Smallpiper

Röros Polska - video

noreply@blogger.com (Smallpiper) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:44:02 PST

Hello!
It really is about time I started to blog again, so here is a movie I've made of a Swedish tune on the Scottish Smallpipes. It's a duet and you can find the dots on our website.

Just some fun really, but a really great Swedish tune.
:)
Vicki

Anna's March - brand new podcast

noreply@blogger.com (Smallpiper) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:40:12 PST

Anna's March
Dots!
Hello!
After what seems like ages I have finally recorded another podcast for all you pipers out there. It's a little 2/4 march. The accompaniment is the usual pipe duet, but with the nyckelharpa and cittra too. I'll get better at playing them I promise! good luck and thanks for listening! I'd love to hear anyone elses version of this tune!
:)
Vx

The Damson Tree

noreply@blogger.com (Smallpiper) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:39:34 PST

The Damson Tree - A
Dots in A

Hello!
Here is another pipe tune for you. I'm sorry it's been a few weeks! This has been for a couple of reasons. Part of it was trying to think about doing a tune with extra notes in it, I wanted to do a tune from our repertoire, but they all have high Bs in them. If you'd like to see some of our tunes, the dots for all of them are on our website. I've included one track on this podcast for you from Scatter Pipes to listen to.

Finally I hope I haven't compressed this podcast too much. I suspect I was a little heavy handed on the compression, sorry about that! I hope it's ok and please, all feedback is gratefully received!
:-)
Vicki

Pushbike - part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Smallpiper) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:38:11 PST

Pushbike in A
Dots in A

Hello!
The next tune is here! This is a jig written by Jonny with some accompaniment by him. (I still added bass and flute though.) I played it quite slowly, I hope it's not too slow! This is the shortest podcast I've done so far, only weighing in at a little over 9Mb. Not sure what happened there! I hope that it's ok. This is actually a two part tune, a jig and then a reel. I only did the jig this week, but if you like I'll complete the tune with the reel next time. Just let me know!

Feedback as always is gratefully received! As I have mentioned before (but not recently) this is part of my masters research and I'm going to start writing it up very soon. So if you have any comments or observations about podcasting as a tune teaching tool, please let me know!

Thanks so very much for listening! Catch you laters!
:-)
Vicki

Lament for the Lone Piper

noreply@blogger.com (Smallpiper) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:36:42 PST

No. 6 The Lament for the Lone Piper in A
Dots in A

Hello!
Here is the next smallpiper podcast tune! I hope that it's ok! I was really chuffed with the reaction of the ensemble of the last tune so I thought I'd try it again. I wrote this tune a few years ago and wrote a part for string quartet. I thought it would be nice to record those parts, however, it might have seemed like a good idea at the time, it was really hard to do. I'm not really sure that I should put up this tune, but I did do it and I don't think I could face re-doing the parts again, so here it is anyway! Please be gentle with me! I think I need to dust of the bass a bit more and practise the parts a bit instead of just sightreading it straight away. Doh! I think I was too tired really and should have left it until after the weekend, but it's ok! I also wanted to try to record a tune that is from our new album (not released yet, but pretty close). It's hard to do some of our tunes because I have three extra notes to most pipes, so I have to avoid those tunes, which is most of them! I think though I'll arrange some so that they can be played and then cast them!

I mention in the podcast about the festival podcast that I'm going to make at the weekend. There's a link on the side of this podcast leading to it, it'll show up when I've posted the cast, hopefully early next week.

Thanks again for listening and reading all of this waffle!
laters
:)
Vicki

The Race to Home

noreply@blogger.com (Smallpiper) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:35:02 PST

No. 5 The Race for Home in A
Dots in A

Hello!
At last here is the next podcast. (I've been away on holiday, so sorry for the delay in getting this one out!) I improvised a flute part and bass part and it was getting late. Thanks for the heads up about the drum beat, not sure what came over me there! You're right, it didn't fit the melodic structure at all! Hey ho! So no loops at all this week, just me, me, me, me and me. (tee hee). I hope it's ok!
I look forward to hearing from you!
:)
Vicki

Lullaby for the Sleepy

noreply@blogger.com (Smallpiper) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:33:58 PST

No.3 - Lullaby for the Sleepy in A
The dots in A!
Hi!

