I had a very successful showing at the pipe competitions at the New Hampshire Highland Games this weekend. The morning was fairly cold - the 40s - and damp. My first contest was the piobaireachd; the judge had no comments on my playing (which I thought was quite good), but hated the sound of my (teacher's) chanter. The B, C, D, and E were flat she said. She strongly recommended I get someone to tune it up before my next event. But I immediately knew the problem, took the chanter out of the stock, wiped away the cold condensation and aired out the reed for a bit. I ended up taking 6th out of 12. My next contest was about 7 minutes later: the 2/4. I sounded brilliantly at first, but my middle tenor went slightly out of tune in the 3rd part. A few crushed tachums, but all in all a very good show. Angi noticed that the judge would smile and nod while I played, and so I knew I'd done well. Ended up taking a 2nd of 12 and my first AGL (Above Grade Level) of my career. There was an hour between these events and the slow air. I played the slow air competently, and took 2nd. Immediately after, I played the 6/8, and took a 1st.

Depending on how many competitors scratched, I got around 40 points, and this might be enough to have propelled me into 1st in the EUSPBA GrIVSr standings, if only temporarily. The goal is to place in all remaining contests, and then immediately apply for an upgrade (which the AGL will help greatly with).

The fiddle contest went well, but I didn't place. This year, I agree with the judge's rankings - the Boston (and Rochester!) contingents were so incredibly strong, I didn't have a chance. I did notice that almost everyone who beats me these days in fiddle plays semi-professionally. I guess that means I need a lot more stage experience, so that my best performance and my nervous performance aren't so disparate.

I got some stage experience this weekend too. The local music legend had me take the last 30 minutes of his set at The Common Man up in Holderness (or is that Ashland? I'll ask Angi), and though I wasn't 100% happy with my showing, apparently it was well received by the crowd. I also performed for my hosts on Saturday, as usual, and for guests in one of my hosts' cottages on Sunday night.

In other news, I got a pair of Sweetheart wooden whistles, in D (blackwood with a G# key) and C. These whistles sound awesome, and are easy to blow. I will probably start spending more time on whistle again now.