Starting to see progress

With the competition season starting in just two weeks, I am finally starting to feel a bit more comfortable with my state of readiness both for solo and for band activities. On the solo front, my March tune, The Atholl and Breadalbane Gathering, is coming along. I have a couple of key focus points - calm steady tempo on the dot/cut runs and nice strong off-beat notes to give good lift to the tune. Insofar as my Jig tune is concerned, The Fittie Boatman, it is still very much a work in progress. I feel reasonably comfortable with parts 1,2 and 4 but part 3 is a challenge. My big focus is to play at a calm pace and focus on being even with each the of G-D-E triplets. For the band performances, I feel good about my playing in the 4-tune March Medley. The 5-tune open Medley is not yet at the same standard but its improving day by day. The focus for the next 2 weeks will be on the Jig and the Reel plus to a lesser degree the Strathspey. Had a busy weekend playing for two events. The Brain Tumour Spring Sprint on Saturday was particularly fun because I piped for a group of young girls who danced the 2.5k course to show support for one of their dance friends who was diagnosed last year. Then on Sunday I played for the Arthritis Society Walk held down on the riverfront trail. It was a gorgeous day and I saw many friends out running. On my way back to the car I passed by the Royal New brunswick Regiment monument and felt moved to stop and play a lament, Mist Covered Mountains, in remembrance of the events in Normandy 70 years ago and in Moncton last week.