JustPipes.org - Justin Howland

Home of Salt Lake City Based Bagpiper Justin Howland!

2011-05-17T04:13:00.000-07:00

I'm happy you're interested in gaining more information about me, what I do, and bagpiping in and around Salt Lake City, Utah.

In these pages you'll find extensive information about instruction, performances, and other various resources. If you've ever been interested in learning the bagpipes or need a piper for your event, please take your time to browse these pages and don't hesitate to contact me with your questions, concerns, or comments!

A New Season Upon Us!

2010-04-06T10:45:00.000-07:00

As the summer nears bands are coming out of hibernation, brushing up on old sets, and debuting new ones. The competition season is certainly upon us!

In just a few weeks, my band (Wasatch and District Pipe Band) will be in Las Vegas, Nevada for its first outdoor contest. Just a few days ago, my old band (Triumph Street Pipe Band) competed against SFU Pipe Band at the BC Pipers Annual Gathering, taking straight 2nd's against the current world champions.

I'd like to take this moment to wish the best of luck to all bands in the upcoming season! (Updates about the contest in Las Vegas will be made shortly.)

Cheers!

Piobaireachd Workshop March - April 2010

2010-02-24T10:30:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've offered Piobaireachd workshops due in part to time constraints as well as lack of interest. Recently, however, there has been a renewed interest in piobaireachd, especially with the creation and support of the new Utah Pibroch Club. Beginning at 6:00pm - 7:00 pm Wednesday, March 10 and ending April 28 will be the first in a series of sessions discussing:

Notation and embellishments
Counting
Canntaireachd
Structure
Phrasing
Important figures
Historical accounts and uses
And more...

If you are interested, or know of anyone who is, please email me at justpipes@gmail.com to register.

Recent Updates After a Long Break

2010-01-25T09:14:00.001-08:00

It's recently been brought to my attention by a friend of mine that I've been neglecting this site. More than that, I've just been very busy. Here's a recap of what I've been up to over the past few months.

Pre-Worlds/World Championships

As some of you may know, I've spent the last two years playing with the Dowco Triumph St. Pipe Band, in Vancouver, BC. This summer was the band's second year competing as a grade I band and made huge improvements over the summer. In the early part of last year (fall 2008 to be exact) we made the decision to make the trip across the Atlantic to play in the World Pipe Band Championships. As can be imagined, we felt a lot of excitement and apprehension (or at least I did). There's a lot of information leading up to the actual morning of the qualifier, so I'll just keep you updated about the actual day of the Worlds. The band was fortunate to have a good draw for the qualifier (around 11:00 am), and especially since the weather earlier in the day was very poor. We slept in as much as we could, had a flash at the flats then hopped on the bus to head to the Green. The next hour and a half to two hours is still a bit of a blur. We had some bus troubles, circled the park, and ended up getting the pipes out about a block away from the Green, only to go in for final tuning. As it turns out, we played a very good MSR and came in 3rd in the qualifier... We were in!

Ryan Murray, Me, Ross Morrill after the morning qualifier, and finals announcement.

Triumph Street playing in the final.

In the end, Triumph Street was the only North American band, besides Simon Fraser University Pipe Band (current world champions) to play in the final. Overall the band placed 13th in the world. Not bad.

Massed bands at the World Pipe Band Championships.

Recordings of the band can be found here, thanks to the BBC. Unfortunately I will not be playing with the band this upcoming year but would like to take this time to publically thank everyone in the band for the great memories and hopefully more to come in the future. I owe special thanks to P/M David Hilder and P/S Shaunna Hilder. Without them this experience wouldn't have been possible. As for future plans, I'm still teaching in the Salt Lake area and will be playing with the Wasatch and District Pipe Band. 2011 will be a big year for the band as there are plans for making a trip with the grade IV and III bands to compete at the World Championships.

