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Summer School
Next year's Summer School will be held from 24 - 30 August 2008 at St Gabriel's Retreat Centre, Ditchingham, Suffolk. Brochure and application forms are now available.
To see photos of the 2007 School, visit Shirley's
Webshots site. |
An Evening with Betty Roe
A Celebration.
Date: 7.30 pm, 15 March 2008
A concert with Betty Roe, performing her music and other pieces which have
inspired her. Performed by Betty Roe, the Questors Choir, the NorthKen
Chorale, and the Pipers’ Guild.
Venue: St James' Norlands, Holland Park, London W11 4RB
Tickets: £12 if purchased on the night at the door of the church
£
10 if purchased in advance from The Questors Choir
Free for children under 12 years old |
A History of The Pipers' Guild  Who was Margaret James? Why did she start building bamboo pipes?
What does this painting have to do with it? Where did it all begin?
All these
questions
and more are answered in this new History. After 30 years of research,
Shirley Drake's history of the Pipers' Guild is now available. With
nearly 200 pages, including 12 pages of photographs, this A4 comb-bound
book details the Guild's history
from its
very beginnings to the present day. The cost is £15 + £3 p&p.
To order, contact Ted Drake.
Read John Jordan's review here. |
2006 International Course
The Pipers' Guild organised the recent International Summer
School, held from 25 July - 3 August
2006 at the University of Essex.
Over 100 pipers from all over the world attended, and a full report is
here.
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Sixth International Symposium,
Wilhelminaoord, The Netherlands
In 2005, representatives from the Guild attended the 6th International
Symposium on Making Bamboo Pipes. A brief report and photos can be found here. |
Forum
The Guild now runs a forum for anyone interested in chatting about pipes. Membership is free. |
The Guild was founded in Britain in 1932. Its main aim is the threefold
craft of making, playing and decorating bamboo pipes. Pipes are made for
personal use, and are not sold - i.e. if you want to play one, you'll have
to make one!
The idea of making bamboo pipes has spread around the world, with groups
and guilds in Great Britain, The
Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, Denmark, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, the U.S.A.,
and Japan. All of the guilds are members of a federation, which meets
every five years at an international course.
What are Bamboo Pipes?
The bamboo pipe is a simple hand-made wind
instrument, similar to a recorder but with a gentler tone. While looking
for a recorder-type instrument to use with her schoolchildren, Margaret
James stumbled across a Sicilian shepherd's pipe. After many experiments
the simple treble pipe in D was perfected. Later a full quartet of pipes
of alto in A & G, tenor in D and bass in G was developed. This range
has since been extended to include sopranino in G, quartbass in D, and
great bass in G. In addition, treble, alto, and tenor extended pipes with
a range of an octave and a sixth or more are also made.
Why Bother?
Firstly, for the satisfaction: there is a special thrill in playing
an instrument you have made yourself. Secondly, it makes you a craftsman
as well as a musician. Thirdly, it is an ideal way of learning the rudiments
of music. Pipes are made and tuned one note at a time; the complete
beginner (of any age) learns to play their pipe as they make it. For
more advanced players there is the pleasure of ensemble playing in trios,
quartets and larger groups.
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