You bet I will 
I’m sure I’ll be bouncing off the walls when my starter set arrives (theoretically two or three weeks from now).
Of course, I have a different sort of challenge than a GHB player: I haven’t played much Irish music, I’m not familiar with the ornamentation, and I’m coming from Bulgarian gaida! Talk about your different styles! I’m sure I’ll have fun learning, though.
-David
As a general observation, my experience has been that those in favour of a slower pace often express very negative veiws about the faster styles of playing. However, I rarely hear the latter giving out about the former! I don’t think that speed should be an issue unless playing for dancers. Today, much Irish music is designed soley for listening and we have to take this into account. Padraig O Keefe who shaped much of the Sliabh Luachra repertoire reputedly hated playing for dancers. It’s not a sin to love the music for itself. Many of the older players tipped along at a fair old pace, as long as the music is “right” it doesn’t matter. Also one shouldn’t curb the enthusiam of youth too much, we have all got plenty of time to be boring old pontificating gits who talk about how much better things were in their days. Actually, I’m looking forward to it, but until then I think the speeding fines are going to keep coming!
A few things I’ve noticed -
While I was taking piano lessons my teacher had to keep reminding me to play the music how it was written, that faster didn’t necessarily mean better. That having been said, Orbis asked for fast tunes, not to simply play tunes fast. Anyone who wants to “play fast” can simply take Donnybrook Fair and set the metronome to 210, and with practice, will eventually be able to do it, but it will be a butcher of a tune. That wasn’t his request as I understood it he was looking for tunes that were designed to be “fast,” which is fine. After all, my piano teacher would complain equally about me not playing a fast piece up to tempo.
Secondly, I get the sense that Orbis may have taken offence and is not even checking the thread anymore as he seems to have not said anything in a long while, which is a shame. If you’re still checking, don’t go away.
I’m a Lagavulin 16 man myself. Bowmore is pretty good, too.
Yea, I’m older than I once was, but younger than I’ll be…
I found an old piture the other day, of me playing my first practice chanter about 20 years ago, with cowboy hat and beard, sitting at the pump organ, with a pencil holding down the D key for drones. 
I’ll have to adjust that one for a new avatar!
Yea, that’s an old flat set, a 1938 Gibson with strings attached. I get tired of reeds sometimes.
Orbis
Hope you’ve not been discouraged by the variable responses to your post on speed…it has certainly got them all debating!
Antaine wrote:
“…, I get the sense that Orbis may have taken offence and is not even checking the thread anymore as he seems to have not said anything in a long while, which is a shame. If you’re still checking, don’t go away.”..
Well I say,hang in there…there can be some good advice and info on the forum [like mine!?] 
I got the most help from pipers that I could meet up with, [regardless of anyone’s speed ] so I hope you’ve got a few contacts near you.
Robbie Hannan is definitely the man to listen to…slow him down and you might spot the technique that he has…he grace notes pretty well EVERY note that he plays…not easy to do slow, never mind at his speed.
Whatever speed a piper plays at, its really important to cut, tap, staccato, trill, flap, slide, cran and triplet etc in specific ways…Robbie is very specific about his “technique” and I had to bin an awful lot of my own [reasonable & established] technique so that i could get the sound that i wanted.
Good Luck with your piping
Boyd.
www.strathspeyinmay.com
How about Bushmills Malt, Lads?
By the way, I live near all the Speyside distilleries…Jealous??
Golly,
what a lot of posts…
Your character has a great deal to do with your piping. I am slightly hectic by nature, and quite often that comes out through my playing, and am damned if I will alter my nature for anyone (except my wife!! ). If you have the pulse of the music flowing at speed, then it is fine. Listen to Romanian gypsy fiddlers. They play on a pulse that is at least twice the speed of the rest of Europe. They are classifiable as geniuses (?).
Your music is your own to interpret as you see fit.
Also I suppose, “I do because I can”…
Alan
Hya Alan take it your quoting the Prince of Pipers?had a good talk with him last March when I was in London and we got around to that famous remark..when I asked him if he really said it?Ah well says he, that was the exuberances of youth !!He then said that he is playing better than he has ever done and slower!!So if its good enough for Finbar its good enough for me.
