78th Frasers win Georgetown; Grade 2 Ottawa Police win Grade 1 piping, finish 2nd

With respect to the bands in question, is this piping result really a surprise to anyone?

When was the last time a Gr1 band from the east coast of Canada even qualified for the world championship final in consecutive years, let alone placed in a final? If people are only waking up to this now, therein lies the problem.

There are some negative comments on here, I agree Sandy.

I trust mine is not seen that way, as that was not my objective. The reality is that the east coast bands are struggling for quality and, I would argue, relevance in the current Gr1 scene.

The 78ths were once the vanguard for innovation and were followed by droves of people all over the globe. Me included, most certainly!

Regularly placing at ‘the worlds’, recordings and sell-out concerts was de rigueur. Along with Strathclyde Police, this was the band that inspired me in the 80’s, and pushed me get to where I wanted to be with my piping. They turned a light on in my imagination. Sadly (for me), they now appear to be following the herd and, dare I say it, making up the numbers. They seem lost in the mix at the lower end of the grade, without an identity.

I’m referring to the total package here. The chanters are dull and they sound generic. The drones are the same. There is no point of difference in the sound, like there once was. There is no discernable quality that once made this band easy to identify in the past. It was never a refined sound, more a brash, ‘rough and ready’ sound like their attitude was towards the music – i.e. just go for it! The analogy is they’ve gone from being a scarlet red Ferrari (fast, attractive, the envy of others, but also highly strung and on the edge) to now being a beige Fiat. They just appear lost, although I’ll assume they have clear plans and will rightly protest that they do. But I just don’t see or hear it. As an observer and one-time follower, there is nothing that captivates me anymore, and I say that not to be negative and critical, but to highlight that I don’t get drawn-in anymore. It’s just another band that has seemingly forgotten its heritage. Tell me I’m wrong, by all means, but that is an honest observation from a fan of 30-plus years. The first worlds I played at, I still remember seeing the 78ths in flesh for the first time after years of wearing out cassettes and vinyl some 10,000 miles away. The band I was with was a lot better at the time, and on the day, but seeing the 78ths was an almost surreal experience for me at the time. There they were, right before me after many years of listening to them.

There needs to be some analysis of the set-up and material. Get that bustling playing style back in the band, where it would simply step off the line and unleash like it did in the late 80’s. Their 1985 Medley is a cracking example. The 78ths found greatness with the great tunes. That was the platform for the composers in residence to then flourish and give the band some signature tunes of its own. But the essence of that band was taking great traditional material and making it greater.

Take risks with the set-up. It sounds like stability takes top-billing, at any cost. Sack the current set-up and get what will achieve the brightest and most vibrant sound possible. Get brighter chanters. Have a go at cane drone reeds here and there, or something that will at least brighten things up. Get on the sheepskin. Go for it. Learn from the stumbles, as opposed to sitting back with a ‘reliable’ set-up and thinking it will stand alongside what the top half of Gr1 is producing these days. Chase the ‘brilliance’ that the likes of the top 6 bands achieve with their sound and accept the accuracy might take a bit longer. I’m sure the talent is there to achieve great things.