This Friday's lesson was focused on the chanter and working out the kinks in the new march I'm learning.  This new march is technically easier than say, Muir of Ord, and 79ths Farewell to Gibralter.  Those other two were a bit much for me at my stage of learning.  While the 79ths I could play from memory (most of it) the timing and dot cut was still a ways off from being correct.

This new march "Prince Charles Welcome to Lochaber" is a nice musical tune, fun to play and has just the right amount of difficulty right now.  It is another dot cut tune but the arrangement is such that it doesn't play mind tricks on you like 79ths did.  At this stage of the tune I have all of the fingering down pretty good, the embellishments are good, just need to work on the timing and tempo and clean up a few spots here and there.

The last couple of months at the office has been extremely busy, probably the busiest we have been in 13 years of operation and that has put a damper on my ability to practice when I get home, I'm just dead tired!  Even so, I still have to fit some practice time in here and there.  With the weather getting better (slightly) and the days getting longer I am now able to pipe outside, which is nice since I can march back and forth in the yard.

Next week I don't have a lesson on Friday, Helen will be at the BC indoor competition up at SFU in Vancouver.  I went last year and it was held in a small high school and was very chaotic, this year having it at the SFU should be much better.  I'm bummed that I won't be able to go.  Maybe next year!