Category: Scottish Certification and Qualification Framework

Recommended Tunes for CoP Exams (2007)

Came upon a link to a PDF of the list of tunes the College of Piping recommended for sitting their exams, back in 2007.

The list is probably reasonable for the SCQF that replaced the framework at the time.

 

Trying to upload the PDF has failed, so I’ve copied and pasted (unedited) below.

 

Level 1
Two tunes to be played from
memory on the practice chanter
Scots
Wha Ha’e
Tutor
1
Brown
Haired
Maiden Tutor
1
*********************
Level 2 (Practice Chan
ter)
Five tunes to be played from memory on the pr
actice chanter. At least one tune should be
in compound time. The music is to be presented to the examiner and played in
accordance with the written score. T
he mu
sic do
es not have to be written out by the
candidate
.
Select from:
High Road to Gairloch
Tutor 1
Highland
Laddie
Tutor
1
The Thistle of
Scotland
Tutor 3
Carles W
i’ the Breeks
Tutor 1
Steam
Boat
Essential Tunes 1 (com
pound tim
e)
Bonnie Dundee
Tutor 3 (compound time)
/-
Level 2 (Bagpipe)
Candidates must submit
five tunes comprising:
(1)
2 parts of a Slow Air
(2)
2 parts of a March in 3/4 or 4/4 time
(3)
2 parts of a March in 6/8 or 9/8 time
(4)
2 parts of a Strathspey
(5)
2 parts of a Reel
The music is to be presented to the examiner and played
on the bagpipe
in accordance
with the written score. Select from:
1.
Scots Wha Ha’e Tutor 1
My Home
Tutor 3
2.
Green Hills Tutor 1
The Thistle of Scotland
Tutor 3
3.
Bonnie Dundee Tutor 3
Steamboat
Essential Tunes 1
4.
Inverness Rant Tutor 1
5.
Piper o’ Drummond Tutor 1
/-
Level 3
Candidates must be prepared to play ei
ght tunes on the bagpipe. Their list must
comprise:
(1)
2 parts of a Slow Air
(2)
4 parts of a March in Simple Time
(3)
4 parts of a March in Compound Time
(4)
4 parts of a Strathspey
(5)
4 parts of a Reel
(6)
4 parts of a Hornpipe
(7)
4 parts of a Jig
(8)
One ground of a Piobaireachd and
its first variation singling and
doubling.
Select from:
Slow Airs
Mist Covered Mountains
Essential Tunes 1
My Home Tutor 3
Mairi Bhan Og
Essential Tunes 2
2/4 Marches (simple time)
79th Farewell to Gibraltar
Tutor 1
25
th
KOSB’s Farwell
Essential Tunes 2
Detroit Highlanders Glasgow Collection
6/8 Marches (compound time)
Cock o’ the North
Essential Tunes 2
Blue Bonnets Tutor 1
Piobaireachd o’ Donald
Dubh
Essential Tunes 1
Strathspeys
Lady Loudon Tutor 3
Dorrator Bridge
Tutor 3
Captain Colin Campbell
Donald MacLeod Bk.3
Reels
Lexie MacAskill Tutor 3
Rejected Suitor Tutor 3
Sound of Sleat
Donald MacLeod Bk. 2
Hornpipes
Jolly Beggarman Tutor 3
Mason’s Apron Tutor 3
Jigs
Paddy’s Leather Breeches
Tutor 3
Jig of Slurs Tutor 3
Piobaireachd
Company’s Lament
Tutor 4
Glengarry’s Lament Tutor 4
MacIntosh’s Banner
Tutor 4
Lament for Alasdair Dearg
Tutor 4
/-
Level 4
The candidate must submit t
wo
competition 2/4 marches of four parts, two 6/8 marches
of four parts, two competition strathspeys of four or more parts, two competition reels of
four or more parts, two compe
tition hornpipes of four or more parts, two competition jigs
of four or more parts and
one
piobaireachd which has taorluath and crunluath
variations. Select from:
6/8 Marches
Cock o’ the North
Essential Tunes 2
Blue Bonnets Tutor 1
Piobaireachd o’ Donald Dubh
Tutor 1
Dovecote Park Essential Tunes 2
Piobaireachd
Company’s Lament
Tutor 4
Glengarry’s Lament
Tutor 4
MacIntosh’s Banner
Tutor 4
Lament for Alasdair Dearg
Tutor 4
2/4 Marches
Mrs MacDonald of Dunacht
Tutor 3
Willie Gray’s Farewell to the
Glasgow Police Tutor 3
Lady Lever Park
D MacLeod Bk.1
John MacMillan of Barra
D MacLeod Bk.1
Strathspeys
Lady Louden Tutor 3
Dorrator Bridge
Tutor 3
Capt. Colin Campbell
D MacLeod Bk. 3
Duncan Johnstone’s Strath. Glasgow Collection
Reels
Lexie MacAskill Tutor 3
Rejected Suitor Tutor 3
Sound of Sleat
D MacLeod Bk. 2
