Flutes and Whistles at the Pipers Gathering 2010

 

There have always been flutes and whistles present at the Pipers’ Gathering and its predecessor, the North American Northumbrian Pipers’ Convention (aka “North Hero”), given their prevalence in the music of the Ireland, Scotland and England. However, this year there will be additional emphasis on these instruments.

The Gathering will offer tuition in whistle and flute by Larry McCullough and John Skelton. There will be instruction for both beginners and advanced students.

Additionally, there will be a number of workshops of particular interest to flute and whistle enthusiasts as well as those with a broad interest in the music of England, Ireland, and Scotland. And, as always, there will be sessions with some of the best musicians around extending into all hours of the night (and often into the morning).

Among the preliminary list of makers of flutes and whistles who will be attending and offering their wares are:

Further makers/vendors will be added to this list so check back regularly.

Registration for the Pipers Gathering will open in May. Check the Registration Page for further details. Drop an e-mail to info@pipersgathering.org to be put on the mailing list for notification.

Bill Ochs’ Ornamentation Boot Camp

As a complement to the activities that make up the Pipers’ Gathering, master teacher, musician, and author Bill Ochs will be offering his “Ornamentation Boot Camp: Workshop for Whistle and Flute Players” on the afternoon of Friday, August 13th (making this a lucky Friday the 13th) at the Killington Grand Hotel—site of the Gathering.

This is not part of the Gathering itself and will require separate registration, but should provide a great lead-in to the activities at the Gathering. We hope that participants in this workshop will stay on and enjoy a full weekend of instruction and music. Bill will be part of the Gathering as an instructor and performer on Uilleann pipes.

The workshop will take place from 2:00 to 6:00 pm in the Long Trail Pub and is geared towards students who feel comfortable playing Irish dance tunes at a moderate pace, but who are either new to ornamentation or who would like to review the techniques. The class will start with instruction in simple ornaments (cuts and strikes) and then move on to compound ornaments (rolls and crans). Each ornament will be presented in the context of a tune, so students will learn not only technique, but will also add new pieces for their repertoires.

The fee for the workshop is $40. To register, contact Steve Bliven at 508-997-3826 or Steve.Bliven@comcast.net.

Participants should bring a tin whistle, low whistle or flute pitched in D. Players of any type of flute are welcome—Boehm or simple-system.

Boot Camp creator and presenter Bill Ochs has been called a "central figure in the renaissance of the tin whistle" by National Public Radio's All Things Considered and the "leading tin whistle teacher in North America" by The Irish Voice newspaper. He is author of "The Clarke Tin Whistle”—the definitive tin whistle instruction book—now in its 22nd printing with over 250,000 copies in print. He teaches the flute, tin whistle and Uilleann pipes at The Irish Arts Center in Manhattan and at his own studio.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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