Hey Folks,
I’d appreciate any advice anyone might have about playing accompaniment for the Highland pipe on guitar. Tuning, chord progressions - any insights would be helpful.
I’m especially interested in playing for hornpipes and jigs.
Thanks!
James
Hi James,
Here’s the input I got when I asked that question of our piper’s forum.
http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=50670
It isn’t as easy as it sounds. GHB use an archaic scale and are just tuned rather than tempered. Getting in tune with them is very tricky.
Thanks Tim! That’s a start.
I’ve played both instruments for years, but have never tried to reconcile them. Playing with other instruments isn’t really in the culture of the GHB (with the exception of drums, of course). It’s becoming clear to me why that is.
I find that I can get by with a capo on the first fret, playing basic chords in A, but if anyone has some other ideas, or ideas about chord progressions in particular, it would be appreciated. In fact, any other advice out there would be very welcome! I’m supposed to be playing with someone live soon, and I’m doing a lot of head scratching at the moment.
J.
You don’t play guitar with GHB. That is why they have drones. It’s like playing guitar with a pipe organ. I just attended a pipe organ concerto and the organ drowned out the large chamber orchestra. It’s a nice idea but just doesn’t work in the end. And the organ has a volume control unlike the Pipes.
Hi again James,
I assume you’er guitar is amplified? That’s the only way you’ll stand a chance against a GHB, as Baglady points out. Otherwise it won’t matter one whit what chords you play or don’t!
Oh, Baglady! Guitar sounds fantastic with the pipes! I’ve recorded and performed in concert with guitar and pipes - I’ve just always been on the pipes! If you’ve never heard it done really well, you should check out recordings featuring the Cape Breton guitarist Dave MacIsaac (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bF-JDAdQyXo). One of the first recordings with him playing with pipers that I ever heard was this:
The piping is a tad unpolished, but that’s part of the charm of the album I think, and the guitar accompaniment is great, and too sparce, if anything (check out track 8 especially).
Unlike Dave, however, I have no pretentions to play note for note with the pipes. Simple accompaniment suggestions is all I’m looking for:). I’m not quite as confmortable being the one responsible for making the two instruments fit together! It’s nice being a piper and letting everyone else play to you:)
The event will be well mic’ed…and that’s the problem really 
I would think very highly of anyone out there capable of keeping me from making a fool o’meself…
I have that Open the Door CD but had forgotten all about it. Now I’ll get it out and listen.
I have a small amount sheet music for pipe tunes that I’ve collected over the years for one reason or another but I don’t play pipes. I have played bouzouki and occasionally 5-string banjo with the pipes-both small pipes and uilleann pipes. Never with GHB as far as I can remember. I had a look at some of the tunes yesterday. There are both some dance tunes and some pipe marches. I couldn’t suggest any chord sequences for most of these as the chords have to be tailored to the particular tune except in the case of the “double tonic” type (A, G, A G, etc.). It looks to me like the chord changes can be quite varied for pipe tunes.
Hi James … Hesitating to jump in here, because I don’t normally accompany GHB, only ITM. But I might tune in drop-D or DADGAD, then play out of the following positions for these common keys:
Bb (A) - Capo 3, G position
Cm (Bm) - Capo 3, Am position
Eb (D) - Capo 1, D position
Fm (Em) - Capo 3, Dm position
By Bb (A), I mean of course the GHB key of Bb-ish which, if I understand correctly, is usually notated conceptually as A. And so on.
If your guitar has a cutaway with enough room up the neck, these might also work with a lighter, more delicate sound:
Bb (A) - Capo 8, D position
Eb (D) - Capo 8, G position
Fm (Em) - Capo 8, Am position
Capo 1 in A position certainly works for the Bb (A) tunes, as you said, particularly in standard tuning. But A always seems somehow the least trad sounding and most awkward of the standard tuning keys for this sort of music, at least to my ear.
As for GHB + guitar, with the right sound and mike setup I’m sure it can sound just fine. Good luck with the gig!
I was playing some songs at the cast bar of the Basel Tattoo last summer, when this piper from the Gordon Highlanders (in full dress) comes up to me with his pipes, asking “do you know Yellow submarine?”
I said yes, listened to his pipes for a moment, then tuned my guitar up or down (don’t remember which) one quarter step and used Barrée Chords from there. After the Beatles Classic we played Scotland the brave and Rowan tree and maybe some more. It was a lot of fun and that’s how I learned how to play guitar with GHB.
By the way: For some superb examples of of Pipes in a folk band, listen to the Battlefield Band.
Thanks for the suggestions everyone - and the Battlefield band was a great one. I’m not sure why I didn’t think of that, but I’ve just picked up a few things from watching them on ebay.
I’ve had less success with DADGAD, but that’s probably my limitation.
There’s a few days left, and I’m still open to suggestions.
Thanks again everyone!
J.
Another band to look into for examples a’plenty: The Tannahill Weavers
Have you tried DADEAE tuning? I haven’t explored it much, but it does seem to be a little friendlier with the key of A than DADGAD does.
Thread resurrection -
Another band to check out is Cantrip - A youngish Scottish band in the mold of Tannahill Weavers with a bit more modern of a sound. 1 piper, 2 fiddles, 1 bouzouki player. They are very good.
They can work well. I have done so, unamplified!!! tune up I just tune up to the pipers A, on a spanish guitar this is OK. Then I play in a very percussive style, short brutal chords, , a bit like a Numetal guitar style. I have spent most of my life backing ITM and also play the pipes so am already familiar with the styles. That is pretty essential really. You need to know what chords go where, typical progressions etc.
Its A mixolydian or D major mainly, the occasional Bm DAG.[ key?]
Good luck. enjoy.javascript:emoticon(‘8)’)
I still say pipes and guitar are unnecessary but, since it seems to be impossible to properly mic GHB drones, guitars work well in a large miced venue or recorded media. As by Breabach, Daimh, and others. In all the drones are lost.
In a way I agree with you, but if you view the guitar as the percussion, then it makes sense. After all pipes and drums can be a good combination. So a percussive style of guitar playing can work well, clarifying form. Of course it all depends on the players… You could also cut the drones, or some of them. creating a different sound texture. |I played with a Cork Uilleann piper, and he had no drones going, reed issues of course. not a problem at all. I view the drones as the accompaniment to the chanter. Its the chanter that is the main beasty.
what about an overhead mic for the drones? I have heard of contact mic’s being used on reeds… don’t know much about it. otherwise a set of 3 wireless radio mic’s for horns would do the job, but not cheap! Samson do one, also a similar thing available for fiddle might work if it could handle the volume
There’s some really nice playing by Tony McManus on Gordon Duncan’s “Thunderstruck” recording which McManus produced if I’m not mistaken.
Some nice things on bouzouki by Jaime McMemeny on Fred Morrison’s “Up South” as well.