Oregon Piper Blog

A Portland lumber company hired me and a fellow drummer in my pipe band, Ted McNight to play at their St. Patty’s Day celebration. They roped off an entire block in downtown Portland for food, beer, bagpipes and festivities. It was quite an occasion. We were obligated to play for an hour but we ended up playing for 2.5 hours (partly because we couldn’t get away from the food, beer and company).

I think we offered the guests quite an enjoyable performance. We mixed it up with Hornpipes, Jigs, Strathspeys, Reels, Marches and Slow Aires. The tune we didn’t play was a Piobrauch. That might lulled everyone into a deep sleep. Our goal was to keep it lively. Normally, I play Portland bagpipe gigs as a soloist, so I always welcome the company of another bagpiper or drummer. And as always, my bagpipe band buddies are looking to take the day off work on St. Patty’s Day. I mean shouldn’t we all.

I participated in a gig last week which was a fund raiser for a local Portland school. Essentially, a group of families offered to host a makeshift house pub crawl to raise money for their children’s elementary school. I met up with the group at house #1 shortly after the party kicked off. The 20 odd amount of school supporters where enjoying Whiskey, Guinness and other popular Irish drinks. I piped a couple of Jigs and Hornpipes (some lively fast tunes) which are always appropriate for Parties.

After last call was announced, it was my duty to lead them to the next destination which was a short down hill walk. I played some traditional marches which seemed to arouse the crowd, tunes like Scotland the Brave. Once they safely arrived, my duty as the Portland Bagpiping liaison concluded for the evening.

After packing up my pipes, I went downstairs and enjoyed a few pints and some Irish food. It was a fun evening.

This was a last minute event which I was called upon to play my bagpipes. The event took place at OHSU (on the Waterfront) last Tuesday and was a OHSU benefit for people with Down Syndrome. There were hordes of people on hand to witness and participate in the special fund raiser. My task centered around the various works of art produced by the children with DS. There were approximately 12 different murals and as each of the artists tore down the construction paper masking their creation, I was there to play and pose for photos. The preference of bagpipe tune selection was a Slow Air. I choose Dark Island, which one of my favorites and is very traditional.

After playing for the unveiling of the 12 pieces of art, my duties concluded for the evening. Overall, it was a great event and I wish I had more information to share regarding the specifics of the event. This is one of the unfortunate parts about bagpiping Portland events; sometimes I am reached on such short notice, I never get the opportunity to research or ask questions.

At any rate, I had great fun and organization did a wonderful job.

Oregon Bagpipes player was at it again for a birthday party last Saturday. After a grueling three hour practice with the Portland Metro Pipe Band (the band I currently compete with), I ran home to change into my attire. I choose the McDonald tartan with the black dress shirt; an excellent choice for a night Birthday.

I arrived punctual and met Susan outside. It was a surprise birthday performance for her husband. Because bagpipes as you might know are rather loud, I opted for warming them up far far away from the house and away from any suspecting ears. Because it was cold outside and my pipes were previously warmed up from band practice, it was a quick tune.

Marching up the back entrance playing Scotland the Brave, I was met with 10 sets of curious eyes. Apparently, only Susan knew of my pending arrival. After finishing the tune, I was invited inside to perform. I choose a spot on the balcony where I thought the acoustics would best be felt. I opened with a March, Strasthphey, Reel set (a very traditional combination of tunes). Followed by the Medley, which is a compilation of nine short tunes, I stopped my pipes and braced myself for the final hooray. As is customary at Birthday parties, “Happy Birthday” on the bagpipes is always a must. I think most people never envisioned this could be pulled off. Surprisingly, it sounds very pleasant.

Look for Happy Birthday to be played in a Portland Bagpipe community near you.