Penang Corps of Pipes and Drums

Pipes and Drums Workshop

2011-04-16T01:56:00.002+08:00

We're having a Pipes and Drums workshop on the 23rd and 24th of April. Anyone interested? Please contact us at penangcopad@hotmail.com. Thank you.

Our First Performance

2011-03-20T23:55:00.002+08:00

MWBC Pipes and Drums Competition

2011-03-08T19:33:00.002+08:00

Its already been 3 months. 3 more months to go. Are you ready for the competition? Practice hard cause the competition is getting tougher and tougher each year. Good luck guys!

Our Motto

2011-02-19T23:01:00.002+08:00

Esprit de Corps - the spirit of a group that makes the members want the group to succeed!

from Andrew Lenz's Bagpipe Journey

2011-01-30T23:51:00.001+08:00

-You will probably have to purchase some band matching gear. Matching chanter, matching hose, matching reeds—these and other items are all possible out-of-pocket expenditures when you join a band. Some bands will either cover partial costs of any required items or may even provide them on loan at no charge (or included with any membership fee). If you haven't purchased a kilt yet (a large expense), you may wish to purchase one that meets the band criteria.

Money Money Money

2011-01-27T00:55:00.003+08:00

We seriously need fundings as we're lack of funds. We don't have the funds to purchase the necessary instruments. If you are reading this and is planning to help us, please do not hesitate to send us an email, penangcopad@hotmail.com with the title "Help". Thank you for your time.

Band Structure

2011-01-23T02:52:00.006+08:00

We have already started the band and here are the names of the excos :

Senior Advisor : Chung Kam Cheong
Chairman : Chung Wei Jian
Vice-Chairman : Dinesh a/l Kalaimani
Drum Major : Vincent Ooi
Treasurer : Ong Ray Gan
Secretary : Loo Wei Jian
Asst Secretary : Chin Shi Wei
Quartermaster : Mohd. Roshidi

We provide services for functions such as weddings, funerals etc. with a fee. Payment may vary depending on situation. For further information, we can be contacted at penangcopad@hotmail.com.

World Pipe Band Championships 2010

2010-10-04T16:09:00.003+08:00

St. Laurence O’ Toole Pipe Band from Dublin has been crowned World Pipe Band Champions at Glasgow Green this afternoon in front of 55,000 people. The runners up were Field Marshall Montgomery Pipe Band from Northern Ireland with third place going to Boghall and Bathgate Pipe Band. The event, which has been held in Glasgow for more than 60 years, drew people from all over the world to see 8,000 of the very best pipers and drummers compete. - World Pipe Band Championships 2010

St.Laurence O'Toole of Dublin won the 2010 World Pipe Band Championship under dry and relatively warm weather at a very crowded Glasgow Green. It was the first World title for SLOT and the first time in more than 10 years that a band other than SFU, Field Marshal Montgomery and Shotts & Dykehead did not take the title. SLOT also won the drumming.

The RSPBA announced Simon Fraser University as being fourth in Grade 1, but a compilers' error appeared to reveal that the band was actually third, finishing ahead of Boghall & Bathgate on ensemble preference, according to RSPBA rule 3.84.
The association later admitted the error and posted an apology to the band impacted. - pipesdrums.com

MWBC 2010

2010-09-15T20:03:00.002+08:00

On the 29th of July, 2010, MWBC had their Pipes and Drums Competition. The results are:-
1st - Oriental Pipes and Drums (Hong Kong)
2nd - Kuala Lumpur Pipes and Drums
3rd - St John's Alumni Pipe Band
4th - St Johns Institution Cadet Band

The rest, St Xavier's Institution Marching Band, UiTM Pipe Band and Setapak High School Pipe Band had no rankings. Congrats to all.

MWBC Pipes and Drums Competition

2009-12-21T22:24:00.000+08:00

On the 16th of December, 2009, MWBC had their preliminary round for the Pipes and Drums Competition. The results are:-
1st KLPD (Kuala Lumpur Pipes and Drums)
2nd St John's Institution Cadet Band Alumni
3rd UiTM (Universiti Institut Teknologi Mara)
4th St John's Institution Cadet Band
5th St Xavier's Institution Marching Band

Then, on the 17th of December, 2009, MWBC had their finals for the Pipes and Drums Competition. The results are:-
1st KLPD
2nd Sri Dasmesh-Malaysia Sikh Pipe Band
3rd St John's Institution Cadet Band
4th St John's Institution Cadet Band Alumni
5th UiTM
6th St Xavier's Institution Marching Band

*note : gonna change to www.penangcopad.blogspot.com
sorry. thanks

News!

2009-12-05T16:43:00.000+08:00

The MWBC(Malaysia World Band Competition) is organizing a Pipe Band Competition in Berjaya Times Square, KL on the 16th of December, 2009. To those pipe bands which are interested to participate, please go to http://www.mwbc.my/about_rules_regulations.html for more information.