Post-Worlds

After the World Championships I traveled with my family to Ireland. They flew in from all over: My mom from Salt Lake, one sister from Germany, and the other sister and her husband from Salt Lake via a trip visiting family in Virginia. Rather than writing a lot about this trip, I'll just post photos.

Waiting for a taxi at University of Strathclyde Dorms, At "Church Cottage" in Kinsale, Co. Cork, Ireland, Sitting at the top of Blarney Castle, and the Cathedral over Cobh, Co. Cork, Ireland.

Back in Salt Lake

Since getting back to Salt Lake I've gotten back into a regular schedule with piping and school. One of the major updates/activities has been starting the Utah Pibroch Club; a fairly informal group that gets together to learn, talk about, and play piobaireachd. Within the last few months support has grown a great deal, and the club is happy to announce continued support and growing numbers at each session. If anyone's interested in piobaireachd check out the club page. And please don't hesitate to give small financial support by purchasing official club merchandise. All proceeds go to acquiring educational resources. At some point there is the hope to bring in world-class instructors for weekend workshops. We can use all the support and help that's out there!

For Sale Garvie Border Pipes

2009-05-02T11:45:00.000-07:00

This is a beautiful set made of blackwood with boxwood mounts and gold plated slides. They are in the key of 'A' with an extended range chanter (high B, low F, and low E). They also have the typical bass and tenor drones but with a baritone drone in addition. This drone has its own stop going to it. The price I'm selling this set is $4000 which is significantly less than what I paid. As I said, this is a beautiful set of pipes that needs to be played. Send inquiries to me at justpipes@gmail.com. Please serious inquiries only.

UPDATED Piobaireachd Workshop

2008-08-24T11:22:00.000-07:00

*This session is now closed and will begin on 10 September 2008*

Now that I'm back from Canada and settled into a somewhat "regular" routine, I'll picking up where I left off with the piobaireachd workshops. The next session we will be playing The Field of Gold written by Donald MacLeod. There will be a slight change to this session, which is we will now be meeting Wednesday nights at 6:45 pm. As of now the dates for the workshop are still under some debate so please keep checking back for any updates.

Canadian Summer

2008-08-07T11:05:00.000-07:00

Dowco-Triumph Street Pipe Band in front of the War Memorial in Ottowa, Ontario.

I arrived home earlier this week after spending nearly two months in Vancouver, British Columbia playing with the Dowco-Triumph Street Pipe Band. Now that I'm back I've updated results on the events page as well as added links to the sites of fellow pipers.

For full BC Piper's contest results click here
For photos of BC contests click here
For full results, and a few recordings, of the N. American Championships click here
For photos of the DTSPB 2008 Maxville trip click here

I'd like to again thank everyone in DTSPB for the generosity, acceptance, and camaraderie that they have shown me. Regardless of any result it's an honor to step on the field as a member of the band.

USS Highland Games- Costa Mesa, California

2008-05-27T20:49:00.001-07:00

I'm just back from the USS Highland Games in Costa Mesa, California. The weather both days was a bit questionable in the morning but cleared up and was quite promising by the time of the band contests. The results are: (click on the names below to watch performances of the contests)

Saturday- Medley
1st LA Scots
2nd Dowco Triumph Street
3rd James Coyne Memorial (grade II)
Drumming: Dowco Triumph Street

Sunday- MSR
1st Dowco Triumph Street
2nd LA Scots
3rd James Coyne Memorial
Drumming: Dowco Triumph Street

Other mentions are Scott Wood winning the grade I piobaireachd, and Lauren MacRitchie winning the open tenor contests. Both were competing for the first time in their grade, and play with Triumph Street.

P/M Colin Armstrong leading on the LA Scots, P/M David Hilder leading on Triumph Street, and Triumph Street after winning the MSR on Sunday.

