PIPING PEOPLE
Present day
Any selective list of the living is bound to give offence to someone
by its omissions, but it is impossible to list everybody - this is a
personal
selection, in alphabetical order of surname.
All of these people have contributed in one way or another to
Northumbrian
piping and Northumbrian music, all are still doing so, and all are
known
to me. Some have been or are my teachers, others have passed on their
share
of the tradition more or less unwittingly. Some have become close
friends.
Publicising their knowledge and activities is part of my contribution
to
piping, and my acknowledgement of my debt to them. Without them, and
others
whom space precludes, you would not have been reading this.
Tommy
Breckons
Almost, if not the, last of the living players to have been taught by Tom
Clough. Tommy has a very characteristic style, best heard
when
he is playing solo. His pipes are still tuned to the old scale of F#,
which
makes playing with him in ensemble a little confusing to modern ears,
accustomed
to the accuracy of electronic tuners. He is also noted for his
extensive
knowledge of piping and pipers, past and present.
David was taught pipemaking by Jack Armstrong,
and was the first of the current generation of pipemakers
to go professional. He has made great numbers of sets, and many
beginners
are indebted to him for their first instrument. He now teaches the
pipes
as well as making them.
Richard
Butler
Richard is the current piper to the Duke of Northumberland, although he
no longer lives in the area. He learnt to play from Jack
Armstrong, and has inherited much of his clarity of style.
He
has helped many beginners on courses in Germany and America, and has
produced
a tutor and
maintenance
manual for the pipes. He also plays with the Border
Minstrels -a group comprising pipes, fiddle and harp.
Pauline can play any music you care to put in front of her. She was
taught
to play pipes by Richard Butler,
and
has taken his technical virtuosity to new heights, in the process
persuading
Colin
Ross to design a 21-key chanter to enable her to tackle new
material. She regularly performs with fiddler Tom McConville &
others.
Andrew May
Andy is the best of the younger pipers around
by far. He won his first Open competition at the age of 13, and
has
rapidly become a highly skilled exponent of Northumbrian piping at its
best. He also makes pipes, winning many competitions on a chanter he
built
himself, a rare, though not unique accomplishment. Andy has finally
'gone
professional' and his first CD was released in January 2003.
Chris plays Highland pipes and Scottish smallpipes, as well as
Northumbrian
smallpipes, all to a high standard. After having been taught by Anthony
Robb, he made a detailed study of the playing of Tom
Clough, and demonstrates this admirably when playing the
'old'
repertoire. He is co-author of the book about the Clough
family recently published by the NPS. He has also written
some
interesting tunes, which may often be heard when he plays with the Border
Directors ( was the Blue Moon
ceilidh
band). He may also be heard on recent compilation CD's
Anthony
Robb
Anthony decided, soon after learning to play, that he preferred to work
with concert pitch pipes, and unless playing with other pipers, has
done
so ever since. He thus single-handedly forced the production of good
quality
concert pitch pipes, for which many session musicians should be
indebted
to him. He made a study of the 'old' repertoire, and he and Carole Robb
made a speciality of playing duets, both on pipes and pipes with flute.
He sometimes teaches on courses, but is very busy and is not seen
playing
pipes much (regrettably).
Colin was already an established traditional fiddler when Forster
Charlton introduced him to the pipes in the late 50's. Since
then he has devoted his life to the instrument, both as player, as a
professional
pipemaker,
and through the NPS. His work with the High
Level Ranters in the 60's and 70's brought the Northumbrian
minstrelsy music out of the Victorian archives and back into
the piping repertoire. He pioneered the system of interchangeable
chanters
that so many pipers take for granted, and has championed the
standardisation
of pitch to the extent that it is no longer painful to listen to a
roomful
of pipers playing together. Most pipers would acknowledge a debt to his
constant and continuing outpouring of musical ideas. He is currently
engaged
in producing a pipemaking book as a memorial to Bill
Hedworth, amongst many other continuing projects.
Adrian took up the Northumbrian pipes in error almost 20 years ago, and
went on to reproduce the style of Billy Pigg
by listening to all the recordings he could find. He now teaches
beginners
and others in the Manchester area and elsewhere, and his research on
Billy
Pigg has been produced as a book by the Northumbrian
Pipers' Society.
Matt is a musician and music publisher who appears to spend his days in
libraries and museums, researching old manuscripts, and his evenings
playing
with the Border Directors. Being
both
a fiddler and a Border piper, Matt keeps close to the tradition, and if
he states something in his books, it is usually so. His promotion of
the
music of William Dixon also led to
a CD 'Out of the Flames'.
Kathryn is a contemporary of Chris Ormston,
and like him, started her tuition with Anthony
Robb. She went on to become a very public face of
Northumbrian
piping with her contemporary band, although there are some who say her
recorded material has left her roots behind, musically speaking. She is
a very good teacher, demanding accurate staccato playing. A contact
address
for her gig list is available in the events
section.
Andy
Watchorn
Andy has made a careful study of Joe Hutton's
playing style in the years he has been playing the smallpipes, and is
perhaps
the closest living approximation to Joe's later playing. He plays with
the folk group Dishalagie.
Most of the people above have produced one or more recordings -
either
as soloists, or in groups and bands. Details will be found in the
discography
section.
To
the discography pages
To
the events pages
To
the Northumbrian smallpipes homepage
To
the nspipes homepage/catalogue