AUPS meeting - October 2011

We had a great meeting on Saturday as we welcomed new member Sabrina and her husband Eric to the group. We shared as many tunes and as much of our uilleann pipe knowledge as we could to help her get started with her new Pat Sky practice set! Jason got everyone's pipes singing beautifully and fitted correctly with new reeds and proper adjustments. Also, once again Jason graciously provided a tasty lunch as well as a plethora of snacks and beverages. Ken played some tunes and showed us the great progress he's made in almost a year since getting his Seth Gallagher practice set. Tom shared some wonderful tunes both on pipes and with copies of sheet music to hand out to everyone. A flat chanter in 'C' was passed around and everyone had a go at experiencing the vast difference in finger hole spacing from that of a D chanter!

Workshop and Concert with Paddy Keenan and John Walsh - November, 2010

It was a big weekend for AUPS as Paddy Keenan and John Walsh made their way through Arizona once again! Friday evening they came to Tucson and gave an incredible, up close and personal performance in a house concert, and even wrapped things up with a session! The next day in Chandler, Paddy conducted a piping workshop for the Arizona Uilleann Pipers Society. We had a great turnout with eight pipers in attendance, including our newest member, Alex from Tucson. Paddy taught us a few of his flamboyant ornamentations and various ways to add "color" to notes and phrases of tunes. He taught us a couple of nice tunes, and was very patient in repeating each part for us to play along and memorize. He also shared some engaging stories of how uilleann piping fit into his upbringing, as well as many other interesting and humorous anecdotes from his past. Nearing the end of the workshop, Paddy actually gave us each a chance to try out his beautiful set of pipes! Later that evening, Paddy and John put on another brilliant performance in Phoenix at The Fiddler's Dream Coffeehouse where they even invited Phoenix piper Eric Wilson to join in on his pipes for a couple of their closing sets! Special thanks to Johnny Kerr for organizing and to Anita Arden for providing her home for the workshop.

Workshop with Zac Leger - September, 2010

The workshop on Saturday with Zac Leger went without a hitch! We had a great turnout with a total of seven attendees including two of our newest members, C.C. and Ken. As we sat in our typical piping circle, we shared a little bit of our backgrounds with Zac and played some tunes for him to critique. He then shared his thoughts and insights on learning tunes as well as how he incorporates ornaments and variations into a tune. He even touched on the subject of posture and positioning of the pipes for improving comfort and ease of playing. Certainly everyone from the beginners in the group to the avid session players had fun and took away some useful advice! As we were wrapping things up, the topic of Jason's Bulgarian bagpipes (or gaida) came up. After Jason gave a brief demonstration he passed the pipes to Zac to have a go at them. He got a few notes to come out, but probably won't be adding the gaida to his repertoire! Special thanks go to Johnny Kerr for organizing the workshop and Jason Smith for providing his home as the venue once again!

AUPS Meeting - August, 2010

It was a long time coming after somewhat of a hiatus, but we finally had quite the successful gathering of pipers, again hosted by Jason Smith in Phoenix. Jason grilled up an awesome lunch as well as provided an incredible assortment of chanter reeds that he made for everyone to pick and choose from. He also experimented with making an unbelievable plastic chanter reed in which everyone passed around and played in amazement. The unsuspecting would be none the wiser! Many a tune was had in the next room by the rest of the pipers as Jason demonstrated his reedmaking techniques to the aspiring reedmakers of the group. We also welcomed new AUPS member by the name of CC who has a practice set and is well on his way. Thanks again to everyone who made it out!

Fall AUPS Meeting - November, 2009

We had a wonderful meeting and a great turnout, again graciously hosted by Jason Smith at his home in Phoenix. The weather was perfect and many tunes were had. Jim Burke brought an assortment of his chanters for everyone to try out. Stories, tunes, and recordings were shared by Johnny, Eric (Phoenix), Tom, and James Donoghue from the Southern California Tionol in which they attended the weekend prior. Members in attendance to our Fall meeting include Jim Burke (Green Valley), Ernie Nelson (Tucson), Eric Wilson (Tucson), Eric Wilson (Phoenix), Johnny Kerr (Phoenix), Tom Connor (Phoenix), Jason Smith (Phoenix), and guest James Donoghue from Buffalo, New York.

Summer AUPS Meeting - June, 2009

A very productive meeting graciously hosted by Jason Smith at his home in Phoenix, AZ. We welcomed new member Johnny Kerr as Jason helped tie in his new Roberts half set, so that he may begin his uilleann piping journey! Meanwhile, everyone had their hand at playing the regulators on Eric's new Seth Gallagher full set.

Concert and Workshop with Eric Olson - March, 2003

Various Meetings and Activities