Try to explain Massed Bands

[SteveB]

The very reason that I spend an hour a day on the practice chanter. I really want to be in the middle of the music, instead of on the sidelines.
At the New Hampshire Games, I am amazed at how all the pipers respect eachother, and eachother's pipes. In the counter march many of the pipers, both on approach, and the turned tilt the normal drone side away from eachother. The right baggers tend to sway the drones back on the turn to avoid the possible crash. Looks like neat choreography, to those of us on the sidelines.

Slainte

[Barclay]

Mashed bands...

A friend of mine that was experiencing his first games thought I said "masked" bands, and asked what kind of masks they wore.



I gotta remember to speak more slowly in the south.

That is amazing, Greg - but it did cause my dog to move to another room.

[Phogfan86]

I don't know about you guys, but I find massed bands comical. Where I live I'd say 40% of us have been in the beer tent since we competed which is normally is a tad to long! So massed bands also has an interested sound to say the least.

Our band is headed to our first competition in 10 years in a few weeks at the McPherson (KS) Scottish Festival. The Heelan' games and the pipe competition are unsanctioned, but it's a terrific little small town and it's got a very low-pressure, high-friendliness vibe. It's a nice gatherin'.

Thing is, McPherson's located in a "dry" county. There is indeed a liquor store in McPherson -- I believe it may be the only one in the county -- but there's no alcohol allowed at the festival and no beer tent.

Therefore, massed bands are depressingly good. I'm surprised they can get any pipers there at all, frankly.

[beloitpiper]

Our band is headed to our first competition in 10 years in a few weeks at the McPherson (KS) Scottish Festival. The Heelan' games and the pipe competition are unsanctioned, but it's a terrific little small town and it's got a very low-pressure, high-friendliness vibe. It's a nice gatherin'.

Thing is, McPherson's located in a "dry" county. There is indeed a liquor store in McPherson -- I believe it may be the only one in the county -- but there's no alcohol allowed at the festival and no beer tent.

Therefore, massed bands are depressingly good. I'm surprised they can get any pipers there at all, frankly.

Whoa. Hold up. You guys have your Games in a dry county? How do you greet each other if scotch is not allowed?

[EagleJCS]

beloit,
Bleeve it 'er not, one of the Kentucky Highland Games is held not only in a dry county, but in a state park. State parks in the bluegrass are alcohol-free zones. Actually, two Kentucky Games are held in state parks, but only one is in a dry county as well. (Technically, two of the towns in that county are "moist" - restaurants can sell adult bevvies by the drink, but the majority of their income must still be from food sales.) Fortunately - or not, depending on your perspective - the rangers look the other way as long as one is not too overt*, and don't get too snockered.

For you locals, there's a new Games this year being held at the Renfair location in Eminence, KY. THAT facility has a beer hall, not just a tent!

*e.g., don't drink straight out of the beer bottle, pour it in a cup. If ya wants uisge baugh, bring it in a sporran flask.


On topic:
There's no explaining massed bands. You just have to experience it for yourself (preferably from the inside of the formation!).

[Spartan]

Whoa. Hold up. You guys have your Games in a dry county? How do you greet each other if scotch is not allowed?

How do you lubricate the reeds?

[OC Richard]

In my opinion, the Massed Bands at the end of every Highland Games is the best part. Being surrounded by 800 pipers, followed by 300 drummers...the sound is indescribable.

Notch it up to 8,000 pipers and drummers, around 225 pipe bands:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oRE9IKJUHs

This is the 2008 Worlds. I couldn't find YouTube video of the 2007 Worlds, which our band participated in.

In 2007 it rained all day there at Glasgow Green and by the time for the March Past (which is what they call it in Scotland, not Massed Bands) we had been standing in the rain for eight hours and were all soaked and our ghillies and hose were all splattered with mud. There are still bits of mud, I'm sure, somewhere in the recesses of my rain cape.

There, the Grade One bands play 6/8 Marches over and over and all 225 pipe bands march out one at a time past the grandstand.

It's simply awsome to participate in such a thing.

One thing that will stay with my always is the fantastic tune the Grade One bands played that day: Bruce Gandy's Farewell To The Iron Horse.

Though participating in the March Past at the Worlds is great, all experienced pipers hate playing in Massed Bands at the Games around here. Usually it's very hot and we all have to stand baking in the sun while eejits bloviate endlessly up on the grandstand. At one Games the Massed Bands was absurdly long: first a guy sang the National Anthems of the US, Canada, and Britain plus Flower of Scotland, then there were random speeches and numerous awards given out, then a display of Scottish Country Dancing, all while 25 pipe bands were standing cooking in the sun. Stuff like that is why there are so few sober pipers and drummers at the Massed Bands.

One thing about Massed Bands that's got much better over the years: the tuning of the pipes. Back in the late 70's when I started playing in bands, through much of the 80's, the pitch of pipe bands was rising steadily and no two bands were tuned at exactly the same pitch which had horrid results at Massed Bands.
Nowadays, and for the last decade or so, most all pipe bands have settled on 480 so that Massed Bands are fairly well in tune.