About
(This poem was used to introduce the music at the premiere)
I once heard a piper forlornly discuss how playing their instrument was like wrestling an octopus
There’s so many things to try to control, The chanter, the bag, the regs and the drones
Most decent pipers will master just three, The regulators however remain a mystery
For those who don’t know the regs are those yokes at which most pipers occasionally poke
To add a simple harmony to the ornamented chanter melody
Now with these new pieces Mick O’Brien and me are hoping to bring more dexterity
To the art of regulator technique, so these pieces are a bit unique
There’s three Etudes you’ll hear tonight, each one has a different aim in sight
The first one shows how the pipes can be, a bit like a choir in harmony
The second one’s to train the fingers to treat, the regs like a keyboard, it’s very tricky
The last one you’ll hear shouldn’t tax your ear, It has a pleasant melody that changes gear
From a barndance to a hornpipe and then a highland, a reel and a slide and then Mick will be smiling
Cos he’ll have passed his toughest task to date, a challenge no other piper has faced
So please give him a warm welcome and attentive ears, Mick the master piper is here……