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Date Posted: 14:04:04 01/31/05 Mon
Author: Jim Ryan
Subject: Momentum

I must say that Saturday's practice may have been the MOST satisfying practice I've ever attended. We covered a tremendous amount of ground and I for one am pleased with our progress. Our tone went to an entirely new level on Saturday with the new tuning procedure. Thank you everyone for your patience while we tried to sort it out. It still has a kink or two in it, but we'll get there. In the meantime, for anyone reading this who maybe hasn't heard the group in a while (Andy?, Vic?), we are going to KNOCK YOUR SOX OFF with our sound. I promise the first word outta your mouth will be "wow".

We still need to work on our playing tho. Our unison is not where it needs to be to win a big contest. Please remember the most important lesson from Saturday's practice:

"I'm not saying you are WRONG in your particular style of play. I AM saying that it's not the style the band is using."

Put yourself in my shoes for just a moment. Do you think it might be hard to tell Chuck Burgin that he's playing wrong? He learned from Duncan Freakin Johnstone!!!!! Who am I? Chuck DOES understand however, that he's not "wrong". Rather, the band is using a style that is musical and more importantly, puts us in the best position to achieve tighter unison. PLEASE remember that this week and into the future as you work on the jigs and reels especially.

We currently have something in this band that very few bagpipe bands EVER achieve: Momentum. I can actually feel it. The band is slowly pulling forward. As a pipe corps, we're achieving better things more frequently. We're not where we were in Scotland 2003, but we're miles better than where we were in February of 2003. I really want us to build on that momentum. I am EXTREMELY excited about the group again, after several months of "Ho-Hum, another practice". I can feel us moving inexorably (Look it up, Cory)forward. I really hope no one gets left behind, but that's not up to me.

I'm telling you, if we keep progressing at this pace, in three months we'll be an entirely different band than the one that took 2nd place in Pleasanton in the last contest of 2004.

Words can't describe how excited I am about the momentum we've built. We are going to absolutely destroy the competition at the Queen Mary IF (and this is a big IF) we can build on that momentum. The only way for us to build on that momentum is to play our instruments. The more we play them, the faster this train is going to go. If you don't play them, you could realistically be left at the station. I'm not threatening. If it comes across that way, I apologize. What I'm doing is trying to put into words what I see coming out of the best damned band in Arizona, and the best Grade III band in the US.

jr

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