On The Day, John McDonald – The DVD documentary by Hollywood producer and director, John McDonald, got the nod from our panel, the first non-CD to gain the award. The story of the Spirit of Scotland Pipe Band's creation and run-up to the 2008 World Championships was a first of its kind for full-length piping-related videos, and the quality and professionalism of the final product were recognized worldwide.
Panelists' comments about On The Day: "All the way on the day!" "Very close call. All great candidates but the Spirit story went beyond piping and generally had a positive impact on our art." "A unique story and a unique level of professionalism."
Also considered (in alphabetical order):
Affirmation, Simon Fraser University – Released very late in 2009, the live recording from the 2009 World Champions' Pre-World's Glasgow concert was quickly seen as a highlight recording of the year.
Hinterlands - Wendy Stewart & Gary West – A CD that quietly caught the attention of Celtic music and piping aficionados worldwide, West and Stewart's project gained critical acclaim, and the host of BBC Radio Scotland's "Pipeline" program showed he has more than one set of great pipes.
Northern Man, Bill Livingstone – The long-awaited personal project from Livingstone did not disappoint, and demonstrated that, even after 40 years in the game, there's plenty of fuel in the musical tank.
Twelve-Thousand Miles, Manawatu Scottish Pipe Band – One of few studio-made pipe band recordings, Twelve-Thousand Miles captured Manawatu's technical and tonal precision, as well as the band's willingness to chart new musical territory.
Congratulations to all winners and nominees, and thanks to our panel of experts for providing their input. There are many more pipers, drummers, bands and recordings from 2009 with great merit and achievement. These are those that we felt deserved special recognition.
Stay tuned to pipes|drums for our 2009 Readers' Choice Awards and our fearless predictions for 2010!
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Quality reed selection is a pre-requisite to obtaining a good tone in a pipe corps. Four criteria to consider when testing reeds are balance, vibrancy, volume and strength. Check the High A Low A balance against a single sounding tenor drone - if these two notes are in the ballpark chances are the rest of the notes can be tuned.
