Chat & Social > The Bar - General Chat

Apologies to the Scots, but...

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Skibum346:
As an (ex)piper... I can agree... some are good and some are bad... the further away from Scotland... the bigger the chance of a dodgy one passing himself off!

Part of the trouble can be the weather. As the the reeds are just that... and absorb moisture, the tuning of the drones can change due to exposure to damp air. A good piper will always tune at the last minute, in the same "atmosphere" as the gig. For instance, outdoors for an outdoor parade.

As the three drones form a harmonic chord, it doesn't take much for it to sound awful. Sometimes, on large parades, pipers have no choice but to tune elsewhere and then wait a long time before they can actually play. They may have been transported on a hot bus, been made to wait inside a warm building... etc etc. This can knock off the tuning.

Some modern pipers have taken the extreme measure of trappin neighbourhood cats and using them instead as they at least are not affected by trhe prevailing weather conditions....    :wink:

johnpirate:
At our parade the bugler who played the last post hit so many bum notes it was painful.One of the local brass bands led the music so you think they would have let one of their members play it.I know he was ex,military but its a sombre moment not helped by lots of people giggling at tuneless drone.He wasnt bad on Revellie

hrh_dave:
Are you suggesting that they should do away with the pipers altogether? or replace them with higher caliber of players...????!!!!! If its the former you need to take a long hard look at yourselfand think that maybe the pipes and drums of the Brittish Services have been around a lot longer than you. There is nothing more haunting or poignant than the sound of pipes being played at any service......

thermidorthelobster:
Yep, it sure was haunting.  The suggestion about the school kazoo band was a joke, actually;  I didn't really mean they should replace a military pipe band with a group of primary school children, as plausible as it may have sounded.

hrh_dave:
Erm.... plausible I think not.

At a time where so many families are rembering lost loved ones whether it be from past or current conflicts, I feel jest is not called for in any such way.

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