Great Basin Branch- Awards Dinner

2008-04-26T21:55:00.000-07:00

I'm just back from the WUSPBA-Great Basin Branch awards dinner and here are the 2007 branch aggregate winners:

Individual Piping:

Grade I- Melissa Bautz
Grade II- Sean Fetherston
Grade III- Alex Morrill
Grade IV- Corrie Nichol

Individual Drumming:

Grade I Snare- William Gunn
Grade III Snare- Sean Gibson
Grade IV Snare- Dustin Gunn
Grade II Tenor- Meaghan Brown and Malarie Reddoor

Pipe Bands:

Grade IV- Henry's Fork Pipe Band
Grade III- Salt Lake Scots Pipe Band

Congratulations to the winners and best of luck in the upcoming competition season!

Salt Lake Scots Concert

2008-03-19T10:05:00.001-07:00

It's been a couple of years since I've heard the Salt Lake Scots play and was very pleasantly surprised. Jason Killpack has done a very good job with the pipe corps and BJ Gunn has maintained the standard he's always set for his drum corps. The band is playing the new 'Gael' chanter that was developed with the aid of Jim McGillivray-- it's a much lower pitch than most chanters being played-- and the drum corps are playing new Andante drums. I wasn't sure if I liked the sound of the chanters at first, but found it to be quite pleasant. The drone sound that comes out with an overall lower pitched instrument always seems more rich with more depth.
The Salt Lake Scots are playing well and I wish them the best of luck through the rest of the season and upcoming years. Here are a few pictures from the concert:

Site Updates

2008-03-01T14:00:00.000-08:00

There have been a few updates to the site:

The next piobaireachd session is now closed
Events have been added to the Events page- if you have an event that you'd like to have announced I'd be more than happy to post them on the site.

February-March '08 Group Piobaireachd Workshop

2008-01-13T14:39:00.001-08:00

*March-April Session Closed*

The first group piobaireachd workshop I've begun to teach is coming to a close at the end of this month, meaning the session for February and March is currently open. I will be taking feedback from those that were involved so that I can make the necessary improvements to how the session is being taught. The tune we will focus on is 'Lament for the Old Sword' and I will provide a score to the music and any other materials needed.

For more information please check the instruction page or feel free to contact me at any time.

Band Upgrades...

2007-12-30T20:35:00.000-08:00

"As of today, December 30th 2007, the BCPA board approved the recommendations from a panel of experts (both within the BCPA, PPBSO and the RSPBA) with a unanimous vote to promote the Dowco-Triumph Street Pipe Band to Grade One."

This promotion marks the 13th grade I pipe band in North America and second in British Columbia.

Every band looks forward to the day they get upgraded; it shows the culmination of a lot of hard work that has finally paid off and does wonders for morale. Congratulations to all recently upgraded bands throughout the piping community and to all who have accomplished the goals they've set out to conquer. The only direction to go is up; I hope everyone uses this time to look back on what's been overcome and look forward to what's to come next.

David Barclay Memorial Indoor Competition

2007-12-01T19:45:00.000-08:00

I'm just back from the 1st Annual David Barclay Memorial Indoor Competition held today at the University of Utah and put on by the Utah Pipe Band. The judges were Scott Robertson (drumming) and Jack Cairney (piping) who are both former members of the Triumph Street Pipe Band from Vancouver, British Columbia. It was a very full day for the judges but everything ran very smoothly and with no troubles at all, at least from my perspective. All solo events moved seamlessly into each other with very few gaps in time and I don't think the schedule ever got behind, despite a large number of entrants. Both judges had time to give an open clinic/workshop for anyone interested in sitting in on it and I'm actually a bit disappointed I didn't get a chance to do so on the drumming clinic. All in all it was a great day full of piping and drumming. Here are a few pictures from the day:

In order- Morning snow on the University Campus, Jason Killpack (P/M Salt Lake Scots) competing his grade II events, Mike Postma (D/S Wasatch and District) competing his grade I events, Joe Yost (Utah Pipe Band) competing his grade IV events, Payson High School performing for critique.

