Darius has extensive experience playing for T.V., movies, radio and recordings. He performed “Amazing Grace” on the bagpipes with Il Divo on Good Morning America, as well as for a nationally-broadcast commercial for the 1996 Olympics, and recorded the piece for the the Broadway play “Lucky Guy” starring Tom Hanks. He appeared in the Russell Crowe movie “Tenderness”, and was invited to play the Irish whistle with Sinead O’Connor on The Tonight Show, NBC today and The Queen Latifah Show. As a recording artist, composer and arranger, his work has been aired on NPR’s “Healthstyles”, and he recorded with Tom Chapin on the Grammy-nominated CD “Around the World and Back Again”.
Darius’ background in classical music performance and composition allows him to easily sight-read and learn new music, and to arrange non-standard music for the bagpipes and the Irish whistle. He also has a talent for improvisation.
(See also Bio.)
IMPORTANT NOTE FOR COMPOSERS AND RECORDING ENGINEERS:
If you are a composer or recording engineer interested in using the bagpipes for studio work, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, the pipes play in concert Bb / Eb (major or minor). The pipes only play 9 notes: a one-octave Mixolydian scale with a low flat seventh. So the notes are Ab, Bb, C, D, Eb, F, G, Ab, Bb. The 3rd and 6th can be flatted for minor modes, so you can get D flat and G flat. THE DRONES ONLY PLAY Bb, and cannot be changed, but they can be shut off it desired. The high Ab is rather thin and squawky, so it is not usually sustained or emphasized much.
However, bagpipe music is written in A Mixolydian, even though the pipes play in Bb. So the notes are written G, A, B C# (or C natural), D, E, F#, G (or G flat), A, but they sound as Ab, Bb, C, D, Eb, F, G, Ab, Bb, with the option for a flat 3rd and 6th (D flat and G flat).
The Irish whistles are made in all keys, and have a 2-octave range, allowing them to play virtually any melody. It is also easy to “bend” notes on the whistle - one of the trademarks of Irish whistle playing. This allows them to play Jazz, Blues, etc., and even Middle Eastern and Far Eastern modes.