Thompson’s Dirk
D MacLeod Bk. 4
Hornpipes
P/M George Allan
D MacLeod Bk. 4
Motley Crew Glasgow Collection
Jolly Beggarman Tutor 3
Mason’s Apron Tutor 3
Jigs
Jig of Slurs Tutor 3
Lord Dunmore
Essential Tunes 1
Paddy’s Leather Breeches
Tutor 3
Stool of Repentance
Seumas MacNeill Bk. 1
/-
Level Five
Four piobaireachd, one of each showing
standard, fosgailte, breabach and a mach
crunluath movements, four competition marches, fou
r
competition strathspeys
,
four
competit
i
on reels, four competit
i
on hornpipes, and four competition jigs are required.
Select from:
Piobaireachd (sta
ndard crunluath)
Massacre of Glencoe
Kilberry Bk./ Binneas/ Piob. Soc. Bk.6
Lament for the Old Sword
Kilberry Bk./ Binneas/ Piob. Soc. Bk.3
Hector MacLean’s Warning
Binneas/ Piob. Soc. Bk.2
Piobaireachd (fosgailte)
The Groat
Kilberry Bk./Binneas/ Piob. Soc. Bk.1
Wee Spree
Kilberry Bk./ Binneas/ Piob. Soc. Bk.7
Too Long in this Condition
Kilberry Bk./ Binneas/ Piob. Soc. Bk.7
Piobaireachd (breabach)
MacFarlane’s Gath.
Kilberry Bk./ Binneas/ Piob. Soc. Bk.7
Lament for Donald of Laggan
Kilberry Bk./ Binneas/ Piob. Soc. Bk.8
Clan Campbell’s Gath.
Kilberry Bk/ Binneas/ Piob. Soc. Bk.7
Piobaireachd (a mach)
Catherine’s Lament
Kilberry Bk./ Binneas/ Piob. Soc. Bk.5
Black Donald’s March
Kilberry Bk./ Binneas/ Piob. Soc. Bk.3
Carles Wi’ the Breeks
Binneas/ Piob. Soc. Bk.8
Competition 2/4 Marches
John MacDonald of Glencoe
Seumas MacNeill Bk.1
Donald MacLean’s
Farewell to Oban
Seumas MacNeill Bk.2
John MacMillan of Barra
D MacLeod Bk.1
John MacFadyen of Melfort
Seumas MacNeill Bk.1
Competition Strathspeys
Maggie Cameron
Seumas MacNeill Bk.1
Duncan Johnstone’s Strath.
Glasgow Collection
Lady MacKenzie of Gairloch
D MacLeod Bk.1
Cabar Feidh D MacLeod Bk.1
Competition Reels
Traditional Reel
D MacLeod Bk.3
Cockerel in the Creel
D MacLeod Bk.6
Fiona MacLeod
D MacLeod Bk.5
Major Manson Seumas MacNeill Bk.2
/-
Level Five
(cont’d)
Competition Hornpipes
Crossing the Minch
D MacLeod Bk.6
Piper’s Controversy
D MacLeod Bk.6
Man from Skye
D MacLeod Bk.4
Mason’s Apron Tutor 3
Competition Jigs
Donald MacLennan’s
Tuning Phrase D MacLeod Bk.3
The Curlew D MacLeod Bk.1
Judge’s Dilemma
D MacLeod Bk.3
Banks of the Allan
Seumas MacNeill Bk.1
/-
Level Six
Six piobaireachd are required and the tunes mu
st show a variety of crunluath types.
Piobaireachd should be taken
from Binneas is Boreraig,
the Piobaireachd Society’s
Collection Books 1-15, or from the Kilberry Book.
Candidates must also submit six competition
march, strathspey and r
eels, six jigs and six
hornpipes. Good ceol beag will be found in
Donald Macleod’s books, the Glasgow
Collection, in Seumas MacNeill’s books and in the new John MacColl book. Some
competition light music suggestions
for this level are as follows:
Marches
Mrs John MacColl
Glasgow Collection
Knightswood Ceilidh
D MacLeod Bk. 4
Edinburgh Volunteers
D MacLeod Bk.1
Arthur Bignold John MacColl
Jeannie Carruthers John MacColl
74
th
Farewell to Edinburgh
Seumas MacNeill Bk.1
Strathspeys
Islay Ball Seumas MacNeill Bk.1
John Roy Stewart
D MacLeod Bk.1
Cameronian Rant
D MacLeod Bk.1
Inveraray Castle
Seumas MacNeill Bk.2
Duncan Johnstone’s Strathspey
Glasgow Collection
Susan MacLeod
D MacLeod Bk. 4
Reels
Brown Haired Maid
D MacLeod Bk.5
Pretty Marion
D MacLeod Bk.2
Thompson’s Dirk
D MacLeod Bk.4
Smith of Chilliechassie
D MacLeod Bk.1
Lexie MacAskill Tutor 3
Rejected Suitor Tutor 3
Hornpipes
Barlinnie Highlander Glasgow Collection
Jim Tweedie’s Sea Legs
Seumas MacNeill Bk.1
Dr MacInnes’s Fancy
D MacLeod Bk.3
Stornoway Hornpipe
D MacLeod Bk.4
Joe McGann’s Fiddle
Seumas MacNeill Bk.2
Mason’s Apron Tutor 3
Jigs
Biddy from Sligo
D MacLeod Bk.3
Abercairney Tom Glasgow Collection
Alexander MacAskill Seumas MacNeill Bk.2
Echoes of Oban
Seumas MacNeill Bk.1
Old Woman’s Dance
D MacLeod Bk.2
John Paterson’s Mare
D MacLeod Bk.1

