Colin Ross (pipemaker)
Encyclopedia
Colin Ross is an English folk musician, playing fiddle and Northumbrian smallpipes, and a noted maker of Northumbrian smallpipes
, Border pipes
and Scottish smallpipes
, and one of the inventors of the modern Scottish smallpipes
. Ross is also a fiddler, and played both Northumbrian smallpipes and fiddle
in the English folk music band the High Level Ranters
(formed 1964). This specialised in the music of Northumberland and the Scottish Borders
. They played a major role in the revival of Northumbrian music from the 1960s. In 1977, each of the Ranters was given the chance to produce a solo album. Rather than do this alone, Ross collaborated with various other musicians to produce Cut and Dry Dolly, an album of early Northumbrian music, simple dance tunes from the late 18th century William Vickers manuscript
together with long variation sets, particularly from the Peacock
tunebook from the beginning of the 19th century. This was very influential in reviving interest in this early strand of Northumbrian music.
side (becoming their musician after trying the dance) as well as the Northumbrian pipers Forster Charlton and Colin Caisley, falling in love with the Northumbrian smallpipes
.
In 1958 he was a founder member of the Bridge Folk Club, Newcastle, originally called Newcastle Folksong and Ballad, and met his future wife there, the singer Ray Fisher. In the same year he got his first set of pipes from Willie Hamilton in Glasgow via Forster Charlton. He made his first set of pipes in 1961 while he was a lecturer at Newcastle Polytechnic (now Northumbria University), copying his own set. He won several pipemaking competitions through the 1960s, and was elected vice-chairman of the Northumbrian Pipers' Society in 1964.
. The result was an instrument which allowed Great Highland pipers to play pipes with fingering identical to the Great Pipes, but at a volume which would not overpower other instruments, and in keys (typically A or D) more compatible with other instruments, such as the fiddle.
Colin Ross sold such an instrument, in D, in Edinburgh in 1982.
He had become a full-time pipemaker from 1978, and also taught a pipemaking class at Killingworth from about this time. One major achievement of his as a pipemaker was to standardise hole spacings and reeds, so that his pipes are reliably in tune with one another. When he started piping, it had been notoriously hard for pipers to play together; hole spacings and reeds were not standardised, so different instruments might commonly have pitches differing by up to a semitone. Now there is a de facto pitch standard, and ensemble playing is common.
tunebook, an important historical source. More recently in 1997 he co-edited with Julia Say, a book of the tunes of Billy Pigg
, researched by Adrian Schofield
.
In 2008 he was awarded the Gold Badge of the English Folk Dance and Song Society
. This is awarded to 'Those who have made unique or outstanding contributions to the art or science of folk dance, music or song; or those who have rendered distinguished service to the aims of the Society through their exceptional contribution.' It is the highest award the Society confers.
In May 2010, the Northumbrian Pipers' Society celebrated his long and distinguished contribution to piping and to the Society with a concert in his honour at the King's Hall, Newcastle University. Fittingly, most of the performers were playing pipes made by Colin Ross himself.
Northumbrian smallpipes
The Northumbrian smallpipes are bellows-blown bagpipes from the North East of England.In a survey of the bagpipes in the Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford University, the organologist Anthony Baines wrote: It is perhaps the most civilized of the bagpipes, making no attempt to go farther than the...
, Border pipes
Border pipes
The border pipes are a type of bagpipe related to the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe. It is perhaps confusable with the Scottish smallpipe, although it is a quite different and much older instrument...
and Scottish smallpipes
Scottish smallpipes
The Scottish smallpipe, in its modern form, is a bellows-blown bagpipe developed by Colin Ross and others, to be playable according to the Great Highland Bagpipe fingering system. There are surviving examples of similar historical instruments such as the mouth-blown Montgomery smallpipes in E,...
, and one of the inventors of the modern Scottish smallpipes
Scottish smallpipes
The Scottish smallpipe, in its modern form, is a bellows-blown bagpipe developed by Colin Ross and others, to be playable according to the Great Highland Bagpipe fingering system. There are surviving examples of similar historical instruments such as the mouth-blown Montgomery smallpipes in E,...
. Ross is also a fiddler, and played both Northumbrian smallpipes and fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
in the English folk music band the High Level Ranters
High Level Ranters
The High Level Ranters are a Northumbian traditional musical group founded in 1964, best known for being one of the first bands in the revival of the Northumbrian smallpipes....
(formed 1964). This specialised in the music of Northumberland and the Scottish Borders
Scottish Borders
The Scottish Borders is one of 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by Dumfries and Galloway in the west, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the north west, City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian to the north; and the non-metropolitan counties of Northumberland...
. They played a major role in the revival of Northumbrian music from the 1960s. In 1977, each of the Ranters was given the chance to produce a solo album. Rather than do this alone, Ross collaborated with various other musicians to produce Cut and Dry Dolly, an album of early Northumbrian music, simple dance tunes from the late 18th century William Vickers manuscript
William Vickers manuscript
From 1770-2 a man called William Vickers made a manuscript collection of dance tunes, of which some 580 survive, including both pipe and fiddle tunes. The manuscript is incomplete - 31 pages have not survived, though their contents are listed at the beginning of the book...
together with long variation sets, particularly from the Peacock
John Peacock (piper)
John Peacock was one of the finest Northumbrian smallpipers of his age, and probably a fiddler also, and the last of the Newcastle Waits. He was born in Morpeth about 1756, and died in Newcastle, 'in distress'...
tunebook from the beginning of the 19th century. This was very influential in reviving interest in this early strand of Northumbrian music.
