Pipers at weddings

**cruiser348** · 1st September 12, 06:30 PM

When we chose a piper for our wedding we were lucky to find someone whom had a youtube channel of his playing. This made it possible when we were choosing songs to not only hear the song, but to actually hear how he sounded playing it. Another thing you can try is to ask the piper if he can also play the penny whistle, for portions of the ceremony where we wanted to still have music but not such a powerful sound our piper did this and it was a great addition.

**Meggers** · 1st September 12, 08:03 PM

Originally Posted by cruiser348

Another thing you can try is to ask the piper if he can also play the penny whistle, for portions of the ceremony where we wanted to still have music but not such a powerful sound our piper did this and it was a great addition.

Thats a wonderful idea. I love the feadog and I've had one for years but never took the time to learn to play it. That would be a great addendum to the ceremony! Good idea!

**A Lenape Scot** · 25th September 12, 06:52 PM

I had a piper for my wedding this July and I have worked with him on Law Enforcement week for the National Park I work for. He is the leader of Fort Smith Fire Dept. so I have hear him play first hand. He played all the songs I wanted him to play beforehand at the park. If you can go and listen to the piper you want at a special event they may play the songs you are interested in for you there. Here is a picture of Tery Graves, our piper for the wedding.

http://i1247.photobucket.com/albums/...psfc0b730e.jpg

**OC Richard** · 28th September 12, 10:38 AM

Originally Posted by Seawolf

the Cannon in d minor

That must have really boomed! (sorry) A cannon is a weapon, a canon is a piece of music, which is like Row Row Row Your Boat, a piece where one musician starts it and at a certain point a second musician comes in at the beginning, forming a counterpoint... so a canon requires at least two pipers, something that people forget sometimes when they're requesting music.

Anyhow who is the composer of said "canon in D minor"?

**OC Richard** · 28th September 12, 10:41 AM

Originally Posted by Germankilter

Finding a piper, go down to the local Fire house

and when your house is on fire, contact the Musician's Union.

**OC Richard** · 28th September 12, 10:53 AM

Originally Posted by AFS1970

make sure that your choice of pipes is OK with the wedding venue.

Yes indeed! Especially with Catholic churches, many times over the years I've been informed by the church's wedding coordinator, or music director, that the Priest doesn't allow pipes in the church.
BUT what's interesting is how often when I've talked to the actual Priest I've found that he's OK with the pipes... it's a matter of the wedding coordinator and/or music director not liking the pipes, and claiming that it's the Priest who doesn't allow them. These people get really annoyed when I inform them that Fr McSo-and-so has given permission for me to play!

I feel that this negative attitude towards the pipes stem from two issues: 1) horrible pipers who have no business performing in public, doing so; and 2) good competition pipers playing at a volume level which is inappropriate to the venue.

Thing is, the very best pipers, who play in Grade One pipe bands, have their "band pipes" set up to be extremely loud and extremely sharp (a quartertone above Concert Pitch). When these guys, as great as they are, go into a small chapel etc they nearly blow the windows out with their volume.

It's very hard to undo the damage done by these people, and convince wedding coordinators and church music directors that the Highland pipes can be rather mellow and have a volume no louder than an ordinary orchestral instrument. It's all in how you "set up" your pipes.

I usually use a "466" chanter, in other words, at Concert Pitch, when playing inside churches, and play at around half the volume of a top competition player's "band pipes", and no one has ever complained about my pipes being too loud. I also play uilleann pipes and smallpipes so I can do any volume level they want.

**Father Bill** · 29th September 12, 06:01 AM

The Canon in D is by Paschelbel. If I may be so bold, the way you have described a canon is actually one sung as a round (different starting points) A canon is actually merely a repeated piece of music, possibly with variations.

cannon = big noisy gun
Canon = senior priest (Or a big noisy son of a gun)

canon = repeated music . . . or a rule in the church!

Originally Posted by OC Richard

That must have really boomed! (sorry) A cannon is a weapon, a canon is a piece of music, which is like Row Row Row Your Boat, a piece where one musician starts it and at a certain point a second musician comes in at the beginning, forming a counterpoint... so a canon requires at least two pipers, something that people forget sometimes when they're requesting music.

Anyhow who is the composer of said "canon in D minor"?

**piperdbh** · 29th September 12, 07:08 PM

As a non-fan of the Pachelbel Canon in D (Major), I'd certainly be willing to hear it played in a minor key.

**OC Richard** · 1st October 12, 09:11 AM

Originally Posted by Father Bill

The Canon in D is by Paschelbel. If I may be so bold, the way you have described a canon is actually one sung as a round (different starting points) A canon is actually merely a repeated piece of music, possibly with variations.

Sorry Father Bill, but I have to set the record straight. The famous "Canon in D" (there are hundreds of canons in D by various composers) is in D Major, not D minor, and is by Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706). Which is not to say that there might not have been a composer named Paschelbel, but if so he's not listed in any book I have.

A canon is as I described, and not merely a piece where the theme is repeated with variations. If you don't believe me perhaps you'll believe The New College Encyclopedia of Music, wherein is stated:

CANON: a polyphonic composition in which one part is imitated by one or more other parts, entering subsequently in such a way that the successive statements of the melody overlap.

(BTW the word "imitate" has a more specific meaning in music than otherwise: IMITATION: a contrapuntal device whereby a motif or phrase is presented successively by different voices. If the imitation is exact or governed by a stated rule it is called CANON.)

So, as you see, Row Row Row Your Boat is indeed a canon (the word "round" not being used in music theory), in fact what is called a "strict" canon; also that a canon must have at least two voices, stating the same melody but beginning at different points. If not, it's not a canon.

So... a solo piper or flutist could play one of the parts of a canon, but the performance would not be the performance of a canon. To put it another way, a solo melody player cannot peform a duet, and a canon must be at least a duet.