Highland Laddie
⚡ The Short Version
A classic every piper should know. Highland Laddie is one of the traditional tunes played by the Scottish regiments, heard at nearly every Highland Games or pipe band contest, and used in Scotland as the traditional salute to the chieftain.
Deceptively tricky dot-cut rhythms throughout. I double-dot and treat the second note as a 32nd note (rather than the standard dotted-eighth-sixteenth) to more accurately capture how pipers actually play the tune's many dot-cut pairs.
Watch every doubling that follows the same note. The F doubling from F, the E doubling from E, and both B doublings from B in the closing phrase are classic 'banana peels' — give the note before the doubling its full value so you don't rush in early.
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🎧 Full Recorded Lesson with Jori ChisholmMy complete note-by-note lesson on this tune — members only, no free sample
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🎼Sheet MusicPDF📄Bonus SheetPDF · Tips & Background🎵Tune Recording (Full Bagpipes)MP3🎧Full Recorded Lesson with Jori ChisholmMP3
⏱️ In this lesson
00:04and A salute chieftain's regimental march classic🔒
00:33Tricky dot-cut throughout rhythms🔒
00:50Double-dot notation the for pattern D-E🔒
01:18first Playing the part🔒
02:07and Watching short doublings D into throw the notes🔒
02:37E from F E F doubling The and doubling from🔒
03:34eighth end the Holding four of note bar at🔒
04:33phrase: beat doublings The B closing the on🔒
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🎬 Every class moment about this tune
Every time Highland Laddie came up in a live class, with the moment I said it — click a timestamp and you land right there.
▶ 00:15:47McLennan Genius Piping of the G.S. The Greatest Tunesin the German and wrote his play officer Highland to but frontier, planned it Braemar The wanted G.S. commanding Laddie Gathering in 1918 France crossing instead.🔒
▶ 00:12:58Chisholm Jori Tune Type Music: The to Bagpipe by Complete Time Guide Understanding & Every Signatureand one- are marches usually two-parted Laddie rhythms 2/4 simple two-note-per-beat like 'Little' or use tunes. Highland🔒
▶ 00:07:12Miniature in MasterpiecesWedding, Laddie as and or in four-note step Highland complexity the groupings, Mairi's raises by Adding rhythmic three- step.🔒
▶ 00:22:58Miniature in Masterpiecestunes Hills, North massed-band Battle's salut… the rules the as Brave, Amazing in O'er, Laddie Grace. America: Overseas, Standard Green Scotland Bonnie Highland Dundee,🔒
▶ 00:24:46Miniature in Masterpieceslooks: is Laddie a dot-cuts, of proper timing a and technique little two-parter. unusual than lot into patterns, packed harder it Highland🔒
▶ 00:43:38Pipes the Out! Get 2023 — October 16,Talking of Prince Waterloo, my Waters, Rose, through I sets, march and Highland of 4/4s: ma… run Wee of about The the several favorite Laddie, Meeting Battle A Charlie,🔒
▶ 00:12:33Tune & Understanding Strathspeys, Reels More Types: Marches,pack and High The simple and Highland one- to 2/4s and use competition two-parted; are Road like little in Gairloch beats 2/4s three- f… usually and The Laddie two-note🔒
▶ 00:20:22Member 7, 2022 July Videos —a video Dundee medley, player's the The Highland and chosen out. cutting because kept Laddie Bonnie drones second is🔒
▶ 00:00:05Rocks Barren The of AdenRoad a is with Highland to march, in The Aden The of Rocks classic Laddie played by High often 2/4 bands a Barren set Gairloch. or pipe🔒
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About this tune
🔒 The write-up and the quotes from this tune are part of the members’ page.
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