Siubhal- A musical journey

2007-11-06T10:02:00.000-08:00

Recently there have been a lot of things I've listened to or that have just come up which have led me to wonder about the legitimacy of instruments and at what point an instrument becomes accepted as legitimate. Barnaby Brown brought to light a wonderful example on BBC pipeline a few weeks ago. He mentioned that in his teachings in one of the most recent sessions at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama not one person had ever heard of piobaireachd. This was even within one of the traditional/folk/world music classes! I've often times thought it's possible an instrument becomes legitimate when it is able to play certain types of music. It is not a matter of the actual instrument but stylistic preference perhaps. I would say it's possible the bagpipes are overlooked due to a certain amount of the limitations of range, dynamics, or versatility but I doubt that's entirely it. Perhaps it could have to do with cultural bias or discrepancy? Whatever the case may be, there are many well researched sources which lead me to believe the Great Highland Bagpipe is deserving of a position next to other instruments of varying repertoires.
Piobaireachd

One of the first things that comes to my mind is piobaireachd. Developed in the highlands of Scotland 100 years before the piano came about, this great music came out ahead of its time. It's said that piobaireachd is the "classical" form of piping in that the urlar (ground) sets out the theme of the tune in which the following variations expound upon in varying and differing ways, until reaching a form of the crunluath variation (crowning) which marks the culmination of the musical journey that is the tune itself. With extensive research being done by the likes of Barnaby Brown and Allan MacDonald, it starts to become apparent that piobaireachd has come a long way in its own development. It may have started as a "folk" genre and instrument, or may still be considered as such, but much like Urtiin duu (long song) of Mongolian musical tradition, piobaireachd has become a distinctive cultural identity that may be contemplative or exemplary. When examining these two musical traditions (Scottish and Mongolian) side by side, and especially with the influence and findings of the combined research of Barnaby Brown and Allan MacDonald, it seems obvious that there's a profound amount of musical and contemplative complexity within the music. At this point I think an instrument and it's music are just as worthy of merit as within the realm of classical or jazz music. Unless complexity and musical progression have nothing to do with becoming legitimate...?

Light Music

On the most recent Planet Pipe (3 Nov. 2007-which is still accessible through the program archives) a group called the Red Hot Chilli Pipers was featured. The music they play is mostly within the traditional Scottish repertoire but they also play music from Queen and Coldplay on a mixture of traditional Scottish instruments in addition to electric guitars, drum kit etc. The music the group plays is not necessarily new, in fact there are other groups similar to them doing similar things with the instrument, but they are bringing the bagpipe and traditional (and sometimes not so traditional) Scottish music into the mainstream, almost forcing people to examine and accept the instrument and music as legitimate. Though this "forcing" may have a negative connotation I believe it's a great thing that's being done. Just to pose a question: Why do singer/songwriters (i.e. Bob Dylan) receive acclaim amongst the majority of people and not those steeped within traditional music? If the answer is due to poetic lyrics I'd have to disagree and feel they're no more touching than others I've heard within other traditions. Using Bob Dylan as an example, I realize there is a certain amount of political and social influence but I still feel the same could be said, again, for other forms within varying musical traditions. There is, or was, certainly more exposure to his music and his singing and playing is perhaps less abrasive than the bagpipe, which I could see as an argument for one side over the other, but it is not significant enough for me. I wonder then if influence is what aids in artists, musicians in this case, receiving credibility from a wide audience or their fellow artists? If that is the case I don't see why people like the late Martyn Bennett aren't more widely known for their influence and putting Scottish music out into the mainstream or popular music scene. Recently Matisyahu, an Hassidic Orthodox Jewish Reggae/Hip Hop artist (he can be heard here), has become an advocate for Judaism whilst using popular music as a medium to get his message across, much like Martyn Bennett has for Scottish music and culture (especially with works like his album Glen Lyon).

