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------Est. 1980 Glasgow
city centre's oldest bagpipe shop------
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Newsletter - August 2011
Dear Piping Enthusiast,
Thanks again for your loyalty and support. It's great
to see that I have many repeat customers on the world wide web. On the
web order forms that you fill in, I get a report of what else you have
ordered and when, so it's great to see you coming back time and again.
Please don't hesitate to drop me a line if you have any suggestions for
line items that I am not holding and should, or how we can improve our
service to you. Our strap line is Piping Perfection and is driven by an
ethos partly instilled into me by the late, great Seamus McNeill (see
below) - you can never achieve Perfection since there is always room for
improvement and when you think you have achieved Perfection, you are
kidding yourself and are actually going backwards.
This is a rather shortened newsletter since many of
you will be travelling to the
Worlds/Piping Live! or are on holiday - if you are
competing this month, I wish
you every success.
Yours aye,
James C. Begg
www.beggbagpipes.com
News
It's a massive month for Piping in Glasgow with a wealth of Piping Events
and competitions. Don't forget to catch up with Begg
Bagpipes at our Bath Street workshops (including wine and nibbles) on
Thursday 11th August and Friday 12th at 15.00 and at the Marquee outside
the National Piping Centre from Noon on Tuesday 9th August
A-Z of Piping - a Personal View by James C. Begg
M is for Maestro
As we approach another peak in the Piping calendar, I
was thinking of my piping past and what effect
the Maestro, Seamus McNeill, had on it. Famous Seamus as he was known, first featured in my life when I was about
11-12 years old as I ventured into the College of Piping
in Otago
Street, Glasgow.
The college had character to say the least but in these days it was badly
in need of renovation. However, it was the tuition that mattered - the
teaching was of the highest standard and remains so to this day. Success
has also enabled the facilities to be vastly improved from these days. I
didn't see Seamus that often but through the years had various
"encounters" with him - I always kept a quiet council when he
was about as there was only going to be one winner and it wasn't going to
be me even when I was extremely provoked by his dogmatic approach. He
could be quite outspoken and as I was sitting waiting for something in
the College shop one day, he popped in and made the comment "Have
you nothing better to do??" Some folk could easily have taken
offence but after all this was the Maestro. On another occasion, I was
chairing the final of a competition on behalf of the Scottish Pipers
Association at the BBC studios and I had invited Seamus along as a
distinguished guest. He really took the biscuit when he made some
derogatory remarks about the performers. I could not believe it and it
was all I could do to stop a riot. I had asked him in advance whether or
not he needed any background information on the event and the performers
and he replied "I'll just hoof it on the night" - boy did he do
that! The next day, I went to hear a presentation at the College
regarding the introduction of Institute examinations for Piping - Seamus
was fronting this initiative. Not a word was mentioned about the 12 hrs
previous - the Maestro had spoken and no-one challenged him thereafter.
At that time, Institute exams didn't get off the ground but the concept
is being revived as I write. Seamus' achievements and contribution to
Piping are too numerous to list here, but if you would like to find out
more check out this link from the HeraldScotland
I well remember a humbling experience when an ageing
Seamus was showing two young boys how to season a bag - it tells you a
lot about the Maestro that he could find the time in his busy schedule
for such a relatively modest task and indeed he undoubtedly did the same
for me 30 years previously as he instilled his piping ethos into me. At
some stage, he was awarded the Loving Cup from the Glasgow City Council
and apparently went round the College saying "Somebody loves
me!" He had a very dry sense of humour and
when this was combined with his unstinting focus and drive on piping
perfection, the outcome on some occasions could result in a drop in his
personal popularity within some quarters.
Few will match the heights achieved by Seamus and we
will be forever in his debt.
YouReport
If you would like to report on any aspect of the
Piping World from wherever you live, we'd be pleased to hear from you. mailto:bill@beggbagpipes.com
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