I
have just spent a pleasant couple of days getting familiar with Sight Readable
Ceol Mor Book One by Dugald MacNeill, and I really think it is an important
book. 
As you will know, Dugald was responsible for the republishing of the Binneas is
Boreaig books as one volume. In his introduction to Sight Readable Ceol Mor,
Dugald says that while Binneas is a very valuable record of how Malcom
MacPherson played, one drawback of having no bar lines is that there is
"no indication of strong beats or rhythm, and of course, in all music,
there is rhythm in piobaireachd". While it’s true that Dr Roderick Ross,
editor of Binneas, stated that
"Piobaireachd's 'silent beat' is one-third of the heart rate",
that doesn’t really help much of us while we are sitting at the practice table
with a cup of tea at our elbow, squinting like Patrick Caogach at the score on
the page.
The book itself is well presented. The cover appears to illustrate the
evolution of Carles with the Breeks from canntaireachd through settings such as David Glen and
Binneas before giving an example of Dugald’s notation system.
The
contents page lists 36 piobaireachds. This would deem to make the book innovatory
in itself, as it seems staggering that so many tunes, in full, could be contained
in such a slim volume, but Dugald’s style of presentation not only does so, but
does it in a way that is extremely clear and easy to read.
Before
going onto the tunes, there is a page of preliminary notes, detailing fingering
and embellishments, giving advice on certain movements, but many of the tunes
come with their own individual guidances on phrasing, cadences, preparatory
notes and joining notes. There are also two accompanying CDs which go into more
detail with fingering on track 2. Each of the 36 tunes has a corresponding
track on CD, which not only gives examples on the practice chanter on how to
play the urlars and any areas in need of expression, but also goes into further
depth with spoken explanation and, in some examples, singing of canntaireachd.
Another
"piobaireachd wish" that many pipers had, was that there had
been some kind of CD to go with Binneas is Boreaig. It's fairly well known that
there are a series of tapes that were intended to go with the Binneas series,
but legend has it they are not of a suitable quality for distribution. Dugald's
CDs contain compact and excellent audio guides to the tunes. (I suppose you
could say it does for piobaireachd what Dugald's "Essential Tunes"
books did for ceol beag, but that might be stretching it, as Essential Tunes
didn't really go into the competition genre). Each CD track is a lesson in
itself, and is particularly useful for not only phrasing and expression, but
also those all important moments when we are joining one variation to another.
If you are fairly new to ceol mor and have been asking where to go after
completing the Seumas MacNeill (or as it now is, College of Piping tutor 4)
Piobaireachd Tutor, I'd personally recommend this book. If you have read any of
Roddy Cannon's pieces in the Piping Times, you will be familiar with the
concept of playing a phrase in 2/4, followed by a phrase in 3/4, then back to
2/4, as in the way Donald of Laggan, for example, is presented here. It's a lot
less complicated than it sounds, and switching between time signatures becomes
second nature. Diagonal lines indicate pauses in the music, leaving us with the
separation of the music into the phrases made so familiar by Seumas MacNeill’s
tutor and Binneas is Boreaig.
Additional
notes are given at the bottom of the page for some tunes. For example, Massacre
of Glencoe comes with guidance on preparing for cadences.
That's not to say it's a book for intermediate players, there are 36 tunes in
this first volume, and they range from good intermediate tunes up to a gold medal
standard.
Dugald is well known for his work with the College of Piping and the
Piobaireachd Society, but this book is entirely his own personal publication.
Sight
readable Ceol Mr Book One is available from the College of Piping.
You
can buy the book of 36 piobaireachds and two accompanying CDs, containing 38
tracks, for £15, or just the book for £10. It's good value which ever way you
look at it, in my opinion.
The
tunes contained in the book are listed below;
Glengarry's
Lament
Battle of Auldearn (2)
Battle of Sheiffmuir
Battle of Waternish
Beloved Scotland
Carles with the Breeks
End of the Great Bridge
Flame of Wrath
The Glen is Mine
Kiss of the King's Hand
King's Taxes
Lament for Alasdair Dearg
Lament for Captain MacDougall
Catherine's Lament
Lament for Donald of Laggan
Lament for the Little Supper
Lament for Mary MacLeod
Lament for the Old Sword
Lament for the Only Son
Lament for Patrick Og
Lament for Red Hector of the Battles
Rory MacLoude's Lament
Lament for the Viscount of Dundee
Wee Spree
The MacDonald's are Simple/Honourable
MacKay's Banner
MacLeod's Controversy
Massacre of Glencoe
The Piper's Warning to his Master
In Praise of Morag
Locheil's Salute
MacGregor's Salute
Marquis of Argyll's Salute
Melbank's Salute
Munro's Salute
Struan Robertson's Salute
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