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Joseph MacDonald's Impact on VSM Publications
Joseph MacDonald, 1760, is the earliest musician/writer on piping: through his Compleat Theory and Highland Vocal Airs. I first learned about the Compleat Theory through my teacher, Jim McColl, in the 1970’s. My deepened and extended studies over the years are presented in recent books published by Vortex Street Music. Beginning with the Highland Vocal Airs: I arranged pipe music for a selection of airs from two halves of the 86 tunes Joseph MacDonald had written down. The Fractal World Collection and The Rising Sun Collection contain music for selected airs. The Rising Sun Collection also contains a deep-dive into the essentials of the Compleat Theory. Plus, the four types of piobaireachd (pibroch) are delineated, along with three techniques for composing pibroch. 24 of my own compositions, following MacDonald’s guidelines, are included in the Rising Sun Collection.
Further work has resulted in The Waxing Moon Collection in which the uncommon cuttings and runnings from the Compleat Theory are presented and discussed in detail. A further 25 pibroch compositions of my own are included in the third book. Currently, I am working on a fourth book with Joseph MacDonald emphasis, The Parting Mist Collection. In it will be further study on the gathering tunes, plus an examination of the ‘March for a Beginner,’ the basic music for which appeared in the Compleat Theory. I will include additional pibroch compositions of my own, too. Joseph MacDonald is the primary source for the true martial and pastoral music of the clans, prior to the reshaping of Scottish culture, and particularly pipe culture through the military and the competition systems. Hence, a worthy and needed focus for individual musicians today.
Campbell Naismith 2026
A Word on Digitally Transcribing Bagpipe Music
In the experience of Vortex Street Music, digital transcription of bagpipe music is versatile both for ease of digital communication with others and the publishing of physical books. Early Vortex Street Music books used Bagpipe Music Writer Gold which relied on a certain basic knowledge of coding. For example, a right facing eighth note of Low A would be "coded" as LAr_8. For light music it was ideal but as Vortex Street Music transitioned towards pibroch music the complexity of the movements needed in the digital software greatly increased.
In preparation for The Fractal World Collection and other subsequent Joseph MacDonald pibroch books, the digital transcription required a more robust program. When staring down a fifteen note pibroch movement one needs the ability to customize to meet both traditional and n0n-traditional pibroch movements as the basic pibroch movements typically pre-programmed are stiff and unyielding such as a Crunluath. Additionally, when working with such lengthy movements sometimes the traditional four measures per line are too cramped and one must customize the measures and lines themselves. For our own purposes, we use CelticPipes and have been served well by this.
Digital transcription is a valuable tool when a composer or teacher needs to tailor the music to express their individualized ideas. This is especially true when interpreting older movements and music from as far back as 1760. However, simply because one can place a fifteen note complex movement into their digital music sheet does not necessarily mean one has to over complicate their music. As Campbell Naismith stated in The Rising Sun Collection, "for contemporary players and composers: according to individual choice, taste, and ability."