Early life and Music
He was born 1934, in North Shields, and brought up there, learning to play the violin as a teenager. He took a sculpture degree at Kings College Durham (now Newcastle University) from from 1952-56. At this time he met the Kingsmen RapperRapper sword
Rapper sword is a kind of sword dance associated with the North-East of England.-History:The rapper sword tradition was traditionally performed in the mining villages of the Northumberland and Durham coalfield in North East England, especially in Tyneside...
side (becoming their musician after trying the dance) as well as the Northumbrian pipers Forster Charlton and Colin Caisley, falling in love with the Northumbrian smallpipes
Northumbrian smallpipes
The Northumbrian smallpipes are bellows-blown bagpipes from the North East of England.In a survey of the bagpipes in the Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford University, the organologist Anthony Baines wrote: It is perhaps the most civilized of the bagpipes, making no attempt to go farther than the...
.
In 1958 he was a founder member of the Bridge Folk Club, Newcastle, originally called Newcastle Folksong and Ballad, and met his future wife there, the singer Ray Fisher. In the same year he got his first set of pipes from Willie Hamilton in Glasgow via Forster Charlton. He made his first set of pipes in 1961 while he was a lecturer at Newcastle Polytechnic (now Northumbria University), copying his own set. He won several pipemaking competitions through the 1960s, and was elected vice-chairman of the Northumbrian Pipers' Society in 1964.
Pipemaking
In the late 1970s, he was the Curator of the Black Gate Museum, Newcastle, which then housed the Cocks collection of historic bagpipes. In the early 1980s, several pipemakers, including Ross, Hamish Moore and others were working to create sets of smallpipes which had similar reeds and cylindrical bore to the Northumbrian smallpipes, but with an open end to the chanter, and with the scale and 'covered' fingering of a Great Highland bagpipeGreat Highland Bagpipe
The Great Highland Bagpipe is a type of bagpipe native to Scotland. It has achieved widespread recognition through its usage in the British military and in pipe bands throughout the world. It is closely related to the Great Irish Warpipes....
. The result was an instrument which allowed Great Highland pipers to play pipes with fingering identical to the Great Pipes, but at a volume which would not overpower other instruments, and in keys (typically A or D) more compatible with other instruments, such as the fiddle.
Colin Ross sold such an instrument, in D, in Edinburgh in 1982.
He had become a full-time pipemaker from 1978, and also taught a pipemaking class at Killingworth from about this time. One major achievement of his as a pipemaker was to standardise hole spacings and reeds, so that his pipes are reliably in tune with one another. When he started piping, it had been notoriously hard for pipers to play together; hole spacings and reeds were not standardised, so different instruments might commonly have pitches differing by up to a semitone. Now there is a de facto pitch standard, and ensemble playing is common.
Leadership and awards
Ross served as the Chairman of the Northumbrian Pipers' Society from 1968 to 1980, and again from 1992, stepping down in 2010. During both tenures, the Society published a substantial body of music, notably in 1970 a new expanded edition of the Society's first tunebook, and in 1980 the facsimile edition of Peacock'sJohn Peacock (piper)
John Peacock was one of the finest Northumbrian smallpipers of his age, and probably a fiddler also, and the last of the Newcastle Waits. He was born in Morpeth about 1756, and died in Newcastle, 'in distress'...
tunebook, an important historical source. More recently in 1997 he co-edited with Julia Say, a book of the tunes of Billy Pigg
Billy Pigg
Billy Pigg was an English player of Northumbrian smallpipes. He was a Vice-President and an influential member of the Northumbrian Pipers Society from 1930 until his death.-Life and music:...
, researched by Adrian Schofield
Adrian Schofield
Adrian Schofield is a player of the Northumbrian smallpipes, the traditional bagpipe of Northern England, and plays and teaches in Manchester. In 1988, Schofield joined with pipers Pauline Cato and Colin Ross in forming the band Border Spirit....
.
In 2008 he was awarded the Gold Badge of the English Folk Dance and Song Society
English Folk Dance and Song Society
The English Folk Dance and Song Society was formed in 1932 when two organisations merged: the Folk-Song Society and the English Folk Dance Society. The EFDSS, a member-based organisation, was incorporated as a Company limited by guarantee in 1935 and became a Registered Charity The English Folk...
. This is awarded to 'Those who have made unique or outstanding contributions to the art or science of folk dance, music or song; or those who have rendered distinguished service to the aims of the Society through their exceptional contribution.' It is the highest award the Society confers.
In May 2010, the Northumbrian Pipers' Society celebrated his long and distinguished contribution to piping and to the Society with a concert in his honour at the King's Hall, Newcastle University. Fittingly, most of the performers were playing pipes made by Colin Ross himself.
Published works
- Reedmaking for Northumbrian and Scottish Smallpipes published by B & J Say Smallpipes ISBN 0-9542402-0-0
Discography
- No RosesNo RosesNo Roses is an album by Shirley Collins and the Albion Country Band. It was recorded at Sound Techniques, and Air Studios in London, in the summer of 1971. It was produced by Sandy Roberton and Ashley Hutchings...
, Albion Country BandAlbion Country BandThe Albion Band, also known as The Albion Country Band and The Albion Dance Band, were an English electric folk band, brought together and led by musician Ashley Hutchings...
, Pegasus, 1971. - The Bonnie Pit Laddie (with the High Level Ranters), TSCD486.
- Northumberland Forever - Traditional Dance & Song From The North East (with the High Level Ranters)
- The Wind in the Reeds, TSCD529 (1976, 1980, Topic, 2001).
- Along the Coaly Tyne, TSCD498.
- Cut and Dry Dolly, Topic 12TS278, 1977.
- Cut and Dry 2, Topic 12TS413, 1981.
- Spirit of the Border: Northumbrian Traditional Music Nimbus NI5615, 1999.
- Northumberland Rant: Traditional Music From England. Smithsonian Folkways Recordings SFW 40473, 1999.