Old Scotch Pipes & Drums. Monthly Newsletter. No.5, 2009

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1 Old Scotch Pipes & Drums Monthly Newsletter Upcoming Events (more details below): Next regular monthly practice session: 10:00am, Sunday 19 July, 2009 Solo piping competition (PLC - Burwood): 9:30am Sunday 26 July, 2009 Our own drums, at last Big news item this month: Noting our favourable finances, your committee has decided that we are now in a position to equip the band with its own drums - and an opportunity has arisen to acquire at least four side-drums and a bass (possibly even a couple of tenors) in good condition including all harness. The bass drum is naturally the place for the OSP&D name and new logo (still in design finalisation) to give us our full visibility. Several additional drummers have also been identified and may be joining up soon. So, along with our flexible uniform options, we ll soon be able to field a full band for any occasion. Modernising your Pipes We ve had a great response to our invitation to upgrading members pipes. The key focus is on shifting to dry bag systems, based on the new (zippered) Goretex bags, canister dry-boxes, drone valves, and other items to both improve our sound quality, and minimise tuning and maintenance. You can then pick up your pipes anytime, find them still in tune and easy to play - even if you haven t played for a while! Upon confirmation of delivery, we ll shortly advise participants of the dates of the several workshop days from which to choose to learn the rebuild process. We are trying to spread you out over 3~4 weekends to ensure both quality work and plenty of learning time. Watch your inbox!! If anybody has missed this round, feel free to contact me, and we ll see if we can fit you in. Contact: stewart.j.wallace@team.telstra.com or tothewallaces@bigpond.com or else phone me on: A memorable practice session! In place of rare beers, the lucky attendees to our last playout on Sunday June 21 really struck pay-dirt when one of our recently-travelled members generously provided a sampling of several unique single-malts sourced direct from Scotland. A well-earned reward that day for our playing skills now notably improving, the three comprised: The islander: Talisker 12 year, available only at the distillery on the Isle of Skye. Darker in colour and a more pungent "nose" than the others sampled, partly because of the peat in the island water. The highlander: Dalwhinnie 15 year, from the highest distillery in Scotland. Distilled using mountain water containing some mineralisation from the rocky ground. Smooth and mellow. Lovely golden colour. The Speysider: Glenlivet 16 year NADURRA (An old gaelic word for "natural"). Left in the barrel to mature 4 years longer than the standard retail Glenlivet and bottled straight from the cask at cask strength - neither tricked up nor watered down. Our bottle from a batch individually certified at 57.7%. Strength across the range of nose, taste and colour. Recommended defence against swine flu! Hearty thanks go to Peter Falconer for his generosity in opening these unique collectibles for the band. See the mouth-watering photograph attached. Page 1 of 5