Scottish Music compared with other "accepted" forms

What is the determining factor then? Why is the Great Highland Bagpipe still regarded as a folk instrument not capable or worthy of consideration within other genres of music? Why is it viewed as an intrusion if the bagpipe begins to "infiltrate" other musical forms? Is or should John Cage's piece for solo piano (4'33") be worth regarding with high esteem any more than a well known tune within some traditional form? Andrew Douglas played close to five minutes of drones on his first album, Expression, which was supposed to mark the same sort of "silence" as in Cages 4'33". If John Cage is regarded as a great composer whose influence carries much weight so should Andrew Douglas! Seaumus MacNeill wrote in Piobaireachd and Its Interpretation that Mendelssohn reportedly made a statement that the piobaireachd Lament for the Children contained one of the most beautiful melodies he had ever heard. Surely his opinion must mean something. Besides, it's a well known fact that famous composers, such as Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, Dvorak, etc. borrowed melodies from local folk traditions. They also had the benefit and availability of an entire orchestra. A melodic line may be great but will certainly be made better if it is orchestrated. Maybe that's what the bagpipes are missing, some sort of accompaniment other than percussive? But this is exactly what Martyn Bennett did with MacKay's Memoirs!

Isn't it about time we got past looking down on other instruments, traditions and cultures and started realizing how much potential there is out in the world? By respecting and taking into consideration other musical traditions we better ourselves as musicians and people. David Fanshawe wrote his African Sanctus with just this idea in mind, juxtoposing religious texts from Western and differing African traditions which resulted in a wonderful comparison of musical and cultural differences while never detracting or emphasizing one over the other.

First Piobaireachd Workshop- Oct. 1, 2007

2007-09-25T16:09:00.000-07:00

October 1, 2007 will mark the beginning of the new Piobaireachd Workshops I'm offering. The schedule is set, the class is full and I'm anxious to get started. This should be very exciting and a great way to interact with others while playing and learning about piobaireachd and its structure.

Stay tuned for information on how the class is progressing and keep checking back here and in the 'Instruction' section if interested in the next session beginning in February of 2008. Who knows, enough interest shown early on would be great potential for running two sessions simultaneously!

Piobaireachd and Its Interpretation...

2007-09-23T21:57:00.000-07:00

I've been having a great conversation with Marc Pehkonen on his blog site about piping in general, piobaireachd and the approach/merits of teaching and presenting the music we all love. Check it out here and get involved! It's always great to hear new and varied opinions plus it's fun to get others involved in discussion.

A little food for thought couldn't hurt, could it?

WUSPBA Great Basin Branch AGM

2007-09-15T15:46:00.000-07:00

I'm just back from the branch AGM where new officials were elected along with a few items discussed. All in all it was short, sweet and to the point. Congratulations to the new officers:

President- B.J. Gunn (Salt Lake Scots)
Vice President- Kerri Welton (Payson High School/Wasatch and District)
Secretary- Kylene Tanner (Wasatch and District)
Treasurer- Erin McMaster (Salt Lake Scots)

A big thanks goes also to Larry Erdmann for holding the post of Branch President for the last two years.

I left my heart in San Francisco...

2007-09-04T22:22:00.000-07:00

The Wasatch and District Pipe Band is just back from the final competition of the season, the Caledonian Club of San Francisco's Gathering and Games held in Pleasanton, California. The reason for the title referring to San Francisco is due to the fact that, after having been there once a month for two years, I haven't been back since earlier this year (the beginning of February to be exact). The city itself is incredibly dynamic and has left a great impression on me. I only spent a short time this trip due to the fact that Pleasanton is about 40 minutes Southeast of San Francisco and the Bay Bridge was closed for earthquake proofing during the weekend.

Getting to the competition: A good portion of the band got to the fairgrounds early Friday morning after driving all night in order to get there in time for the noon piobaireachd competition. Saturday and Sunday were mixed solo and band events and both days were hot (somewhere in the 100's). Saturday the band placed 3rd in QMM and Sunday placed 2nd in the timed medley. The drum corps came through again with a great finish of 2nd on Saturday and 1st on Sunday!