This is the third Smallpiper Folk Podcast. Thank you so much for all the wonderful feedback that I've had so far! It's been great! I've not used the repeat the two bar thing this time, so I hope it's still ok! As in the last tune I used GarageBand to create a veeeeeery simple backing, the chords don't really fit, but it makes it slightly more interesting to listen to. I've recorded it as a duet, and the dots have got both parts, but I've split them into apart and not directly on top of each other. I hope this helps a bit. Again the cast weighs in at 16Mb, so not for dial up really.
I mention in the podcast that I've already taught tunes using a normal website, you can see this here. If you fancy giving me feedback here with a comparison of what you've found easier, then that'd be really great!

:)
Vix

Dusty Pipes

noreply@blogger.com (Smallpiper) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:58:25 PST

No. 2 - The Dusty Pipes
Hello!
I've decided to refresh my older podcasts, mostly because my other webspace finally went down and it was easier to refresh the podcasts that I wanted than to edit the links on the oldest ones. So here is my first smallpipe podcast that I did back in 2005:

Hi!
This week I've taught a smallpipe tune, in the key of A. Non-bagpipers can still give the tune a go.

This tune is called "The Dusty Pipes" It's dedicated to all those people who have ever had to leave a much loved musical instrument behind at home. Again I've taught it 2 bars by 2 bars, 4 bars by 4 bars etc. If you think this doesn't work here then let me know and I'll have a re-think how to do this! Included is a very cheesy version of the tune with a backing made in a Mac program called GarageBand. I know the chords don't really fit, but it sort of does the job for this podcast.

If you'd like the dots, right click and download from here.

:-)
Vix

Scottish Smallpiper Tutor

noreply@blogger.com (Smallpiper) — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 07:13:57 PDT

I forgot to mention earlier...
I've been working really hard on getting it ready and final duplication.
I've built it into a browser based tutor with the original podcast audio lessons,supplemented with movies and a printable pdf. The pdf will be available on it's own with a paypal button and then e-mail/download. The browser based tutor is too large for web distribution, so that's going to be a CD. Planned launch date is 3rd November. I'm working hard on the typing errors. (I'll never get rid of them all though!) The pdf will definitely be ready in time but the CD will make it only by the skin of it's teeth. So watch this space! It could be ready in two weeks time!
:))
Vicki

The Willows - a live video

noreply@blogger.com (Smallpiper) — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 01:37:17 PDT

Hello!
I'm sorry I've not posted anything in a while. Once I finished writing all the masters assignment, I got into learning the Swedish Nyckelharpa. I wanted to learn an instrument remotely, just like everyone who has been learning from my podcasts. It's been a really interesting learning experience. I should probably write it up properly, or at least document it in some way so that I can return to it later. Anyway, that's a conversation for another time. If you'd like to see how I'm getting on with the nyckelharpa you can see me with it here! Back to the Willows anyway. This was recorded live last week, it's two tunes. The Willows and the Three Ashes. You can get the dots from here. We love these two tunes, you need to watch though, they have to have a high G sharp and a high B to really make them work. So enjoy the movie, let me know if you play them. I'd love to hear it!
More soon I promise! Would you prefer podcast or video? I think I'd prefer to podcast, it's easier! I have a feeling that some links might be dead now, so let me know if I've missed any and I'll fix them!
:)
Vx

Apples and Chairs a videocast

noreply@blogger.com (Smallpiper) — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 08:38:37 PST

