Droning On

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Kevbot, Kebab, Scarfboy, etc - a man of many names, many talents, many ideas, and many somewhat impressive tomato plants: this is Kevan. Tune in to this episode to hear Kevan say, "you could say there's a little birdhouse in my soul". . A couple of, "oopsies," in this episode - one big one: when we talked about a certain Australian band that inspired us both as youngsters, we meant the Victoria Police Pipe Band, not the Vale of Atholl Pipe Band, (though I retain that it is a silly-sounding name...) Vale of Atholl is, of course, the band with which the famous and revered Gordon Duncan played. We bagpipe, we promise...

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And now, some keywords: Bagpipes, bagpipe, bag, pipe, pipes, pipe, band, pipeband, drums, drumming, rhythm, bass, tenor, snare, Scottish, festival, Highland, games, WUSPBA

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Michael Eagle is co-founder and Main Monster at Rhythm Monster, (among other projects). Eagle joins the podcast today to talk about the value of tradition balanced with the value of innovation; the challenges pipe bands face with recruiting and retaining players as well as bringing-in revenue; and of course: the massive and inventive online learning resource, Rhythm Monster. Tune in to this episode to hear Michael say, "brevity is not my strong suit..." before sticking around with me for over an hour and never running short on great things to say!

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And now, some keywords: Bagpipes, bagpipe, bag, pipe, pipes, pipe, band, pipeband, drums, drumming, rhythm, bass, tenor, snare, Scottish, festival, Highland, games, WUSPBA

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A woman of many talents and many good stories - one of which she is kind enough to share with us today. Tune in this week to find out what happens when a 2000 Hyundai Tiburon gets into a fight with a set of bagpipes...

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And now, some keywords: Bagpipes, bagpipe, bag, pipe, pipes, pipe, band, pipeband, drums, bass, tenor, snare, Scottish, festival, Highland, games, WUSPBA

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Tiny Habits to improve your piping, drumming, and your life in general. We discuss Dr. Fogg's model and methods for behavior change and how they can be practically applied to improve your piping, drumming, etc. Tune in this week to hear Swan say, "don't bring-up energy drinks".

B=MAP

Here are some useful links: One of Dr. BJ Fogg's TedX Talks Tiny Habits - the book Tiny Habits - the audiobook Dr. Fogg's Website Swan's Parrot's Insta(@lil.koa)

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And now, some keywords: Bagpipes, bagpipe, bag, pipe, pipes, pipe, band, pipeband, drums, bass, tenor, snare, Scottish, festival, Highland, games, WUSPBA

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Tim Cummings is a composer, arranger, and performer of music. He's written many excellent bagpipe tunes and arranged many more. In this episode we talk about a few of the holiday tunes that he's arranged in his collection, "On This Day Earth Shall Ring," (link below,) as well as musical modalities, alternative tunings, and many more things!

As a special treat: Tim shares several recordings of his performances of the tunes in-question with other excellent musicians, (additional links below).

Tune in to this episode to hear Tim say, "...I can always pick the people who've been at least bored during a sermon..."

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For this episode, as for the past few, we've been talking about Christmas / Holiday tunes playable on pipes - their origins, fun facts, etc. We have been be leaning heavily on arrangements by Timothy Cummings, which are available as single-sheet downloads and in a beautifully printed collection at birchenmusic.com

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Some featured tunes from this episode, as performed by Timothy Cummings and friends:

A solis ortus cardine: https://youtu.be/KKduwz8JoXk?t=74

The Christ-Child's Lullaby: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKduwz8JoXk&feature=youtu.be&t=1364

Comfort, comfort, ye my people: https://youtu.be/KKduwz8JoXk?t=1922

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Some other favorites of mine that Tim has done:

5/4 Waltzes with Jeremiah McLane https://soundcloud.com/birchen-music/jeremiah-mclane-timothy-cummings-54-waltzes-from-the-wind-among-the-reeds

Man of Constant Sorrow/British Field March: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pc1eIYHM_vw

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And now, some keywords: Bagpipes, bagpipe, bag, pipe, pipes, pipe, band, pipeband, drums, bass, tenor, snare, Scottish, festival, Highland, games, WUSPBA, small, smallpipe, smallpipes, SSP, advent, epiphany, Christmas, holiday

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

re-release with slightly improved audio levels

What kind of drum did that boy play? Also: what was that mother thinking, letting a drummer play anywhere near a newborn? You're about to find the answers to these questions, plus you'll learn to make shortbread from the very best - Jeff McClellan! (and he doesn't only bake bread - he also sings Bread!)

Tune in to this episode to hear Heidi say, "I, like you, thought that [the Von Trapps & Narwals] were fake..."

