The Barren Rocks of Aden

Home late this evening, and while dinner was cooking I had a poke about the internet, remembering I wanted to play Castle Dangerous. Found a nice website belonging to Kilbarchan Pipe Band. I’ve taken The Barren Rocks of Aden (one on my pipe tunes CD), Castle Dangerous and Leaving Barra – all nice clean and clear versions – some online pipe music is a bit scruffy, somehow, and hard to read. Castle Dangerous looked very easy, considering it’s one you hear competition bands play. Then I worked out why – those low Gs. They sound great, but getting all your fingers cleanly down and then back up again is no laughing matter. Actually dropping down isn’t too bad – it’s getting up again that’s a bit of an undignified scramble. Other than that, not too bad. I need to think (as I always do) which grace notes are worth keeping and which can go. Leaving Barra is new to me – I don’t recall having heard it before, but it’s rather nice. The Barren Rocks is what I’ve recorded – horrendous red-button-itis today so this is the best of a bad bunch. I’ve stripped all the gracing out, so it really is barren! The usual hesitancy, drones out of tune, but otherwise not bad considering this evening is the first time I’ve ever played it. Problems – I’m wearing short sleeves, so the usual rubbing on my arm. I’m starting to think of the resulting mark as Morag’s love bite. I’m also rocking a bit between bag and bellows, although I can’t be doing it too much as that tends to make the connector tube flip out. I’ve not played for very long – phone call interruption for mum in need of a recipe for apricots (frangipane tart, natch), phone call from my sister about stuff, and I've got one ear open for the fan calling. Little and often is good, though.