Piping Competition...

The Houston Highland Games and Celtic Festival...

2010 Competition Forms!

Judges
We proudly announce the 2010 Piping Judges:

• Mike Cusack - piping
• Jimmy Bell - piping
• Ed Neigh - piping
• Lorne Cousin - piping

Forms - please print out all for your records. For multiple page forms that require your signature, please remember to print, return and sign all the pages and return them to us - thank you.

• Competition General Rules [download]
• Official Entry Form (2 pages) [download]
• Houston Highland Games Events [download]

History
Piob-mor is Gaelic for great bagpipe. Pipes are probably as old as the world itself as there are references to pipes in the Bible and there have been found Greek sculptures (4,000 BC) depicting pipes. Mummy cases in Egypt have yielded pipes as well.

The Highland bagpipe, though not necessarily the oldest style, is by far the best design and was copied by many countries who found them superior to their own. The Scottish version can be traced to 100 AD. When the Celts settled in Scotland, they made additional improvements in 12 AD and 506 AD. By the use of electronics and other sensitive instruments to record sound vibrations, it has been proven the "the Highland Bagpipe scale is quite different from those used in Europe and the Middle East."

The Scottish and Irish pipers are considered the best in the world. Records from the 1st century A.D. show that foreign kings sent their musicians to study in Scotland and Ireland. Nero was a skilled bagpipe player. In the 11th century, bagpipes played a major role in everyday life and references to martial music are numerous. By the 16th century, every clan chieftain had a hereditary piper. These piping families stayed with their clan chiefs generation after generation. Theirs was a rank of dignity and commanded the utmost respect. Mastering the art of playing the pipes and serving their chieftain was their sole occupation. The best pipers came from the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.

Piping schools were established by the best piping families. As a result, their knowledge has been, and continues to be, handed down generation after generation, thus preserving some of the oldest music and techniques known to man.

The bagpipe is listed in the British army manual as a "weapon of war". It was said that the enemy could hear the bagpipes approaching for several days before the army actually arrived for battle.

Competitions
Houston Highland Games offers the only EUSPBA sanctioned Piping Competitions in the Southwest United States.

Piobaireachd is the classical music of the Great Highland Bagpipe. The origins of the music are obscure. It is believed that this music is quite similar to the ancient music of the clairschach (harp), all of which has been lost. The earliest Piobaireachd dates to the 15th century and is still composed today. However, the greatest tunes were composed in the 17th and 18th centuries by the MacCrimmons, who were the hereditary pipers to the MacLeod chieftains of the Isle of Skye. The music takes the form of a theme with variations, lasting anywhere from 5 to 25 minutes.

Marches, as we know them, did not exist until the rise of the Highland Regiments in the late 1600’s. The competition march was the last form of bagpipe music to develop. Because the regimental pipe bands marches soldiers into battle, tunes in 6/8, 4/4, and ¾ time were the most popular with pipers. The simplicity of these marches allowed the pipers to play them with little concentration or effort. However, as pipers left the battlefields and went to the more civilized competition boards, pipers turned their attention away from these simple marches and focused on the more difficult 2/4 marches. A result of the rise of competitions in the early 1800’s was a rise in the standard of playing. To meet this improving standard, pipers began to compose marches that not only kept the swing and musicality of the earlier regimental tunes, but also challenged the technique of the pipers playing them. In fact, many sacrifice musicality for technique or vice versa. It is only the best who can successfully combine the two facets of this, the latest form of bagpipe music.

Strathspeys and Reels are lively Highland dance tunes played for dances such as the Highland fling, the Sword Dance, and the Reel of Tulloch. As with 2/4 marches, competitions played a major role in the development of strathspeys and reels. Composers wrote tunes that would challenge the technique of the competitors. Because of the technical challenge of these tunes, only the best pipers dare play them for dances.

Hornpipes and Jigs are lively quick tempoed tunes that evolved from occasions of celebration. They require a great deal of dexterity and skill on the part of the piper. Not all pipers are capable of playing such tunes.

Judging Criteria
By P/M Sandy Jones

The piper is judged in the
following categories:

• Time, includes tempos, breaks between different time signatures, the measure of sounds with regard to their continuance or duration, and the speed of the rhythm. When more than one tune is being performed, such as a Strathspey and Reel, a smooth transition is expected.
• Tuning and tone of the chanter and drones. Not only must the chanter and drones be well tuned, but consideration is given to how well balanced they are together. The chanter must not overwhelm the drones, nor should the drones overpower the chanter. How well the instrument stays in tune throughout the performance is also carefully noted.
• Execution. How technically well the various movements and grace notes are executed.
• Expression. The quality in the performance that appeals to the listener's feelings, or the competitors judgment in conveying the sentiment of the composer.