By Brent Zell
Public Opinion Neighbors Editor
It's appropriate that Bill Dempsey would win a bagpiping competition in a place called Scotland. Scotland, South Dakota, that is.
At the Highland Games there on Sept. 16, Watertown resident Dempsey claimed the top prize in the piping contest, emerging from a field of about 25 pipers. When he found out he won the blue ribbon representing first place, he dubbed it "quite a deal," especially considering it was his first victory at such an event.
"Last time I competed, I got beat by an 11-year-old," he chuckled. Dempsey has been piping for about five years now, ever since he saw a group of pipers in Minnesota. His quest to learn how to play had him meet up with Dan Aird, who's affiliated with a piping group in Fargo and taught Dempsey the ropes on the instrument. After about a year of practicing, Dempsey was on his own with the bagpipe.
Dempsey now has an arsenal of about 75 songs he can play from memory, from the traditional "Amazing Grace" to "Happy Birthday." He's started a local group called Glacial Lakes Pipes and Drums, which has 15 pipe players and five drummers. The group has played at schools, hospitals, nursing homes and special events such as the Fourth of July Parade and the closing ceremonies for the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Moving Wall. "Even played for a baptism," said Dempsey.
Learning the instrument properly can take anywhere from six months to a year of practicing the fingerings on a flute-like device called a chanter. Then comes the learning how to breathe into the bagpipes right, how to squeeze and how to march while doing all that.
After mastering all that, then the bagpipe student can move up to instruments like Dempsey's Great Highland Pipes. Designed for the military, the Highland Pipes can be heard over a mile away. It is the kind that pipebands play.
Of course, no piper would be complete without the clothing. Proper ettiquette is to be wearing a kilt along with other traditional gear. For Dempsey, it's all a part of the experience that makes piping great for him. "It's the appeal of sound and the look of a kilt and all the flags flying and banners waving," he said.