The Silver Spear - Scottish Smallpipes

Rushing through a few scottish and irish reels on my old Walsh smallpipes set up in A, baritone tuned to the 4th (D).

The tunes are:
Oot Best da Vong
The Silver Spear
The Gray Old Lady of Rassay
The Clougher

Thanks to everyone who tracked down the names of these tunes! They're easy to forget.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• scottish
• bagpipes
• smallpipes
• irish
• reel
• celtic
• tinwhistle
• pennywhistle
• whistle
• silver
• spear

[nunapb]

Awesome playing and great tune selection. Baritone drone creating a tonal discord though is completely off-putting. Even when the baritone is tuned to E on the chanter it's never quite right, although at least when tuned to E it fits into B minor and A major. Tuning it to D (or the 4th) only allows it to harmonise if tunes are in G major and doesn't really create the nice sound of the A suspended 4th, as it is missing the 5th (E). Call it personal preference, but it's like untuning your pipes.

[macwarner57]

@nunapb

And come on, it's just folk music. Rigid opinions are for other genres "not of the common folk". This is an evolving tradition, not a dogma.

[johnnyhorton2]

does anyone havbe the sheet music for oot best va dong

[macwarner57]

@johnnyhorton2

Sorry to dole the tough love out on this one, but... LEARN IT BY EAR. Seriously, expand your musical horizons a bit dude. You're not a robot.

[Rugby1989Scot]

Does Oot best da vong work on the GHB? If so does anyone know where I could get the music?

[macwarner57]

@Rugby1989Scot

A: Of course it does. Why wouldn't it?

2: No. Learn it by ear. You will profit from the experience.

[agartler]

What can one write to playing like that except keep up the exceptional work and look after those god gifted fingers.

[Uuuurk]

@MrRajamuttu Just google "whistle tabs" and u will see what kinda thing he means

[MrRajamuttu]

@dikasad  There is no such a thing as "whistle tabs"since whistles do not play chords.

[MrRajamuttu]

@nunapb

Can'tthink of anything I said which implied otherwise.

[nunapb]

@MrRajamuttu You have your preference too, and that's cool. God forbid anyone have a different opinion from one another...

[MrRajamuttu]

@johnnyhorton2

Why?  What would you do with it?

[MrRajamuttu]

@macwarner57

probably not for the other genres either.

Really nice set, by the way.

As an Irish whistler, it happens that I was off-put by hearing The Silver Spear in a Scots style ... which is one of the reasons I enjoyed your set so much.

[MrRajamuttu]

@nunapb

Yes. Let's call it personal preference. YOUR personal preference. It sounded just fine to me ... but I am just a pennywhistler, so what do I know?

[MrRajamuttu]

@Rugby1989Scot

You should have leaned it by now ... by ear, of course.

[nunapb]

@macwarner57

Yeah I agree with you about leaving the baritone out completely, and for the reasons you say. I have a 3 drone Walsh Shuttle Pipe and can't remember the last time I played with the baritone going. It certainly is a different sound tuned to the 4th, and like I said, your playing is very good, so I don't mean to criticise you, only offer some commentary or curiosity-fueled debate.