Hello!
I've finished the videoing for the tutor book CDrom and I thought it was a shame to waste having set up the camera and curtain. It's a tune from the tutor and I've podcast it before, but I had an accompaniment file and I wanted to try to synch up my audio with the accompaniment. I think I managed ok!
Anyway, back to editing the CDrom.
Hope you're all well!
:)
Vx

Another movie - Round the World

noreply@blogger.com (Smallpiper) — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 02:33:23 PST

Hello!
Another video cast this week. I don't think it's going through onto iTunes, er, I guess that's a minus point for Youtubing. I am in the process of setting up a superdooper server at home. Well, I say sooperdooper, it'll be slow and flakey, but it'll be mine, woo hoo! As soon as I have that better sorted I'll re-publish the movies but as proper vodcasts. In the meantime, here is the tune Round the World (from the album ThumbTwiddling). The dots for the tune are Here!

Hope you enjoyed the movie! Let me know what you thought. The soundtrack and pictures went slightly out of synch and I didn't discover that until this morning as I uploaded it. Sigh, I'll try harder next time. It was adding the titles that through them out, but I thought I'd fixed it! Anyway, thanks for watching!
:)
Vx

An experiment with YouTube ...

noreply@blogger.com (Smallpiper) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:54:37 PST

Hello!
I've handed in my dissertation and fingers crossed it passes, hurrah! So tonight (after two weeks of solid writing) here is a video of the tune I've been using as my 'signature tune'. It's Jock's Magic Box by Jonny and you can find the dots here!
I'm not so good with editing videos yet, but I'm sure I'll get better. Let me know how you get on, did you prefer the audio podcasts, or is this a bit of fun!

I've included the YouTube version and as it didn't show up in iTunes I've video-cast it too. My webspace seems to have stayed up with the University, so fingers crossed it stays. I'll use it as long as possible!

Hope you had a great Christmas and New Year!
:)
Vx

Webspace goin' down... :(

noreply@blogger.com (Smallpiper) — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 15:17:44 PST

Hello!
Unfortunately I'm about to lose all the webspace that I have previously been able to use. The University that I have been studying at is closing the department down as of Friday 22nd December. This unfortunately means that all my podcast links will break, sigh. I'm going to rationalize the podcasts, the tutor is pretty much already down anyway, but I'm going to have to decide what podcasts I can and can't keep up here. I may resort to a "please donate to keep the podcasts up" button. We'll see! In the mean time if you visit the site but can't get to any of the podcasts, please give me a shout and I'll fix the ones you'd like the fastest. I might get things transferred over before the webspace gets wiped, but then again, I might not. You'll be pleased to hear that I'm going to do some videocasts in the New Year and I'm going to use youtube to host them, so at least I won't have any data transfer issues with that! Right now, I'm nearly done on the dissertation, I'm onto the 3rd draft now, so wish me luck and hope to hear from you soon!
:)
Vx

A Vicki & Jonny Episode

noreply@blogger.com (Smallpiper) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:53:33 PST

A Vicki & Jonny Episode
Hello!
I got so excited at having finally recorded all the episodes of the tutor book that Jonny and I decided to put together a 'normal' podcast of some Scottish Smallpiping. So I went straight out into the shed and put this show together. Four different tracks in different keys from different albums just showing off the Scottish Smallpipes. So if you've heard the tutorials or the earlier podcasts and just want to hear some good old Scottish Smallpipe playing, this is definitely the episode for you! If you like what you hear there are oodles of links down the right hand side for you to follow to various sorts of shops!
Enjoy!
:)
Vicki & Jonny

Finished Editing the final chapter...

noreply@blogger.com (Smallpiper) — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 07:08:09 PDT

Audio File
Hello!
I've finally finished editing all the chapters of the tutor book, hurrah! You probably noticed that I've removed the previous chapters from here. (Except chapters one and two). I'm now really coming to the final lef of the dissertation, so I'm collecting up as much last minute feedback as possible. I will probably broadcast the final four episodes and leave them here for a short amount of time very soon. My final request is, if you've enjoyed the tutor and don't want to give any feedback, then, maybe, erm, possibly, think about buying our album? We'd appreciate that!

