45th Annual Scottish Games and Celtic Festival in Monterey CA

Northern California is rich in ethnic cultural events, and the month of July is no exception. The Scottish Society of the Monterey Peninsula and the Salinas Jaycees are holding the 45th annual Scottish Games and Celtic Festival on July 7th and July 8th, 2012 at the Monterey County Fairgrounds. The festival is within easy driving distance of the San Francisco Bay Area, so if you're in the Bay Area visiting the Napa and Sonoma wine country to the north, a day heading south include this festival could easily be one of the best days of your summer vacation.
Or if you're an Oakland or San Jose bagpiper fan, it would also be worth a visit just to hear the world class quality of the many bagpipe players who will be performing. Whether you favor a battle dirge played on the bagpipes or the plaintive notes of Amazing Grace, you can have a truly memorable day.
Typical events at these Festivals include watching highland dancing, attending sheep dog trials, seeing the gathering of the clans, even doing some whiskey tasting, and of course listening to bagpipe players and their pipe bands, including Oakland and San Jose bagpipe players.
There is also a Drum Major contest displaying their skills while parading with their bagpipe bands. The winner will be honored as the top Drum Major of the Monterey Games.
This event will also present a living history exhibit portraying life as it was in 16th century Scotland. Sponsored by the Society for Creative Anachronism, abbreviated SCA, an international, non-profit, educational organization that has done extensive research into what type of clothing was worn, what weapons were used, what food and music was like during the Renaissance and 16th century Scotland. Since we cannot go back in time to actually see these things, this is the next best thing and a lot more comfortable.
Don't miss the many Scottish vendors who showcase a wonderful variety of items for sale, such as shortbread, Cadbury chocolate, orange marmalade and even new and used bagpipes. If you have always wanted to learn to play the bagpipes, be sure to come and be inspired by these wonderful bagpipe players. You can usually find one of them who offers lessons.
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Scottish Games in the San Francisco Area, Bagpipers, Caber Tossing, and More

When you think of San Francisco, what image comes to mind? Most people would envision the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf, or perhaps images of the Great Earthquake of 1906. But I'll bet few people imagine a kilted Bagpiper in downtown San Francisco playing a haunting melody on the pipes!
And yet the San Francisco Bay Area is the perfect place to hear the haunting strains of Amazing Grace, played with skill and precision. The Bay Area is home to one of the largest gatherings in the world for the Scottish Games held annually at the Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, CA. Scottish clans gather there from all over the world to hold athletic competitions in unique events found only in Scotland, such as tossing the caber and the hammer throw.
But the one indelible thing taken away by anyone attending is the number of quality bagpipe players in the San Francisco Bay Area. You can watch the parade that always includes a royal court dressed in Elizabethan finery, and then listen to the pipers and drummers following close behind.
The Scottish Games are being held this year on the 1st and 2nd of September, 2012. If you love the thought of hearing a world class San Francisco bagpiper, be sure and put these dates on your calendar and come to the largest gathering in the world for the Scottish Highland Games. It is their 147th gathering, so tell your family and friends about the San Francisco bagpipers and Scottish caber throwers they can see and hear there. It's a great day for the whole family.
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Plaintive sounds of Amazing grace

When you hear the words bagpiper in San Francisco or San Francisco bagpipe player, what image comes to your mind ? Is it someone holding the bagpipes and playing at the local edition of the Scottish games? Or maybe a bagpiper parading with Queen Elizabeth at the Renaissance Faire?
It just might surprise you to learn that the bagpipes, whether played by a Bagpiper in San Francisco or in the Highlands of Scotland, did not originate in Scotland. Nor did they originate in any English speaking country. Instead, the bagpipes are an innovation dating back to approximately 400 BC, and used first in the Middle East ! It was not until the 8th century that they were first introduced to the British Isles when they were under Roman rule.
All early bagpipes had a few elements in common, including a bag filled with air and a reed to make the music, which makes them a wood wind instrument. But don't you sometimes wonder how in the world someone managed to put these two items together and create such an astonishing musical instrument?
So whether you are listening to a roaring rendition of a battle march played with great skill by an accomplished San Francisco bagpiper , or the plaintive sounds of Amazing grace, you can recall the origination of the intriguing instrument you're listening to.
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San Francisco bagpiper to bring his bagpipes

Who knew that the San Francisco Bay area would have such an interesting assortment of activities for the many lovers of bagpipe music. And one of them even offered free admittance to any San Francisco bagpiper to bring his bagpipes !

The weekend of March 24th, 2012, brought the 8th Annual San Francisco International Bagpipe Festival to the Croatian American Cultural Center. It featured bagpipe music from around the world, including Spain, Italy, Greece and many other countries including Scotland and Ireland, of course. Also available was ethnic Bulgarian food to round out the afternoon.

Since this was the 8th annual Festival, if you missed it be sure to mark your calendar for next year, as the Festival will surely return again next spring. And if you are a San Francisco bagpiper , remember to bring your pipes along for free admission !

One other area of interest for those who love bagpipers in San Francisco and would love to learn how to play the pipes, is a program started in the fall of 2011 from a partnership between the Irish Pipers Band and the United Irish Cultural Center. This program is free to children and teens aged 8-18 who are interested in learning to play the Great Highland Bagpipe. All that is needed is the purchase of materials and the group instruction is free of charge.