2 A special OS P&D Challenge! This month (with some reverence?) we bring you the carefully bequeathed recipe for Bannocks. Yep, I know you re all salivating! but the challenge is to add a tasty twist. Who s bold enough to take up the challenge, and turn this sturdy staple into something truly delectable?. results to be collectively judged on taste at our next playout (19 July)! Ingredients 4 oz (125g) medium oatmeal 2 teaspoons melted fat (bacon fat, if available) 2 pinches of bicarbonate of soda Pinch of salt 3~4 tablespoons hot water Additional oatmeal for kneading Method Mix the oatmeal, salt and bicarbonate and pour in the melted fat into the centre of the mixture. Stir well, using a porridge stick if you have one, and add enough water to make into a stiff pastry. Cover a surface in oatmeal and turn the mixture onto this. Work quickly as the paste is difficult to work if it cools. Divide into two and roll one half into a ball and knead with hands covered in oatmeal to stop it sticking. Roll out to around quarter inch thick. Put a plate which is slightly smaller than the size of your pan over the flattened mixture and cut round to leave a circular oatcake. Cut into quarters (called farls) and place in a heated pan which has been lightly greased. Cook for about 3 minutes until the edges curl slightly, turn, and cook the other side. Get ready with another oatcake while the first is being cooked. NB. An alternative method is to bake them in an oven at 375ºF/190ºC for about 30 minutes or until brown at the edges. The quantities above will be enough for two bannocks about the size of a dessert plate. If you want more, do them in batches rather than making larger quantities of mixture. Store in a tin and reheat in a moderate oven when required. OS P&D Web-site You ll all be pleased to hear that we are about to commence building a web site for OS P&D so all you creative types out there might be interested in offering some layout ideas as well as pictures (unencumbered) - and any other material that you think could be useful. There are two things a Scot likes naked. One of them is malt whisky! Drumming Software Further to our tip last month regarding the utility and just plain fun of the free Bagpipe Player software package, we ve been advised of a drumming package called DrumScriobh which is available for on-line purchase from: At ( for CD version), it s not free, but relatively inexpensive, and is apparently quite good for writing sidedrum, tenor and bass scores. Well, that s all I know anyone else with actual experience on this package? Scotland suffers from only one thing!. Too much England!! More Success! OS P&D Solo Pipers The solo piping competitions in Ballarat had a bit of chill in the air, but still saw a good turnout generally for this month. And, most likely because the touch of grey prompted a little pity amongst the younger players, yours truly scored a surprise third and a fifth placing in the two elements of D-grade. Next month at PLC (9:30am, Sunday 26 July) will see several OS P&D competitors giving it another go and - with much good-will and mutual nerves we hope to grab some more points! This month we ll be tackling: o Novice: 2-part strathspey into a 2-part reel, and a 2-part ¾ march o D-grade: 4-part jig and a 4-part strathspey o C-grade: 4-part 2/4 march and two 4-part 6/8 marches See: for more details. Since Burwood is nearby, feel free to come along to watch/listen (even hear a bit of Piobaireachd), and cheer us on (or bag us! - it s optional). These events always make for an interesting day. And. with the solo drumming and band competitions starting in October, we are hoping to get some more profile as a new band to watch but also one with much humour and enjoyment in every occasion. And, that naturally brings us to the next (regular) newsletter item.. Old Scotch Pipes & Drums Newsletter Page 2 of 5

3 Monthly Practice Sessions Once again, checking your diary, the remaining dates for OS P&D practice sessions in 2009 are: 19 July, 9 August, 20 September, 11 October, 8 November, and 6 December. Remember, our practice sessions start at 10am at Pipe House in Morrison St, Hawthorn (just next to the tennis courts). So, come along and join in, even if you haven t played for a while all welcome. Social & occasional members are also most welcome to drop in for a chat, meet the band, share a few yarns and give us some moral support. OS P&D Committee While Jono Quay ( 98 P/M) has been involved from the outset in setting up the band and tutoring our pipers (rehabilitating?), he has recently and very generously offered to take up a formal position on the Committee. With some relief, the current Committee members warmly welcome Jono, and are looking forward to making broader use of his (local & O/S) experience in contemporary band practice and directions. The Band CDs For those who ve been patiently waiting for reprints of our band CD s you ll be pleased to hear that a limited number will be available at our next playout (Sunday 19 July). When the web site is up and running, tunes will all be available directly from the web including both the music (pipes & drum) scores and mp3 tracks. Refreshing the Band Tunes Jono has recently been hard at work reviewing our repertoire and looking at a fresh set of tunes don t worry! All our current tunes (including the new 6/8 s) will be retained in the new repertoire! But, there ll be some additional tunes of interest - including a few (fairly easy) contemporary numbers. We ve even decided to include bagpipe scores for Auld Lang Syne, a couple of Aussie tunes, and the school song to boot! Scores and mp3 files for these tunes will be made available via the web, soon. Atholl Brose Now, since the OSCA dinner, several of you have asked after the recipe for Atholl Brose. It does make a great pre-dinner aperitif. So here it is! Impress the neighbours but don t blame us for any experimental over-indulgence! Ingredients: 3 rounded tablespoons of medium oatmeal 4 dessertspoons of (heather?) honey Scotch whisky any reasonable label Method: Put the oatmeal into a basin and gradually mix with cold water until it forms a thick soupy paste. Leave for half an hour and then put through a fine strainer, pressing with a wooden spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Throw away the oatmeal lees and use the creamy liquor from the oatmeal for the brose. Mix four dessert spoonfuls of pure honey and four sherry glassfuls of the prepared oatmeal brose and stir well. (Purists insist on a silver spoon for stirring!) Put into a quart bottle and fill with malt whisky. Shake well before serving. Calling more old band members Some of you reading our monthly newsletter are still a little hesitant to come along to our practice sessions. Rest assured it is a very relaxed and fun atmosphere no egos, and no hierarchy! We don t mind what level you are/were at, or how rusty you may be. The emphasis is on shared camaraderie, a fair bit of fun, keeping in touch (building on a common past), rekindling old acquaintances, sharing post-school accomplishments, and creating a ready and obvious path encouraging young pipers & drummers leaving school to continue playing so their skills don t just fade away. We really need you all. Everyone has something to offer you ve all succeeded in life, and we value whatever you can bring. Just come along for a bit of a yarn, if you prefer experience the easy-going atmosphere. You ll have noted that we also do other things besides piping & drumming and there s a constant background of humour, warmth and friendly banter. If you do decide to join up, the annual subscription is only $60 pa, or $30 concessional rate for students and others in exceptional circumstances. Old Scotch Pipes & Drums Newsletter Page 3 of 5

