Matt Seattle (Schottland) Dudelsack

Matt Seattle lives in the Scottish Borders town of Peebles. He has been playing guitar since 1965, fiddle since 1983 and bellows pipes since 1991, starting with Scottish smallpipes and later moving on to Border Pipes.
He has researched and published two books of Border pipe music, The Master Piper (1995) being an edition of the William Dixon manuscript of 1733, the oldest-known substantial collection of bagpipe music from the British Isles.
Border Pipes (also known as Lowland Pipes and Northumberland Half-long Pipes) were played in Northern England and Southern Scotland in the 18th century, and are now being heard once again. Quieter and sweeter than Highland Pipes, but with a stronger tone than Northumbrian Pipes, Border Pipes have their own repertoire of music from both sides of the Border, from sprightly dance tunes to soulful slow airs.
Border Piper Matt Seattle is recognised as a leading Border Piper. He gained first place in the Lowland and Border Pipers´ Society Competition (Open Border Pipes Solo) in 2000. He has been a featured performer at many piping festivals (Bagpipe Society, Armagh Pipers´Club, Lowland and Border Pipers´ Society).
”It really does seem, when one hears his playing, that the two loose ends of a piping tradition have been picked up and tied together again so that they are an unbroken thread once more.” -
After many years playing guitar and fiddle, Matt Seattle took up the Border pipes, a recently revived bellows-blown bagpipe from southern Scotland and northern England. He now plays pipes regularly for dances, weddings, and concerts, and has recorded two CDs: 'Out of the Flames' (DGM 9907) concentrates on the traditional repertoire of the Border pipes, on which Matt is now the leading authority, while on 'Border Seasons' (DFM CD0101) he is joined by Mr McFallŐs String Quartet for a more contemporary selection including original compositions for pipes and strings.
Roger HanschelŐs specially composed tune is quite different from the music Matt usually plays, but he was very happy to accept the challenge of learning and recording it, and now it has in turn influenced his own musical direction. ---
William Marshall, Bagpipe Society For Dragonfly Music publications and CDs featuring Matt Seattle go to: http://www.btinternet.com/~radical/thefolkmag/dragonfly.htm Dragonfly Music Traditional Music Publishing email: admin@dragonflymusic.co.uk or write to PO Box 13772 Peebles Scotland EH45 8YE United Kingdom