good to pass up. Once I started to compete, especially at Maxville with MSRs, there was an expectation that I’d play in the Gold Medal. I didn’t move through the ranks, as you would expect to do in the RU Brown Piobaireachd contest in Adelaide, Bronze through to Gold medal.”
The work ethic required to master set
lists is well documented. The strength of competition in Canada also provided a clear delineation of what was required. Even before the “hands-on” mentoring of John Cairns and the inspiration and discussion with Bill Livingstone, Ian had the drive and work ethic required to succeed. Formidable for their re- cord and their pursuit of excellence, these two stellar Canadians had a great influence on Ian’s development in both piobaireachd and pipe band competition. He explained: “John Cairns basically took me on as an adult learner when it came to piobaireachd. I set myself a goal in 2005. I’d give it five years, with a goal to play in Scotland at the major solo contests. I believe I had the piping skills and the tone to take to John, the interpretation of the music came from John.” Advice for young pipers comes from all corners of the piping world. Much of it polarises opinion. Much of it misses out on a very impor- tant point, as Ian emphasised: “The main thing I was encouraged to do by my father was not be afraid of your pipes. So many players learn how to play. That’s it. While they play very well, their pipe major tunes their drones, they play, they go home. I think it’s really important to experiment with your pipes. Work your own reed, mess with it, carve and file it until you break it. Many pipers ‘think’ they know how their pipe works. Take your pipes apart, learn how they work. Experiment. “In judging, I find that so many pipers pre- sent with pipes that are in tune but their drones are merely a constant in the background. The quality is not there because they haven’t spent time discovering the difference between ac- ceptable reeds and very good reeds. Therefore, they have missed out on the ability to create a really good balance between chanter and drones and broad, vibrant harmonics. You learn this through experimentation and discovery.” Ian’s services as a judge, tutor and recitalist
are in strong demand throughout Australia and New Zealand. He has been a key member of the Victorian Pipers Association, raising the profile and quality of solo piping in Victoria.
PIPING TODAY • 14
Ian’s Solo Pipe Set-up Pipes: Naill Custom Drones
Drone Reeds: Crozier Original Glass Fibre Drone Reeds
Chanter: McCallum Custom Blackwood Chanter
Chanter Reed: Wilson Reeds
Pipe Bag: Moose Bag with Moose Valves and prototype Moose Canister Drying System
“When the VPA started eight years ago,
we only had two or three people playing piobaireachd,” he said. “Now we have almost 20, from adult learners and young novices, up to A Grade players. I don’t see myself as an expert teacher of piobaireachd. I see myself as someone who can give a piper a good start, someone who has competed at a relatively good level and teach what I’ve been taught. Not many people teach piobaireachd in Victoria, so if I didn’t do it, the opportunity would not be there for others to experience it. Hopefully, this will continue and the enthusiasm will grow, going further afield to develop their skill and passion for the music. The more enthusiasm there is, the greater the opportunity to run seminars throughout the state, to bring out the top teachers. The resources are also there through CDs, the internet and Skype to assist the learner in their education.” Solid preparation for any competition is a
key feature of Ian’s life in piping. “Practice for me is a continual thing. I don’t actually look at it as ‘practice time’. Working towards a World Championship I see my ‘practice’ as anything up to six or seven hours a day, whether it’s playing at work, playing after work at home, on the chanter or singing through the tunes. It’s all part of it. Getting on the pipes is part of the conditioning that you do. Many people say, ‘Practice makes perfect’. I believe Bill Livingstone says it more accurately: ‘Practice makes permanent’. To me, when you’re trying to compete at a certain level, you can’t kid yourself. The preparation has to be there. “From a really young age I’ve had a vivid
imagination about my playing. I’ve learnt how to copy how other players play, whether it be through mimicking recordings or from within the circle. It’s like cloning. I’ve only ever had to make a few minor adjustments to fit in. “With Field Marshal, and like 78th Fraser, I always imagined playing with the band. I always practised as if I was playing in a perfor- mance. I would tune up, get my pipes going and visualised Bill Livingstone or Richard Parkes in front of me. So when it actually came up to playing with the band, I had already been playing with the band for months, albeit in my own lounge. I’d been through so many performances even before I’d set foot on the plane. It had to feel natural.” Ian credits his wife, Rebecca, with providing him with a key to his successful remote prepara- tion for any Worlds campaign, in the use of a technique she calls ‘White Lighting’. “In the weeks before the performance, but especially the night before, you visualise ‘The Perfect Performance’, imagining it as being surrounded by a bright white light. This represents the perfect execution of the performance. On the day, feeling and remembering the bright white light becomes the trigger for that same ‘Perfect Performance’ you have rehearsed and practised up to the day.” So, what does the future hold for Ian Lyons?
The Moose and Bagpiper brands are gaining popularity and a reputation for excellence in design and performance across the piping world. The Victorian Pipers Association, of which Ian is a key judge, organiser and Players Committee Chairman, is going from strength to strength. He continues to have success with his Grade 2 band, Moorabbin City Pipe Band, recently attaining a clean sweep in the first contest of the season. Rebecca runs one of the most successful Piping and Dancing supply businesses in Australasia. His daughter Shoshanna regularly places well in Highland dancing, regardless of in which hemisphere she competes. Zeb, the latest piping Lyons, has just moved on to the pipes. Ian concluded: “Deep down I am a pipe bands man. Having played with the Royal Ul- ster Constabulary, Victoria Police, 78th Fraser Highlanders and now with Field Marshal for the third year in a row, the desire is still there. I’m addicted to the Worlds. It’s the Olympics of piping. Last year was my 22nd Grade 1 World Championship and I’ll keep doing it… until I can’t.” l
BAND PROFILE PROFILE
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