Bagpipes are a performance instruments whose sound is compelling, undeniably loud, and unique. To witness an entire pipe and drum band marching and playing together is a soul gripping encounter for audiences. To participate as a piper or drummer in such a band truly is a privilege. Weekly band practices are satisfying times spent sharing a passion and honing musical skills and parade artistry among comrades. For many, the weekly meet up to “stand in the circle” and then perhaps share a beer afterwards is a satisfying psychological release that helps to instill a work/life balance.
It is now 2021. Sadly, this year the world is a diminished sensory environment – at least temporarily. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, pipe and drum bands around the world have been limited in their ability to practice or perform together since early last year. Annual parades for St. Patrick’s Day, Memorial Day, the 4th of July, and the Alexandria Scottish Christmas Walk all have been cancelled. High School and University graduation ceremonies have gone virtual. Community centers that once served as gathering places for weekly band practice have been repurposed to administer COVID tests and vaccines.
Bagpipers are dispersed and isolated. In-person band practices are no longer predictably routine. Indeed, some band members or their loved ones may have been overcome and taken by the pandemic. Coping with this disruption in routine can take many paths.
Some pipe and drum bands have found ways to continue gathering, keep skills sharp, and share the bonds of friendship. In the Washington DC area, for example, the City of Alexandria Pipe and Drum (CAPD) band negotiated with the US military to borrow an unused Pentagon parking lot on Sunday afternoons for live, dispersed open air practice sessions. Meanwhile, the Washington Scottish Pipe Band/St. Andrew’s Society Pipes and Drums holds weekly practice chanter sessions two nights per week via ZOOM meetings on the Internet. I personally have used my solitary bagpiping time to revisit and remaster band repertoire that to date might have been mis-memorized or is otherwise ragged around the edges – fixing pesky D Slaps vs. G Slaps; substituting an E Grace Note vs. a D Grace Note; etc.
Some pipe bands have used this COVID time to produce some beautiful and memorable artistry online. The Keith Highlanders Pipe Band has a wonderful version of Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence” that is posted up on Youtube. Piper Tim Hutchinson arranged this popular tune for the pipes, including five harmony parts. 30 band members recorded individual parts on their smart phones and then merged them into this final piece.
I encourage you to listen to and view this masterpiece on a full computer screen. Here is the link: “The Sound of Silence” performed by the Keith Highlanders Pipe Band – YouTube