Piobaireachd Fundamentals - Virtual Workshop Part 2

Piobaireachd Fundamentals - Virtual Workshops
May 28th & June 4th
4:30pm-5:50pm PST

In these sessions (held on Zoom), Zephan Knichel will help students delve into Highland Piping's earliest form of music, Piobaireachd (Pea-Brock).

This ancient style of piping originated on the Isle of Skye by the MacCrimmon's as early as the 14/15th century.

Each tune begins with the Urlar, a slow theme similar to plainchant singing, which incorporates a variety of Piobaireachd specific ornamentation. The tune then progresses into a series of variations on the theme that become more rhythmically and technically challenging incorporating more complex embellishments as the tune progresses. In these sessions we will focus on the foundations of piobaireachd. We will cover how to play Piobaireachd specific embellishments and learn how Piobaireachd was taught for hundreds of years without the use of sheet music. These sessions will be a great deal of fun for any piper of any skill level, even those with little to no piobaireachd background.

Several Fundamental Piobaireachd Technique handouts with accompanying youtube video tutorials will be provided to all of the attendees. We will cover 1 full piobaireachd in each of the two sessions. Sheet Music will be provided.

Part 1 and Part 2 will be designed so that students can attend both classes and get new information each time AND so that students who can only attend one week will still learn plenty from a single workshop. These workshops have been lengthened from 60 minutes to 80 minutes due to feedback from attendees and to give enough time to learn a full Piobaireachd in each session.