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Follow along from your own kitchen:

Scottish Shortbread Recipe

Traditional, adapted by Jeff McClellan from various sources

Ingredients

• 1 cup packed brown sugar (I reduce to 2/3 cup; still plenty sweet)
• 1 lb. butter, softened
• 4-4.5 cups flour (half white flour; half oat flour)

Directions

1. In a large bowl, cream softened butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.

• Most recipes use white sugar; I use brown sugar; I also reduce the amount of sugar to 2/3 cup just to limit my sugar.

2. Add any desired flavors or mix-ins.

• Tradition would keep it to the three ingredients, but you can spice it up if you wish.
• Flavorings (add before the flour): maple, almond, cinnamon, vanilla (about a teaspoon, depending on how strong you want the flavor)
• Mix-ins (add after the flour): dried fruits, nuts (perhaps chocolate chips?)

3. Add 3-3.5 cups of flour a little at a time and mix well.

• In early days, shortbread would have been made with oat flour; later wheat flour replaced oat flour.
• I like to use a combination of half white flour and half oat flour. For the oat flour, I put a bunch of oats in the blender and grind them up. The oat flour makes the cookies a little more dense, increases the crumbly texture a bit, and adds a slightly nutty flavor.
• If you use all oat flour, the cookies will be gluten free.

4. Turn onto a floured surface and knead well, adding enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough.

5. Roll to 0.5" thickness and form into desired shapes and texture.

• There are three traditional shapes, but the firm dough will hold any shape well:
  • Fingers are made by forming a large rectangle from the dough and cutting it into strips about 3" x 1"
  • Petticoat tails are made by shaping the dough into a large circle and then cutting it like a pie; you can pinch the outer edge to give it a scalloped edge.
  • Rounds are just small circles of dough.
• Add decorative texture by pricking the cookies with a fork to make holes; some people use molds to shape the cookies.

6. Place the shortbread pieces 1" apart on ungreased baking sheets.

7. Bake at 325° for 30-40 minutes or until the cookies are lightly browned.

Yield: About 4 dozen.

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For this episode and the next few, we'll be talking about Christmas / Holiday tunes playable on pipes - their origins, fun facts, etc. We'll be leaning heavily on arrangements by Timothy Cummings, which are available as single-sheet downloads and in a beautifully printed collection at birchenmusic.com

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Ever wonder which cat is the most Christmasy of all cats?

We're still not sure...

Scot discusses an old Manx Gaelic tune, "Oikan ayns Bethlehem" (A Babe in Bethlehem,) as well as an old Polish tune, "W zlobie lezy" (Infant Holy, Infant Lowly).

Bonus: an easy recipe for Monkey Bread!

Tune in to this episode to hear Scot say, "[insert Polish words]"

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Links to recordings and performances of tunes featured in this episode, for your are available on YouTube - the character limit got us for this space...

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For this episode and the next few, we'll be talking about Christmas / Holiday tunes playable on pipes - their origins, fun facts, etc. We'll be leaning heavily on arrangements by Timothy Cummings, which are available as single-sheet downloads and in a beautifully printed collection at birchenmusic.com

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Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Who was King Wenceslas? Why do people sing about him? How 'good,' was he? Also - what the heck is wassail, and how do you make it? Tune in to this episode to learn all about it - and to hear Vera say, "they were being loud and obnoxious because they wanted to wake up the trees" ---

For this episode and the next few, we'll be talking about Christmas / Holiday tunes playable on pipes - their origins, fun facts, etc. We'll be leaning heavily on arrangements by Timothy Cummings, which are available as single-sheet downloads and in a beautifully printed collection at birchenmusic.com

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And now, some keywords: Bagpipes, bagpipe, bag, pipe, pipes, pipe, band, pipeband, drums, bass, tenor, snare, Scottish, festival, Highland, games, WUSPBA, small, smallpipe, smallpipes, SSP, advent, epiphany, Christmas, holiday

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Larry has been a staple of the Utah Bagpiping scene for a good long minute and if you don't know him, odds are you know people who know him. A GHBer of note and a session musician specializing in SSPs as well - tune in to this episode to hear what happens to a bagpipe instructor after Mel Gibson puts-out a film glorifying Scottish patriotism!

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And now, some keywords: Bagpipes, bagpipe, bag, pipe, pipes, pipe, band, pipeband, drums, bass, tenor, snare, Scottish, festival, Highland, games, WUSPBA, small, smallpipe, smallpipes, uilleann, SSP

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Russian composers, German folklore, children's fables about confidence - no one has ever made the big, winged fowl so famous as this man - Mike himself. Tune in to this episode to hear Swan's advice for makin' bacon pancakes!

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And now, some keywords: Bagpipes, bagpipe, bag, pipe, pipes, pipe, band, pipeband, drums, bass, tenor, snare, Scottish, festival, Highland, games, WUSPBA