Tachum (Scotch Snap)

Tachum

C Doublings to Low A, and B Doublings to Low G with E Gracenote as used in Strathspey playing (Round movement)
In orchestral music the Tachum is known as the Scotch Snap


Being able to play The Tachum (half doubling) is a requirement for SCQF Level 3

Being able to play The Tachum as a Doubling with E Gracenote (Strathspey movement) is a requirement for SCQF Level 4

Taorluath

Taorluath

Apparantly the Toarluath has changed over the last 300 years: (http://thesession.org/discussions/21801)
Toarluadhs and the like have changed considerably over the last 3 hundred years.
From; low G/d/low A /E/ A
to; low G/ D/ low G / low A/E/ A
to ; Low G/D/G/E/A

The original taorluath movement was much more rhythmically complex and open than is performed today. (altpibroch.com). 
Today the older version is known as the “redundant A” taorluath, and few people play it. And yet,  the rhythmical expression is very pretty, the movement sounds quite dexterous, and the melody is retained.

It is worth noting that today’s taorluath movement was introduced as late as 1907 with John McLennan’s collection; thereafter the Piobaireachd Society adopted it.

This is a grip with a E gracenote added onto it before ending on the melodic note. Therefore, all that applies to Grips applies here as well. The E gracenote is what leads to the melody note. The E gracenote is played on the beat.

