Highland Cathedral

Another day of struggle, although it's starting to improve again. I've decided half the problem with the connector tube is that I don't sit straight on to my music stand sometimes so I'm twisting to see it, which must put pressure on the tube. I spent an hour just about today, interrupted by a neighbour's cat (who was surprisingly tolerant of the pipes but had a lot to say when I was done) and my sister, who needed urgent quilt-making advice. I've been working on Atholl Highlanders especially that A moving to D grace on C. Quick whizz through Friday Harbor, and a lot of work on Nigel's tune. I've gone through Highland Cathedral. I've not played it for a while, in fact I'm not sure that I've ever played it on pipes - just chanter. It came out OK. I made three recordings. They had various faults between them. They were all hesitant and wavery. I think that's me slowly feeling my way back in - still feeling the effects of that long break. The waver is to do with relying on my stronger bellows arm rather than forcing my bag arm to do some work. The E doubling needs to be much better - I think I'm just picking up my G finger twice instead of the G and F, and sometimes think I fail to put down one finger before I lift the next. There's a little tap between two Fs which comes out as a whole note. I'm not holding the long notes anything like long enough. The tempo varies - on one version I played the B part faster than the A part. The D strike is way too slow and clunky. Oh - and that second triplet in the B part ditto really. Look at that list of errors - and this is a tune I'm happy enough about to record. Sheesh! I'm pondering posting recordings of Nigel's tune. I have to keep reminding myself that this blog is my space for me to hear how I am improving. To hear that I need to post the rubbish as well as the best shots. If people come looking for performance, as I've said before, they wont get it. Still, a girl has her vanities and it's difficult to make mistakes in public. I've seen the catty and unkind comments some people make on Youtube when beginners post their best shot at something. I think I'm mostly able to ignore this, but Nigel's tune is a bit different because I know that there are people out there collecting versions of the tune and I feel them hovering in the wings, somehow, and that's making me shy. (And not at all intending to suggest those collecting the tune would be unkind - in fact I'm sure they wouldn't. It's just that I feel if I post the tune it will be for them, not for me, and I want to make it as good as I can for them). Oh - one good thing. My fan claims that I am getting a bit faster when I play (he likes fast). This is the same fan who, when I moaned about how badly it went today, said it sounded fine to him. I had to point out that as he's spent all afternoon recording he's had headphones on all the time I've been playing....