If you're in the states we're on CDbaby. If you're into Paypal and on this side of the pond, we can do that. Or you can just visit our online shop!

Thanks for tuning in!
:)
Vx

Chapter Seven is edited.....

noreply@blogger.com (Smallpiper) — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 06:40:30 PDT

Chapter Seven Podcast
text file!
Hello!
Chapter seven is fully edited and ready for listening to. I'm requesting some more answers of the reserarch questions, so for everyone that hasn't sent back any feedback to me I'm going to post the link to the question file once more. Please, please, please. If you're using any of the materials that I'm posting and you really don't want to answer the questions, just drop me a line and say hi. I've got three months left before I hand in my dissertation, so there's still time to say hello and help mne out!

There's a bit of a twist included in the audio file that I've linked above. So have a listen and then get in touch! You can e-mail me at: vix@ultralab.net

Hope to hear from you soon!
:)
Vx

The Golden Birch - A Video podcast!

noreply@blogger.com (Smallpiper) — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 01:43:32 PDT

Video Podcast!

The Dots.

A different kind of podcast today. As a result of the feedback I got I decided to have a go with the videopodcasting to see if it worked / was worse. I've been out visiting my grandma in Sweden with no access to broadband or any technology other than the computer, so I've put together some old video I made and exported it to a video cast, so there's none of my usual banter. (Maybe you'll find that better, lol) It simply plays through in three different ways a tune, takes roughly 12 minutes. It weighs in at a weighty 35Mb (weighty for the length of time anyway). I'd love it if you'd give the tune a go and then put some feedback either here or e-mail me here!! You don't need to worry about anonymity, I'll not use any names for the dissertation or anything like that so no worries, but leaving messages here is fine too.

So let me know how you get on, does the video add sufficiently to the learning experience to warrant the extra size of file (about three times larger per minute than without the video).

ok, back to editing chapter 7......
Have a good summer.
:)
Vx

A competition!

noreply@blogger.com (Smallpiper) — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 05:57:35 PDT

Podcast!
Hello!
Here is just a quick podcast for you guys! Thank you for downloading and using the tutor and the materials and the tunes! It's been wonderful to see people from all over the world taking part and learning the Smallpipes! Now it's your turn to do me a little favour and I'll send you a present to say thanks! I have 10 questions that I'd really like answered and in return I will send the first 20 people to e-mail me feedback a CD. I'd like the answers to be a couple of sentences for each question really, not just a yes or no answer. It'll be a seriouskitchen album, (I'm the piper on the album). All you need to do is to be one of the first 20 to feedback. I'm keeping the competition open for 7 days starting from the 21st July '06. I talk about the questions in the podcast, but I'll put them here and include a text file that you can send back to me if you like. So here they are:

1. How would you describe the quality of your learning experience?

2. Describe what you learned from the podcast?

3. To what extent did you enjoy the experience?

4. What changes could be made / added to these podcasts to improve the learning experience?

5. In creating the tutor book to podcast I have attempted to anticipate any difficulties and pitfalls, how succesful did I manage this? (Rate me from 1 - 10, 1 being not very good and 10 being fantastic)

6. How was the sequencing of the material in the tutor? (so far) Was it pitched at the right level for a beginner through to more experienced player?

7. Chapters seven to ten haven’t been recorded yet, how can the learning experience be improved?

8. Would you recommend this blog and podcast to other fellow (or would be) pipers?

9. What brought you to this podcast?

10. Any general observations?

Right click to download the text file!

Send your feedback here!!

