Lessons with Donald MacLeod

Balance is Essential

By Iain MacDonald

The summer I was 12, I attended the Saskatchewan Summer School of the Arts at Fort San, Saskatchewan. Like most 12-year-old boys, I was looking forward to two weeks of camp: piping, sun, girls (I hoped), and mischief. As I recall, all of it except the girls worked out. That summer I was also to meet a man who would influence my life for the next 30 years, and beyond.

The guest instructor that year was Donald MacLeod, not long retired from the competition platform, and an acknowledged master player. It was Donald’s first year at Fort San, and there was plenty of before he arrived. When he first came around to meet the classes that year, we were all charmed by this gentle, approachable, and grandfatherly man. He made a point of “connecting” with each student he met. To me he said something like, “We’re bound to be good friends—I’m part MacDonald too.”

Saskatchewan Summer School of the Arts, Pipes and Drums; group picture. August, 1968. Courtesy Iain MacDonald

That year, we were sent to Donald a class at a time for piobaireachd. We left our regular classes, and made our way to an old one-room schoolhouse, where Donald waited for us. One of the first things we did was learn to write and play basic piobaireachd movements. Donald dictated, and we wrote. I still use those directions to start players on the movements, and to reinforce how they are to be executed.

Donald’s favourite tunes for beginners in those days were “Duncan MacRae of Kintail’s Lament” and “The Old Sword”. That summer, I heard the first good piobaireachd of my life, also from Donald. He played “The Desperate Battle”.

Over many summers, Donald returned to schools in Canada and the USA, and each year we had new piobaireachd, light music, history, and inspiration. Donald MacLeod was both demanding and gentle. He appreciated wit, and had plenty to dish out when needed. When I was about 19, Donald suggested that if I was interested, I should come to Scotland for lessons. I would follow other pipers from the region who also gone to Scotland: Garth Neel from Dauphin, Manitoba (won the Marches at Inverness); Kelly Todd and Alan Walters from Calgary—both prize winners in Scotland.

Saskatchewan Summer School of the Arts, Highland Piping and Drumming; group picture. August 4, c.1970s. Courtesy of Iain MacDonald.

What always amazed me about this experience, is that I was so incredibly lucky to have that kind of tuition. During my stay in Scotland, I met many players far better than me who would have loved to have lessons from Donald MacLeod. I believe that Donald’s main interest at that time was in perpetuating the music, and he taught people who would pass on what they had learned. Many of the champion players that he taught—Andrew Wright, Iain Morrison, John Wilson, Angus J. MacLellan—have been notable teachers in their careers. He often stated that the only recompense he would take for the lessons, is that I teach others what I had learned, to the best of my ability. For the record, I continue to keep up my end of the deal.

I continue also to be guided, influenced and inspired by his example, his teaching and his philosophies—as he saw them at that time. “Life can be like piobaireachd,” he would say. “To have a good one, balance is essential.”