Anyone play the bagpipes ?

And if you do play how why when did you learn ?

Not my favourite sound in the world !

Loads of people do unfortunately 🙁

Got it in school from P4 on. Hated it but my folks forced me to go. Glad they did as once I was in my teens the pipes opened up loads of opportunities for travelling/high jinks.

Busked my way through uni too, had a good pitch at Eilean Donan. 2.5 hrs a day through July – Mid August making £500 cash a week 🙂 + weddings.

I was lucky enough to be taught by Iain Macfadyen too, a bit of a legend in piping.

My main gig these days is leading off the ‘Puffer competitors every January… look out for me on the tellybox in a few months.

It’s easy.

You start with a chanter pipe. A bit like a recorder. The technique is totally different though.
Glasgow Piping School sell the stuff:
http://www.thebagpipeshop.co.uk/72/plastic.aspx

I’d assume a DVD is the best choice to show you how to start,if you cannot get a tutor. they sell them too.
Once you have mastered the chanter, you progress to the pipes. But that takes ages, you start with just the chanter attached (drones plugged up), then slowly progress until you keep a steady note with the drones. It isnt easy.

It isnt easy.

Too right!

People don’t so much as play the bagpipes but make a noise with them.

I learned at school, but we had too few players to make up a band. So were seconded off to our local pipe band. I went on a couple of trips to Celtic festivals in Brittany where teenage boys in kilts are babe magnets.

The whole Celtic / folk music revolution had yet to gather momentum in Sotland until the late 80s by which time I’d played my last Strathspey. Shame really as it was great fun. My dad was a big wig in the Royal Scottish Pipers Society. It got us an invitation to their centenary ball, with the Queen as special guest. I got to dance with her while my brother slipped headfirst on the dance floor during a spirited eight some reel almost taking out the DoE.

When I was in the scouts we had a fund raising drive. We did it by collecting and recycling aluminum cans. The world pipe band championships were in Kirkcaldy that year. We broke all recycling records!

As Thomas Beecham said, the bagpipes sound exactly the same when you’ve finished learning as when you started 🙂

Someone once said that the definition of a gentleman is someone who can play the bagpipes, but refrains from doing so.

I love the sound of them!

Double post.

My dad tried to teach me. Said I had “bag-pipe playing fingers”. Not sure that is the best thing to say to your second born daughter. I’m better at the guitar.

Just an excuse to post this…I bloody love it!

My uncle and cousins play , they go to britany a few times a year for competiitons
Never had the urge to learn.

Id like to learn the fiddle but i am about as musical as that cat above,

Isn’t there a UN embargo on playing bagpipes? Something about WMD’s…

As Terry Pratchett said, there’s a law that all bagpipe music has to start with a long warning note to allow any bystanders to get to a safe distance…

I must admit, though, that I do like Ulleian pipes, and Northumbrian pipes.

My son is learning the trumpet – I reckon the bagpipes couldn’t be much worse!

I remember years ago stopping off at The Meeting of the Three Waters down Glen Coe where a big ginger haired/bearded bloke in full regalia was playing a lament, it was a dreek day & what with the weather & the pipes, it was a bit spooky.

I love em.

An electric bagpipe is the way to learn. Using headphones.

Played well, stirring stuff. Appreciate they’re not to everyone’s taste, ceilidh band at my 40th birthday party (indoors) featured a bagpiper, great stuff, and as above the lad that played at our wedding busked through Europe most summer holidays while at college, seemed to do quite well!!

An electric bagpipe is the way to learn. Using headphones.

And the way to continue in my book

Dudelsackspieler!

Sorry, I only learned this word last week.

There is a whole underworld of bagpipe bands on the continent apparently.

I learned when I was a kid. Was in the NTC and the band was a pipe band. Couldn’t afford pipes, so only ever played the chanter! Squawky little thing. Could play loadsa tunes though.

Bloody heathens. The pipes sound amazing. Very little sounds as powerful. Electric guitar on full distortion is about the only thing. Pipes playing laments give me chills.

I think it’s the drone sound that puts people off.

Look up the Red HOT Chilli PIPERS if you want a different twist to the bag pipes .

My son plays (he’s pretty good) and started off learning the chanter which is much, much quieter (bagpipes indoor are loud!).

His school has several bands and win a lot of competitions.

There used to be a fella that practised round the back of the Glaxo building on the Grand Union Canal near Brentford. You could hear him from a fair distance away if you were riding the towpath.

My auld boy is a piper.

You tend to have a slightly different view when you’ve had someone practice under your bedroom when you were studying for exams….

That cat picture seems about right!

Proper pipes played well, we’ll now, that’s a different prospect altogether.