*Note : This website is going to change its link from http://penangpiperassociation.blogspot.com/ to http://penangpipesanddrumsassociation.blogspot.com/ soon. thank you.

picked from Andrew Lenz's Bagpipe Journey - http://www.bagpipejourney.com/articles/joinband.shtml

2009-11-08T01:32:00.000+08:00

Where to Begin
First you need to find a band
How bands operate are about as diverse are personalities of their pipe majors. Some care more about how they look than how they sound. Some never compete but sound great. Some are very businesslike, others are more like a social club. Some keep a dozen tunes in their repertoire, others dozens upon dozens. Some perform every weekend, some three or four times a year.

If you are fortunate enough to have a selection of bands within a convenient distance, you may wish to visit a practice or two of each then decide which best meets your goals, whatever they may be.

In my case, I'd been studying with the pipe band's pipe major for two and a half years before he suggested I—along with two other pipers who began instruction about the same time I did—join his band.

Find out How to Join
Contact the Pipe Major. The band may require you to learn the complete band repertoire then audition to join. This can be burdensome, time consuming and nerve-racking, of course. Some bands will teach you from scratch and nurse you along for a long time or merely throw you into a performance after 6 months of learning from scratch. There's a broad range of "modus operandi." But most bands will be delighted to have another piper. I had a number of offers without any of them even hearing my playing!

What to Expect at Practice
There's typically a warm-up period that can double as a grace period for latecomers. Once everyone is assembled, chanters are adjusted to be all in tune, then the drones. This is done by the pipe major and/or an assistant. After that there's an ensemble group tuning sequence to make sure everything is OK. Then some tunes are played, maybe while practicing marching, then after a little while, the tuning is done again, since the tuning will have changed due to moisture, temperature, etc. Usually a set or two of tunes will be played followed by direction/correction by the PM. Some practice chanter work may be done.

Some bands have a two or three tiered practice. That is, starting early for beginners/new members, later joined by experienced members, then later the inexperienced pipers leave as the band moves into more advanced competition tunes. Sometimes the pipers are broken into different member groups: competition (elite), performance (most members), parade (all inclusive).

A band practice can run anywhere from 1-1/2 to 4 hours. Our practice runs 2-1/2 hours with one break of about 10 minutes.I strongly recommend wearing earplugs, especially at band practices. Some pipers don't, but then again, some pipers lose their hearing.

Tunes
Tunes are usually broken into "sets" of 2-5 tunes. There's no hard and fast rule about how many tunes or which tunes are put together other than they sound good together and don't run on forever. Many band competitions require a 'MSR' (March, Strathspey, Reel) set though.

What Personal Difficulties you may Discover
-Striking with Everyone Else. "Band . . . by the roll." First drum roll, strike-in on the start of the second drum roll, count two, play "E" on your chanter, count one, start in on the tune. (Or variant thereof.) Takes a little getting used to.
-A pipe band can play some tunes REALLY fast. Getting up to a quick tempo without messing up your fingering can sometimes be a trick.
-Endurance. Bands can practice for a long time compared to some personal practice routines.
-Marching. Starting on the correct foot, keeping in time while playing up to a quicker tempo, keeping relative position with everyone else—especially in turns, can be harder than you expect.
-Hearing yourself. When there's a bunch of other pipers playing can be a challenge. "Did my chanter cut out?"
-Commitment. You have to sacrifice sometimes to be at band practice when you really want to be somewhere else. You really owe it to your bandmates to be there.

The Benefits of Playing in a Band
-You WILL practice. At the very least once a week at band practice. But since you don't want to let down your bandmates, you are going to practice as much as you can. You don't want to be the one that messes up the band's otherwise perfect performance.
-You will play tunes right—at least with regard to timing. Tunes that you may have learned notes incorrectly or have slipped in timing here and there, will be corrected if noticeable.
-Camaraderie. You get positive reinforcement from folks that do the same thing as you. You make new friends. You can talk to them about the woes of your hard new chanter reed and they will understand—unlike your other friends.
-Learn from "elders." You are surrounded by more advanced players (usually) who have a stake in improving your level of playing skill and will be willing to answer questions, provide advice and otherwise encourage you.
-Fame & fortune. Yeah, right. Even a piper in a World Championship band walks the street as an unknown. "You play for who? And they won what? They have a contest for that?" Those World Championship bands had to get out and raise money to fly to those contests. Pipers are not usually paid to play in a band. Pipe majors are sometimes paid, but usually not much.
-You're "legit." There's a certain amount of legitimacy in people's eyes when you belong to band. Pipers "in the know" have decided that you are good enough to play with them; this isn't always the case, but that's the impression.
-You may gain more paying solo gigs. If you are good enough to pipe at weddings and funerals, and wish to pursue that, band contacts can be handy. The more experienced pipers are going to be first in the pecking order, but if they are booked or busy it may come to you rather than a non-band member.
-You get to please folks. See the smiles on people's faces and hear the applause for your band. That's what makes it all worthwhile!
-You might get free lessons. Some bands offer free beginner classes or limited free private instruction.

