Have bagpipes ever improved a song?

[PaulF]

Before Mr Larrington jumps in this wouldn’t work as well without the pipes

https://youtu.be/xRXLLqWTiPo

[CrinklyLion]

I'm fairly sure that pipes feature on The Magentic Fields 69 Love Songs - haven't listened for a while, but maybe "I'm Sorry that I Love You"?. If my memory is correct, then of course they will be utterly splendid because all 69 are simply perfect.

[Legs]

Copperhead Road

[Pingu]

Yebbut, great and AC/DC? Nope.

[Mr Larrington]

Yebbut, great and AC/DC? Nope.

Pish and, moreover, tosh Sir!  Bon Scott-era AC/DC is filthy

[Legs]

Phil Collins - Both Sides of the Story

[SoreTween]

Bagpipes, in my opinion, should never be played in small numbers. A lone piper has never in history sounded other than awful. Put 100 of them in a field and it can be spine tingling.

I'm somewhat of the same opinion of violins, singly even the most talented can sometimes sound like they're dragging bits of dead animal across bits of other dead animals. Which is of course exactly what they are doing. In a group, never.

(I'm not following the link to bagpipe jazz. Ever. Offer me all the money and virgins on earth as payment to follow it and I'd still rather die.)

[CrinklyLion]

At my (Scottish) grandad's funeral, he arrived at the crem to the sound of a lone piper who stood and played in the driveway as the funeral cortege and it really (genuinely) didn't sound awful. Perhaps the exception that proves the rule...

[hellymedic]

I watched a friend's funeral on Obitus. The bagpipes were OK...

[Bluebottle]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I give you The Dropkick Murphys

That is all.


(Apart from the fact that I am currently using this to educate spawn-the-elder)

[ian]

Having once lived for years not too far away from the bagpiper who cranked it up outside the Edinburgh playhouse at 9 am on the dot every fucking Saturday morning, I suffer an atavistic murder-reaction whenever I hear those pipes start-up and generally have to be restrained. I did once have dinner with a Galician piper though and he was mental, presumably having driven himself mad.

[FifeingEejit]

The Bagpipes are one of the most obviously played badly instruments, when the piper(s) is brilliant they are immense when they're even slightly poorer than brilliant you're looking for a chib.

[T42]

Scottish pipes are about as suitable for singing to as Japanese war-drums.  The only advantage of either is that played correctly they'll down out a bad soloist.

[mrcharly-YHT]

Scottish pipes are about as suitable for singing to as Japanese war-drums.  The only advantage of either is that played correctly they'll down out a bad soloist.

There are innumerable Celtic bands who prove you wrong.

The small pipes were created for playing indoors, for small venues and bands. They work well.

Being at a concert and hearing the piper for Tidelines skirl up is a hair-raising experience (and gets the biggest roar from the crowd).

A lone piping busker on an Endinburgh/Glasgow street corner usually sounds dreadful.

[FifeingEejit]

A lone piping busker on an Endinburgh/Glasgow street corner usually sounds dreadful.

That's usually because they're shite.

Kids learning are always sent out the house to practice, I've had to suffer a neeburs kid waking up and down the private road at the back of my parents house while learning, no idea if he's any good now.
And while eating lunch mid-DIY in Aberfeldy I once had to suffer a kid who'd been sent out to "treat" everyone daring to be in the town centre to their practicing.

Truly dreadful.

Don't remember pipes at Tidelines in Leverburgh village hall, do remember being 3rd in a conga line of everyone in the hall except the 2 wee frees fae Scalpay who sat stern faced supping their Coke.

[FifeingEejit]

I'll have to chat to their Drum Major (why are all Dundee Pipers called Dave?) who is a local CTC stalwart and see if I can get a recording. They have also played Thriller in the past as a competition piece.

When i was reading back I had a massive EH? (It's Dundonian in this case for What?) moment reading this, cos Dundee's most famous Drum Major is called Richard.

[phantasmagoriana]

Having once lived for years not too far away from the bagpiper who cranked it up outside the Edinburgh playhouse at 9 am on the dot every fucking Saturday morning, I suffer an atavistic murder-reaction whenever I hear those pipes start-up and generally have to be restrained. I did once have dinner with a Galician piper though and he was mental, presumably having driven himself mad.

