Andrew Hayward

The Fair Maid of Barra

Bagpipe music + copyright

Isn't it interesting that there is very little copyright protection in the world of fashion design? Designers, as it turns out, rip each other off all the time. Consumers like you and me do not often need to look far for perfectly sufficient 'imitation' designs of much higher-priced shirts, shoes and pants. I learned about it all this week in my music profession paper. Our lecturer played us this TEDtalk videofile:

It got me thinking about the copyright issues relating to bagpipe music.

The earliest collection of bagpipe sheet music that I know of is the Scots Guards collection (in 2 volumes). A tutor once told me that the release of these books was the biggest and most exciting thing to happen to bagpiping in the 1950s. Many, many pipers now own a copy. I don't have these books here with me in Dunedin, but I know from memory that the Gordon Highlanders' collection of bagpipe music has a very clear reminder about copyright at the beginning of each volume.

          

Of course, owners of copyright do not actually need to provide such reminders, but it should be assumed that all sheet music is protected by copyright, even if it doesn't display the © sign.

The issue with bagpipe sheet music is that most of it does not display the copyright (©) symbol, so many pipers assume that they are free to photcopy it, and re-distribute it however they please. Either this, or pipers just have little respect for copyright law. Much of the physical bagpipe sheet music that has been handed to me in the past 10 years is a photocopy from some book, and I have also been taught and encouraged to copy sheet music into a bagpipe music writer for digital storage and distribution. Even (or, especially) the music of contemporary piping Gods such as Robert Mathieson and Gordon Duncan is treated in this way, and their copyright warnings are very clear.

So is there such a thing as a financially-successful bagpipe music composer? No. Guts for me, but I have deduced that the bagpipe world still has very strong folk culture, whereby tunes are passed on from piper to piper quite freely, without any concern for the right to copy, and generally, people don't seem to mind.

Anyway, it's not as if anyone else chases this up...

www.andrewhayward.co.nz

I Love Clubs & Societies at Otago

I was rather upset when I composed my last post, for I had just encountered an angry and 'not-very-nice' neighbour. However, the world of piping has once again been balanced, this time with the assistance of OUSA and Otago's Clubs and Societies building.

I approached the Otago University Students' Association with my North East Valley piping problem, and they recommended I enquire at the Clubs and Scoieties building for a music practice room. I was very pleased with this recommendation, so I talked over my situation with an assistant at the Clubs and Societies reception. She was very helpful in her manner of assisting me, and I came out with a regular practice room booked for the next two weeks, and a heavy weight off my shoulders.

I was also very pleased to discover that a blues harmonica workshop was being offered in the building, so perhaps next week I will go along and rediscover the blues harp in all its glory.

Thanks OUSA, good job.

www.andrewhayward.co.nz

Music at Otago 28/02/11

Well I made it. It has been about eight months since I started applying for universities and after a somewhat laid-back holiday of working and learning to drive,  today I was shoved back into action with a powerful force. After only one day of lectures, I believe I have a good idea as to which of my papers will be most interesting and enjoyable for me, and which of my papers will bring my mind to ultimately explode.

Nonetheless, it's good to get back on track with my academic goals, and to plant the seeds of greatness from which I will reap in my musical career to come.

View more of my photos on Flickr:

www.andrewhayward.co.nz

Pipe Lessons and Orientation Week at Otago

Lectures at the University of Otago don't start until next week, so this week has been filled with student events on and off campus in what staff, students and other locals call "O'Week".

I haven't been to any concerts or clubs during O'Week, except on Thursday this DJ set up near where I was sitting in the sun, and started a party around me. I have, however, been on campus everyday, trying to get lost somewhere, then seeing if I can find my way back again. At least I know where all the music buildings are, so I won't be late for lectures next week.

Since arriving, I have had two pipe lessons with my new tutor, Geoff Hallberg, who as it turns out, I have met before. Perhaps I met him at one of the RNZPBA summer schools or in the Auckland & District Pipe Band practices sometime. I know he will be a good influence on me, for he can tune my bagpipes so well that I sound like another piper entirely. He has me working on two piobaireachds: The Little Spree and MacIntosh's Lament. No doubt he will have me competing with those by April!

I haven't heard from the Pipe Major of the City of Dunedin Pipe Band yet, but Geoff says many student pipers my age play with their bands, so I do think it is the best band for me.

www.andrewhayward.co.nz

Photos from The Butterflies' End of Year Recital

Goodbye Unitec. You have taught us many great things and you will surely be missed.

Goodbye Music Lab.

Final Lecture

I don't know if anyone else has thought of this, but we have just had our final lecture at Unitec.

Tomorrow morning's classes will be taken up with returning our iPads and presenting our MySpace pages and if anyone shows up on Friday it will be to work on composition. So that's it.

I like how Jim concluded two years of lectures today:

"The End."

End of Year Recital 2010

The recital yesterday was excellent!

I am so happy with our performance and I am proud of us. It's a shame that we will not perform together again : (

Can't Even Play Harmonica Too Good Blues: I honestly can't remember if I introduced the title of this song yesterday...we shall have to see on the recording. The song went well and I am happy with everyone's efforts.

C'mon Girl: I have learnt how to spell this song title correctly. What I have always liked about this song is that we all like it so much! I think it really shows in our performance.

Unforeseen Time: I think that this song came next, but whoops with the conducting! Sorry about that, everyone. One other thing though, I do think that the tuning of guitars just before this song took too long. After the show, some people mentioned to me that they thought it stole effect from our performance. I'm not sure what to think though. I mean, it has to be done...

Drum Solo : (

Butterflies, Blades & Blackness: This song sounded great. Daniel did an excellent job with backing vocals and he should be proud. I quite like this new bass guitar, too. It made me sound quite good : )

Chocolate Panda & the Turtle: HA! We nailed it. Alyshia and I tied the lyrics to stakes in the ground and whipped them with rusty chains...figuratively. Take that evil fairies!

Stay: Always our best song. Maybe it wasn't so hot from other people's perspectives but I thought it sounded fine, except for when I lost timing a few times.

Overall, I think our performance was a great reflection of how we all have grown since we first met in February 2009. I for one never thought I'd be playing blues harp or bass guitar at our end of semester recitals. I think I shall continue learning both and maybe by the end of my studies I shall be a fairly impressive as a musician : )

iPad Reflection for Music Technologies & the Internet:

Who's this guy?

This morning I recorded my iPad Reflection for Music Technology and the Internet. I also thought I would work on my composition but it's such a nice day for playing bagpipes, so I'll go do that instead.