Have you ever seen the band standing in a tight circle for twenty minutes before a parade starts? We aren’t just gossiping! We’re engaging in the delicate, and often frustrating, art of tuning. Because bagpipes are made of wood and use organic reeds, they are incredibly sensitive to the weather in Port Dover. A sunny day on the beach requires a completely different setup than a damp evening at the Community Centre.
Tuning a full band means making sure every single piper is playing at the exact same pitch. If one person is even slightly “off,” the whole band sounds out of tune. We use “tuning meters” and a whole lot of ear-training to lock the drones together until they produce that iconic, humming “wall of sound.” It’s a process that requires patience, but it’s what separates a group of hobbyists from a professional-sounding ensemble.
Next time you see us “circling up” near the pier, feel free to watch from a distance. You’ll see the Pipe Major moving from person to person, making tiny adjustments to the length of the drones. Once that last pipe is locked in, and the sound becomes one solid chord, we know we’re ready to give Port Dover a performance they won’t forget.
Want to see the North Shore Highlanders Pipe & Drum Band, Port Dover, Ontario in action?
Catch our next performance in the heart of Norfolk County!