Music – The arrangement of sounds that convey imagination and emotion.

Math – The numeric logic of everything in the universe.

We had a very good conversation last night at practice about note values, where a particular note falls within a beat or measure, the relationship between notes of different value, and how these notes should be treated by both percussion and pipes. It was interesting to witness people grappling with different explanations and concepts.

Bagpipe music is not an exact science. There are moments where note values are lengthened or shortened beyond what the staff notation tells us. I speculate that this is why the transition between marching band experience to bagpipes is so challenging. I also speculate that many adult learners approach the music predominately from a mathematical perspective, increasing the difficulty of both memorization and musical conveyance. To me, this is similar to “Paint-By-Numbers” kits. You wind up with something that resembles a “real” painting, but for many reasons it falls short of being a “real” painting.

Now it’s time to circle back to a previous post. “There she was just a’walking down the street….” Of course, you know the rest of the line in perfect pitch and melody. Why is learning a tune so difficult and why do many struggle with timing? Easy. Because we aren’t familiar with the melody.

Put down your practice chanter and put in your ear-buds. Take a walk and sync your footsteps to the timing within the tune. Do this until you can “sing” the tune by memory. Now pick up your practice chanter. Play the melody only. Don’t worry about the ornamentation. As a next step, use the staff notation to “detail” the music. Record the outcome and listen critically to identify small things that may need attention.