The steps to play the Taorluath:

  1. Play Low G
  2. Play a D Gracenote on Low G
  3. Play E Gracenote to any other note lower than E.

Things that can go wrong:

  • Crossing noise to Low G
  • Poor D Gracenote length
  • Poor D Gracenote Timing
  • Poor E Gracenote length
  • Poor E Gracenote Timing
  • Crossing Noise to next note
  • Steps played unevenly
  • Timing such that embellishment isn’t on the beat (E Gracenote on beat).
There is a variation on the Taorluath where if you are coming off of the D, you use a B gracenote instead of a D gracenote.

The Toarluath is introduced in SCQF Level 3.

In Canntaireachd, the Taorluath is known as a darid.

Canntaireachd

Taorluath

The symbol for the Taorluath beat is darid, e.g.,

  • hodarid,
  • hadarid.

Taorluath to low G is darem, e.g.,

  • hiodarem.
Taorluath Breabach

the same with the addition of one note according to the scale chart.

Taorluath a Mach

is expressed

  • hiotroeo (B),
  • hodroeo (C), and
  • hiotraea (D).
Being able to play The Taorluath to Low A from each note of the scale is a requirement for SCQF Level 3
Being able to play The Taorluath to Low A from D using the B gracenote is a requirement for SCQF Level 3

Care, Cleaning and Storage of the practice chanter

Care, Cleaning and Storage of the Practice Chanter

Practice chanters are sensitive to extreme temperatures.

  • Don’t leave them in your vehicle during the hottest days of the summer or coldest days of the winter.
    • Heat will melt the plastic chanters and reeds.
    • Cold will make both plastic and wood chanters brittle allowing them to break easily.

Materials Needed

  • Practice Chanter
  • Hemp
  • Parafin Wax
  • Scissors or knife (cutting hemp)
  • Cloth/pull through

Disassembling the practice chanter

Make sure you always separate joints by grabbing onto the top and bottom of the joint immediately beside the joint before you twist. DO NOT leave a great space between your hands. The stress of the twisting motion can cause the chanter (or other part like a drone) to break, especially if it is wood.

Hemping the joint

On the newer practice chanters that are plastic, they usually have rubber o-rings for sealing the joint so hemping isn’t normally required. However, on wooden chanters it is required. Due to the air pressure required for the reed to sound, we need to ensure that the joint between the top section and the bottom section is as airtight as possible. This is accomplished by wrapping the pin with hemp. The hemp is coated with paraffin or bees wax to help make the hemp water resistent so that it doesn’t rot. The hemp also helps prevent the hemp from spinning on the pin.

To hemp the joint:

Form a loop with the hemp. The top of the loop is at one end of the pin and the free end of the loop is at the other. At the free end, start wrapping the pin with hemp by filling in the grooves (practice chanters that need to be hemped will have grooves). Once you have wrapped to the loop end, you insert the running end of the hemp through the loop, and then pull it under the wrappings by pulling on the free end of the hemp.

Continue adding layers of hemp as required such that the top section will fit snugly on the bottom section.

NOTE: If you haven’t used pre-waxed hemp, you will need to wax each layer of hemp as you have finished the layer.

Removing Moisture from the practice chanter

Wipe down the outside of the chanter.

Wipe down the seat and around the pin (inner part of joint).

Insert your cloth up into the upper section of the chanter to absorb moisture that may be in the chanter.

You may also need to hold the bottom section upside down so that moisture drains from the chanter.

Removing Moisture from the reed

Wipe down the reed.

If there is moisture in the reed (it makes a gurgling sound when played) you can blow from the staple end of the reed and this will blow most of the moisture out of the reed.

Cleaning the practice chanter

Don’t use harsh chemicals on your chanter. Usually wiping the chanter down swill suffice, but if that isn’t sufficient, use luke warm water with a very mild soap.

Assembling the practice chanter

Carefully line up the base section and the top section. Ensuring that you don’t scrape the reed on the inside of the top section, insert the base into the top so that the pin on the base is snugly in the top.

Storing the practice chanter

Store your practice chanter in a cool dry location. I usually store my chanter in my pipe case.