Chapter Six

noreply@blogger.com (Smallpiper) — Wed, 07 Jun 2006 09:57:15 PDT

Chapter Six Podcast
Chapter Six PDF

Hello!
I managed to get this chapter recorded and edited and up in less than a month this time, hurrah! I've been getting some wonderful feedback from all over the world, so thank you so very much. If you've not said hello to me yet, please, please do! If you want to e-mail the feedback through you can use this address: vix[@]ultralab.net you'll need to remove the square brackets!

This month it's more gracenotes, strikes (or blaps as I've affectionately labelled them). Again the chapter is really long weighing in at 46Mb, this is 1Mb smaller than last month though. No-one complained that it was too long, so I've left it at this length again. If you think it is too long though, do drop me a line and let me know!

I hope I've not screwed up on any numbering this time, I've exported the pdf from the version I was reading and not taken the shot cut of using the pdf I created earlier. I've hopefully exported it ok for PC users to read.

I've been contemplating what I am trying to do and ultimately what actually is my research question. It occurred to me that this sums it up:

"How can I reach and help students improve the quality of their learning using the internet and podcasting?"

This is my action research quest if you like. How can I help you improve the quality of your learning? I know that some movies would ultimately help, but the size of file would be immense, so maybe I need to intersperse the tutor podcasts with some video casts of smaller chunks of technique learning? What do you think? Would that be useful?

I'd love to hear any reflections of learning remotely like this, things like: how did you find this podcast? Are you finding it helpful? What's it like as a remote learner? Do you like the anonymity? Is it easier to learn when you like and at home? Any thoughts at all!

I would love to hear any recordings that you make of any of these podcasts, so please send any though, that would be so fantastic!!!!
Thanks!

Enjoy!

(^_^)
Vx

PS oh yes, the server that the files are held on get backed up from time to time, so if they're not available, it could be that a backup is in progress and they'll work again in a couple of hours.

Chapter Five

noreply@blogger.com (Smallpiper) — Wed, 17 May 2006 05:58:05 PDT

Chapter Five Podcast
Chapter Five PDF

Hello!
I figured a month was long enough in between posts! I've had some nice feedback, but I know that more people are downloading the files than are saying hello! So please, even if it's just a a hello, please let me know you're out there! Even if it's a negative comment, like what you're doing is no good, I'd like to hear it!

This month it's the turn of grace notes. This can be controversial, so I just want to point out that some of the gracenotes that I've included are there to give you the facility to use them. What I am teaching isn't gospel! So do the exercises, learn the gracenotes and then apply them as you see fit!

This chapter is also really long. I was going to cut it into two halves, but I really want to publish it today and it would mean going back and re-recording a new ending and a new start. It would be interesting to hear if you think this is too long! I know I prefer to listen to podcasts that are around the half hour mark, but I guess that this is a learning/teaching tool and slightly different maybe. Anyway, let me know! If you want to e-mail the feedback through you can use this address: vix[@]ultralab.net you'll need to remove the square brackets!

Please have a look at the questions in the last post and mail me or leave a comment here!
I would so love to hear any recordings that you make of any of these podcasts, so please send any though, that would be so fantastic!!!!
Thanks!

Enjoy!
Laters
(^_^)
Vx

Chapter Four and some questions!

noreply@blogger.com (Smallpiper) — Mon, 24 Apr 2006 12:28:55 PDT

Chapter Four Podcast
Chapter Four PDF

Hello!
Sorry it's been a few too many weeks since my last post! I've been fretting over my research questions and trying to make sure that what I am doing is valid. I'm struggling along with the research methodology of my study and just about everything really. Mostly I'm trying to answer the question, what am I trying to achieve. I'm having a hard time putting it into words really. My background is that of a peripatetic instrumental music teacher (flute mainly) and I'm trying to combine my online work with the concept of being a "peri". I've been getting feedback via e-mails which is fantastic, so please keep that up. I've got some questions for other people too, the people that haven't mailed me!

So here is the next chapter of the tutor book. What I'd like to know is this.

1. Is the tutor book working as a podcast teaching tool. Not so much the pedagogy side of the actual book, but the medium by which I'm teaching with it? No is a perfectly good answer!