4 While walking down the street in Edinburgh one day a Member of the Scottish Parliament is tragically hit by a bus and dies. His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance. "Welcome to heaven," says St. Peter. "Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around here, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you. "No problem, just let me in," says the MSP. "Well, I'd like to, but I have orders from higher up. What we'll do is have you spend one day in hell and one in heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity." "Really, I've made up my mind. I want to be in heaven," says the MSP. "I'm sorry, but we have our rules." And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the lift and he goes down, down, down to hell. The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course. In the distance is a clubhouse and standing in front of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him. Everyone is very happy and in evening dress. They run to greet him, shake his hand, and blether about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the Scottish people. They play a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster, caviar and champagne. Also present is the devil - who seems really rather friendly, and has a good time dancing and telling jokes. They are having such a good time that before he realizes it, it is time to go. Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and waves while the lift rises. The lift goes up, up, up and the door reopens on heaven where St. Peter is waiting for him. "Now it's time to visit heaven." So, 24 hours pass with the MSP joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a good time and, before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and St. Peter returns. "Well, then, you've spent a day in hell and another in heaven. Now choose your eternity." The MSP reflects for a minute, then he answers: "Well, I would never have said it before, I mean heaven has been delightful and all, but I think I would be better off in hell." So St. Peter escorts him to the lift and he goes down, down, down to hell. Now the doors of the lift open and he's in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and rubbish. He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the rubbish and putting it in black bags as more rubbish falls from above. The devil comes over to him and puts his arm around his shoulder "I don't understand," stammers the MSP. "Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and clubhouse, and we ate lobster and caviar, drank champagne, and danced and had a great time. Now there's just a wasteland full of rubbish and my friends look miserable. What happened? The devil looks at him, smiles benignly and says, "Yesterday we were campaigning....today you voted." 2009 Committee Members: President: Brian Symington - Tel: (03) Vice-Pres: Stewart Wallace - Tel: Treasurer: Graham Reid - Tel: Secretary: nomination is sought Committee: Jono Quay (technical ); and still seeking several more nominations Piping Tutors: Jono Quay Tel: Brian Symington Tel: (03) Drum Tutor: TBC 2009 Band Leaders: Pipe Major: TBA Drum Major: TBA Lead Drummer: TBA New members: Contact: Stewart Wallace - Tel: Old Scotch Pipes & Drums Newsletter Page 4 of 5

5 Our wee taste of Scotland courtesy of Peter Falconer.and you can clearly see how carefully we consumed! *Note the piper pictured outside the Dalwhinnie Distillery a little bit of OSCA in Scotland! Peter Falconer - in the heather at Glencoe, Scotland!!. So, Peter, which tunes did you play? and, you know there are still Adders in the wilds of Scotland? Old Scotch Pipes & Drums Newsletter Page 5 of 5