Archive for Profiles
Member Profile- Laura Soldani
Posted by: | CommentsAge: 49
Where are you from originally? Latham NY
Where do you live? Latham NY
What is your job or major if a student? Teacher
Where did you learn to play? I took lessons with the Albany Police Pipes and Drums.
Instrument: Bagpipe
How long have you been playing? 10 years
What got you interested? I was looking for something fun to do with my son and he wanted to play, so we began taking lessons. After three lessons, he decided it wasn’t for him; I was hooked.
How did you go about learning/finding – private teacher, class, band, parent or relative? I just asked around and an acquaintance told me about the APPD.
Teachers that had a big influence: Maureen Conner and Paula Glendinning – ladies with ambition and persistence.
How long did you take lessons? I always take lessons; adult learners really cannot ever stop if we want to continue to develop.
How long did you play practice chanter/pad before moving to pipes/drum? How long from start to marching with the band? I learned on my practice chanter for about a year. It took me another year to make friends with my pipes and to be able to play with the band. I find that some days I love my pipe and other days it is not my friend.
How long does it take you to get to practice? About 15 minutes.
Favorite bagpipe player or drummer? Sean Moran, Pat Sweet, Gordie Peters, Jim Cutler, Martin Hatcher, Wanda Nicolson, and I could keep going all day mentioning the names of people who have been very kind to me – they have all been very accommodating to me since I’ve been a part of the CRC band. They understand the needs of adult-learners and don’t make negative judgments when I’m having an I-hate-my-pipe day. These people are all wonderful pipers who take the time to share their skill and knowledge with lesser skilled players like myself.
Favorite bagpipe band? Definitely Victoria Police
What other music do you like? I’m a bluegrass and folk music fanatic.
What other instruments do/did you play? Guitar
What is the hardest thing about playing? The bagpipe is a multi-layered instrument that requires a considerable amount of coordination and a robust energy.
Do you compete? When able.
What is the one thing you would tell a beginner about learning? Find a good teacher and do what (s)he tells you to do. It takes a lot of practice to become proficient.
Do you play solo events like weddings and funerals? Only when Martin won’t take them! Performance isn’t my “thing”, so I pass as many requests as I can to Martin. I try to stay around three or less private gigs per year.
What hobbies or other pursuits do you have? I love to read and listen to music; I just began taking yoga classes and I like that, too.
Member profile – Alex Bartholomew
Posted by: | CommentsName: Alex Bartholomew
Age: 30
Where are you from originally?: Middleburgh, N.Y.
Alex Bartholomew
Where do you live : Highland, N.Y.
What is your job or major if a student? Geology Professor, S.U.N.Y. New Paltz, specializing in Paleontology and Stratigraphy
Where did you learn to play?: My first teacher was Jim McQuilkin. He lived three houses down the street from me in Middleburgh. I was the first kid to start taking lessons, followed by Steven Fisher and his dad…we formed the Middlefort Pipe Band. In 1993 I switched to the Schenectady Pipe Band and Gordie Peters was my primary instructor.
Instrument: Bagpipes
How long have you been playing? I started when I was 11, so 19 years.
What got you interested? When I was 4 I received a record player for my birthday. My parents got tired of hearing “Little Red Ridding Hood” over and over so my Dad went up to the attic and got a box of records, some of which were old-school military bagpipe bands, I was hooked.
How did you go about learning/finding – private teacher, class, band, parent or relative? I had always wanted to learn to play and when Jim McQuilkin moved in down the street I was all set. Jim had a teaching certificate from the College of Piping and was a great first instructor.
Alex at work
Teachers that had a big influence: Gordie Peters, Norman Gillies, Bob Worrall, Ken Eller, Jim McQuilkin
How long did you take lessons? I took lessons all through grade-school and in college…for about 10 years or so I’d guess. I went to a number of summer piping schools…Invermark, Balmoral, and the Gaelic College in Nova Scotia. I had heaps of fun and learned lots at these schools. I had the best time at the Gaelic College.
How long did you play practice chanter/pad before moving to pipes/drum? How long from start to marching with the band? Jim McQuilkin set me on the right track as a beginner; I played the chanter for at least an entire year before he told me to bring down my pipes to a lesson. After that I played on the ‘goose’ for a few months as well. Our first parade for the Middlefort Pipe band was the St. Patrick’s Day parade in East Durham and I think that was about 2 years after I had started.
How long does it take you to get to practice? It takes about 1hr 15min. to get to practice from Highland, but I get to ride up with folks like Eben, Wanda, and Joanne, which makes the ride fast and fun!
Favorite bagpipe player or drummer? I think I learned the most about playing in bands from Gordie and Ken Eller…I greatly appreciate their instruction. I also really like Michael Grey’s compositions. I think he pushes the boundaries of piping and I like that.
Favorite bagpipe band? I got to hear Bagad St. Nazaire this spring. It’s a Breton pipe band and it was AWESOME!!!!!!!! Best single musical experience of my life, hands-down!
What other music do you like? If you don’t already know, I love Breton music (thanks to Gordie and Mike MacNintch). As long as it’s got a pleasing melody I mostly like it.
What other instruments do/did you play? I can play the bombarde, oboe, bassoon, tin whistle, lots of different types of bagpipes, fife…on pretty much most woodwinds I can squeak out something that doesn’t make your ears bleed. Oh, and I strum a mean jaw-harp!
What is the hardest thing about playing? Solo? Band? Personally, I get the most out of playing in a band. After not playing with a band for a few years while I was in grad-school, I came back and played at the CDSG with CRC one year (2004 I think?)…walking into the circle put the hairs up on the back of my neck, it was a great feeling.
Do you compete? Level? I wish I had time!
