Amazing Grace is Wrong: Uncovering the Secret Timing of the World's Most Famous Bagpipe Tune

[@bagpipelessons]

Download the new sheet music for Amazing Grace: link.bagpipelessons.com/amazing-grace-download 00:00 Introduction 01:30 Amazing Grace solo pipe - Jori Chisholm, BagpipeLessons.com Tune Lesson Download 02:28 The most popular Tune Lesson Downloads of all-time 03:03 Amazing Grace for pipe band - Simon Fraser University Pipe Band Live at Carnegie Hall 05:45 Amazing Grace solo voice - Judy Collins 06:40 Amazing Grace voice with backing band - Elvis Presley 07:50 Listen to the hidden timing in threes of Amazing Grace 09:03 Sheet music #1 - piano version in 3/4 time 10:58 Sheet music #2 - voice version in 3/4 time 11:43 Sheet music #3 - violin/piano version in 3/4 time 12:38 Sheet music #4 - bagpipe version in 3/4 time with even pick up notes 14:35 Listen to the swing of the solo pipe version (again) 15:22 Sheet music #5 - bagpipe version in 3/4 time with dot-cut pick up note 16:25 Listen to the dot-cut version (wrong) 17:00 Comparing version #4 and #5 - both wrong 17:25 What's the correct timing then? 17:45 Like this video? Join my Inner Circle. More info here: bagpipelessons.com/membership/ 18:50 Listen to the hidden compound timing in Amazing Grace 20:05 The secret to finding the time signature is the pickup notes. 20:35 Amazing Grace is in 9/8 time signature! 21:00 Take a look at the sheet music and listen along. 22:05 Why using the wrong versions makes it hard to learn ir properly 23:07 Listen to the perfect compound time triplet 23:55 Listen to Judy Collins - it's in perfect 9/8 24:55 Download the 9/8 sheet music 25:30 The importance of using correct sheet music for beginners 26:58 Thank you (conclusion)

[@SeanOsborneII]

I want to give you a big hug for this video. I can’t agree more. I played this at a funeral in my church recently. I’m director of music there. I came out of behind the organ and accompanied my choir on pipes. I decided to follow the music in the hymnal. I was taken by surprise and I loved it much better. I decided to make myself a new sheet music for my pipe students and myself. EXACTLY like yours!!! I am so happy you are doing this. And, everything you do, well, I’m a huge fan. THANK YOU SIR!

[@bagpipelessons]

Thanks for the great feedback. I'm glad you liked the video. I'm going to keep making videos!

[@adamscott2219]

I grew up singing this in church (A lot as it was a Baptist Church) and when I learnt it on the pipes it just seemed wrong to me. I played it as a kid in church to people singing it and quickly adjusted and realised I liked it better. I’ve always played it like I sing it when I play solo ever since and have had some interesting comments over the years from other pipers. Although I’ve definitely never had any negative comments about my playing (Quite the contrary) bands generally don’t like following my solo for obvious reasons. I’m so glad to know my instinct about this great song was true. Cheers Jori 😊👍

[@Scott_Mengel]

I have played the tune The Dark Island the way my tutor taught it. He was using the Scots Guard version for the sheet music. When I put this music into bagpipe software it did not play the same way he played. After watching this video, tonight i converted it into 9/8 time and now it matches the way he and i play it. Great lesson, thanks.

[@bagpipelessons]

Thank you Scott!

[@micksonalaupa9794]

I'm from Papua New Guinea 🇵🇬. I'm a piper with the 1st Battlion, Royal Pacific Island Regiment in the army. After watching some videos I have learned so much. For example how to play the Amazing Grace correctly (9/8) which I also downloaded the tune. I'm going run some copies of the tune for our band to learn it. All in all, thank so much. Cheers! 😊

[@bagpipelessons]

You are welcome! Thanks for watching my videos and please tell your friends!

[@bobraasch8699]

This is wonderful. I'm looking at a version 9/8 from jan 2009. Very similar to yours, with a few differences. Thank so much. Gonma recommend you to a friend of mine who is just taking up bagpipes. Your videos are so precise & provide wonderful info.

[@bagpipelessons]

Glad it was helpful! Check out my Learn page on BagpipeLessons.com for some of my best free downloads, articles, videos, and more. Thanks! bagpipelessons.com/learn

[@issaquahpiper]

Jori, you are one of the most inspiring teachers I've ever met, and thank you for this informative and illuminating video. Getting the right timing of AG has always eluded me, and this clarifies things.

[@bagpipelessons]

Wow, thank you!

[@lesliethomson2441]

To be honest I was expecting some BS, Boy WAS I WRONG I've shared this video with my whole band.

[@bagpipelessons]

Ha ha! Thanks, Leslie.

[@hfranke07]

The only thing I would change is in bar 3, 11 and 16 I would have a lowG gracenote to lowA and not a highG gracenote. Sounds much better and is in many versions for bagpipes. But boy do I love this..... thanks

[@Rachel-gr5pi]

Terrific stuff!

[@banjiddle]

You are a great teacher, and have learned more from you than Jack Lee Winter Storm in KC!

