Bagpipe player Mark Burden standing outside Edinburgh Castle in August.--Submitted Photo
asmith@medicinehatnews.com
Medicine Hat’s own Mark Burden represented all of Alberta this summer as he took part in the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
The tattoo, explains Burden, is akin to a large-scale concert consisting of 26 performances over several weeks. It is based in a longstanding tradition that has evolved over several centuries.
“It’s based on the Dutch phrase, doe den tap toe, and essentially it comes from when they used to go around playing instruments, telling the hill houses and the bars and stuff to stop serving the soldiers alcohol,” said Burden. “It means ‘turn off the taps.'”
Burden spent the entirety of August in Edinburgh to play the bagpipe in the tattoo, which featured 900 performers from across the globe. Out of all these, Burden was the only player selected from Alberta during the international audition.
“There’s pipe bands, there’s military bands, there’s brass bands, there’s dancers,” said Burden. “I remember when I found out I had been selected, I didn’t believe it at first. It’s such a big deal. Not many people know what a tattoo is, right, let alone the Edinburgh Tattoo, but in the piping world, it’s the Super Bowl of tattoos.”
He says it was a great honour to be selected and to be able to play alongside some of those considered the best in the world of pipe bands. Some of these people were proven as such during his trip, as the World Championships for Bagpipes were going on in Glasgow at the same time.
Burden began his journey at a young age, having begun with South Alberta Pipes and Drums at the age of 12. The band has been running for more than a century, now, having celebrated its centennial in 2012.
“I started playing the pipes with them, and kind of did a bunch of things like tattoos and parades and Honour Band, as well as a bunch of things through cadets and with the bagpipes,” said Burden. “It took me kind of all over the country and I had a lot of good experiences there.”
While SAPD is not a competition band, Burden says any instance of bagpipes in the region is likely them as they play many different events such as parades and Remembrance Day ceremonies.
He encouraged anyone interested in the craft to reach out to the band, as they are always happy to welcome new members regardless of experience.
“You can be brand new, never touched a chanter or a drum stick in your life,” said Burden. “Or you could have learned it when you were younger and stopped playing for 20-30 years. It really doesn’t matter. They’re willing to teach anybody and everybody.”
More information on South Alberta Pipes and Drums can be found at nonprofit.memlane.com/sapd.