What is the one thing you would tell a beginner about learning? Take it slow, don’t get discouraged, and spend time getting the basics down as good as you can.
Do you play solo events like weddings and funerals? Yes.
What hobbies or other pursuits do you have? I like rocks…a lot. Tana and I have this one hobby called ‘Letterboxing’…like geocaching but way better. It’s pretty much a treasure hunt for hidden stamps in the woods. It’s great fun!
Member profile – Garth Scannell
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Age: 20
Where are you from originally? Fairbanks, Alaska
What is your job or major if a student? I am majoring in materials engineering at RPI.
Instrument: Grade 4 Bagpipes
How long have you been playing? I have been playing bagpipes for five years.
What got you interested? No singular event or person. I have always like bagpipes and one day I decided that I would like to play them.
How did you go about learning/finding – private teacher, class, band, parent or relative? After I decided I wanted to play, I talked to my parents and we found Maureen Connor in the phone book. I started taking private lessons with her. Maureen is the instructor for Scotia Glenville, so after I moved up to pipes she invited me to play with them.
Teachers that had a big influence: Maureen Connor taught me the basics and helped instill good practice habits. Sean Moran helped get me started in solo competitions and introduced me to a lot of new music. Gordie Peters is currently doing an excellent job refining my embellishments and overall playing.
How long did you take lessons? Five years.
How long did you play practice chanter/pad before moving to pipes/drum? How long from start to marching with the band? I played practice chanter for almost a year before moving to pipes. After that I started playing with Scotia Glenville, but it took almost another year before I was ready to compete with them. I played and marched with CRC a month or two after I joined them.
How long does it take you to get to practice? About twenty minutes.
Favorite bagpipe player or drummer? I would have to go with my brother and identical twin, Luke Scannell, who plays tenor drum in CRC.
Favorite bagpipe band? Boghall and Bathgate.
What other music do you like? Classical.
What other instruments do/did you play? I played violin for three years in elementary school.
What is the hardest thing about playing? For me it is finding time to practice while going to school. During the summer it is more relaxed and practicing, playing and competing with the band is fun, but during the spring semester especially, it can be stressful to find time to play while keeping up with everything else.
Do you compete? I compete with the grade four band. I haven’t really started doing solo competitions yet.
What is the one thing you would tell a beginner about learning? Assuming a younger player, put as much time into practicing as you can. It is much easier to maintain your level of skill than increase and once you reach college it may be all you can do to keep playing at all.
Do you play solo events like weddings and funerals? Yes
What hobbies or other pursuits do you have? I compete in the annual ASCE concrete canoe competition at college. I like to run, bicycle, hike, cross-country ski, and canoe. I am also and avid reader.
Member profile – Stephen Donnelly
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Stephen Donnelly
Age: 53
Where are you from originally? Albany, NY
Where do you live: Delmar, NY
What is your job or major if a student? Majored in Economics, work in the commercial insurance industry.
Where did you learn to play? Henry Tisdall in Syracuse, NY and a member of the Syracuse Pipe Band was my first piping teacher in 1980
Instrument: Bagpipes, however, I developed a physical limitation in my left hand a number of years back, which prevented me from playing the pipes competitively anymore. I switched to the bass when the band was in need of a player and I’ve been the G3 bass player ever since.
How long have you been playing? About 30 years, if you include my twenty odd years on the pipes and my time on the bass drum.
What got you interested? My family has had close friends from Ireland growing up. We spent times at the AOH when I was a kid and I always liked the sound, the kilts, the entire Celtic atmosphere. When I moved to Syracuse in 1979 out of college I decided to indulge myself in lessons and bought my first set of pipes, Gillanders & MacLeod.
How did you go about learning/finding – private teacher, class, band, parent or relative? I was living with my cousin when I told her I wanted to learn the pipes. She remembered a boy from grade school who used to play. I found his name in the phone book, called him and got the guy’s father. He gave me the name of J. Avery Head, Pipe Major of the Syracuse Pipe Band, who, in turn, gave me Henry Tisdall’s name.
Teachers that had a big influence: I’d have to say Henry Tisdall. After I moved back to Albany in 1986 I looked up Donald Lindsay and started taking lessons from him.
How long did you take lessons? I’d have to say at least 20 years.
How long did you play practice chanter/pad before moving to pipes/drum? How long from start to marching with the band? I was on pipes about a year after starting on the chanter. I didn’t get into a band until I moved back to Albany. I believe I joined the Tara Hall Pipe Band around 1989 or 1990.
How long does it take you to get to practice? Fifteen minutes.
Steve playing bass at Celtic Classic
Favorite bagpipe player or drummer? This isn’t something I devote too much energy thinking about. In the professional ranks there are too many for me to single out. On the amateur front, I’d have to say people in our band, Pat Sweet and Sean Moran for piping and Alison Molumby and Dean Walker for drumming.
Favorite bagpipe band? Field Marshall Montgomery, Boghall & Bathgate, Shotts & Dykehead.
What other music do you like? Celtic rock, traditional Celtic, Blue Grass, Hard rock.
What other instruments do/did you play? Nothing.
What is the hardest thing about playing? I found piping nerve racking in the competition circle. With the developing hand problem, I become acutely aware that I’d never move up in grade. Jumping to bass allows me to play at a higher grade without the pressure I felt with piping. I’m just a walking metronome. The real playing goes on in the piping and drum sections.
Do you compete? Not individually, although I’ve been thinking about it. The problem with bass is that there aren’t a lot of people that teach the instrument, so you kind of learn as you go.
What is the one thing you would tell a beginner about learning? Get a teacher and practice.
Do you play solo events like weddings and funerals? For the bass?
What hobbies or other pursuits do you have? Golf, when time permits, and riding my Harley Davidson.
