been playing through the winning compositions printed in the NPS Magazine. (Many are delightful!) I notice that most are 16-bar tunes. Is this considered to be the ideal length? 2. I notice also, that they are all a solo melodic line. Are duets are not considered? 3. Most of these tunes are easily sight-read - this also is a pre-requisite? (Sometimes a tune can have interesting, though unexpected, bars, which may seem difficult initially but become easy after having been practiced a few times. Would these tend to be thrown out immediately by a judge?) 4. Are compositions sent in showing the actual name of the composer? Or are pseudonyms used so that the judge is not biased in his/her expectations? Class 4, Composition of Variations 1. The majority of sets with variations for the Small Pipes seem to keep the last 2 bars of each section of the theme unchanged in each strain of the variations. Is this considered to be essential? desirable? 2. Are the variations supposed to maintain melodic and rhythmic interest with, or despite, increasing complexity? Or simply more challenging technical dexterity? 3. Should the variations maintain the initial style throughout - e.g. an air remains an air, a jig remains a jig? Or can they change in character - e.g. an air becomes a waltz, then a march, then a jig as it gains momentum? The answers to these queries probably seem completely obvious to anyone living in Northumberland and steeped only in that tradition, but living in other parts of the world things are sometimes done differently. I remember being very surprised, on one of the rare occasions when I was attending the competitions, when a duo who gave a beautiful performance, were disqualified because they did not play their tune through in unison, before playing in harmony. Some people consider being asked to judge must be an honour. In actual fact, as I know from personal experience in other fields, while it can occasionally be a very simple job if you are faced with a very good and a very poor performance, much more frequently the differences in level of performances, or of manuscripts, can be very slight. But if the entrants understand the parameters it helps everyone. Possibnly I am not the only "outsider" who would be grateful for some further clarifications. Warmest regards, Sheila -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
