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“For some the Highland pipe is a serious instrument, to be played with skill and care and to consume a lifetime in its study ... but to me, it’s even more important than that - it is life itself.”
Bruce Campbell with acknowledgement to the late, great Bill Shankly
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HOME PAGE
ABOUT PIPING WORLD
FREE ISSUES
BACK ISSUES
THE HIGHLAND BAGPIPE
ABOUT
LEARNING
OUR PARENT FIRM
RB CAMPBELL
OUR SISTER FIRMS
DUNTROON PUBLISHING
THE PIPING SCHOOL
ARGYLL MUSIC
CHANTER MAGAZINE
OUR WEB STORE
LINKS
CONTACT US
pipingworld@hotmail.co.uk
TELEPHONE
0044 (0)151 652 9426
Delete (0) when phoning from overseas, delete 0044 when phoning in the UK
MOBILE
077 5984 5201
POSTAL
120 St Oswalds Avenue
Prenton, Wirral
CH43 7ZH
UNITED KINGDOM
FOR FULL DETAILS CLICK
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NSW HIGHLANDERS: piping on the edge
(from PWD 28 July 2011)
What do you do when you live hundreds of miles from the nearest major piping population centre? Many bands just give up, and restrict themselves to fleeting appearances on the contest park when their numbers hit a decade-long high. But on the Far North Coast of New South Wales the NSW Highlanders have come up with a novel approach. That initiative ranges from staging the Australian premiere of John MacDonald’s ‘On The Day’ to travelling to Scotland ... not once but twice. Pipe Major Ray Edge stepped up to the line to answer a few questions about his band ....
PIPING WORLD:
Can you tell us how the idea to form your unique band came about and what were the driving forces?
REAY EDGE:
There were, and still are, a number of bands in New South Wales that do not have the members to compete.
Either the band is too small or the band, as a whole, is just not interested in pipe band competition.
This left many individual players wanting something more from their piping and drumming.
Two of the bands, Wingham Pipes & Drums and Coffs Coast Pipes & Drums, developed the concept of bringing those individuals together in one composite band and getting them on the contest field.
However, it was important that they remain active members of their local band as well.
It has not been an easy road and distance is still a problem.
We only meet once a month for practice in Wingham, a small town in New South Wales, which is central to most members.
On average, it’s a six hour round-trip for them.
We are into our fifth year, now, with a lot of new members and it has taken that long for it to be accepted, people are always wary of the unknown.
There is one other band in Australia that I know of, working successfully from a similar concept and I think that has helped people accept that our type of band is a necessity of the times.
We are getting a lot of support now and we are always on the lookout for special opportunities.
In 2010 we hosted the Australian stage of “Pipefest Global Challenge”, which raised money for cancer research, and we are currently working on a stage show which will show another aspect of pipe bands.
The lift in member’s enthusiasm has always driven us and will keep us going in the long term.
PIPING WORLD:
Although this is purely a piping magazine, one of the very real obstacles in the way of forming a pipe band is drumming: how do you solve the problem of buying drums?
REAY EDGE:
We hope to, eventually, buy a full set of drums but we’re still fund-raising for our own uniform.
Most of what we have is borrowed.
Drums haven’t really been an issue because we have the support of the country bands that are involved and we can use their drums.
Our major problem is getting people to play them!
In our preparations for this year’s Worlds we started with five snare drummers but due to injury and changes in work commitments we’re down to two.
Even at this late stage we’re still looking for more snare drummers.
For Australian bands transporting drums on the long haul flight to Scotland is a big issue but we’ve been lucky enough to be able to hire drums over there.
PIPING WORLD:
You've competed a few times in Australia; how has that gone?
REAY EDGE:
Competition is always good for the feedback from the judges so long as you take notice of what they are telling you and that is something we take very seriously.
It also gives us confidence to compete more often.
We’re still a relatively “young” band in terms of competing but we’ve learnt a lot.
At the moment, we are a Grade 4B band and there has only been one competition in Australia, recently, where Grade 4 has been separated into A and B.
That was the 2010 NS. State Championships and we were placed second.
PIPING WORLD:
Has exposing your membership to competition seen you lose any players to higher grade bands?
REAY EDGE:
Not as yet because all of our members are keen to compete in the Worlds but afterwards one of our pipers will be joining a Grade 2 band.
We don’t mind that because, at the end of the day, it’s about pipers and drummers getting the best experiences out of their hobby otherwise they will just lose interest.
PIPING WORLD:
This year you will make your second trip to play at the World Pipe Band Championships; what did you learn from the previous experience and how did you rate the trip?
REAY EDGE:
Our time in Scotland in 2008 was excellent.
For many of us; it was the first time we’d ever ventured outside of Australia and, for a piper, it felt like going home.
To see 8,000 pipers and drummers organised into just one day of competition was truly amazing.
There’s a lot of work that goes into the preparation for that standard of competition and that’s where we made mistakes last time.
Since then there has been a big emphasis on doing the right sort of preparation and being well prepared before we leave.
We have experienced tutors looking after us; Bruce Spence is tutoring our pipe corps and Don Want is tutoring our snare drummers, both have made big improvements with the band.
We’ve also had help from Angus Roberts, pipe major of The Pipeband Club, which has really boosted our confidence.
I think if you’re open to help and appreciative of it then you’ll get some really good advice.
