Archive for June, 2009
Hot Day in Troy
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CRC marching in the Troy, NY Flag Day Parade
Although the temperature was perfect the bright sun made it a hot 2 mile march for the Troy Flag Day parade. The pipes held up well and we had a good sound. We played a lot since appreciative crowds lined most of the 2 miles. Afterwards we had a nice cool down at Browns Brewing Co. only a block from the finish line.
Short clip of John D. Burgess at Troy Flag Day Parade (youtube).
Even the spectators are exhausted at the end.
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!
Troy Flag Day Sunday
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The last time we played the Troy Flag Day parade was years ago when the band was called Tara Hall.
This was the uniform when we last did the Flag Day Parade.
It was a great parade with huge crowds. For various reasons the band stopped doing the parade but this year we are back as CRC! Given the volume of the pipes maybe we should call it “A blast from the past”. It is the largest Flag Day parade in the country. It starts in South Troy at 1 p.m. and runs north along 4th.
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.
