Hey... I'm finally adding some audio samples to my profile -- which I'm doing pretty much as I type this bulletin -- please check them out.

These are rough demos -- very rough -- I make no bones about my crappy playing. These 2 tracks (only one of them is uploaded at present -- the other will be up shortly) are part of my work toward what will hopefully be the first of numerous albums I make.

To find out more about these tracks, my current/1st album project, and why it is that my playing is crappy on these recordings and why I've put them online anyway, read the blog I'm writing to go with all of this.

The main thing is, this is an accomplishment toward this album coming together -- so... YAY ME! :D

Enjoy & Let me know what you think.

Don

Whoa -- OK, I’m working on all of this as I’m writing, so bear with me.....

As many of you know, I'm on MySpace with my Bagpiper Don profile toward promoting myself as a piper and promoting my 1st and hopefully following album projects. I've been working on this 1st project for 2+ years now -- suffice it to say, I've learned that making an album is not a quick or easy process.... at least that is if you're not skipping international copyright laws, and if you're not an absolute blazing expert at your musical craft. I've been using this album project as a vehicle to further my creativity within my music form, and to push myself to become a better player of my instrument.

That said...

Yesterday, short on time (not far from home & low on fuel -- sorry, Army Of Darkness thing, I couldn’t resist), during my practice session I recorded a couple of tunes on my minidisc unit with the specific intention of making rough concept demos of tracks from my intended album.... which I'm in the process of uploading to my profile as I type this.

One of the tracks I’m in the process of uploading is half of a 6/8 march set that is at present untitled. It’s my arrangement of a tune called Lord MacPhearson's Welcome To somewhere I don’t remember (Drumucter?). The plan for the final recording is for this track to have a second 6/8 march of the same length to follow after a percussion solo where the tempo will speed up. The track I’ve uploaded does not have any audio representing the Highland snare, tenor, and bass drum I intend to have accompany me in the final recording. I’ve posted this recording mainly just because I could while posting my other track. Lord MacPhearson’s is a relatively new tune to me; the way my instructor and I have arranged it makes playing the tune more difficult, though I think also more interesting to the listener to hear. This recording was the first time I played my version of the tune without seriously flubbing any notes or putting the parts of the tune back in their original order.

The other track -- which I’m still preparing and will post as soon as I can -- is really the whole reason why I’m posting anything at this time.

This other is presently called “Mist Covered Mountains set” -- after one of the tunes played w/in the track. As these two tracks go in the way of being a demo, this one is more complete between tunes and accompaniment, featuring myself playing against sounds you might hear while out for a hike in the woods. The first tune (the track’s name-sake) I’ve been playing on/off for years. The 2nd tune is an old standard, which is even newer to me than Lord MacPhearson’s -- when I recorded it I was playing it still on the sheet music. The 3rd tune is a substitution for the 2 tunes I plan to play at this point but haven’t learned yet. The last tune was intended, though should be a bit faster -- oh well. Regardless of all that, I did this for the sake of toying around with the concept that has only previously existed in my mind.

Lastly, I will make no bones about this -- these demos are rough -- very rough. I was short on time, I hadn’t played in a few days, and I was playing a reed that is harder than I am used to. Suffice it to say, my playing on these tracks is not of the quality I am capable of nor is it of the level I intend to present on my finished album.

These practice-session recordings do represent a bit of a milestone in the overall progress of my album -- they're the first tangible (so to speak) representations of all my previous work -- so I’m pretty excited about this -- YAY ME!

Anyway, just a taste to share. I hope you enjoy sharing my vision, and please let me know what you think.

All the Best,
Don