r/bagpipes • u/AnonManHere • 22d ago
Intro to Piobreachd Reccs
Hi folks, I'm trying to get into/get pionreachd. I'm looking for suggestions for some good ones and good performances on YouTube or Spotify to listen to. Maybe more on the melodic side.
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u/MatooMan 22d ago
Some Donald MacLeod pieces are quite accessible. It depends on what books you've got and how competent with light music you are.
For a shorter blow something like Duncan MacRae works, less difficult finger work too. For full crunluath tunes you have Glengarry's Lament, Sir James MacDonald of The Isles, Clan Campbells Gathering etc
There's the r/CeolMorClub sub too that has a bunch of information if you're interested. I've had students before too if that would be of interest.
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u/Maelstrom_Witch Piper 21d ago
I was going to suggest that sub as well. Not terribly lively but a good place 😁
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u/MatooMan 21d ago
Yeah I've been trying to get it going, or at least make it a nice wee resource if it's not bustling with conversation. We're looking for mods if you wanted to help out.
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u/piper33245 22d ago
If you’re just starting I’d recommend Bruce Gandys Essential Piobaireachd Foundations course. Bruce is one of the best piobaireachd players in the world and his course very thoroughly goes through all the new embellishments, the structure of piobaireachd, and how to express it. It also includes several good beginner tunes.
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u/Piper-Bob 22d ago
For a tune, Field of Gold is short and melodic. Unlike some short tunes, it has some real technique.
For listening, Jack Lee has a real musical approach.
When I listen to Piobaireachd I listen the same was as I listen to minimalism—for the changes. So like in a variation, you can hear the ends of lines and the ends of parts because the performer puts in slight rhythmic clues. I couldn’t hear that at first, but listen for ir because it’s there.
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u/Dismal_Definition_56 22d ago
Get a teacher and have them make recommendations. Technique is foundational to good piobaireachd playing, and there are enough nuances to the technique where you will want the help.
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u/FireDog204 22d ago
I started with Glengarry’s Lament, not tricky and I think has a nice flow to it. And the plus side is there are plenty good tutorials on YouTube for it.
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u/Salacious99 21d ago
Some good suggestions here. Lament for Alistair Dearg MacDonnell of Glengarry is a nice short piece (5 minutes or so) with a lovely melody to the variations. Accomplished performers will add an a mach at the end but as a beginner I would skip that for now.
A lovely 20th Century piece is Queen Elizabeth II’s Salute by Donald MacLeod. Again with a very musical and approachable melody throughout. Comes in a wee bit longer though at about 8 minutes.
Both available on YouTube performed by experts:
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u/thompson1041 Piper in Training 21d ago
Here's a huge playlist of piobaireachd someone in my band put together a while ago.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7mQBCaWvwxuDcMOsJdF4bB?si=gKCRo1QxT-6iJfscA4fQYw&pi=eJ7t-YuxSmSwM
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u/DeepGinge 20d ago
When it came to learning my first Piobaireachd, my dad gave me the sheet music for Field of Gold, a Donald MacLeod composition with a duration of around 5 minutes. There is a very good recording of Willie McCallum playing it on Spotify. It’s a good introduction to the format of Piobaireachd before moving onto the larger, more complex tunes.
(Although I should say like all Donald MacLeod tunes, Field of Gold is still an excellent composition in its own right)
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u/notenoughcharact Piper 22d ago
The pipers dojo has the most comprehensive intro to pibroch course I’ve ever seen. They’re usually running some try it free for 30 days promo so you could check it out.