much of it non-bagpipe related music. “Inspiration” and “infl uence” are closely related. Composers do get asked this question a lot, and I believe for me there’s a different answer for different times in my life and stages in my musical development. We are all inspired (and infl uenced) by everything we hear; it all has an effect, often subconsciously. It’s probably an infl uence from modern pop music, but generally I prefer tunes that have a memorable melody or “hook” as opposed to technical or rhythm based tunes, but each has its place. These days I fi nd the challenge of trying to create a new piece of bagpipe music that’s different and original in concept to be an inspiration in itself and it’s something that is perpetually rewarding. Modern day composers...who do you rate? There are too many to mention them all. Of the well-known composers, I would have to say that Mi- chael Grey has proved himself to be an accomplished prolifi c writer of original music in an amazing variety of styles. Many modern composers tend to specialise in one style, and although this does create some good “wee tunes”, there’s not many composers who are capable of producing larger and more varied works like Michael.
Of the younger modern composers, I’m sure there are many out there writing great tunes who most of
us haven’t heard of — yet! One young composer who I’ve been lucky to work with recently is Australian piper Lincoln Hilton. Lincoln’s compositions display a sophistication and maturity that are beyond his years and I hope we all get to hear more of his music in the future.
It’s an interesting concept that some modern pipers are considered “composers” and others not. To me, composing is an essential part of being a musician. I believe that everyone can (and should) compose. Composing music is the same as playing music, every- one can do it if they are shown how. Of course, some people will be better at it than others, but just like playing music it does improve with practice. How do you mould a tune from conception to completion?
My methods vary depending on the tune. I have written tunes from start to fi nish with no edits or changes in just a few minutes, while others that have taken a great deal of time and careful crafting. Some tunes have arrived into my head from nowhere and others have been a deliberate decision to compose a specifi c piece in a certain style. So there’s no single method that I use but I do fi nd that I don’t need to wait for inspiration to strike — I usually just get started! Often I have an idea for a piece that I wish to
explore the possibilities of a certain “key” or “chord progression”, time signature and/or rhythm, and that idea can stay dormant for some time before I sit down to write it. When writing pieces with multiple harmony parts I often challenge myself to make the harmony line not only sound good with the melody but also be interesting in terms of its interaction with that melody, or a melody in its own right. Bigger tunes, such as suites, often start with one simple phrase or melody and I then build upon that by experiment- ing with variations in key, time signature, rhythm, harmony etc.
The tune you have given us, On the Rise, how did it come about and what was the inspiration? This little hornpipe was one of those tunes that just popped into my head, was quick and easy to write. In fact, I hunted out the original manuscript and it looks like I wrote all three parts without any alterations, in one go! When writing the harmony part I discovered that the melody line from the fi rst part could also be used as a harmony in the last part — a nice way to tie it all together! To give us further insight to his inspiration and methods, Mark has offered this fascinating and detailed look at the Beaches of Harris suite per- formed by SFU at their Affi rmation concert. ➼
THE NATIONAL PIPING CENTRE presents The Georgia Piping School
10 –15 June 2012 • PRICES START FROM £380 ($600*) Kennesaw State University, Atlanta, Georgia
The National Piping Centre, Scotland, is the centre for excellence both nationally and internationally for the Great Highland Bagpipes. Attend our school and be taught by some of the worlds most successful musicians.
Piping Tutors: Stuart Samson MBE, Glenn Brown, John Mulhearn, Callum Beaumont**
Stuart Samson MBE Ex-Director of the Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming
Glenn Brown
Gold Medallist 2009 and two time World Pipe Band Champion
*Approximate exchange value at time of publication **Staff may change due to unforeseen circumstances
John Mulhearn
Contemporary recording artist and overall winner at Northern Meeting B Grade 2009
Callum Beaumont Gold Medallist 2011 and
three time World Pipe Band Champion
To book your place go to
www.thepipingcentre.co.uk/schools/atlanta-georgia or email
twilliams@thepipingcentre.co.uk PIPING TODAY • 32
NEW MUSIC
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