About
Macleod is a musical soloist for hire in Tooborac, VIC.
The Irish uilleann pipes are the sound behind Braveheart, Rob Roy, The Last Of The Mohicans and Riverdance, and the below-decks scene in Titanic. Macleod plays them, along with wooden flute and tin whistle, out of central Victoria. Traditional Celtic music, mostly Irish with some Scottish: airs, laments, marches, jigs, reels and slides, all instrumental. Solo or as a duo the repertoire leans to the haunting end, which suits weddings, funerals and wakes. There's a trio available when you want the fast jigs and a fuller, livelier sound, and the band can grow beyond that. What sets the approach apart is the preparation. He asks questions first, then goes away and rehearses the specific performance, right down to whether you want him dressed formally, casually, or like something out of an old film. He plays acoustically or through his own small PA, and needs an armless chair and shelter from weather extremes, since humidity and heat play havoc with the reeds.
The show
He'll ask you a lot of questions before anything is settled, and make suggestions, because the aim is a programme shaped around your day, not a stock set relabelled. Then he goes away and rehearses that specific programme in his own time. The playing you hear on the day is the end of a longer process. Even what he wears is your call, whether that's formal, casual, or looking like a character out of an old film. On the pipes, flute and whistle you'll get airs, laments, marches and the faster jigs and reels, all instrumental.
On the day
An armless chair. That one is non negotiable, because you can't play pipes properly with arms in the way. He can perform acoustically or through his own small PA, and the PA is often worth it just for a bit of reverb on the pipes rather than any extra volume. Using your venue's system is fine too, with or without his own microphone and stand, but if it's your gear he needs two microphones and two stands. Shelter matters more than you'd think. Extreme heat, cold or humidity gets into the reeds and changes how the pipes sound and play.
Performance options
Solo is the usual booking, pipes or flute or whistle on their own, and it leans towards the haunting material that suits a wedding ceremony, a funeral or a wake. A duo adds a second player and a bit more body without changing that character. If you want it faster and fuller, with the jigs driving rather than the airs sitting still, a trio is available. And the group can grow past three when an event calls for a bigger sound.
Song list
I get the overall idea of what you'r hoping for first, and can then either just play what I think appropriate, or I can offer you specific choices and let you decide. The music is traditional instrumental Celtic (mostly Irish & some Scottish) music consisting of airs, laments, marches, jigs, reels, slides etc. I don't play Irish ballads or folk rock songs etc.