Can confirm they are no longer there, thank goodness (I'm reasonably close to the Playhouse). They seem to stick to the Royal Mile these days.

Worst bagpipe experience for me was when living in Glasgow. We were in a first floor flat with a sort of open terrace in front over the shops in front. One year, during the world piping championships, a pipe band decided this would be their practice space (including on a Sunday morning).

Not sure whether it's just the nature of the instrument, but I have yet to hear a set of bagpipes that are in tune with themselves.

[mrcharly-YHT]

Having once lived for years not too far away from the bagpiper who cranked it up outside the Edinburgh playhouse at 9 am on the dot every fucking Saturday morning, I suffer an atavistic murder-reaction whenever I hear those pipes start-up and generally have to be restrained. I did once have dinner with a Galician piper though and he was mental, presumably having driven himself mad.

Can confirm they are no longer there, thank goodness (I'm reasonably close to the Playhouse). They seem to stick to the Royal Mile these days.

Worst bagpipe experience for me was when living in Glasgow. We were in a first floor flat with a sort of open terrace in front over the shops in front. One year, during the world piping championships, a pipe band decided this would be their practice space (including on a Sunday morning).

Not sure whether it's just the nature of the instrument, but I have yet to hear a set of bagpipes that are in tune with themselves.

Probably a reflection on the ear, or lack thereof, of the player. The drone pipes have to be retuned every time the instrument is unpacked (they are disassembled when put in a case).

[SteveC]

It is not easy for the player to tune the drones as they are in a rather awkward position.
One of the worst noises I have ever heard was the REDACTED Pipe Band (who were not in the top league of such things) tuning up in anteroom at Accrington Town Hall.  The pipers were all playing away and the drum major was going round tuning them one at a time. It was incredibly loud and incredibly awful.

[nicknack]

I was lucky enough (FCVO ‘lucky’) to be in Scotland this summer for the Pitlochry highland games. I spent a long time listening to the solo piping competition (it wasn’t a forfeit, honest). There were some brilliant players. Fair brought a tear to my eye, it did.

[Feanor]

One of my brother's spawn was involved in piping competitions some years ago.
She played a drum of some sort, snare I think.

Anyways, before the start of the competition, each band would form in a circle, and the pipers would blaw to inflate the bag and let the drone pipes do their monotonic thing. ( The tune comes from the chanter pipe.) The boss man would go around with a digital bagpipe-tuner (yes!) which he would hold onto the top of each drone-pipe, and then twiddle the length-adjuster so it was emitting the exact right frequency of drone.

[SpaceBadger]

I don’t think this little gem has been proposed yet, has it?

You’re The Voice, John Farnham

https://youtu.be/tbkOZTSvrHs

[T42]

Scottish pipes are about as suitable for singing to as Japanese war-drums.  The only advantage of either is that played correctly they'll down out a bad soloist.

There are innumerable Celtic bands who prove you wrong.

The small pipes were created for playing indoors, for small venues and bands. They work well.

Being at a concert and hearing the piper for Tidelines skirl up is a hair-raising experience (and gets the biggest roar from the crowd).

A lone piping busker on an Endinburgh/Glasgow street corner usually sounds dreadful.

I was thinking of the Highland/war pipes.  Small pipes are a different kettle of fish.

According to one of my uni chums, who was a piper, skirling - a high, thin, shriek from the chanter - is the result of poor technique that should never happen.

[FifeingEejit]

I don't k ow whay o didn't me tion them earlier

NiteWorks
Currently watching their 2021 gig at the Quaring in Youtube

Sent from my IV2201 using Tapatalk

[IanDG]

Many years ago I hated them but then moved to Stornoway and joined a running club. At Hogmanay we would run over the hills, take a swim in a sea loch and then carry on running to Rhenigidale Hostel for a party. Dougie Flett used to carry his pipes with him and then play as we passed the whisky bottle around. Pipes were a sound I grew to love - played badly they're awful though but not as bad as the sound of primary kids on the chanter at school concerts 

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=ojzrkCSwMvo&feature=share