Here are some pictures taken from the weekend:

The famous Ghirardelli Square, The WDPB warming up before competition and Massed bands waiting to go on.

Garvie Border Pipes- For Sale

2007-09-04T07:31:00.000-07:00

This summer I purchased a set of border pipes from Nigel Richards that I simply don't have time to keep up. This is a beautiful set made of blackwood with boxwood mounts and gold plated slides. They are in the key of 'A' with an extended range chanter (high B, low F, and low E). They also have the typical bass and tenor drones but with a baritone drone in addition. This drone has its own stop going to it. The price I'm selling this set is $4700 which is less than what I paid. As I said, this is a beautiful set of pipes that needs to be played. Send inquiries to me at justpipes@gmail.com. Please serious inquiries only.

Website Improvements

2007-08-29T12:27:00.000-07:00

Now that everything else on this site is coming together it's time to start refining it. I've asked my friend Connary to help out with the design stuff (both logo and with the site). There are a lot of things still in the works so still many more changes are to come. Check back for frequent updates to the site.

The banner is taken from part of a photo I took while in Scotland in August of 2006. The picture is of one of the stained glass windows in St. Margaret's Chapel at Edinburgh Castle. It's the oldest surviving structure from the medieval castle, built by King David I and dedicated to his mother, Saint Margaret, who died in the castle in 1093. This chapel is extremely small and plain on the outside but is a wonderful example of Romanesque architecture in the interior.

Updated New-Group Piobaireachd Workshop!

2007-08-18T16:26:00.000-07:00

Updated information available on the 'Instruction' page as of 8/19/07

Recently there's been a great interest shown in piobaireachd within the state, which has been proven by Gordon Nichol (current president and founder of the Utah Piobaireachd Society). Slowly people, and not just pipers, are starting to appreciate it more than ever before. Based on this, and inquiries/encouragement I've gotten from some, I've decided to start offering group lessons. I know it may not be as effective to teach on this basis so rather than thinking of it as a group lesson it's best to look at it more along the lines of a workshop. Topics will be discussed in depth and strengthened by several examples. Such topics are:

structure
presentation
and the approach to understanding piobaireachd as a musical form.

Piobaireachd is not and no longer has to be a mystery. Once a good understanding of the above things are in place it's surprising how much more enjoyable piobaireachd will become.

Workshops will be held bi-monthly but details are still yet to be determined. Keep an eye out in the "Instruction" area for more information.

Maxville/Montreal '07

2007-08-16T17:58:00.000-07:00

Now that I've gotten a big portion of this site done I'm able to put up my first real 'post.'

Two weeks ago I travelled with the Wasatch and District Pipe Band to the North American Championships in Maxville, Ontario. In the years I've been involved with this group of people and the three years the band has been formed we have never made an accomplishment as great as this. For years I've listened to recordings of the top bands in the world, over and over I've hoped to have the chance to play in a major championship and finally it's been done!

The band stayed in Montreal which is about 1hr 15min from Maxville. Thursday we played in Old Quebec City at a festival going on there then did a bit of sight seeing. I must say, even though we were expecting humidity it took me by surprise. Due to the short tuning time, humidity, etc. it was a bit difficult to get a good sound before our first show and, in fact, the pipes didn't settle in until late Friday night. For soloists competition was held on Friday so we were all busy throughout the day. I don't remember the exact placings but the bands soloists did very well. When I get the exact placings I'll put them up. Saturday marked the moment of truth, everything we had been working on led up to this one morning. Time, money and a lot of hard work spent hopefully not to be wasted on a poor performance. (As an aside I first have to thank the Ulster-Scottish Pipe Band for playing host to us. They shared tents, chairs, water and made for a much more enjoyable trip.) As we were in the final tuning area the steward made it clear that we would be disqualified if we did not make our way to the line. Unfortunately I didn't know we had just been given fair warning and had not quite yet finished tuning one our guys drones. After we got done with the performance and had marched out of the competition arena there was a huge weight lifted. Even though I don't think I was ever stressed out about the competition I was incredibly relieved that we had finally accomplished such a great goal.