2. Did you prefer it when I was just doing tunes? I'm more than happy to go back to that. Obviously I will when the tutor is done with anyway!

3. What is the experience like? What is good about taking the tunes from here (or bad!) I'd like to know a bit about what is good about online learning. Is it essentially a lonesome thing, ie a personal and private thing, to remain anonymous or would you like some personal feedback?

4. Does this whole thing work for you, I guess people that feedback on the whole will be positive, but I'd like to hear negative stuff too!

5. If you're a teacher, are you managing to use any of this material?

Anyway, I'm posting this podcast now. So let me know how you all get on with it! I hope that the pdf works first time this time! In fact I just hope I have all the links correct. Sigh! I'll have better questions next time, I just didn't want you to think I'd abandoned you all! Thanks!!!!

Enjoy!
Laters
(^_^)
Vx

SSP tutor podcast No. 2

noreply@blogger.com (Smallpiper) — Sun, 17 Dec 2006 02:07:05 PST

Hello!
Welcome back! I've had some wonderful comments from people about the first podcast, so here at last is the second. I'm making a couple of alterations to the chapter one, especially the tuning of the drones. It was pointed out that the 'throbbing' of the drones gets slower not faster, so sorry!!!! That'll change!!! (Then I'll re-put the file!)

I hope you're getting used to my 'colloquial' speak. I'm going to post up some questions for you to answer for me very very soon, but to keep you going here is the next file!!!! As always, please e-mail me with feedback. Absolutely anything, from this works, to this doesn't. Even if the tutor just makes you feel good about playing, anything that springs to your mind! Please, please, please! Right, enough chatter, on with the tutor!

Enjoy!
Laters
(^_^)
Vx

SSP Beginner Tutorial 1 & 2

noreply@blogger.com (Smallpiper) — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 15:13:46 PST

Tutorial 1 and 2
PDF file of book
Hello!
Welcome back! It's been a while, I've been busy (organising a wedding mostly, but that's a different story!). Anyway my plan now is to podcast the tutor book that I wrote. Now, I know that most of you guys already play the smallpipes, but what I'd find really useful is for you to have a look and a listen and let me know your thoughts. I'd love it if you took the materials and give it a go with any of your students. It is in A, maybe I'll do a D version if there is lots of demand, but it is quite time consuming, so here is the A version. I'm going to work my way through the entire book, but as this is for total beginners the first two chapters deal with the complete basics.

If you're a new person looking at this blog/podcast welcome, great to have you on board. If you don't have a set of pipes, then a practise chanter would do, in fact, I think would be better! So get to your local folkie shop and get a really cheap one. (Hobgoblin do them). I'll give more info laters, but please, please, loads of feedback. Use this tutor and let me know how it goes. Drop me a line and say hi too!!!!
laters!
Vicki

RadioBritfolk...

noreply@blogger.com (Smallpiper) — Wed, 17 Aug 2005 03:54:31 PDT

Podcast No. 9
Hello!

At long last I've posted here again! I've been working hard creating workshops for an internet radio station: Radio Britfolk. I've been making a show a week since the start of July and it's been hard work. So I've rather neglected my podcasts. I'm going to make a really big effort to do some more and also to make more than one festival podcast! I hope to have another done by the end of the month. Anyway, back to this podcast. As a result of making shows for Radio Britfolk I recycled some tunes I've done here already and recorded some new arrangements, so that is what I have here, three old tunes with new backings, no more GarageBand loops. I hope you like them!
Dusty Pipes
Lullaby
Tsunami

I'm now in the home straight and am going to have to make a final desision on my Masters dissertation, so let me know if you have any requests. If you've started to podcast too, let me know, post the link. If you've had fun teaching these tunes to other people, let me know too, I'd love to hear!

Anyway, enough babble! Havea good summer. Catch you again soon!
:-))
Vicki