A strong tradition in "New Scotland"Christmas morning dawns in Nova Scotia , cold , crisp and sparkling. Little boys and girls everywhere excitedly unwrapping dolls, fire engines, skates and bagpipes. You heard it right - bagpipes. Well, that's if you're in Pictou County, home to not one, not two, but seven pipe and drum bands. The area has become known for its pipe music - the stirring, harmonic drone of the bagpipes and the compelling beat of the drums. When most other little girls around the province are heading off to Brownies or piano lessons, the girls along the north shore are taking up bagpipes. On a hot summer’s night, it’s not uncommon to hear the notes from those Scottish pipes rise up over the rooftops of Pictou. It’s probably little Janey down the road, hoping that her hours of practice will eventually pay off and make her pipe major of the prestigious Heatherbells Girls’ Pipe Band.
No matter what your age or gender, that’s what it takes to become a piper—hours, or rather years, of hard work and dedication and a very tolerant family. When learning to play the bagpipes, you start with just the pipe or “chanter”. You learn how to play the nine basic notes, the grace notes, slurs and birls. You practice until you can make four or five notes sound like one. You learn to march in time with the tunes. Then, if you’re lucky, after two or three years, you can move on to the real thing with the bag, drones and all. It requires a sincere commitment—a sincere love for the pipes—and it is a way of life for the people of Pictou.
The highlight of the three-day Pictou Lobster Carnival, held each year in July, is the sound of the mass band playing. They play to celebrate the end of a safe and successful lobster season. Tradition dictates that all competing pipers and drummers must come together and play as one. You don’t have to be Scottish to feel like they’re playing just for you.