March, Strathspey and Reel - The Conundrum, Arniston Castle

[CrazyBHJG]

When playing any 2/4 march, esspecially for comptetition, you need to bring out the musciality of the tune and this can be done most effectively by holding the longest note of each beat in a bar. Great piping though!

[StrathendrickPiper]

great playing!

[hfranke07]

I wrote you a year ago.... and I still dont play this wonderful tune. I think I practice not enough...... your playing is out of this world..... after been playing The Conundrum for some time, I can realy hear how you just do this great timing thing,- holding the long notes and cutting the short ones..... wow, I love this.

[lairg11]

@hfranke07

when playing the conundrum play the first note of every bar slightly longer.

[BagpiperGermany]

Great,

yesterday i started to learn tohe conundrum ;-)

[hfranke07]

Hi Dave. First of all,- great playing and great vids for us to look at ...... you play just great.

Right now I am learning The Conundrum.... what version are you playing? I try to play the Scots Guards version,- but in the second bar you play the high A with a dot,- and not the E, as in SG. Where did you get your sheeds? Thanks..... love you tone and play.

[alvindurochermtl]

Hi Dave,great stuff, what chanter and reed do you use?

[DoffDave]

McCallum chanter (not MC2) with Sound Supreme Reed (John Elliott, Canada)

[pipertripp]

Dave, your playing is excellent. It's fun to watch you play... one question... does your house have any furniture in it? Every room you play in seems to be empty. lol

[DoffDave]

You can't expect me to afford pipes AND furniture??? No, just joking - this is a spare room used for music....

[pipertripp]

fair enough. They're canny nice pipes you've got there.

[DoffDave]

"Man from Glengarry", "Lachlan McPhail of Tiree" or "Alick C. MacGregor" are good choices.

[cecenki]

excellent playing

[FrozenEMT]

I never got very far in my piping studies and would love to pick it up again had I not sold my pipes to cover medical bills. Ive always wondered why pipers seem to universally agree on how hard the Conundrum is to play. It seems to set some to quaking in their ghillies? Can you tell me (a sincere question) what it is about this tune that makes it so difficult. I still have a Naill practice chanter and SG tunes books and would like to try to learn it. Ill start easy with Bruces Address.

[DoffDave]

You're right - it does frighten a lot of pipers but I think it's the syncopated rythm of the tune that throws many. It is a lovely tune, though, and one worth mastering! It is, however, quite a serious competition 2/4 march which can be played in open competition! All of the best!

[CapoeiraPiper]

Its my competition tune this year, but everyone that helps me with it interprets it differently, and this is by microseconds, I speak of. But the set beat of the song is made with the purpose of having an uneasy swing. idk, pipe music is one of the most human things one can do. A computer cannot decipher a fully embelished pipe tune.

[gyakukesa]

Nice played...

Do you have the note of Conundrum?!

(because I'll need it)

[CapoeiraPiper]

you can find it in the Scotts Guards Book two.

[gyakukesa]

Okay, thanx!!!

[westvirginiawonder]

excellent!

[DoffDave]

Thanks!

[nubb1337]

I really like the first song

[fdnypiper]

Nice Playin Bro!!

[DoffDave]

Thanks, Jimmy! Keep it up!! Dave

[BH0617]

great!

[thomasdonovanfox]

GREAT JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!