Anyways should ye not be busy making reeds for all those folks on the Forum??
PS Your last reed fired up with no adjustment at all
Slan go Foill
Hi stew and Pat… I do like the Scotch stuff but the Jameson 1780, Gold and 15 year old when the “spirit” moves me is the schtuff Also a dhrop of the ould Middleton when it’s bought for me as a gift… hint.. hint 
Patrick.
How 'bout Knockeen Hills Poteen Gold strength (140 proof-that’s 70%ABV, boys and girls)?
That’ll put hair on yer liver. 
While we are talking slow and fast, could someone post a bpm speed (at least a range) for slow aires, jigs, double jigs, hornpipes, reels, marches, ect. I have been playing my practice set for 2 months now and I am trying to overcome the serious lack of rhythm that I was born with. I can play along with my NPU tutor tape, but I am lost (with how fast/slow) when I to play sheet music that I don’t have a clip to play with. I find that I am usually too fast when I get a clip to compare. Thanks
sfrmowman,
Quote from Breandan Breathnach’s Ceol Rince 1963 where he says traditional players usually play tunes at the following tempos
Double jigs - dotted crotchet 127
Single jigs - dotteed crotchet 137
Slip jigs - dotted crotchet 144
Reels - crotchet 224
Hornpipes - crotchet 180
To play the music at a quicker tempo detracts from the melody, to play it somewhat slower can do no harm.
End of quote.
Breathnach is usually regarded as sound on these matters.
(All I want to say on the subject actually)
Ken
Sfr,
According to the Ceol Rince books (this is lifted from the book) it says.
Double jig - dotted crotchet = 127
Single jig - dotted crotchet = 137
Slip Jig - dotted crotchet = 144
Reels - crotchet = 224
Hornpipes - crotchet = 180
This presumably mean bpm.
Alan
my comments where posted more in humor so I hope we all still have some..yet there is truth behind the humor which stems from those sessions were someone is more concerned about showing off speed than they are about reflecting the beauty of the music itself. I used to speed when I first got my drivers license but age has brought me the wisdom to know that it is dangerous. So I guess what I am saying is that if your going to play fast…fine…dont drink beforehand and be careful not to run over the bodhran player! 
Oops, ken, I was right behind you!!
Alan
Alan,
I think my bookshelves must be nearer the PC than yours.
Great minds…
Ken
srfmowman,
Don’t worry it will all come in time keep on practiceing
I don’t play off sheet music anymore I prefer just to by ear now be paient.
Whisky is the water of life 
But sudstances of 140% proof and 16 year olde Lagavulin 46%were made
FOR SCIENCE
ARE YOU SURE YOUR STILL ALIVE IN THERE 
Forgive the spelling Guys TO much Whisky 
I play different tunes at different speeds depending on how I feel. This is when playing solo or at a session (though Im careful to play a wee bit slower at sessions these days)
I have on the whole had a leaning towards playing at a healthy lick. However I am listening a lot more to clare fiddle style and Willie Clancy a lot more these days. It has changed the way I play. I love the haunting timeless plaing of willie Clancy, particularly his playing of the old bush. It has a timeless quality to it.
Yeah its good to play some tunes at quite a pace once you have the ornamentation and technique, but I had to revisit my playing after hearing the likes of Bobby Casey and Paddy Canny and of course Willie .
There are many excellent pipers out there who play both fast and slower. I like to think they can all teach me someting about piping and Irish music in general.
Slow airs are wonderful when played well but sound ridiculous when played too quicky or rushed.
Some pipers (one in particular) played everything very sedately. For me his piping lacked spark and enthusiasm.
As for Whisky
Scotch Whisky- Ardmore (East Highland malt quite hard to come by)
Irish Whiskey - The Tyrconnell
It’s good to be able to play at a whole variety of speeds, I’d say, so it doesn’t all sound the same.
Only problem is…Gotta practice them all !!
Boyd
www.strathspeyinmay.com
Whiskey or Whisky … that is the Question.
I’ve an 18 year old Glenlivet and a 10year old Macallan in my cabinet [among others]…should I drink’em …or donate them to the festival raffle?! 
Naaaa…I’ll drink’em…