Annotation:John McColl's Reel

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JOHN McCOLL'S REEL. Scottish, Pipe Reel. A Mixolydian. Standard tuning (fiddle). AAB. Composed by biography:J. Scott Skinner (1843-1927) in honor of Pipe Major John McColl (1860-1943), of Oban, who composed a number of famous marches, many still staples of pipe competitions (see his "[[]]," "[[]]," "[[]]," "[[]]," and "[[]]," to name a few). See also Skinner's march "Piper King (The)," also written in his honor. In addition to playing the pipes, McColl (sometimes 'MacColl') was an accomplished fiddler, Highland dancer and athlete. In 1880 at age twenty he became piper to MacDonald of Dunach, a small estate south of Oban, enabling him to make a career of his piping and music. He won his first competition in 1881, the Gold Medal at Oban, followed by numerous contest victories for the next twenty years (in dancing as well as piping). In later years McColl removed to Glasgow.

John McColl, playing in a competition.

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Skinner (The Scottish Violinist), 1900; p. 28.

Recorded sources:

See also listing at:
Alan Snyder's Cape Breton Fiddle Recordings Index [1]

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