PIPING WORLD:
What are your medium term ambitions; do you see the NSW Highlanders traveling overseas on a regular basis?
REAY EDGE:
In the near future our emphasis is on increasing our membership and we’re aiming to compete in the World Pipe Band Championships every second year.
PIPING WORLD:
Finally, what are your ultimate ambitions for the band; is it to climb the grades or just travel, compete and have a load of fun?
REAY EDGE:
It’s always great to travel as a band and have fun but there has to be a purpose to all the hard work you put in.
Our ultimate ambition is to have a band that would compete its way up the grades and a second band that would always accept new players regardless of their ability and give them the opportunities that the NSW Highlanders promise.
Being exposed to pipe band competition improves the skills of the participants and, in turn, improves their local band.
The NSW Highlanders, as a concept, is a long term project and needs a lot of support and thought at the same time.
(from PWD 28 July 2011)
What do you do when you live hundreds of miles from the nearest major piping population centre? Many bands just give up, and restrict themselves to fleeting appearances on the contest park when their numbers hit a decade-
PIPING WORLD:
Can you tell us how the idea to form your unique band came about and what were the driving forces?
REAY EDGE:
There were, and still are, a number of bands in New South Wales that do not have the members to compete.
Either the band is too small or the band, as a whole, is just not interested in pipe band competition.
This left many individual players wanting something more from their piping and drumming.
Two of the bands, Wingham Pipes & Drums and Coffs Coast Pipes & Drums, developed the concept of bringing those individuals together in one composite band and getting them on the contest field.
However, it was important that they remain active members of their local band as well.
It has not been an easy road and distance is still a problem.
We only meet once a month for practice in Wingham, a small town in New South Wales, which is central to most members.
On average, it’s a six hour round-
There is one other band in Australia that I know of, working successfully from a similar concept and I think that has helped people accept that our type of band is a necessity of the times.
We are getting a lot of support now and we are always on the lookout for special opportunities.
In 2010 we hosted the Australian stage of “Pipefest Global Challenge”, which raised money for cancer research, and we are currently working on a stage show which will show another aspect of pipe bands.
The lift in member’s enthusiasm has always driven us and will keep us going in the long term.
PIPING WORLD:
Although this is purely a piping magazine, one of the very real obstacles in the way of forming a pipe band is drumming: how do you solve the problem of buying drums?
REAY EDGE:
We hope to, eventually, buy a full set of drums but we’re still fund-
Drums haven’t really been an issue because we have the support of the country bands that are involved and we can use their drums.
Our major problem is getting people to play them!
In our preparations for this year’s Worlds we started with five snare drummers but due to injury and changes in work commitments we’re down to two.
Even at this late stage we’re still looking for more snare drummers.
For Australian bands transporting drums on the long haul flight to Scotland is a big issue but we’ve been lucky enough to be able to hire drums over there.
PIPING WORLD:
You've competed a few times in Australia; how has that gone?
REAY EDGE:
Competition is always good for the feedback from the judges so long as you take notice of what they are telling you and that is something we take very seriously.
It also gives us confidence to compete more often.
We’re still a relatively “young” band in terms of competing but we’ve learnt a lot.
At the moment, we are a Grade 4B band and there has only been one competition in Australia, recently, where Grade 4 has been separated into A and B.
That was the 2010 NS. State Championships and we were placed second.
PIPING WORLD:
Has exposing your membership to competition seen you lose any players to higher grade bands?
REAY EDGE:
Not as yet because all of our members are keen to compete in the Worlds but afterwards one of our pipers will be joining a Grade 2 band.
We don’t mind that because, at the end of the day, it’s about pipers and drummers getting the best experiences out of their hobby otherwise they will just lose interest.
PIPING WORLD:
This year you will make your second trip to play at the World Pipe Band Championships; what did you learn from the previous experience and how did you rate the trip?
REAY EDGE:
Our time in Scotland in 2008 was excellent.
For many of us; it was the first time we’d ever ventured outside of Australia and, for a piper, it felt like going home.
To see 8,000 pipers and drummers organised into just one day of competition was truly amazing.
There’s a lot of work that goes into the preparation for that standard of competition and that’s where we made mistakes last time.
Since then there has been a big emphasis on doing the right sort of preparation and being well prepared before we leave.
We have experienced tutors looking after us; Bruce Spence is tutoring our pipe corps and Don Want is tutoring our snare drummers, both have made big improvements with the band.
We’ve also had help from Angus Roberts, pipe major of The Pipeband Club, which has really boosted our confidence.
I think if you’re open to help and appreciative of it then you’ll get some really good advice.
PIPING WORLD:
What are your medium term ambitions; do you see the NSW Highlanders traveling overseas on a regular basis?
REAY EDGE:
In the near future our emphasis is on increasing our membership and we’re aiming to compete in the World Pipe Band Championships every second year.
PIPING WORLD:
Finally, what are your ultimate ambitions for the band; is it to climb the grades or just travel, compete and have a load of fun?
REAY EDGE:
It’s always great to travel as a band and have fun but there has to be a purpose to all the hard work you put in.
Our ultimate ambition is to have a band that would compete its way up the grades and a second band that would always accept new players regardless of their ability and give them the opportunities that the NSW Highlanders promise.
Being exposed to pipe band competition improves the skills of the participants and, in turn, improves their local band.
The NSW Highlanders, as a concept, is a long term project and needs a lot of support and thought at the same time.
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