Speaking with the drum corps after the performance it was mentioned that it felt a little rough and even thought that the break down would work out that the drum score would be low (close to 7th place). Needless to say, I didn't listen to any of the bands once we were finished but made my way for the professional solos and a bite to eat. I missed all but the last two grade II bands but made sure not to miss any of the grade I's. I have to say that Toronto Police had a great medley selection. It was very enjoyable listening.

Then came massed bands...the results were in. I thought we had a decent chance of placing within the top six and, lo and behold, ended up taking 4th with our drum corps placing 2nd!

The next day, at the Montreal Highland Games, our soloists had an equally successful day and so did the band. All bands were crowded into the same area so hearing some of the bands tune up was a bit disconcerting. The Dartmouth and District Pipe Band had a very strong pipe corps with tight unison and great tone (all kids too!). As the grade IV was tuning up we were debating whether they were in fact the grade IV or not. As the results were announced that afternoon and upon hearing Dartmouth placing 2nd overall I thought there was no chance of us even getting into the final list, especially based on what I heard earlier. It was then announced, "...and in first place with best drum corps and best bass section, the Wasatch and District Pipe Band." We must have cheered the most out of any other band there.

The pictures are of me competing my piobaireachd (judge: Rob Crabtree), the WDPB at the line in Maxville, and me waiting for the final band results in Montreal.

Cheers!

Piping Radio

2007-08-14T21:52:00.000-07:00

Places of Interest

2007-08-14T19:44:00.000-07:00

Piping Blogs (for/by pipers):

The Brickman Blog

Bruce Gandy Music- Bruce Gandy- Former member of the 78th Fraser Highlanders, current member of 78th Highlanders Halifax, and one of the world's top competitors, composers, performers, and sought after instructors.

The Captain's Corner- Ken Eller- Former member of the 78th Fraser Highlanders and, now, well travelled instructor.

Colby Forbush- Colby is a student of mine who is available for hire in the Salt Lake area.

Dave Glad (blog)- Former member of Salt Lake Scots pipe band, one of the founding members of the Heathen Highlanders. Read his thoughts here.

Dave Glad (for hire)- Former member of Salt Lake Scots pipe band, one of the founding members of the Heathen Highlanders. Contact for hire in the Salt Lake area here.

Dunaber Music- Mike Grey- Former member of 78th Fraser Highlanders and world class soloist and teacher.

Granpiper- Local solo competitor and member of the Salt Lake Scots Pipe Band

Heathen Highlanders- Group of local guys who go out and have a good time. They're also available for hire for any type of function.

Hindsight- West Coast Kilts

It's Devin

Matthew Newsome- Member of the International Guild of Tartan Scholars, curator of the Scottish Tartans Museum.

Michael Gibbs- Former member of the Salt Lake Scots and Utah Pipe Band, one of the founding members of the Heathen Highlanders, available for hire in the Salt Lake area.

The Piper's Ghost- DeAnn Goodman is the P/M of the Utah Pipe Band and now author of this book!

Piping Girl

Piper Pride-Marc Pehkonen- Member of the Wasatch and District Pipe Band who has an online presence.

Pipes/Drums- Blogpipe

Pipey's Corner

Utah Bagpiper- John Miner- Fellow grade I competitor and P/M of Mt. Timpanogos Pipe Band, who is available for hire in Salt Lake and Utah counties.

Weetootwaag's Podcast

Zen Traveler

Piping Related:

Bagpipe Solutions by John Cairns- P/M of Peel, Double gold medallist, and former P/S of the 78th.

Bobdunsire.com- Bagpipe Web- Over 3000 piping related sites.

Bobdunsire.com- Forums- A great resource for discussing piping the world over.