Downsides of Playing in a Band
-Takes a lot of time. Practice once a week for sometimes long hours. The higher the grade of band, the longer the practice—sometimes two or more times a week.
-You might compromise your fingering. While errors of timing in tunes are typically caught, your embellishments/fingering may suffer trying to play fast with a band. Wrong notes or wrong timing will probably be caught, but poor fingering is harder to hear and consequently may be of a lesser priority to a pipe major.
-If you play solo gigs for money, scheduling can be difficult, sometimes impossible. Conflicts are bound to happen. Want to play at a wedding? Uh oh, parade that weekend.
-You have to be humble. You have to answer to someone else. No more "Lone Ranger." If you think you know better, too bad. You like Wygent drone reeds and the band is playing Henderson reeds, guess what you will be playing.
-Personality conflicts. Sometimes, certainly not always, there are those in the band that rub you the wrong way and you just have to live with that situation to stay in the band.
-Some bands charge a membership fee. If the band is fairly successful, this may not be necessary or at least minimal. However, if you are getting services such as lessons, the monthly fee can often be considered a very inexpensive investment.
-You will probably have to purchase some band matching gear. Matching chanter, matching hose, matching reeds—these and other items are all possible out-of-pocket expenditures when you join a band. Some bands will either cover partial costs of any required items or may even provide them on loan at no charge (or included with any membership fee). If you haven't purchased a kilt yet (a large expense), you may wish to purchase one that meets the band criteria.
-There may be band travel expenses that you'll have to chip in for. Some bands charter buses, travel to distrant venues requiring a plane flight, or simply require you to drive for hours and consequently use a lot of gas. All of these cost money and members may have to split the bill.
-You might let your bandmates down. In a competition or a high profile performance, if you blow your playing, you'll be letting your band down. It's a bummer to be the spoiler at a gig, but it happens.

Performances
As a new piper, some bands may allow you to perform with the band playing only the drones. Others will let you play along with a few tunes, then expect you to cut out your chanter for the ones for which you are not up to speed. Yet other bands won't even let you march until you are fully competent on all the performance tunes.

Some Band Positions/Titles
-Pipe Major (P.M., PM, P/M)
Leader of the band musically. Leader of the pipers and often band leader in full. It would be very unusual for a bagpipe band not to have a Pipe Major.

-Drum Major
Person with the mace at the front of a marching band. Yells commands, leads the band. Band follows his command though he will often take his lead from the PM. Some bands have no drum major.

-Pipe Sergeant
PM's right-hand man. Normally assists in tuning, teaching, etc. Fills in when PM is absent. Small bands may have not Pipe Sergeant.

-Drum Sergeant
Leader of the drum corps musically. Most often leader of the drummers in general. Often writes all beatings and teaches. Works closely with PM. Sometimes referred to as the "lead stick."

-Pipe Corporal
First level of supervision over "regular" pipers and drummers. Subordinate to any member bearing a title with the word Sergeant or Major in it. Looks after any administrative jobs that the Pipe Sergeant or Drum Sergeant have issued (or indirectly issued by the Pipe or Drum Majors). A large band may have several Pipe Corporals.

-Quartermaster
Responsible for the safety and accounting of the band's equipment. Arranges orders of new supplies as necessary. Can make available to the members a list of the minimum items and potential sources for those items needed to be in uniform. Attends all band officer meetings. Reports to the other officers.

World Pipe Band Championships 2009

2009-10-26T22:52:00.000+08:00

The SFU Pipe Band won the 2009 World Pipe Band Championship on August 15th, before a huge crowd at Glasgow Green and a world-wide audience on BBC's live web broadcast of the event. As well, the SFU Pipe Band drum corps retained its World Drum Corps Championship with the best all-round finish at this year's event. In winning both the World Pipe Band Championship and the World Drum Corps Championship two years in a row, SFU becomes only the second band in history to accomplish this feat. The last time it was accomplished was 50 years ago by Shotts &Dykehead Caledonia. The championship win followed a sold-out concert at Glasgow's Royal Concert Hall the Wednesday before the Worlds. The band thanks its sponsors, supporters and fans for helping to make the 2009 season such a success.

-from www.sfupipeband.com/-

SFU Pipe Band 2009 World Pipe Band Championships - Glasgow Scotland.The Simon Fraser University Pipe Band won its sixth world pipe band title—and its second straight.The SFU band also won the March, Strathspey and Reel (MSR) title. And the SFU bands drum corps—also for the second straight year—won the world crown as best over-all drum corps, and placed first, as well, in the MSR section of drumming competition.Alan Bevan went on to win the Masters Invitational solo crown. Only eight pipers from around the world are invited to compete.

NOT OFFICIAL YET!

2009-10-25T18:52:00.001+08:00

I'm just blogging abt it. Not official yet but it's gonna be in a few years time. Feel free to comment abt anything in the cbox on your right. Thanks.