LETTERS
Worlds Music
Sir, make me create a‘Lochanside’,but I
I heartily agree with Tommy understand this and am content with
Nimmo’s letter to the Piping Times my lot. I wish others, some with
(WorldsMusic,April2009).Ithinkhe considerable piping ability, would
has committed to paper what a lot of accept their limitations.
us have been thinking and talking DavidRobertson,
about for some time. ie.The medley Blackford,via email
section is becoming ‘an exercise in
•
Not wishing to diminish Gordon’s
finger gymnastics’. Many of the so- achievementwiththe‘Fiddler’sRally’,but
called tunes are mind-numbing heisthefirsttoacknowledgefortherecord
unmelodic rubbish. Spurred on by that the base melody that he worked from
current inclusion theory that every was from a tune called ‘The Scottish
oneisequallygiftedandallthingscan Fiddle Orchestra’ by Ian C.Campbell of
be taught to all people, many are Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia, and
deluded into thinking they can published in his book ‘The Balfour
compose.Tommy cites as an example Collection’.Gordonhastakenagoodtune
of good composition the ‘Fiddler’s and made it a very good one ...Ed.
Rally’. I do not know how Gordon
Walker finds his melodies. I suspect PoetryThanks
neither does he, but he has in Sir,
common with his predecessors John Many thanks for the poem,‘The
MacLellan,Dunoon,Willie Ross and Veterans’ (PT April ‘09, pg. 41) and
DonaldMacLeodetc,atalenttheyare most particularly to Charles Richards
quite simply born with. Tommy who wrote it and his son Peter for
quotesP/MJBRobertson,‘toomany making it available to your readers.
gracenotes ruin a tune’. My own The poem touched me deeply as I
pipe-major has been known to myself am approaching that time
remove embellishments he considers when one wonders‘how soon must I
superfluous from many modern putthepipesaway,andwilltherebea
tunes.Compositions emanating from young player who will love and
North America seem to be particu- respect my pipes as I have?’ I must
larly guilty of over complication. believe that there will be. I must
The RSPBA has gone some way believethattherewillalwaysbethose
into forcing the lower grade bands who will take up the cause of
into playing melodic tunes by preservingthisparticularformofthat
introducing the MAP scheme. I mysterious language of the spirit
wonder if the time has come to do which we call music.I will keep the
the same further up the grades.I am poem.I will read and reread it aloud
not sure how this could be and alone. And it will bring me
implemented butTommy’s suggestion securityandpeace.Again,thankstoall
of‘listenability’is an interesting idea. who made such possible.
No amount of musical theory CliffSherrod,
training nor composition classes will Midland,Texas,USA,via email
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