CNatural Music- Andrew Douglas- Young piper with SFU who writes very innovative music.

Garvie Bagpipes- Maker of Border Pipes (he made mine)

Gordon Duncan Memorial Trust- Memorial Fund for one of the most influential and innovative contemporary pipers there has ever been.

Martyn Bennett- Another innovative piper who died far too young. Mix of electronic and traditional forms of music.

Pipes/Drums- Up to date piping news run independently by Andrew Berthoff of Toronto, ON.

Roddy MacLeod MBE- Piobaireachd- Home to one of the world's top pipers and instructors, who is the Principal of the National Piping Centre in Glasgow, Scotland and former P/M of Scottish Power Pipe Band. This site is worth visiting just to look at how nicely it's put together.

The Salt Lake Piping Club- Home to some fine Irish Piping (Uilleann) right in our own state!

Thunderstruck Pipers- Graham Gray- Graham is a former member of the Scots Guards who is currently living in Germany. I met him on New Years while visiting my sister in Münster. Unfortunately it was a very short meeting.

Willie McCallum Piping- One of the world's most successful solo competitors and co-developer of the McC (squared) solo chanter.

Other Places to Visit:

B Chronicles- My sister's blog with great photos, and updates from Germany

Connary Fagen- Composer, Graphic Designer- He's the reason this site looks the way it does.

Nuprin Diaries- German Edition- Ryan's blog with updates from his and Amanda's German adventures!

SLC-Gut- This is to my sister's business homepage. You know you want to...

Yost Laboratory- Member of the Utah Pipe Band, professor and researcher at the University of Utah, and Director of this lab.

Pipe Band Links

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Pipe Bands-Local:

Ben Lomond High School Bagpipe Corps - Ogden, Utah

Galloway Highlanders - Roy, Utah

Henry's Fork Pipe Band - Rexburg, Idaho

J.T. Dunnie Pipe Band/Salt Lake Scots Pipe Band - Salt Lake City, Utah

Payson High School Pipe Band - Payson, Utah

Scarlet & Black Pipe Band - Cedar City, Utah

Utah Pipe Band - Bountiful, Utah

Wasatch & District Pipe Band - Bountiful, Utah

White Peaks Centennial Pipe Band - Payson, Utah

Pipe Bands- Other:

Bagad Kemper - France (Bagad Du)

Prince Charles Pipe Band - San Francisco, California

Scottish Lion-78th Fraser Highlanders - Toronto, Canada

Simon Fraser University Pipe Band - Vancouver, Canada

Triumph Street Pipe Band - Vancouver, Canada

Ulster Scottish Pipe Band - Devon, Pennsylvania

Events

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Utah Pibroch Club- March Session

Where: Papa's Pibroch Parlor (162 East 4500 South) in Murray, UT

When: 20 March 2010 from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

More info: http://utahpibroch.blogspot.com/

Where I'll be in 2010:

Jan. 29-30: Utah Pipe Band Concert and David Barclay Memorial Indoor Contest (Clearfield, UT) WDPB & solo
April 17-18: Las Vegas Celtic Gathering (Las Vegas, NV) WDPB & solo
June 12: Utah Scottish Festival (Lehi, UT) WDPB & solo
June 26-27: San Diego Highland Games (San Diego, CA) WDPB & solo
July 10: Payson Scottish Festival (Payson, UT) WDPB & solo
July 1 - Aug. 1: Pacific Northwest Highland Games (Enum Claw, WA) WDPB & solo
Aug. 28: Cache Valley Celtic Festival (Wellsville, UT) WDPB & solo
Sept. 4-5: Caledonian Club of San Francisco Scottish Highland Gathering (Pleasanton, CA) WDPB & solo

Welcome!

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Welcome to my new site! If you're interested in updates on piping in the Salt Lake City area, general news on events, are looking for a bagpiper to hire for any and all occassions or are even looking to learn to play, then you've come to the right place.

Stay tuned for updates shortly...