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Plaintive sound of the bagpipe playing Amazing Grace

Do you love the plaintive sound of the bagpipe playing Amazing Grace ? Or the rousing sounds of The Wearing of the Green when piped by a champion bagpipe player? Then this information may be of interest to you.
The hills of Scotland may come to mind when you hear the notes produced by this strange, yet haunting instrument issue from a bag of air and a handful of reeds. But did you know that there are a few very good San Francisco bagpipers as well? And a few of them have won Championships for the high quality of their play.

Some of these bagpipers from the San Francisco Bay Area are available to play for special occasions such as weddings, birthdays and other celebrations, offering not only a choice of music but also a choice of dress kilts. Some are even available on short notice for funerals if your departed one loved the pipes.

The popularity of the highland games in Northern California at the Pleasanton Fairgrounds has introduced the bagpipes to many who have not had the chance to hear it played in Scotland, and have taken advantage of the CD’s available there to take home the rousing music to hear at work, at home, or in the car. But hearing it played live for your wedding is something you'll never forget.

So you don't have to venture far from Pleasanton to hear a champion San Francisco bagpiper play! Just keep your ears pealed and you may be hearing a champion San Francisco bagpiper before you know it.

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Things You Probably Don't Know About Bagpipes

Sure, everybody who has ever heard a bagpiper playing the bagpipes thinks they know a lot about them - the piper typically wears a kilt, there is usually some form of Scottish Games in the near vicinity, or a solemn British occasion requires the playing of Amazing Grace. If you're from Northern California you've probably been to the Scottish Games and heard some of the best San Francisco bagpipers, or perhaps you've seen similar events in your local area. But how much do you really know about the bagpipes?

Well, here's a short quiz about about the bagpipes that may surprise you. Test your knowledge first without peeking. If you get more than 3 even partially correct, consider yourself an expert! (Answers at the bottom)

(1) When was the earliest historical record of a bagpipe?
(2) What is the singular and the plural for a bagpipe?
(3) What was the oldest literature to include a reference to the bagpipes?

(4) What country is the second largest exporter of bagpipes after Scotland?

(5) When were the bellows added to the bagpipes as an additional air supply?

(6) How many countries have their own version of the bagpipes?

(7) What are the 2 best known types of bagpipes?

(8) What modern movie and modern theatrical show helped to popularize the bagpipes?

(9) Throughout history, what were the three major uses of the bagpipes?

(10) Bagpipes belong to a class of musical instruments that use enclosed reeds fed by a constant supply of air. What is the name of this class of musical instruments?

ANSWERS

1. The earliest bagpipe was found in Eyuk in the Middle East, and was dated to 1000 B.C.
2. Like moose, “bagpipe” is correct for both, though “bagpipes” is also acceptable.
3. Canterbury Tales, written around 1380.
4. Pakistan
5. Bellows were added between the 16th and 17th century, and allowed for a
more refined tone.
6. In addition to the UK, over 30 countries, ranging from Greece to Egypt,
and from Sweden to India, can listen to bag piping their own unique way.
7. The Great Highland Bagpipe and the uilleann pipes.
8. Braveheart, the movie, and Riverdance, the touring show, helped re-popularize the bagpipes for modern audiences
9. To provide music for dancing, to provide stirring music for marching into battle, and to provide a spectacle for formal occasion.
10. Aerophones.

How did you do? If you'd like more information about bagpipes, search for bagpipes on www.wikipedia.com. Or if you need a great bagpiper in Northern California, Reno, or the San Francisco Bay Area, you couldn't do better than San Francisco Bagpiper Fred Payne. See www.FredPayneBagpiper.com for more info and details.

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Fred Payne is a true master of both Scottish and Irish bagpipe music

Whether wearing the Hunting Buchanan kilt, or the Ancient Buchanan or County Wexford kilt, watching professional Scottish Bagpipe player Fred
Payne is a truly magical event. His inspired playing takes you back to earlier times and makes any event special with memories to last a lifetime.

Fred Payne is a true master of both Scottish and Irish bagpipe music, and is a three time Western Bagpipe Champion. If you're looking for a great bagpiper, Fred is available for events in Central and Northern California, including the San Francisco Bay Area, Silicon Valley, Sacramento and Reno.
A highly accomplished bagpipe player, Fred is a master of many bagpipe tunes, from the soaring notes of Amazing Grace to the plaintive Danny Boy, and your time spent with him will be both memorable and inspiring.

If your desire is to learn to play the bagpipes, Fred Payne also offers lessons.

Fred has performed as a bagpiper in many spectacular venues, from the world’s largest gathering of the Scottish Games in Pleasanton, CA to the St. Paddy’s Day parade in San Francisco, and his soaring music enchants everyone.

So whether your event is a wedding or a funeral, a fundraiser a grand opening, this professional, full time bagpiper is available seven days a week, even on short notice for funerals. To help you plan your event, Fred offers thoughtful and courteous service, including unlimited phone consultation.

If your needs go beyond a single bagpiper, Fred Payne can also arrange for dancers and a pipe band.

For further information, and to hear a sample of his work, check out his fully featured website at http://www.fredpaynebagpiper.com. All of his contact information is found there, and he will promptly reply to any inquiry.

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