[@bagpipelessons]

Wow, thanks!

[@charlesmartin1079]

When I learned AG, the music I was given had one pickup and a D-throw to the D. When playing it at church, played it much more to the hymnal which was more like the piano version you show.

[@charliemartin6094]

Here's a couple of links I think make your point. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gXOceIppq9JlaZo, kzbin.info/www/bejne/jXjQq3h3gNOCgbs, kzbin.info/www/bejne/iGLPaWulba2bedk

[@bagpipelessons]

Thanks Charlie! Honestly, when I started looking around for non-bagpipe versions of Amazing Grace, I was expecting to find everything in 3/4.... Judy Collins and Elvis as so clearly 9/8 - just how we pipers play it. The question I'm wondering about now (maybe someone who know can help out): who came up with the 9/8 swing version of Amazing Grace? Did the pipers copy Elvis, or the other way around, or did they both follow someone else's lead?

[@robertreuss9653]

@@bagpipelessons Elvis and the pipers both followed Judy Collins' lead (Judy Collins' recording was in 1969 or 1970, Elvis' recording was in 1971, and the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards first recorded it in 1971 or 1972). The influence of the Judy Collins version on the bagpipe version is confirmed by Brigadier Mel Jamieson (Pipe President of the Royal Scots Greys up to 1971) here: "The Story of Bagpipe Tune 'Amazing Grace' - Royal Scots Dragoon Guards Edinburgh Castle 50th Birthday!" kzbin.info/www/bejne/sIWWm2aFgZachpI (mention of Judy Collins at about 3:30)

[@stigbang-mortensen383]

That exercise can be done to all competition type 2/4 marches in almost any book ;-)

[@bagpipelessons]

Thank you for the comment.

[@mitchbain3338]

Thanks Jori alwaysxsaid it should be written in 9/8.

[@bagpipelessons]

Thanks Mitch!

[@rugertaz9994]

Great Video!

[@nvdawahyaify]

I have a question. Why is it that pretty much all pipers ways of playing a given song are indistinguishable from each other? Why is it that if you take 12 pipers and a tune, there will only be one interpretation of the tune? It seems like each tune is supposed to be played one way, with one set of embellishments, and anything else is sacrilege. I'm not referring to this video and the way amazing grace is played. Though amazing grace is one that I was told I played wrong because of my selection of grace notes and embellishments. I understand that it is necessary for everyone in a pipe band to play the same way at the same time, to keep everything going smoothly. but a solo piper should have more freedom to make changes without being shamed, or ridiculed for interpreting the tune a little differently. Any other musician (exept classical musicians) is allowed to do this without issues. Even the example you played of Elvis made changes. I apologize if I came across as argumentative, that was not my intention. I'm autistic and sometimes things don't come across how I intend them. I am genuinely trying to understand why tunes have to be played one way, with no variation.

[@bagpipelessons]

Thanks for the comment. Most pipe tunes have a standard setting or version that is published in one of the classic books. The version usually has the timing and gracenoting that is most commonly played. Some tunes have more than one version. You are correct that bagpipe music is more standardized than many other musical traditions - this largely due to the history of competitions and the Scottish regiments and the unique limitations of the bagpipe itself (you can't change the volume to express the tune, you can only change the timing or embellishments). I hope that helps! Thanks and please let me know if you have more questions!

[@michaelsmith957]

I've always felt like that something was wrong here. I think it should be said that there is an overall timing issue here

[@bagpipelessons]

Yes indeed. It's 9/8 not 3/4!

[@jokmlo]

How does the different time signature effect drum scores? Would this make more sense for drummers? Our drum section has always sort of struggled with this tune.

[@bagpipelessons]

I think it's important your drummers listen to the way you are playing the tune so they can find a way to match. Send them this video and see if that helps!

[@bulletbeatboxer]

Does it really come down to whether it's wrong? Maybe it's just a different setting? There are plenty of pipe tunes with different settings. Is only the original author correct? If that is so, why are different settings tolerated? In contemporary music, there are many spin-offs and settings of songs. And, there are contemporary songs converted to pipe tunes with different settings and this is just another one. Interesting nonetheless and always a good reminder to carefully read your music and listen to alternatives.

[@bagpipelessons]

Yes! There certainly are different settings to many tunes, including Amazing Grace. As I show in the video there are many versions of the tune - but what's interesting is that ALL of the written versions I found were written a time signature that is different from the time signature of the version that is known and played by nearly all pipers worldwide!

[@sakonhon]

So many other pipe tunes are notated completely wrong too. As you say, it inhibits pipers’ reading. So many upbeats written on the one… dots/cuts on the wrong part of the beat…and many more notation issues. Hopefully you don’t have too much resistance to this- because it is really helping with pipers’ musical literacy. I’ve managed to convince a few pipers not to trust what they’re reading. I was taken seriously, I suppose because of my classical music education… but I’ll never forget the time I mentioned to my PM/teacher that I thought it made no sense that reed-seats were conical… (you’d think I had just said the most heretical thing imaginable)! 🫣

[@bagpipelessons]

Thanks! I've always believed that if you want to teach a student to read music, make sure the music they are given to read is correct!